Food for Thought

Wednesday, October 17, 2012
6:00 PM Reception
7:00 PM Dinner and Program
Hotel ZaZa, Houston

Honorees:: Mary Lou and Walt Smith
Featuring: Richard Dreyfuss

Chairs: Vicki and Steve Farris & Leticia and Steve Trauber

Purchase Tickets and Tables

Can't attend, but wish to make a donation? Click here.

For information contact 713-296-6127 or info@fundforteachers.org.

Richard Dreyfuss, Academy Award-Winning Actor
Richard Dreyfuss has relied on intelligence, energy and incredible talent to gain and keep his place among the leading actors of the American cinema. Three of his films, in fact, were recently included in the American Film Institute’s list of the greatest 100 films. One of his notable roles was as the teacher in Mr. Holland's Opus, for which he received Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for Best Actor.

Mary Lou and Walt Smith, Honorees
We are pleased to honor Mary Lou and Walt Smith, long-time Houston residents who have been active both locally and nationally in numerous charitable activities.

Mary Lou and Walt have been particularly active in their charitable endeavors in advocating for individuals with disabilities. In particular, they have focused their efforts on the Riverview School, Casa de Amma, Houston's Center Serving Persons with Mental Retardation and St. Catherine's Montessori School.

Walt is a founding board member of Fund for Teachers, a member of the boards and executive committees of Central Houston, Inc. and the Board of Visitors of the University Cancer Foundation, and a current or former board member of numerous other civic and charitable organizations. Walt is a recipient of Riverview School's "Dream Maker Award" and Creighton University's "Alumni Merit Award", each in recognition of his efforts in advocating for individuals with disabilities, and he is particularly proud to have been named a Houston "Father of the Year" in 2007.

Mary Lou is a graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. Walt attended three different undergraduate institutions, none of which (he likes to point out) favored him with a degree. Following his marriage to Mary Lou, however, he was able to stay focused long enough to obtain a J.D. from Creighton Law School. He followed that with a clerkship on the United States Court of Appeals and an LL.M. degree from Harvard Law School. Mary Lou and Walt are native Nebraskans who moved to Houston in 1975, where they raised their three sons, Ben, Mike and Jeff.

back to top