Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas marked 90 years of healthcare, education and advocacy with a milestone morning at AT&T Performing Arts Center Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House, where Dallas civic leaders, philanthropists and cultural insiders gathered for the 35th annual Planned Parenthood Dallas Awards. Co-chaired by Pam and John Beckert, the celebration underscored the organization’s legacy and its evolving role at a moment when reproductive healthcare remains at the forefront of public discourse in Texas.
Missy Falchi and Ken Lambrecht
The morning’s most talked-about moment came when Barbara Bush took the stage in a candid conversation moderated by five-time Emmy winner Tashara Parker. Now the NBA’s Head of Social Responsibility, Bush reflected on her family’s legacy, sharing humorous anecdotes alongside emotional memories of her grandmother, whom she described as “unstoppable” in both devotion and purpose.
The event also honored changemakers shaping the future. Dr. Froswa’ Booker-Drew received the Gertrude Shelburne Humanitarian Award for her work advancing women’s causes, including a new Planned Parenthood partnership focused on perimenopause and menopause care. The Dallas Morning News was recognized with the Katherine Ripley Print Media Award for “The Standard of Fear,” its investigative series examining the human cost of restrictive reproductive policies in Texas. The celebration extended beyond the opera house, with several of Dallas’s most beloved restaurants donating proceeds to Planned Parenthood.