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 ..read more

By Debbie Z. Harwell Shown left to right are Joe Pratt (Houston History magazine founder); Buffalo Soldiers Museum founder, Captain Paul Matthews; and donor Welcome Wilson, Sr. Our goal … is to make our region more aware of its history and more respectful of its past; we hope to contribute to the development of a ..read more

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 ..read more

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 ..read more

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 ..read more

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 ..read more

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 ..read more

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 ..read more

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 ..read more

By Mercedes Del Riego Benches by Scott Burton, pink granite (1985). Best known for blurring the boundary between utilitarian objects and art, Burton was a minimalist sculptor inspired by the Bauhaus and abstract movements. This set of two benches sit nondescriptly in front of the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design. All photos ..read more