by Kristina Wrenn
photo by James French Photography
Very few people who have participated in the Texas Rose Festival can claim the family history in one role as the 2024 Duchess of the Rose Growers, Alice Elizabeth Milton.
She is the seventh Duchess of the Rose Growers in her family. The line began with her great aunt, Jill Brooks Howard in 1968. It was continued by cousin, Leah Walters Weikel in 1988. Her mother Lori Brooks Carver had the role in 1991and Alice’s aunt Angie Brooks Bloecher was Duchess in 1994. Cousin Amy Dunwoody Solberg continued the family representation of Rose Growers in 2002 and her sister, Emily Milton Latham was Duchess of the Rose Growers in 2021. It is interesting to note the two sets of sisters, Alice’s mother and aunt, and Alice and her sister in this lineage.
One might assume that Alice’s involvement was predestined, however, each of the Brooks family members have made the choice to support the festival and Tyler’s rose growing industry. Alice grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma but her heart was never far from Tyler and a visit to her grandparents, Carolyn and Robert L. Brooks.
Alice’s great-grandparents, the late Mary Emily and M.L. Brooks were rose growers in Tyler for many years. Alice’s grandfather, Robert L. Brooks, was a rose grower and processor and an active member of the Texas Rose Research Foundation. He also served as the Rose Procurement Chair of the 1983 Texas Rose Festival. Alice’s grandmother, Carolyn Brooks, was a founding member of the Friends of the Rose, which was established in 1991 to promote enthusiasm for roses and the festival court. Carolyn continues to organize the Friends of the Rose annual luncheon each July to share festival history and welcome the Tyler Court to summer practice.
The Brooks family and the Friends of the Rose, gift the Tyler Court a rose-related keepsake each year to offer a timeless reminder of Tyler roses, which some Tyler Court members still cherish thirty years later.
Alice is the daughter of Lori and Tim Carver of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Nicole and Mark Milton of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Her mother is the CEO of Mazzio’s LLC (a place that represents many Tyler family memories, through Ken’s and Mazzio’s) and her father is an Electrophysiologist (a cardiologist that specializes in the heart’s electrical system that controls the heart’s rhythm). Let’s hope no one’s heart skips a beat during this year’s festivities, no matter how spectacular.
Alice attends Southern Methodist University with double majors in International Studies and Public Policy and double minors in Spanish and Economics. She is in the University Honors Program – an invitation-only, engaging learning environment that encourages students to reach their full academic potential. Students enroll in distinctive courses that provide opportunities to travel, complete independent research projects and engage in Oxford seminar-style coursework.
Alice was a Hilltop Scholar, which is an SMU program that offers an opportunity for high-achieving incoming students to excel academically and develop leadership skills during their first year at SMU. Admission is based on academic achievements and interest in service and leadership. The scholars take specific courses together to build a strong academic foundation and participate in social, cultural, and educational events to enhance their campus experience, including opportunities for community service and making a positive impact on the Dallas community.
Alice has been on the SMU honor roll since beginning her studies. She is also a Second Century Scholarship recipient, awarded to incoming, first-year students who demonstrate exceptional academic credentials and personal achievement. The award is based on a comprehensive, holistic review of the SMU admissions application.
Alice has enjoyed the friendships made in her sorority, Gamma Phi Beta (GPB). She was the junior delegate to Panhellenic and as a freshman represented GPB in Panhellenic standards and academics. It takes an even-keeled personality with vision to represent your sisters in Panhellenic and to coordinate rules and regulations for all to enjoy the Panhellenic and house experience.
Gamma Phi Beta’s national philanthropy centers on providing experiences and resources that build spiritual, mental, and social resiliency in girls. GPB envisions a community in which every girl and woman has the resiliency necessary to advance their own life and the lives of others.
Alice has an affinity for mentoring children and investing in their growth and development. She has spent 3 summers at Lifetime Fitness as a counselor for Kids Summer Camp and she was a Vacation Bible School music leader and teacher all through high school.
It makes sense that Alice would also be a member of the Layers of Love Club, whose mission is to spread kindness, love, and compassion and uplift the SMU and Dallas Communities.
She has broad talents that range from soccer and cross country to violin and acapella choir. Alice was on the OSSAA 4A State Champion Soccer Team and received a state Orchestra superior rating.
Throughout the festival seek Alice out to ask her about one of her many interests, to learn more about her family history in the festival, or just to see what else you might learn from a very bright and kind young woman.
As the 2024 Duchess of the Rose Growers, Alice Elizabeth Milton is making a historic family role her very own, and we are all here to experience and commemorate the occasion.