William T. "Bill" Dillard II was feted May 4 by Easterseals Arkansas.
Dillard was named Arkansan of the Year in front of a crowd of about 500 who gathered at the Marriott Hotel. Many of Dillard's children and grandchildren were in attendance.
Dillard succeeded his father William Dillard as chief officer of Dillard's Inc. in 1998. He was named chairman of the retail giant in 2002 after his father's death.
Dillard's now boasts almost 300 stores in the United States.
The evening started with a cocktail reception. Later, guests dined on steak and shrimp with a trio of petite treats for dessert.
The evening also included a feisty live auction that brought in $33,000. A party for 18 to attend the Razorbacks versus the Aggies game at Cowboy Stadium in Dallas fetched $14,500. Stephen Jones, the Dallas Cowboys' chief operating officer, was in attendance.
Other popular auction items included a party for 20 guests as well as $8,000 in gift certificates for Sissy's Log Cabin, $6,000; a Chanel black lambskin handbag, $4,000; and a private shoe shopping spree at Dillard's in Dallas plus round-trip airfare for six, $200 in gift certificates for each guest and accommodations at either the Ritz-Carlton or the Marriott, $4,000.
Gus Vratsinas and Chris Johnson were co-chairmen of the event.
High Profile on 05/13/2018