Bryan Museum Honored Legendary Houston Families and Celebrated an Oil-Gushing Success at the 10th Wildcatter’s Gala

Bryan Museum Honored Legendary Houston Families and Celebrated an Oil-Gushing Success at the 10th Wildcatter’s Gala

The beloved Bryan Museum in Galveston celebrated its tenth anniversary with its annual Wildcatter’s Gala, which was an “oil-gushing” success! Five-hundred jubilant guests gathered to help chairs Dancie & Jim Ware and Renee & Scott Rice, Museum Founders J.P. and Mary Jon Bryan and Museum Director Melissa Williams Murphy honor Ernie H. Cockrell, Mary Ralph Lowe, Trevor Rees-Jones and the legacies of Eddy C. Scurlock and R.E. “Bob” Smith, whose families were also on hand to accept their awards.

Famed actor, star of Landman and musician Billy Bob Thornton kicked off the night’s festivities with an exclusive meet-and-greet in J.P and Mary Jon Bryan’s historic Museum. While there, supporters appreciated the Kermit Oliver retrospective, which showcased the first American to design scarves for the legendary fashion house Hermes. Viewers also explored the Spindletop era, which paid tribute to the honorees and their families mentioned above.

Invitees made their way into the glass-constructed Conservatory for the evening program, where J.P. Bryan provided heartfelt remarks saluting the evening’s honorees and presenting them with The Bryan Museum History Medal of Honor, a special award created for the occasion. The medal features a rare silver coin from the 1500s, once used as official currency in the Americas, encased in a five-point frame representing both the five points of the Texas flag and the gala’s five honorees. “This year we chose to honor, not just a single gifted individual, but an entire industry of exceptional people who succeeded in making Texas the largest oil producer in the United States,” said Bryan, a wildcatter himself!

The event continued with Randolph Holford, well-known Rodeo Houston auctioneer. He kept the crowd engaged and bidding for an array of auction items, many of which sold twice, including a getaway to The Broadmoor’s Estate House, a one-week stay at a luxurious San Miguel de Allende villa, a 2026 American Friends of Versailles Gala experience, a dreamy stay in Croatia, and more!

At evening’s end, like a geyser, the powerhouse event spewed forth $1.3 million to continue the support of the Museum and its programs. Billy Bob Thornton and the Boxmasters thrilled the crowd with an electrifying performance, giving everyone a “Wildcatters” night to remember!

In the Social Scene (not previously mentioned):  David Cockrell, Starks Cockrell, Christy and Webb Jennings, Mary B. Jennings, Lila Jennings, Jan Rees-Jones, Gary Petersen, Susan and Bill Sealy, Ellye Anderson and Carter Ware, Kelly, Eddy and Harrison Blanton, Diana and  Scott Anderson, Brady Carruth, Lisa and Michael O’Leary, Kirby and Scott McCool, Lindsay and Rand Holstead, Courtney Hopson, Shelly Mullanax, Texas State Senator Mayse Middleton, UTMB President Dr. Jochen Reiser and Gerri Popov, Terry and Tom Smith, Diane and Fred Burns, Victor and Janice Pierson, Kelley Sullivan Georgiades and George Georgiades, Jolyn and Russell Scheirman, Sarah and Todd Sullivan, Alicia Brian, Andrea and J.B. Bryan