For the City
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.
Twenty Years of Houston History
In 1999 one door closed on Houston history and a new one opened thanks to the vision of Joe Pratt, then the University of Houston’s (UH) Cullen and National Endowment for the Humanities Chair in History and Business, and Marty Melosi, director of the Institute for Public History, now the Center for Public History (CPH). […]
Philip G. Hoffman Leading UH
By Megan R. Dagnall President Philip G. Hoffman oversaw critical reforms, most significantly the start of campus desegregation. Photo courtesy of Houstonian, 1975, University of Houston Libraries, Digital Collections. As one of the most ethnically diverse major research university in the United States, the University of Houston’s identity is intertwined with its varied, multicultural student […]
50 Years of Blaffer Art Museum
By Pete Gershon Installation view of Julien Schnabel’s work, entitled Crows Flying the Black Flag of Themselves, 1988. Photo courtesy of the Blaffer Art Museum. In the early 1970s, Houston was shaking off its mid-century identity as a provincial backwater. The Johnson Space Center directed regular flights to the moon. The city’s major league ball […]
Blaffer’s Education Programs
By Katherine Veneman Katherine Veneman and YAAP participant Jessica Flores accept the Coming Up Taller award from First Lady Michelle Obama, November 4, 2009. Photo courtesy of Steven E. Purcell. 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 […]
Breaking the Glass Ceiling: Mayor Kathy Whitmire
By Cameron Thompson Kathy Whitmire led Houston during a ten-year, five-term tenure as mayor from 1982 to 1992. Photo courtesy of the Kathy Whitmire Papers Collection, box 5, folder 6, University of Houston Libraries. Kathy Whitmire brought many firsts to Houston during her rapid rise in local politics. A native Houstonian, she spent her childhood […]
Phi Slama Jama
By Daniel Melian with Steven Miller The 1982-83 University of Houston Cougars. Front row, left to right, Reid Gettys, Eric Dickens, Alvin Franklin, David Rose, Derek Giles, and Renaldo Thomas. Back row, Benny Ander, Gary Orsak, Larry Micheaux, Dan Bunce, Akeem (later Hakeem) Olajuwon, David Bunce, Clyde Drexler, and Michael Young. Photo courtesy of UH […]
Sports Commentator Jim Nantz
By Steven Miller Jim Nantz is recognized as a major voice for the sports world and the University of Houston family. A multi-Emmy-award winner, he was inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame, and the Pro Football and Naismith Memorial Basketball Halls of Fame. He received an Honorary Doctorate of Human Letters and the […]
“The Blind Cook,” Christine Hà
By Katherine R. Galland Christine Hà had plans to go into business and finance before discovering her love of cooking and losing her sight. Today she is defying the odds as a renowned chef and restaurant owner. Photo courtesy of John Suh. Imagine cooking without seeing the ingredients, the measuring utensils, knives, pans, or burners […]
A Pioneer of Local Diversity: University of Houston’s Muslim Student Association
By Laura Mullis Brown UHMSA poses with their trophies after winning first place for the 2022-23 school year at the state-wide MSA Showdown. MSA organizations from across Texas compete in sports, Nasheed (singing), fashion, and more. Photo courtesy of UHMSA marketing coordinator Zuhayr Haq. If you visit the University of Houston’s Student Center South on […]