Volume 4 - Issue 2
Message from the President
Spring 2011 has been a very busy time for the
Houston History Association. We continued to plan
our first annual Houston History Conference,
“Milestones and Arrivals: 175 Years of Coming to
Houston,” developed a five-year Strategic Plan, and
are in the midst of planning a fund raising program
to support our near-term goals. HHA also is
supporting the development of an encyclopedia of
Houston’s history. The encyclopedia’s steering
committee, led by J. R. Gonzales, has been meeting
for several months to develop plans for the project.
Current plans call for a comprehensive, online
encyclopedia that will be an “A to Z” reference
source about the key events and people in
Houston’s history. All of this is very ambitious but
is in the tradition of Houston as a “can-do” city.
Watch for more information in the coming weeks
about the encyclopedia project and our Strategic
Plan for the future of the HHA.
This year also marks the 175th anniversary of
Houston’s founding in 1836. Plans for a city-wide
celebration are unfolding at this time. Saturday,
October 29, 2011, will mark a day-long festival
across the city with approximately ten venues open
to the public, all commemorating Houston’s 175
years. For more details on this still unfolding
celebration, visit: www.houston175.org
Call for Papers:
In conjunction with this celebration, the Houston
History Association will host its first annual
Houston History Conference. The event will be
held at the Hilton-University of Houston Hotel on
Saturday, October 29, 2011, from 8:30-3:30. The
theme of the conference is “Milestones and
Arrivals: 175 Years of Coming to Houston.” If you
would like to present a paper at the conference
July 2011
please contact us by email for details at:
[email protected] .
Save the Date—October 29, 2011 and plan to
attend this first annual conference. A panel of
experts featuring Stephen Klineberg, PhD, Rice
University; Joseph Pratt, PhD, University of
Houston; and Bernadette Pruitt, PhD, Sam Houston
State University, will discuss the notion of Houston
as a city of immigrants and other pertinent topics
related to the theme. The morning program will be
followed by a luncheon, displays by area historical
organizations, and afternoon break-out sessions
with presentations on various topics related to
Houston’s history.
There is a $50 registration fee which includes
admission to all presentations, the luncheon, and
parking. More information will be posted soon on
our website: www.houstonhistoryassociation.org.
–William H. Kellar, PhD, President
Houston History Association
Houston History Spotlight: The
Heritage Society--Sam Houston
Park 1100 Bagby Street
Preservation Spotlight:
Randy Pace Retirement
-by Diana DuCroz
–by Debbie Duty
The Heritage Society, a museum
complex at Sam Houston Park,
collects, preserves, exhibits, and
celebrates the diverse history of the
Houston region. Nestled in ten
acres of beautiful green parkland in
the heart of downtown Houston,
Texas, are ten of the city's oldest
structures. Dating from 1823 to
1905, the structures offer a fascinating stroll into
Houston's past and into the lives of the city's early
residents. Also located in Sam Houston Park is a
Museum Gallery dedicated to preserving Houston's
history. The Gallery offers permanent and
temporary exhibitions relating to the history of the
Houston region. These changing exhibits are
augmented by selections from the permanent
collection such as Bob Bailey Studios photographs
and a reproduction of the Duncan Store from Egypt,
Texas.
The Heritage Society provides a wide range of
educational programs designed to promote
awareness of the city's fascinating and diverse
history including lectures, workshops, children's
activities and special events. The current exhibit,
“Culture in Frontier Texas,” is on view until
September 4, 2011. This exhibit includes objects,
furniture, silver, pottery, paintings and textiles from
The Heritage Society's permanent collection and
from local private collections in celebration of the
rich, diverse culture of frontier Texas. The
upcoming Hill/Finger Lecture on July 21 is
“Preservation in Progress: Saving and Sharing the
Stories of the Levi Jordan Plantation” by Bryan
McAuley. Reservations are encouraged. Email
[email protected] or call 713-655-1912
ext. 101.
Museum Hours
Tuesday–Saturday: 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Sunday: 1:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.
For more information visit The Heritage Society
online at www.heritagesociety.org.
Randy Pace with Chairs of the HAHC. From left,
Phoebe Tudor, Minnette Boesel, Randy Pace, Betty
Chapman, and Bart Truxillo. Photos by: Debra Kirk.
One of Houston’s true pioneers of preserving our
city’s past, Historic Preservation Officer Randy
Pace, retired May 31, 2011. Pace was hired as the
City’s HPO in 1995, shortly after the City adopted
its first historic preservation ordinance. For eleven
years, Randy worked alone to administer the city’s
historic preservation program, a job that now
requires four full-time staff members. On his watch,
the city designated nineteen historic districts and
over 300 historic landmarks. The last major project
of Randy’s tenure was the October 2010 adoption of
amendments to the Historic Preservation Ordinance
that significantly strengthened protection of
Houston’s historic districts. Randy has been a
tireless advocate for Houston’s historic treasures
and is a familiar face to Houstonians with an
interest in local history. He is also an avid
genealogist and hopes to spend his well-earned
retirement years living in a historic home of an
ancestor, possibly in Kentucky or Virginia.
Prior to his work with the City of Houston, Randy
served as Director of Preservation Programs at
Galveston Historical Foundation (1990-1995),
Galveston County Historical Commissioner (19931995), and Chairman of Galveston’s Historic
District Review Board (1995-1999). Randy has
also personally restored several historic homes and
commercial buildings in Houston and Galveston,
including the 1882 Henry Brashear Building at 910
Prairie Avenue, for which he received a Greater
Houston Preservation Alliance Good Brick Award
in 1992.
In addition to his preservation activities, Randy
loves researching and writing about local history,
particularly on his own neighborhood of Houston
Heights. Pace contributed to thirty National
Register nominations for historic buildings in
Houston Heights as well as to the Recorded Texas
Historical Landmark subject marker nomination for
the municipality of Houston Heights in 1991. He
also researched, wrote and published Houston
Heights 1891-1991: A Historical Portrait and
Contemporary Perspective for the Heights
Centennial celebration in May 1991.
Celebrate 175th Anniversary of
Texas Independence with the
"Passport to Texas History"
This summer, join the fun as Texans celebrate the
175th anniversary of the Texas Revolution by
traveling with a new "Passport to Texas History."
Historic sites across Texas have created a way for
visitors to re-live the events of the Texas Revolution
by offering a "Passport to Texas History." Just like
an official government passport, visitors can get
their book stamped at each site they visit. Collect
stamps from all sites and receive a commemorative
gift from the Texas Independence Trail Region
(through December 2011).
Perhaps his proudest achievement is coordinating a
partnership in 2002 with the Heritage Society,
Historic Houston, and Project Row Houses to
relocate three historic cottages slated for demolition
in Freedman’s Town. One of the relocated
buildings is the ‘4th Ward Cottage’ – Houston’s
oldest documented “working man’s” house, circa
1860 and possibly older – which now resides
permanently as part of The Heritage Society’s
collection of historic houses in Sam Houston Park.
As Randy says, “saving these important Houston
buildings was perhaps the toughest but my proudest,
personal preservation accomplishment in Houston
to date.”
We thank you, Randy, for all of your hard work and
dedication to Houston’s history and preservation.
You will be a tough act to follow!
Travel with your Passport to: Gonzales, San Felipe,
San Antonio--Mission San Antonio de Valero
(Alamo), Washington-on-the-Brazos, Goliad, and
La Porte--San Jacinto Monument and Museum
where Texas won its independence on April 21,
1836.
For more information on these and other passport
sites, as well as a state-wide Texas independence
event calendar, visit www.txindependence175.org.
Preview: Houston History
Magazine
By Debbie Harwell
The upcoming issue of Houston History, “Visions
of Faith,” explores aspects of the city’s religious
heritage and concludes the three-part series on
Houston’s wards.






“From the Oasis of Love to Your Best Life
Now: A Brief History of Lakewood Church,
by Phillip Luke Sinitiere examines the rise
of John Osteen's Lakewood Church to its
current status as a nationally and
internationally known megachurch.
“J. W. E. Airey, the Cowboy Priest” by
Anne Sloan tells the story of the young
rector of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church,
Houston Heights from 1934 to 1944, whose
boots and sombrero were as much a part of
his dress as his vestments and collar.
In “Unexpected Adaptability: The Cenacle
Sisters Navigate Changing Times,” Jere
Pfister writes a personal account of her
retreat with the Cenacle Sisters.
“Shepherds of the Children of Israel” by
Rabbi Jimmy Kessler details the
contributions of Galveston Rabbi Henry
Cohen and Houston Rabbis Robert Kahn
and Hyman Schachtel.
In “The Pink Iftar Movement,” Kafah
Bachari Manna describes her life growing
up Iranian American and the challenges of
her ethnic heritage. Post-9/11, she cofounded the Pink Iftar Movement, an
organization, which holds interfaith dinners
for women of multiple backgrounds to
bridge the gap between faiths.
“Iglesia De La Luz Del Mundo” by Timothy
Wyatt tells the story behind the beautiful
gold-domed cathedral that sits on Highway
59 North-Eastex Freeway. Eusebio Joaquín
González, known as the Prophet Aaron,

established the rapidly growing
denomination in Monterey, Mexico, in1926. “We’ve Come This Far by Faith: Wheeler
Avenue Baptist Church” by Tomiko Meeks
tells how Reverend William Lawson and
thirteen people established a church in
Houston’s Third Ward in March 1962.
The series “When there were Wards” concludes
with the following articles:
 “In the Nickel, Houston’s Fifth Ward”
by Patricia Pando explores the ward’s
vibrant history. By 1866, Houston’s
booming population caused city government
to designate the area across Buffalo and
White Oak Bayous as the Fifth Ward. Often
more known for problems, the community is
home to such notables as Barbara Jordan,
George Foreman, Mickey Leland, host of
musicians, and others.
 In “Sixth Ward, Carving Out a Place of its
Own,” Janet K. Wagner explains that the
Sixth Ward spent its first forty years as the
north part of the Fourth Ward until 1874.
The Sixth Ward Historic District, located
between Memorial Drive and Washington
Avenue, designated by the Department of
the Interior in 1978, became the first
National Register District in Harris County.
Other articles of interest include: “The Spirit of
Giving: Jane Blaffer Owen and the University of
Houston” by Aimee L’Heureux, “Book Notes and
News” by Barbara Eaves, and Joe Pratt’s reviews of
Arcadia’s two new books, Foley’s and Houston’s
Sporting Life 1900-1950.
Please visit the magazine’s website,
www.houstonhistorymagazine.org, for a look at
current and past issues as well as information on
how to subscribe, or call 713-743-3123.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
HHA Courier Editor: Bill Kellar
Graphic Design: Laurie Feinswog
We appreciate your continued support. Feel free to
email us at: [email protected].