Blaffer’s Education Programs
The Blaffer has a particular energy, sparked by intellectual freedom and curiosity that motivates the best programs. Programs often begin with a simple query, “What if?” Their subsequent development is driven by a combination of perceived community needs, availability of funding, strong leadership, collaboration, and teamwork. Directors and curators continually bring challenging new ideas to […]
Breaking the Glass Ceiling: Mayor Kathy Whitmire
Kathy Whitmire brought many firsts to Houston during her rapid rise in local politics. A native Houstonian, she spent her childhood in Huntsville and Houston, attending Berry Elementary School and Marshall Junior High in Northeast Houston, before graduating from San Jacinto High School. Acknowledging her keen interest in politics in her youth, Whitmire’s path towards […]
Phi Slama Jama
Beginning in 1981, the University of Houston (UH) basketball team with its ground-breaking style of play drew sold-out crowds and became must-see TV. The team’s performance on January 4, 1983, sparked Houston Post writer Thomas Bonk to give the team a fitting name – Phi Slama Jama – based on its ability to dunk over […]
Sports Commentator Jim Nantz
Jim Nantz was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, and relocated multiple times as a young boy. He went to high school in New Jersey prior to attending the University of Houston (UH) where he was recruited as a member of the golf team. Shortly after graduating in 1981 with a degree in radio and television […]
“The Blind Cook,” Christine Hà
Imagine cooking without seeing the ingredients, the measuring utensils, knives, pans, or burners on the stove. Add to that, the kitchen is considered one of the most dangerous rooms in the home with house fires, burns, spills, and cuts all being possibilities that may arise. Although cooking can be enjoyable and rewarding, some people find […]
A Pioneer of Local Diversity: University of Houston’s Muslim Student Association
If you visit the University of Houston’s Student Center South on a Monday, you might run into a group of students running the “Dawah Dollar Mondays” table event. The young men ask passing students one question about Islam, and if the participant answers correctly, they win cash. The University of Houston Muslim Student Association (UHMSA) […]
Elizabeth D. Rockwell’s Legacy
If you are familiar with the University of Houston (UH), you have probably seen or heard Elizabeth D. Rockwell’s name: the Elizabeth D. Rockwell Pavilion in the MD Anderson Library, the Elizabeth D. Rockwell Center on Ethics and Leadership in the Hobby School, the Elizabeth D. Rockwell President’s Suite in the Alumni Center, the Elizabeth […]
21.1Table of Contents
Download the full pdf here 21.1 Letter from the Editor, Debbie Z. Harwell 2Celebrating Twenty Years Discovering the Past at Houston History MagazineBy Debbie Z. Harwell8Philip G. Hoffman: Breaking Ground on the Modern Universityof HoustonBy Megan R. Dagnall1350 Years of Blaffer Art Museum: A Historical OverviewBy Pete Gershon16Building a Creative Community Through Blaffer Art Museum’s […]
Agents of Change
Discover the latest issue of Houston History exploring people who have impacted the Houston community and beyond.
Not If, but When – Renu Khator and the Evolution of the University of Houston
By Samantha de León President Khator reacts to being inducted into the UH Athletics Hall of Honor in 2018. Leading up to this recognition, UH had reached the American Athletic Conference Championships in football and basketball, the Elite Eight and Final Four in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, and consistently ranked in Top-25 polls in […]

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