Lynn Wyatt
Encyclopedia
Lynn Sakowitz Wyatt is the daughter of the late Bernard Sakowitz and Ann Baum as well as the sister of Robert T. Sakowitz. She is a well known Houston socialite
, philanthropist
and third-generation Texan. Her grandfather started the Sakowitz Department Store chain. Her husband, Oscar Wyatt
, is an energy executive, the founder of Houston's Coastal Corporation—now owned by El Paso Corporation—and current CEO of NuCoastal LLC. Lynn and Oscar Wyatt have four sons [Douglas, Steve, Trey and Brad]. The couple resides in the Houston neighborhood of River Oaks
. During the height of the oil boom in the 1970s and early 1980s, the family mansion in Houston was known as the "Wyatt Hyatt
" becoming a "home away from home" for the likes of HRH Princess Margaret, HSH Princess Grace of Monaco, Bill Blass
, Joan Collins
, Mick Jagger
, His Majesty King Hussein and Queen Noor of Jordan
.
(magazine), Harper's Bazaar
, Town & Country
and W
(the high-fashion/social magazine of Fairchild Publications) through the years. She is a friend and patron of some of the couturiers of our time and of the twentieth century – Valentino
, Karl Lagerfeld
, Emanuel Ungaro
, Bill Blass
, Jean Paul Gaultier and many others. She was inducted into the International Best Dressed List
Hall of Fame in 1977.
In 1982, the Government of France
honored her with admission to the prestigious Order of Arts and Letters, rank of Chevalier
, for her significant contribution to the enrichment of the French cultural inheritance. In 2007, the French government promoted her to the Order's rank of Officier, adding to an already impressive and extensive list of honors, awards and recognitions. She received the Woodson Medal from the Houston Forum. Twice she was named Houston's Most Fascinating by the Texas Medical Center
Library. In May 1980, former Texas
Governor William P. Clements commissioned her as Ambassador of Goodwill for the state. In 2000, she was recognized as "Socialite
of the Century" by Texas Monthly
magazine. More recently, she was declared a Cadillac
Texas
Legend by KHOU/Channel 11, the CBS
affiliate in Houston. She has been the recipient of numerous awards for women’s achievement from places as faraway as Rome
(Most Elegant Woman Award) and as near as Birmingham, Alabama
(Woman of Outstanding Achievement).
To benefit the Red Cross and the American Hospital of Paris
, she chaired the prestigious, annual Bal de la Rose in Monaco
, turning the "Bal" into an entire weekend of festivities. Because of her deep friendship with the late Grace Kelly
, Prince Rainier asked her to be a Founding Trustee of the Princess Grace Foundation U.S.A. (on which Board she continues to serve) and to chair the inaugural Gala in Washington, D.C.
She turned what would have been a one-night celebration into a charity event that encompassed lunches, a style show, a brunch at the U.S. Department of State and a cocktail reception and gala at the White House
, both of which were attended by President Ronald Reagan
and Mrs. Nancy Reagan
. She was appointed to the Board of the U.S. Naval Academy by President Reagan, serving for eight years. An advisor for the Academy when it first considered accepting women, her duties included inspecting a number of the Navy's ships. She also helped raise funds for the Naval Academy.
Other charitable commitments include Houston Grand Opera
(Recipient of the Masterson Award; Member of the Founders' Council for Artistic Excellence, Life Patron and Vice Chairman; she chaired the Opera's record-setting 50th anniversary Golden Jubilee Gala, which raised $2.5 million and brought in internationally recognized stars like Sir Roger Moore, Sarah, Duchess of York
, Renée Fleming
, Bryn Terfel
, Philip Glass
and Sir Elton John
; she will be honored at HGO's Yellow Rose Ball on April 10, 2010), Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (Founding Trustee, Film Department), Houston Ballet
(Board and Executive Committee Member) and the Alley Theatre
(Executive Committee and Board Member). A Special Advisor to Professor Luc Montagnier
, Nobel
Laureate in Medicine and Physiology (2008) and President of the World Foundation for Medical Research and Prevention
, Mrs. Wyatt contributes generously to charities around the world including the Elton John AIDS Foundation
, Brilliant Lectures Series International Youth Leadership Program (Chair Emeritus and host of the Series' parade of speakers/mentors including Queen Noor, Sir Sidney Poitier
, Lauren Bacall
, and Dr. Maya Angelou
), Star of Hope Mission for the Homeless (Life Trustee and every year, Honorary Trustee of the Trees of Hope benefit gala) and many other worthy causes. In 2008, she was elected to the inaugural board of the Houston-based Medical Prevention and Research Institute. Many of these charitable commitments reflect a personal interest in disease prevention, human health and wellness and complementary/integrative medicine
. This interest is reflected in her personal routine of aerobics
, yoga
, pilates
and the practice of martial arts
. Regarding the latter, she is a Black Belt First Degree in TaeKwonDo
.
Socialite
A socialite is a person who participates in social activities and spends a significant amount of time entertaining and being entertained at fashionable upper-class events....
, philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
and third-generation Texan. Her grandfather started the Sakowitz Department Store chain. Her husband, Oscar Wyatt
Oscar Wyatt
Oscar Sherman Wyatt, Jr. is an American businessman. He was the founder of Coastal Corporation. In 2007 he pled guilty in a U.S. federal court to illegally sending payments to Iraq under the Oil for Food program.-Early history:...
, is an energy executive, the founder of Houston's Coastal Corporation—now owned by El Paso Corporation—and current CEO of NuCoastal LLC. Lynn and Oscar Wyatt have four sons [Douglas, Steve, Trey and Brad]. The couple resides in the Houston neighborhood of River Oaks
River Oaks, Houston, Texas
River Oaks is an affluent community located in the geographic center of Houston, Texas, United States. Located within the 610 Loop and between Downtown and Uptown, the community spans . Established in the 1920s by brothers William and Michael Hogg, the community became a well-publicized national...
. During the height of the oil boom in the 1970s and early 1980s, the family mansion in Houston was known as the "Wyatt Hyatt
Hyatt
Hyatt Hotels Corporation , is an international operator of hotels.Hyatt Center is the headquarters for Hyatt corporation...
" becoming a "home away from home" for the likes of HRH Princess Margaret, HSH Princess Grace of Monaco, Bill Blass
Bill Blass
William Ralph "Bill" Blass was an American fashion designer, born in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He is known for his tailoring and his innovative combinations of textures and patterns...
, Joan Collins
Joan Collins
Joan Henrietta Collins, OBE , is an English actress, author, and columnist. Born in Paddington and raised in Maida Vale, Collins grew up during the Second World War. At the age of nine, she made her stage debut in A Doll's House and after attending school, she was classically trained as an actress...
, Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....
, His Majesty King Hussein and Queen Noor of Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
.
Biography
Lynn Wyatt has appeared in American VogueVogue (magazine)
Vogue is a fashion and lifestyle magazine that is published monthly in 18 national and one regional edition by Condé Nast.-History:In 1892 Arthur Turnure founded Vogue as a weekly publication in the United States. When he died in 1909, Condé Montrose Nast picked up the magazine and slowly began...
(magazine), Harper's Bazaar
Harper's Bazaar
Harper’s Bazaar is an American fashion magazine, first published in 1867. Harper’s Bazaar is published by Hearst and, as a magazine, considers itself to be the style resource for “women who are the first to buy the best, from casual to couture.”...
, Town & Country
Town & Country (magazine)
Town & Country, formerly the Home Journal and The National Press, is a monthly American lifestyle magazine. It is the oldest continually published general interest magazine in the United States.-Early history:...
and W
W (magazine)
W is a monthly American fashion magazine published by Condé Nast Publications, who purchased original owner Fairchild Publications in 1999. It was created in 1971 by the publisher of sister magazine Woman's Wear Daily, James Brady. The magazine is an oversize format – ten inches wide and...
(the high-fashion/social magazine of Fairchild Publications) through the years. She is a friend and patron of some of the couturiers of our time and of the twentieth century – Valentino
Valentino SpA
Valentino SpA is a clothing company founded in 1959 by Valentino Garavani. Nowadays it is a part of Valentino Fashion Group. New creative directors Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli will take Alessandra Facchinetti's seat as creative designer...
, Karl Lagerfeld
Karl Lagerfeld
Karl Lagerfeld is a German fashion designer, artist and photographer based in Paris. He has collaborated on a variety of fashion and art related projects, most notably as head designer and creative director for the fashion house Chanel...
, Emanuel Ungaro
Emanuel Ungaro
Emanuel Ungaro is a French fashion designer.-Early life:Ungaro's Italian father fled to France from Francavilla Fontana of Brindisi province because of the fascist uprising in Italy...
, Bill Blass
Bill Blass
William Ralph "Bill" Blass was an American fashion designer, born in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He is known for his tailoring and his innovative combinations of textures and patterns...
, Jean Paul Gaultier and many others. She was inducted into the International Best Dressed List
International Best Dressed List
The International Best Dressed List was founded by fashionista Eleanor Lambert in 1940 as an attempt to boost the reputation of American fashion at the time.People who have been on the list include from A to Z:-The International Hall of Fame: Women:...
Hall of Fame in 1977.
In 1982, the Government of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
honored her with admission to the prestigious Order of Arts and Letters, rank of Chevalier
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
, for her significant contribution to the enrichment of the French cultural inheritance. In 2007, the French government promoted her to the Order's rank of Officier, adding to an already impressive and extensive list of honors, awards and recognitions. She received the Woodson Medal from the Houston Forum. Twice she was named Houston's Most Fascinating by the Texas Medical Center
Texas Medical Center
The Texas Medical Center is the largest medical center in the world with one of the highest densities of clinical facilities for patient care, basic science, and translational research...
Library. In May 1980, former Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
Governor William P. Clements commissioned her as Ambassador of Goodwill for the state. In 2000, she was recognized as "Socialite
Socialite
A socialite is a person who participates in social activities and spends a significant amount of time entertaining and being entertained at fashionable upper-class events....
of the Century" by Texas Monthly
Texas Monthly
Texas Monthly is a monthly American magazine headquartered in Austin, Texas. Texas Monthly is published by Emmis Publishing, L.P. and was founded in 1973 by Michael R. Levy, Texas Monthly chronicles life in contemporary Texas, writing on politics, the environment, industry, and education...
magazine. More recently, she was declared a Cadillac
Cadillac
Cadillac is an American luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors . Cadillac vehicles are sold in over 50 countries and territories, but mostly in North America. Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind fellow GM marque Buick and is among the oldest...
Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
Legend by KHOU/Channel 11, the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
affiliate in Houston. She has been the recipient of numerous awards for women’s achievement from places as faraway as Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
(Most Elegant Woman Award) and as near as Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
(Woman of Outstanding Achievement).
To benefit the Red Cross and the American Hospital of Paris
American Hospital of Paris
The American Hospital of Paris, founded in 1906, located in Neuilly-sur-Seine, is a private, not-for-profit institution that is considered agréé/non-conventionné under the French system of healthcare. It has 187 surgical, medical, and obstetric beds....
, she chaired the prestigious, annual Bal de la Rose in Monaco
Monaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
, turning the "Bal" into an entire weekend of festivities. Because of her deep friendship with the late Grace Kelly
Grace Kelly
Grace Patricia Kelly was an American actress who, in April 1956, married Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, to become Princess consort of Monaco, styled as Her Serene Highness The Princess of Monaco, and commonly referred to as Princess Grace.After embarking on an acting career in 1950, at the age of...
, Prince Rainier asked her to be a Founding Trustee of the Princess Grace Foundation U.S.A. (on which Board she continues to serve) and to chair the inaugural Gala in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
She turned what would have been a one-night celebration into a charity event that encompassed lunches, a style show, a brunch at the U.S. Department of State and a cocktail reception and gala at the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
, both of which were attended by President Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
and Mrs. Nancy Reagan
Nancy Reagan
Nancy Davis Reagan is the widow of former United States President Ronald Reagan and was First Lady of the United States from 1981 to 1989....
. She was appointed to the Board of the U.S. Naval Academy by President Reagan, serving for eight years. An advisor for the Academy when it first considered accepting women, her duties included inspecting a number of the Navy's ships. She also helped raise funds for the Naval Academy.
Other charitable commitments include Houston Grand Opera
Houston Grand Opera
Houston Grand Opera Houston Grand Opera was founded in 1955 through the joint efforts of Maestro Walter Herbert and cultural leaders Mrs. Louis G. Lobit, Edward Bing and Charles Cockrell...
(Recipient of the Masterson Award; Member of the Founders' Council for Artistic Excellence, Life Patron and Vice Chairman; she chaired the Opera's record-setting 50th anniversary Golden Jubilee Gala, which raised $2.5 million and brought in internationally recognized stars like Sir Roger Moore, Sarah, Duchess of York
Sarah, Duchess of York
Sarah, Duchess of York is a British charity patron, spokesperson, writer, film producer, television personality and former member of the British Royal Family. She is the former wife of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, whom she married from 1986 to 1996...
, Renée Fleming
Renée Fleming
Renée Fleming is an American soprano specializing in opera and lieder. Fleming has a full lyric soprano voice.Fleming has performed coloratura, lyric, and lighter spinto soprano repertoires. She has sung roles in Italian, German, French, Czech, and Russian, aside from her native English. She also...
, Bryn Terfel
Bryn Terfel
Bryn Terfel Jones CBE is a Welsh bass-baritone opera and concert singer. Terfel was initially associated with the roles of Mozart, particularly Figaro and Leporello, but has subsequently shifted his attention to heavier roles, especially those by Wagner....
, Philip Glass
Philip Glass
Philip Glass is an American composer. He is considered to be one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century and is widely acknowledged as a composer who has brought art music to the public .His music is often described as minimalist, along with...
and Sir Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
; she will be honored at HGO's Yellow Rose Ball on April 10, 2010), Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (Founding Trustee, Film Department), Houston Ballet
Houston Ballet
The Houston Ballet, operated by the Houston Ballet Foundation, is the fourth-largest professional ballet company in the United States, based in Houston, Texas. The foundation also maintains a ballet academy, the Ben Stevenson Academy, which trains more than half of the company's dancers...
(Board and Executive Committee Member) and the Alley Theatre
Alley Theatre
The Alley Theatre is a Tony Award-winning indoor theatre in Downtown Houston, Texas, and hosts two stages. The "Hubbard" is the main stage with seating for 824; the more intimate "Neuhaus" seats 310. Nine towers and open-air terraces give the Alley Theatre a castle-like quality. Inside, a staircase...
(Executive Committee and Board Member). A Special Advisor to Professor Luc Montagnier
Luc Montagnier
Luc Antoine Montagnier is a French virologist and joint recipient with Françoise Barré-Sinoussi and Harald zur Hausen of the 2008 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, for his discovery of the human immunodeficiency virus...
, Nobel
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
Laureate in Medicine and Physiology (2008) and President of the World Foundation for Medical Research and Prevention
World Foundation for Medical Research and Prevention
The World Foundation for Medical Research and Prevention is a 501 Houston-based grantmaking public charity established to provide leadership in developing resources to sponsor and fund the projects of Professor Luc Montagnier as well as other research aimed at the design of new types of AIDS...
, Mrs. Wyatt contributes generously to charities around the world including the Elton John AIDS Foundation
Elton John AIDS Foundation
Elton John AIDS Foundation is one of the world's leading nonprofit organizations that was established by Sir Elton John in 1992 in the US * and 1993 in the UK * supporting innovative HIV/AIDS prevention, education programs, direct care and support services to people living with HIV/AIDS.EJAF has...
, Brilliant Lectures Series International Youth Leadership Program (Chair Emeritus and host of the Series' parade of speakers/mentors including Queen Noor, Sir Sidney Poitier
Sidney Poitier
Sir Sidney Poitier, KBE is a Bahamian American actor, film director, author, and diplomat.In 1963, Poitier became the first black person to win an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in Lilies of the Field...
, Lauren Bacall
Lauren Bacall
Lauren Bacall is an American film and stage actress and model, known for her distinctive husky voice and sultry looks.She first emerged as leading lady in the Humphrey Bogart film To Have And Have Not and continued on in the film noir genre, with appearances in The Big Sleep and Dark Passage ,...
, and Dr. Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou is an American author and poet who has been called "America's most visible black female autobiographer" by scholar Joanne M. Braxton. She is best known for her series of six autobiographical volumes, which focus on her childhood and early adult experiences. The first and most highly...
), Star of Hope Mission for the Homeless (Life Trustee and every year, Honorary Trustee of the Trees of Hope benefit gala) and many other worthy causes. In 2008, she was elected to the inaugural board of the Houston-based Medical Prevention and Research Institute. Many of these charitable commitments reflect a personal interest in disease prevention, human health and wellness and complementary/integrative medicine
Integrative medicine
Integrative medicine or integrative health is the combination of the practices and methods of alternative medicine with conventional medicine. The term is relatively recent, and is mainly promoted by proponents of alternative therapies in the west...
. This interest is reflected in her personal routine of aerobics
Aerobics
Aerobics is a form of physical exercise that combines rhythmic aerobic exercise with stretching and strength training routines with the goal of improving all elements of fitness...
, yoga
Yoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
, pilates
Pilates
Pilates is a physical fitness system developed in the early 20th century by Joseph Pilates in Germany, the UK and the USA. As of 2005, there were 11 million people practicing the discipline regularly and 14,000 instructors in the United States....
and the practice of martial arts
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
. Regarding the latter, she is a Black Belt First Degree in TaeKwonDo
Taekwondo
Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way", "method", or "path"...
.
External links
- National Geographic, March 2006
- Texas Monthly magazine, December 2005
- Friends Fight AIDS Official website of the World Foundation for Medical Research and Prevention
- http://www.brilliantlectures.org Official website of the Brilliant Lectures Series International Youth Leadership Program
- Official website of Professor Luc Montagnier
- Handbook of Texas Online: Bernard Sakowitz