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 Marisa Ramierez The story of the University of Houston (UH) at Sugar Land has two parts: its history as a University of Houston System (UHS) campus and its history as a University of Houston instructional site. Woven through its history, like the winding Brazos River, are partnerships with other higher education entities, city and […]
By Miranda Ruzinsky The official conference report published in 1978 for President Jimmy Carter and the public featured, left to right, Sylvia Ortiz, Peggy Kokernot, and Michelle Cearcy on the cover page. Photo by Adela Alonso, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. “WALK A CELEBRITY MILE!”: This call to action circulated around Houston in 1977 on a […]
By Livia Lee Garza National Women’s Conference relay runners wore blue “Women on the Move” shirts as they carried the “torch of freedom” from Seneca Falls to Houston. Image courtesy of the Houston Area NOW and Other Feminist Activities Collection. All photos are from Special Collections, University of Houston Libraries. “There was never anything like […]
By Devin Herrera with Cindy Rives Alfaro The 1958-59 team met its challenges head on, as the coaches worked to turn the students into polished athletes. Photo Courtesy of The Buffalo, Milby High School yearbook, 1959. Athletics are the backbone of the school spirit, and without them a school can have no spirit. Nestled in […]
Texas State Senator Carol Alvarado, left, spoke for fifteen hours to demonstrate her opposition to voting restrictions that would make voting more difficult for people of color and people with disabilities. At right, Maria Jimenez was exposed to labor organizing early in her life. She continued to fight for fair labor policies and joined the […]
The Spring 2024 issue of Houston History magazine reflects on ways in which we celebrate and preserve our history.
A call to action begins “A Plea for County Historical Societies,” published by the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) in the July 1923 issue of The Southwestern Historical Quarterly. The people of Harris County were the first to answer, founding the Harris County Historical Society (HCHS) in the fall of 1923. HCHS exemplifies how the […]
“It was a life-changing thing to meet her. It was like she had a magic bubble of enthusiasm around her, and you could not walk by without getting some of it on you,” said Judy Jones, a former student of Patsy Swayze. The two met after Jones won the Miss Houston Pageant in 1959, and […]
Houston History celebrates its twentieth anniversary with its fiftieth issue in the fall of 2023. The issue also marks the culmination of the three-year grant project: 100 Years of Stories – Documenting a Century at the University of Houston highlighting the way the university, its programs, and individuals have impacted the community.
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