Cody

It was a red carpet evening as our very own Ebby Halliday was feted at the first of many celebrations to honor her 100^th birthday Wednesday evening, benefitting The Foundation Fighting Blindness. Ebby and other guests walked the red carpet at The Hilton Anatole where they posed for photographs before a reception and silent auction in the atrium. Partygoers were entertained with a performance by the Dallas Ukulele Headquarters as they mingled and bid on auction items. Following the reception, Ebby was escorted by Roger Staubach into the Khmer Ballroom as Ross Perot, Rep. Pete Sessions and Dr. Ken Cooper among others sang “Hello, Ebby”, their special rendition of “Hello, Dolly”.

There was certainly no shortage of star-studded toasts at the “Roast & Toast” celebration and one of the most notable was a video of Warren Buffet singing “Happy Birthday” to Ebby as he strummed his ukulele. Ebby’s favorite Maverick, Dirk Nowitzki, also made a video appearance alongside Mark Cuban to toast to her centennial celebration. And they weren’t the only Dallas sports stars honoring the birthday girl, the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders performed a routine and the First Lady of the Dallas Cowboys, Gene Jones, also gave a toast honoring Ebby as one of the biggest (and oldest) Dallas Cowboys fans.

The highlight of the night was a special surprise for Ebby - Tony Orlando, her favorite performer, sang “Tie a Yellow Ribbon,” a beloved song for Ebby and her late husband, Maurice Acers.

While it was certainly a star-studded evening, some of the most touching toasts came from those that have worked with Ebby for more than 50 years. President and CEO Mary Frances Burleson and Ebby’s assistant, Betty Turner, both took over the microphone to share their own special stories and toast the legend.

In true Ebby fashion, the event raised almost $700,000 for the Foundation Fighting Blindness, a cause very dear to her as she has been diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration.

The 100^th birthday celebrations continue over the next few weeks and include the Ebby 100 Gala on  March 9 at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center. Click here for tickets and details.

Cheryl Hall has a great review of last night’s party at DallasNews.com and be sure to check out photos and videos from the event on the Ebby Facebook page and the Real Estate & Friends Facebook page.  Keep checking back as we will post more as they become available.

Thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate!