Cassie Hampe and Ashley Washmon pose together at the Women’s Luncheon. (Katecey Harrell/ Tyler Morning Telegraph)

If three words could sum up a region, faith, family and football describe Tyler and East Texas, according to the keynote speaker at the 91st Texas Rose Festival Ladies Luncheon.

“Galatians 6:9. Tyler is such a special place, and the people here are so special. Do not grow weary in doing good, for if you don’t, at the right time you will receive a reward,” said Tavia Hunt, wife of Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt. “This place is a treasure.”

Families of rose royalty, including duchesses and ladies-in-waiting for the 91st Texas Rose Festival, gathered for a ticketed event Friday at Green Acres Baptist Church. The Ladies Luncheon, held ahead of the matinee coronation, featured Hunt as the guest speaker.

The atmosphere was relaxed as attendees enjoyed the luncheon, celebrating the long-standing tradition of the festival, said Cassie Hampe, assistant to the president of the Texas Rose Festival and chairwoman of the Ladies Luncheon.

The theme for this year’s Texas Rose Festival is “Fanfare of Festivals,” celebrating a wide range of festivals from Texas, across the nation, and around the world, said Liz Ballard, Texas Rose Festival Executive Director. The theme will be evident throughout the events, but especially during the coronation ceremony.

The luncheon provides entertainment for family members, giving them something to enjoy before heading to the coronation in the afternoon, Ballard said. It offers a way for the community and visiting families participating in the festival to come together and take part in the festivities.

Hunt serves as the director of the Chiefs Women’s Organization, which includes the wives and girlfriends of players working to give back to their community.

“We were very grateful and almost a godsend that we have Mrs. Tavia Hunt this year, we are super excited. We are going to talk about faith, family and football,” Hampe said. “This is a great moment for the parents, for the moms of the escorts and the ladies in the Rose Festival to come together, enjoy a nice lunch, hear the Word of God and just kind of connect.”

During the event, Hunt spoke with former News 8 anchor Shelly Slater, sharing how she met her husband and discussing their shared faith, values and passion for family, all linked by their love of sports.

She acknowledged many connections she has to Tyler, the earliest dating back to the early 1930s when her husband’s grandparents moved to the city from El Dorado, Arkansas. Since Margaret Hunt Hill served as Queen in 1935, Hunt discovered that at least 35 family members across four generations have participated in the Texas Rose Festival, with possibly even more.

“It’s so much fun to be back,” Hunt said. “It’s like history, generations worth of families here.”

Hunt, who was Miss Kansas and competed for Miss USA, related some aspects of the festival to her pageant experience, describing it as the golden age of pageantry, a time she remembers as truly special, glamorous and magical.

Her faith plays a significant role in shaping who she is today. A pivotal experience occurred when she was 16 and driving on the freeway behind a truck towing a bobcat. The trailer disconnected, and the equipment rolled toward her. She slammed on her brakes, spun out and hit the railing, needing help to get out of her car before being taken to the hospital.

She left with muscle relaxants the next morning, but felt unwell. After taking a shower, she noticed her ears itching and her lips swelling, leading her to look in the mirror. In a scene reminiscent of the movie ‘Hitch,’ she saw her face distorted and rushed downstairs. Her mother immediately called 911.

As her grandmother prayed over her, Hunt experienced a sensation of hovering outside her body, observing her family and the paramedics working on her. She saw a warm, welcoming light and felt complete peace before being jolted back into her body and waking up in the hospital.

Doctors informed her that her blood oxygen level was dangerously low, at 30%, with critical levels starting at 80%. They told her she would have died two minutes later. This experience profoundly impacted her, reinforcing the idea that life is fleeting. It motivated her to live intentionally, focusing on God and striving to make a difference.

Hunt recalled her introduction to her husband when she was a 19-year-old public relations intern with the Kansas City Chiefs. Unbeknownst to her, the public relations director suggested to Clark that they should meet. While organizing media materials at the end of the Chiefs kickoff luncheon, a handsome, well-dressed man approached her, introducing himself as Clark.

At the time, she thought he was a reporter. He asked her questions about her recent trip to the Bahamas, where she had been scuba diving. Clark shared that he had also been certified at Kanakuk Kamps, which resonated with her since Kanakuk is highly regarded in Kansas City for teaching values such as “God first, others second, me third.”

This connection made her heart race, leading her to believe they shared similar values. They dated for two years, and the rest is history.

Throughout their lives, God has been central to everything they do.

During a challenging time for the Kansas City Chiefs team at the end of Lamar Hunt’s life when they were struggling, it culminated in a tragic incident in 2012 where a player killed his pregnant girlfriend before taking his own life in the facility’s parking lot.

That day, she was at home with her 6-year-old daughter, Ava, who wanted to go for a walk. Though Hunt felt sad, she agreed to go outside. During their walk, Ava noticed her mother’s sadness and reminded her that one of God’s names is Jehovah Rapha, the God who heals.

This revelation moved Hunt to tears, and she felt it was a message from the Lord. They began praying the prayer of Jabez, asking God to bless them and enlarge their platform. Shortly after, Clark hired Head Coach Andy Reid, and the following year, the team won nine straight games, eventually making it to the playoffs.

Hunt said there is power in prayer when focused on the right intentions, acknowledging that all success comes from God and is meant to reflect glory back to Him. She constantly prays for the right perspective, reminding herself to keep what is most important at the forefront.

“We’ve left other forces to drive culture, and that’s a problem because they have,” Hunt said. “The church and its people have an important message. It makes societies better, families better. It makes individuals better. It makes our children better. We have to have the courage to step into those spaces and to speak truths.”