Gala salutes T. Boone and Madeleine Pickens

Big Brothers/Big Sisters of San Diego County honored T. Boone Pickens and his wife, Madeleine, as “Persons of the Year” on Oct. 22 at the organization’s 47th annual Gourmet Dinner Gala held at the Hyatt Regency La Jolla at Aventine.

NFL Hall of Famer, sports broadcaster and BB/BS board member Lynn Swann emceed the event, where a special tribute was paid to the agency’s Operation Bigs program. T. Boone and Madeleine have invested part of their legacy in the program (the first program of its kind in the nation), which provides caring mentors to children who have a military parent deploying, deployed or just returning from deployment. Dinner guests also enjoyed a live auction of 10 “super experiences” and a post-party cigar and brandy gathering.