Taking Root

The Annual Luncheon Benefiting The John Fairey Garden Conservation Foundation
Louise Bland and Marjorie Cain, Co-Chairs

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Wednesday, October 28, 2026

11:30am – 1:00pm
The Junior League of Houston
1811 Briar Oaks Ln, Houston, TX 77027

Please join us and celebrate this important conservation garden and singular cultural landscape.We hope you will consider supporting this event.

Table Sponsorships

$25,000 QUERCUS TARDIFOLIA TABLE FOR TEN

$15,000 CLETHRA PRINGLEI TABLE FOR TEN

$10,000 QUERCUS INSIGNIS TABLE FOR TEN

$5,000 MAHONIA CHOCHOCO TABLE FOR TEN

$3,500 ZEPHYRANTHES DRUMMONDII TABLE FOR TEN

Individual Tickets

$1,250 BRAHEA MOOREI INDIVIDUAL VIP TICKET

$350 AGAVE OVATIFOLIA INDIVIDUAL TICKET

For information on corporate sponsorships, please email info@jfgarden.org.

You may sponsor, purchase tickets, or make a donation by selecting the
“SUPPORT TAKING ROOT” button below.

Support Taking Root

Thank you again for all you do to ensure we succeed in our mission to preserve, share, and advance the horticultural and artistic legacy of John Fairey.


Honoree
Cece Fowler

At this year’s luncheon we are delighted to honor Houston philanthropist Cece Fowler, a dear friend of the Garden who has supported not only The John Fairey Garden, but a number of other civic spaces, parks, and cultural institutions. Cece previously served on the Garden’s board of directors, and has continued to provide multi-faceted stewardship through meaningful support, counsel, and advocacy, all shared with uncommon generosity and grace.


Guest Speaker
Andrew Hipp

We are also thrilled to have as our guest speaker Andrew Hipp, author and Senior Scientist in Plant Systematics at the Morton Arboretum in Chicago. Andrew is widely considered to be one of the world’s foremost experts on oaks. As David George Haskell wrote about Hipp’s book, Oak Origins, “In this brilliant exploration, oaks emerge as jazz musicians, continually improvising, collaborating, and finding new living music over millions of years. We think of oaks as hard and unyielding, but Hipp’s compelling writing reveals them as supple and inventive.”


Taking Root Co-Chairs

Louise Bland & Marjorie Cain

Taking Root Host Committee

Nancy Abendshein

Mary & Marcel Barone

Adele & Lan Bentsen

Kelli Blanton

Susan & Bob Boykin

Fredricka Brecht

Marianna Brewster

Anne Brollier

Mimi Brown

Aubrey Carter

Georgia Carter

Jeanie Carter

Maudie Carter

Kelty Crain

Susie & Sanford Criner

Kit Detering

Jenny Elkins

Sidney Fay

Heather & Jeff Firestone

Cindy & David Fitch

Cece & Mac Fowler

Stephanie Fox

Debby Francis

Mary Gregory

Jill & Dunham Jewett

Rebekah Johnson

George Johnston

Linda & George Kelly

Madeliene Kelly

Page Kempner

Sissy & Denny Kempner

Mimi Kerr

David & Mary Klein

Chris Knapp

Carmen & John Knapp

Virginia & Lee Lahourcade

Ann Lents

Catherine & Bruce McDonald

Mary Hale Mclean

Laura McWilliams

Betty Moody

Gary Moss

Betty & Steve Newton

Genevieve & Chris O’Sullivan

Cabrina Owsley

Carl Palazzolo

Betty Palmquist

Allison & Dan Parsley

Julie Peak & David Hightower

Mary Sommers Pyne

Shawn Stephens

Sandra Tirey & Jan R. van Lohuizen

Emily Todd

Stephanie Tsuru

Phoebe & Bobby Tudor

Janna Webber

Carroll Wessels

Susan Young


Individual Sponsors as of 6-29-26
QUERCUS TARDIFOLIA
Anonymous — in honor of Cece Fowler
CLETHRA PRINGLEI
Cece & Mack Fowler — in honor of Randy Twaddle
Susan Young
QUERCUS INSIGNIS
Nancy Abendshein
Mary & David Klein
MAHONIA CHOCHOCO
Mary & Marcel Barone
Jenny Elkins — in honor of Louise Bland and Marjorie Cain
Edith H. and C. Hastings Johnson Family Fund
Sissy & Denny Kempner
Kathleen Miller
Vivie & Chris O’Sullivan
Sandra Tirey & Jan R. van Lohuizen
Anne Whitlock & Michael Skelly – in honor of Randy Twaddle
Vallette & Russell Windham
ZEPHYRANTHES DRUMMONDII
Fredricka Brecht
Mimi & Zachery Brown
Marjorie & Walker Cain — in honor of Randy Twaddle
Marjorie Cain & Sara Cain McGuinness — in honor of Randy Twaddle
Cindy & David Fitch — in honor of Randy Twaddle
The Party Chicks & Friends
Tish Peterkin
BRAHEA MOOREI
Cedeño & Associates
Sidney Fay – In Honor of Marjorie Cain
Ann Lents — in honor of Cece Fowler
AGAVE OVATIFOLIA
Ellanor Beard
Laura Devitt & Steve Massad
Stephanie & Clinton Fox / Mary Gregory
Melissa & Albert Grobmyer IV — in honor of Randy Twaddle
Sarah Hastings
Gail Hendryx
Sheryl Kolasinski
Betty & Bob Palmquist
Carrie & Albert Pepi
Judy & Charles Tate — in honor of Louise Bland and Marjorie Cain
Lynda Underwood
FRIENDS OF THE GARDEN
Ann Ash
Leigh & Reggie Smith — in honor of Cece Fowler

Corporate Sponsors as of 6-11-26
QUERCUS RYSOPHYLLA
MAGNOLIA TAMAULIPANA
YUCCA ROSTRATA
Moss Landscaping

The John Fairey Garden Conservation Foundation
Board of Directors

Mark McKinnon – President

Tom McCasland – Vice President

Antonio Adezio – Treasurer

Jane Curtis – Secretary

Mary Barone

Adele Bentsen

Satara Henry

Louise Jamail

Sheryl Kolasinski

Sam Lasseter

Steven Matthews

Isaac Stein

Ron Stricklin

Sandra Tirey

Maggie Tsang

Wally Wilkins

Susan Young

Founder

John Gaston Fairey (1930-2020)

Staff

Randy Twaddle – Executive Director & Artist in Residence

Wally Wilkins – Director of Horticulture & Plant Collections

Aviana Kalinec – Office Manager

Ashlyn Mashbrun – Nursery Manager and Horticulturist

Adolfo Silva – Head Gardener

Ricardo Bautista – Gardener

Agustin Casas – Gardener

Luke Kelley – Gardener

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