5 questions with Roman Smith
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Roman Smith is on the board for Kul Walk on the Wild Side, an organization formed by the owners of Kul Gallery and Store. The organization will hold its first fundraising event, the “Walk on the Wild Side” auction, on Oct. 21 at 8 p.m. at the gallery, 1303 Main St. A total of 100 percent of the proceeds will benefit local Human Rights Campaign programs.
How did Kul Walk on the Wild Side get started?
Larue Thornton and Stanley Abbott are a straight couple who own Kul Gallery and Store. They wanted a way to give back to the community that helped make their store so successful.
How did you get chosen to be on the board?
I was just a customer of the store, and when I was looking for space for a Human Rights Campaign function, I asked and the owners were gracious enough to let us use their space. So when they started Walk on the Wild Side, I got involved
What is the Walk on the Wild Side auction all about?
Larue and Stanley decided they wanted their first event to benefit HRC because they really believe in the organization and its goals. At first we considered a pajama party, but then we decided to do something with shoes, and we decided to model it after DIFFA’s Dallas Collection. So we got 60 pairs of designer shoes, evenly split between men’s shoes and women’s shoes, and sent them to about 20 local artists and designers. They will redo the shoes, and we will auction them off, along with a lot of other packages and items.
Are you involved in any other community organizations?
Yes. My partner, John Cramer, and I have been active in the community for about three years, ever since we first joined the Dallas-Fort Worth Federal Club. I am also involved with the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund’s leadership committee. We were prompted to get involved because of the political climate these days. We decided it was time to stop just bitching and do something about things, and we knew that just going out to vote was not really enough anymore.
What do you do when you are not doing community volunteer work?
I work in the regulatory division of AT&T.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition, October 13, 2006.