By A’Viyon M. Robinson Rev. John Henry “Jack” Yates (1828–1897) was a father, husband, man of God, community leader, and entrepreneur. In 1926, students honored Yates’s legacy by voting to name their new school Jack Yates Senior High School. Photo in the public domain. When mentioning Jack Yates High School to a native Houstonian, they might recount fond memories or well-known anecdotes about a school whose legacy is […]
By: Heather Butina-Sutton Hazel Hainsworth Young with her students at Jack Yates High School, 1949. A lifelong educator, Young taught Latin at Yates for thirty-two years. Richard Hayes Sr. said, “The teachers like Mrs. [Hazel] Hainesworth and Mrs. Virginia Miller who taught me Latin…were the heroes, nuns of our time. They really made us.” Photo Courtesy of the […]
By Adithi Nythruva The first Jack Yates band was formed five years after the school’s opening, led by Charles B. Johnson, who, besides being a practicing dentist, was an accomplished trumpet player who instilled jazz into the young players. Photo courtesy of Conrad O. Johnson Collection, African American Research Center, Houston Public Library. The year 2026 marks […]
By Lexi Gaddis For three quarters of a century, the M.D. Anderson Library has stood as a beacon of learning and a gathering place that unites the campus community. Photo courtesy of University of Houston. The M.D. Anderson Library can be found at the heart of the University of Houston (UH) campus, filled with students tucked into study rooms, fingers typing on keyboards, and textbooks stacked […]
by Don Looser The Houston Gargoyle publication was “fondly remembered for its enlivening of the local scene.” This cover is from vol. 3, no. 9, March 2, 1930. Photo courtesy of the Houston History Research Center, Digital Archives, Houston Public Library, bk0045-272b. Just a scant memory ago is the era when legendary journalist and television reporter Walter Cronkite began his career in 1932 as a high school club […]
By Marie Theresa Hernández and Brian Riedel Vibrant Colors – The rainbow crosswalks on Westheimer and Taft were installed in 2017 in memory of Alex Hill, a young member of the Montrose community tragically killed in a hit-and-run, and to commemorate the LGBTQ+ community’s resilience and contributions in Houston. In 2025, the crosswalks have been removed per a directive […]
Joe Pratt, NEH Cullen Chair of Business and History By Debbie Z. Harwell, Editor It is with great sadness we share the news that our founder and friend Joe Pratt passed away on Saturday, September 20, 2025. Beloved by family, friends, colleagues, and students, Joe brought joy to all who knew him. He always said […]
By Jonas Leon Kaupert Members of the Houston Saengerbund host Oktoberfest at their new headquarters, located in the Houston Heights, in 2023. They spent time throughout their season practicing for the event, which celebrates their German heritage. Photo courtesy of the Houston Saengerbund. Houston ranks as one of the most diverse cities in the United […]
By Daniel Killian The On Leong Merchants Association formed in 1893 as a national mutual aid society for Chinese men. The Houston chapter filed with the Texas Secretary of State in 1944, although it existed prior to that time. Photo courtesy of the Houston History Research Center, Houston Public Library, MSS-1248-0404. Today, when Houstonians refer […]
By Miranda Ruzinsky Ana Eigler, Sephardic, married her husband Robert Eigler, Ashkenazi, in 1973. They maintained a bicultural Jewish household of Sephardic and Ashkenazi Jewish practices alongside their shared Latin heritage. All photos courtesy of Ana Eigler. This is a story about identity—self-asserted and externally imposed. Ana Eigler, a Sephardic Jew from Latin America, understood […]
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