Smart Gals Sip

Lynn Meredith and Katherine McAllen (l-r)

Yours truly could have sat and listened for hours to Lynn Meredith and Katherine McAllen converse. Their discussion about the Jesuits made me want to rush out and buy a book about this mysterious and completely fascinating order of “God’s Marines!” - but back to Lynn and Katherine.

Before Lynn, Katherine and I met for drinks on the patio at the Four Seasons last Thursday, I actually knew more of Lynn than about her. I knew that she was notoriously sharp, and that she and her husband are former Dell-ites and active in many local philanthropic activities. But what I now know is that Lynn is also an enjoyable, interesting gal. We talked about blogging, kids, living downtown, the adorable necklace she was wearing and which I so coveted (see photo above), and lots of other things that gave me a tiny peek into her world.

Katie McAllen is my daughter’s sister-in-law, and one of my favorite people. She and her husband live and ranch in South Texas and have two precious little kiddos. I wanted Katie and Lynn to meet because of their mutual interest in the Blanton Museum. Katie is on the verge of completing her PhD in Art History at Harvard, and has made several talks at the Blanton, and Lynn and her family are great supporters of the Blanton.  Sure enough, the magic happened and before long Katie and Lynn had forged a relationship that I believe will lead to good things.

One of the “fun-est” things about bringing gals together is when we discover the “Kevin Bacon degrees of separation” between them. When I asked Katie where she and the family were staying while in Austin, she said, “We’re staying with Kay and Eric Moreland,” to which Lynn replied, “I just sent Eric an email this morning!”

As we were leaving, Katie told Lynn that she’d like to pick her brain sometime about the intricacies of board service. I later told Katie that she couldn’t find a better mentor. I know that when the going gets tough, savvy boards get Lynn. Bringing these two Very Smart Gals together wasn’t easy because they are both crazy busy, but it was completely worth the effort!