A Supreme Evening at the Lazy B Ranch

A stormy spring day precluded dancing under the stars, but the spirits of the more than 300 guests at the March 8 fundraising dinner weren’t dampened. The dinner was the fifth annual and supports the work of the O’Connor House.

 

The lobby of the JW Marriott Camelback Inn, where the social hour and silent auction were held, was buzzing with folks dressed in every sort of Southwestern and ranch-style attire, from Justice Sandra Day O’Connor’s bright pink denim jacket to Sharon Dupont McCord’s suede skirt and vest with fringe. Plus turquoise, cowboy shirts and plenty of bola ties.

 

Dinner tables were topped with cowhide cloths and garden flowers in glass jars or black cloths, colorful red bandanas and cutout metal lanterns. Everywhere else, from the bar set up in the lobby to the cactuses projected onto the ballroom walls, the ranch theme was celebrated. Dinner included salad with the Camelback Inn’s buttermilk ranch dressing, grilled tenderloin and warm apple cobbler a la mode.

 

Dancing – in the ballroom – to the music of Tucson’s Andy Hersey & The O’Connor Boys followed dinner.

 

The evening was a tribute to the girlhood ranch of Justice O’Connor. The O’Connor House, located adjacent to the Arizona Historical Society Museum in Tempe, is dedicated to the spirit of civil civic engagement. A phrase often mentioned throughout the evening is the tagline for the home, “Where Civil Talk Leads to Civic Action.”

 

Former Vice President Dan Quayle and his wife, Marilyn, were the evening’s honorees. The former vice president sported a sling on his left arm, broken during a skiing accident. He introduced Justice O’Connor. Don Bivens and Patricia Refo chaired the dinner.

 

Photos by Ashley Lowry

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