A Night Among The Stars Earns Over $195K

by, Chauntel Seminerio

Sunday was a night to behold at the Stars of Texas Gala held at the Embassy Suites San Marcos Hotel, Spa and Conference Center, as Central Texas Hill Country’s elite gathered to honor Mr. & Mrs. Bruce & Gloria Ingram. The couple indisputably San Marcos’ most charitable, donated a breathtaking 1.1 million dollars to our very own Central Texas Medical Center for the implantation of a state of the art interventional cardiac catheterization lab, establishing the Ingram Heart Center at CTMC.

The night kicked off with a social hour of cocktails while corframs, tuxedos, and evening gowns mingled in the gold tones of the Conference Centers hallways. Among the evenings guests in attendance were Mayor, Daniel Guerrero, Judge Andrew Cable, Tommy Foote, Brian McCoy, Adriana Cruz, GSMP, Jude Prather, Dr. Denise Trauth, the event hosts, John and Chloe Navarrette and really, too many to get them all listed.

Sponsors of the Gala included Frost Bank, Grande Communications, HEB, Pioneer Bank, Texas State University, San Marcos Police Officers Association, San Marcos Vista Partners, Texas Oncology and dozens more. The Gala held annually exceeded expectations with an outstanding 554 guests in attendance. With tickets for the event valued at $200 each and the proceeds will benefit the Ingram Heart Center at CTMC.

Upon the opera like flicker of the lighting alerting guests to take their seats in the event hall Master of Ceremonies KXAN’s own Robert Maxwell warmly spoke of the evening’s honorees and their abundant generosities, followed by a video tribute telling the humble tale of the Ingram family and all the lives they have touched.

The fare of the night began with field green salads of cranberries, mandarin oranges, candied pecans and goat cheese crumbles accompanied by cranberry citrus vinaigrette, followed by a duo of filets of beef and Mahi Mahi, triangle slabs of congealed sweet potato dauphinoise (aka potato gratin) and cubes of roasted root vegetables. Dessert set out with the silverware to thaw in time for its course included triple chocolate layer cake and raspberry swirl cheesecake.

Following dinner Grammy Award Winner Diamond Rio entertained the generous guests. With beloved songs and positive energy swelling in the room, guests were slightly disheartened by the placement of the dance floor. Perhaps next time it will grace the front of the stage to encourage further activity.

In case you missed it this year, The Stars of Texas Gala is an event not to be forgotten. From the charitable atmosphere, good willed partnerships, one of a kind silent auction via text bidding and two of the absolute most deserving honorees all serving our very own Central Texas Medical Center should definitely be a destination for you next year to join in with your local community and its leaders.