HoustonChronicle.com
Section: Houston Lifestyle & Features
Couple to wed on Sea Goddess II
AIN'T love grand? Houston Invitation Service owner Linda Able and Langslet Investment prez Craig Langslet are engaged and were items one night last week celebrating the occasion with pals jeweler Steve and Adraia Chazanow. Linda says she will keep her business, and nothing will change there. The couple is looking for a swankienda in River Oaks. Craig hails from Carmel, Calif., but recently moved his investment company permanently to Houston. They'll wed next summer, 1999, aboard the Sea Goddess II, and their nearest and dearest, 50 couples of 'em, will be on board with them. They'll board in Athens and celebrate all the way to Venice. Said Linda, "We're so happy to have found each other in midlife and look forward to spending the last half together." ... Primesorb's Juergen Schaefer hosted a graduation party Saturday night at Américas Restaurant for his fiancee, and ex-Pryorities staffer, Alexandra Danilova. It was to celebrate Alexandra's newly earned master of business administration degree from the University of St. Thomas, and their engagement. They'll wed Oct. 24. FYI: Alexandra is the maternal grandniece of the late Queen Elena of Italy and the paternal grandniece of the late, great Russian ballerina Alexandra Danilova. Among partyers on hand were Pryorities owners Judy and Darryl Otto and Alexandra's mom, Nada Pesic. ...
Astros slugger Jeff Bagwell celebrated his birthday big-time last Monday night after the Dodgers game. His wife, Erika, invited pals to help blow out the candles on the cake at Teala's Mexican Restaurant on West Dallas. The fun included a lavish Mexican buffet, margaritas, a mariachi band, flamenco dancers and a giant piñata in the shape of a cigar, which, when it was broken, showered real cigars on the guests. Among those on hand were Jeff's mom, Janice Bagwell, who flew in from Connecticut for the party; Astros teammates Moises Alou, Craig and Patty Biggio, Brad and Liz Ausmus, Bill and Laura Spiers, and Sean and Linda Berry. Also there was L.A. Dodger Bobby Bonilla, former Houston Oiler Ray and Kara Childress and Mary and Tony Gracely. As the saying goes, a good time was had by all. ...
Speaking of parties, Mary and Vince Kickerillo and daughter Kelli got back from Las Vegas Sunday just in time for Kelli's 17th-birthday bash, a Mexican fiesta in the back yard of the Kickerillos' Memorial mansion. They were in Las Vegas for the annual Frank Sinatra charity golf tournament, the proceeds of which will benefit the Barbara Sinatra Treatment Center for abused and neglected children at Eisenhower Medical Center in Palm Springs Calif. ... Lynn Collins, a 1994 grad of Klein High School, has just received the John Houseman Award at the Juilliard School in New York City. Usually, the award is divided between two third-year students, but this year the faculty voted unanimously for Lynn to receive the award alone. Lynn will remain in N.Y. this summer, possibly performing in Shakespeare in the Park. ...
The George Foundation in Richmond has commissioned prominent area sculptor Edd Hayes to create a life-size bronze sculpture of the late Mamie and Albert George. The couple will be shown seated together on a bench, which will be installed under a huge oak tree next to the main house of the George Ranch. It is expected to be unveiled this fall. Hayes has created many outdoor monuments, including Wild and Free in front of the Astroarena and The Champ in front of the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado. ... Leigh Keating, former general manager of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, is the new GM of the Omni Houston Hotel. Leigh exited the R-C when it was bought by the Luxury Hotel Collection a few months ago. ... The June issue of Biography magazine has a five-page spread on Hurt and Carol Porter's Kid-Care, which feeds many children in Our Town. The Porters started it single-handedly, and it has grown by leaps and bounds over the years. ...