Thank you to everyone who attended the Annual Membership Meeting this past Tuesday! If you weren’t able
to attend, we would like to say thank you for your continued support of the Beaumont Heritage Society. As
we are a community supported non-profit, we could not fulfill our mission of promoting historical education
and preservation in the city without all of you! In the interests of keeping our membership informed, the
following is a recap of the meeting.
Left: Members listen to the
Executive Director’s report.
Right: President Jennifer Pate and
President-elect Mark Phelan.
Director’s Report
Executive Director Alicia McKibbin reported on recent happenings and future plans. She spoke first of the John Jay
French House, which we own and operate, and which is the primary focus of our preservation efforts. Preservation
of the French House (and other endeavors we assist with) is accomplished through fundraising events, membership
dues, and grants.
The BHS has recently received an $18,150 grant from the C. Homer and Edith Fuller Chambers Charitable Foundation
for a new cedar shake roof for the French House, and a $1500 grant from the Foundation of Southeast Texas toward
needed improvement for the French Visitor Center parking lot. Alicia is in the process of applying for additional
grants in hopes of accomplishing several important needed repairs, tree maintenance, parking lot, and fencing
issues.
In addition, our bimonthly Heritage Happy Hour program in partnership with Giglio Distributing has helped grow our
membership while highlighting historical buildings or exhibits with the added benefit of sampling a variety of craft
beers. We sincerely appreciate Giglio for helping us promote Beaumont preservation.
We have had other recent events including our Christmas open houses at both the Chambers and French Museums,
and our first annual Easter Egg Hunt. We are excited to announce that this year we will host a Pumpkin Walk and
Haunted Halloween Tour at the French House on October 17 th from 6-8 pm. We will have a hay ride and pumpkins
to decorate for the kids. Carved or decorated pumpkins from the community will be on display and voted on by
attendees. We will also have a spooky look at the French family. If anyone is interested in helping with this event,
please contact Janci at 898-0348.
Director’s Report, continued
We will again have our annual Haunted Halloween Tour of the Chambers House in conjunction with our October
Heritage Happy Hour on October 22nd. We will be mixing things up a bit, so if you’ve come before, please come
again!
If you have children or grandchildren ages 6-11, please consider sending them to Camp Lookinback. We really
have a great time teaching kids all about life before modern conveniences and electronics. See our website at
beaumontheritage.org/camp for details and registration.
Approval of 2015-16 Board of Directors & Officers
Members voted on the Nominating Committee’s
recommended slate of Officers of the BHS and board
members. Those serving this next year are:
Officers:
Mark Phelan – President
Suzanne Lewis – Vice-President
Mattie Phelan – Secretary
Will Robbins – Treasurer
Jennifer Pate – Past President
Board Members:
Bobby Beaver
Jimmy Booker
Donna Broussard
Christina Crawford
Garrison Fuller
Richard Gachot
Julie Golias
Kathi Hughes
Linda LeBlanc
Charlotte Seeley
Zack Smith
Molly Villarreal
Landmark Commission Representative:
Marie Broussard
Report on Committees
Incoming President Mark Phelan spoke to the
membership about opportunities to get involved by
serving on a committee. Committees meet periodically
and are chaired by board members, who report
suggestions and progress back to the board of directors.
To join a committee, call our office at 832-4010 or call
Mark directly at 790-0328.
The Ways & Means Committee identifies and
recommends ways to raise funds. This includes events
and assisting in the procurement of underwriting and
sponsorships.
The Membership Committee focuses on increasing
membership. They are in charge of the Heritage Happy
Hours, the Annual Membership Meeting, and other
initiatives focused on the membership.
The Building and Grounds Committee assists with the
maintenance and beautification of the John Jay French
museum buildings and grounds.
Docent Representative: Mary Jane Buttrill
The Preservation Committee identifies and prioritizes
projects for the Society to assist with.
Appreciation
Mark Phelan presented outgoing President Jennifer Pate with a commemorative gift from the board,
staff, and members of the Beaumont Heritage Society as a token of appreciation for her two years as President.
Volunteer of the Year
This year, we recognized Paul Prosperie as the BHS Volunteer of the Year. Paul has been a member of the
Beaumont Heritage Society since early 2012. He attends every event, working behind the scenes, from
photography to moving tables to cleaning off the sidewalks. Besides his work with the Heritage Society, Paul
currently serves as 2nd Vice-Chair of the Jefferson County Historical Commission and chair of their Cemetery
Committee, and has been very involved with the clean-up of Lincoln Cemetery. He owns Prosperie Lawn Service
& Maintenance and in his spare time maintains a blog on local history at RediscoveringSETX.com.