Pulse
[SOCIETY]
THE GRIFTER’S GUIDE TO DATING DALLAS WIDOWS
Our town is blessed with a bounty of beautiful, wealthy, unattached women whose philanthropic efforts
continue to shape the city. A man with a good game plan could make hay. Here’s some intel to get you started.
By Joseph Capasso
LISA BLUE
BARON
AG E :
FAYE
BRIGGS
59
AG E :
79
TONI
BRINKER
AG E :
60
RITA
CLEMENTS
AG E :
80
NANCY
DEDMAN
AG E :
84
PATSY
DONOSKY
AG E :
76
EBBY
HALLIDAY
AG E :
101
HUSBAND:
HUSBAND:
HUSBAND:
HUSBAND:
HUSBAND:
HUSBAND:
HUSBAND:
Fred Baron (d. 2008)
was a highly paid
plaintiff’s attorney.
Hugh Briggs
(d. 1993) was an oil
and gas man.
Norman Brinker
(d. 2009) founded
Brinker International.
Bill Clements (d. 2011)
was an oilman and the
governor of Texas.
Bob Dedman
(d. 2002) founded
ClubCorp International.
David Donosky
(d. 2009) was a real
estate executive.
Maurice Acers
(d. 1993) was an
FBI agent.
I N T E L : When she’s
not suing Al Hill III, she’s
working on her moves at
the Arthur Murray
studio. If competitive
dancing’s not your thing,
try politics. She’s a huge
fundraiser for the
Democratic party.
Note: she has three
young girls, so you’d
have to win not one but
four hearts.
I N T E L : This is going
to be a tough one. The
petite lady prefers her
Preston Hollow mansion
over the party scene, so
wooing opportunities
are rare. We suggest
hiring a skywriter to fly
over her house, sending messages of your
romantic intent. Also,
a Bible verse or two
wouldn’t hurt.
The fourth and
last Mrs. Brinker is one
of the younger marks
on this list. Should your
play for her hand prove
successful, you’d live
in nice digs. Her house
sits across Strait Lane
from the famed Philip
Johnson-designed
Beck house. She
donated to Mitt
Romney’s campaign, so
no Mormon jokes.
The ex-wife of
Dick Bass keeps a low
profile, but when she
does appear, people
treat her like royalty.
Bingo. You zag where
others zig. At a fundraiser for UT Southwestern (she and her husband gave $100 million
in 2009), be downright
rude to Rita. She’ll find
the change of pace
intriguing.
Nancy’s known
to pop up on the front
row at the Paris fashion
shows, but more often
than not she’s spending
time with her grandkids.
Possible in: she and
her husband gave $25
million to SMU for Dedman College, so prepare
some talking points on
June Jones’ run-andshoot offense.
I N T E L : Bouncing
back from losing her
husband and father in
a two-month span, the
daughter of Henry S.
Miller is a fixture on the
luncheon scene. So this
is actually pretty easy.
Word of warning, however: Patsy favors bright
scarfs and lots of high,
ruffled collars. Don’t
try to out-peacock her.
Keep it simple.
I N T E L : The queen of
Dallas real estate isn’t as
young as she used to be,
so you’ll need to work
quickly. She’s going to
want to drive. Don’t let
her. A better idea: fire up
a Dallas Mavericks game
(she’s a huge fan)
and, during halftime,
surprise her with a
ukulele serenade.
MARGUERITE
HOFFMAN
SYDNEY
HUFFINES
NORMA
HUNT
ALICIA
LANDRY
LINDA
MARCUS
MARGARET
McDERMOTT
CAREN
PROTHRO
AG E :
56
AG E :
75
INTEL:
AG E :
74
INTEL:
AG E :
82
INTEL:
AG E :
72
AG E :
98
AG E :
70
HUSBAND:
HUSBAND:
HUSBAND:
HUSBAND:
HUSBAND:
HUSBAND:
HUSBAND:
Robert Hoffman
(d. 2006) made his
fortune bottling Coke.
J.L. Huffines Jr.
(d. 2009) was co-owner
of auto dealerships.
Lamar Hunt (d. 2006)
was an oilman who
owned KC Chiefs.
Tom Landry (d. 2000)
was the legendary coach
of the Cowboys.
Stanley Marcus
(d. 2002) ran
Neiman Marcus.
Eugene McDermott
(d. 1973) co-founded
Texas Instruments.
Vin Prothro (d. 2000)
was the CEO of Dallas
Semiconductor.
At the Two x Two
for AIDS and Art auction, wildly overbid for
a canvas by an obscure
artist who paints with
his own blood. When she
approaches you at the
bar and asks you
about it, kiss her full on
the mouth. Then tell her
with confidence,
“I know why you sold
the Rothko.”
The loss of
J.L. and her granddaughter namesake
knocked the wind out of
her, so she’s been traveling and staying out of
the limelight. Her middle
name is Thweatt. Thus—
and this one is almost
too easy—we suggest
that you try whispering
Thweatt nothings in
her ear.
I N T E L : Norma has a
weakness for couture
and football. She is the
only woman who has
attended every Super
Bowl. Accordingly,
buy your tickets now
to Super Bowl XLVII,
which will be held in New
Orleans. Get a couple of
hurricanes in this lady,
and you shouldn’t have
too much trouble.
I N T E L : Are you serious? You’re even thinking about Alicia Landry?
That makes us laugh.
You do realize that the
woman was married
to Tom Landry, right?
You’re not man enough.
George Clooney isn’t
man enough. This one’s
impossible. But if you
insist, try chocolate.
The former
librarian keeps her
partying to private
gatherings. But here’s
your in: Linda spends
half her time in Santa Fe.
Get her to that Japanese
spa called Ten Thousand
Waves. Very romantic.
After a little Yasuragi,
invite her into your hot
tub. From there, you
know what to do.
I N T E L : Her driver’s
license says she’s 98,
but Dallas’ First Lady
of Philanthropy swears
she’s 100. The second
Calatrava-designed
bridge, the one that will
replace the I-30 bridge,
will be named after her.
Wait until it is built.
At rush hour, threaten
to jump unless she
marries you. Chicks
dig drama.
Caren is largely
responsible for raising
the money for the AT&T
Performing Arts Center,
and she’s the chairman of SMU’s board of
trustees. In short: we’re
talking a major power
player. Try forming a
super PAC with the Koch
brothers and using it to
buy her love.
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30 APRIL 2012 / DMAGAZINE.COM
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