Yolanda
Adams
Inducted 2009
Leading with her voice, Yolanda
Adams has soared to the top of the recording
profession as a Grammy®- and Dove Award-winning
singer and national radio show host.
Born in Houston on August 27,
1961, Yolanda Yvette Adams is the oldest of
six siblings raised in Houston. She graduated
from Sterling High School and stayed close to
home to attend Texas Southern University, where
she earned a degree in radio and television
broadcasting. After an early career as a schoolteacher
and a part-time model, she gave up both to pursue
her ambition to become a singer of contemporary
gospel and inspirational music.
Adams signed a recording contract
with Sound of Gospel Records which yielded her
first album “Just As I Am” in 1987. In 1990,
she signed with Verity Records and released
“Through The Storm.” She went on to join the
major label Elektra/Atlantic Records, where
she blossomed even further with the releases
“Mountain High …Valley Low” in 1999, “Christmas
with Yolanda Adams” in 2000, “The Experience:
Live” in 2001, “Believe” in 2001 and “Day By
Day” in 2005. In 2007, she joined the powerful
Columbia Records label.
Her list of accolades includes
the first American Music Award for Contemporary
Gospel Artist, four Dove Awards, four Grammy®
Awards, seven NAACP Image Awards, one Soul Train
Music Award, and three BET Awards.
Adams
continues to reach new audiences daily as the
host of the Yolanda Adams Morning Show, which
airs weekdays across the nation on urban gospel
radio stations owned by Radio One.
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Bill
Archer
Inducted 2008
Bill Archer was one of Houston’s
leading voices in Washington for 30 years, a
champion of fiscal prudence in the U.S. House
of Representatives.
In 1971, Congressman Archer
was elected the successor for future president
George H.W. Bush as representative of the 7th
Congressional District. He won his first election
with 65 percent of the vote and was reelected
14 times. He held the key post of Chairman of
the House Committee on Ways and Means from 1996
until he retired in 2001. He was the first Texan
in more than 100 years to chair the House’s
chief tax-writing committee.
Congressman Archer was a key
player to get the 1997 balanced budget with
tax relief signed into law. His initiatives
of easing the death tax, expanding IRAs, and
providing a $500 per child tax credit for middle-income
Americans are now law. He helped extend the
life of Medicare and steered landmark welfare
and health care reform into law.
William Reynolds Archer Jr.
is a native Houstonian and a graduate of St.
Thomas High School. He attended Rice University
and then transferred to the University of Texas
at Austin, where he obtained his bachelor and
law degrees. He served as a captain in the U.S.
Air Force during the Korean War.
He
served as a Councilman and Mayor Pro-Tem for
Hunters Creek Village from 1955 to 1962. In
1967, he was elected to the Texas House of Representatives
and served Houstonians in Austin for four years
before running for Congress.
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Jeff
Bagwell
Inducted 2007
Jeffrey Robert Bagwell was born
in Boston and raised in Connecticut, but his
baseball career made him an icon in the City
of Houston.
The former Houston Astros slugger
was drafted in the fourth round by the Boston
Red Sox in 1989. The next year, he was dealt
to the Astros for pitcher Larry Andersen, a
trade that changed the dynamics of baseball
in Houston forever.
Originally a third baseman,
the Astros converted him to first base in 1991,
and the change produced immediate dividends,
as he was named the National League Rookie of
the Year. Mr. Bagwell’s best season was 1994,
when he was named the N.L. Most Valuable Player
after hitting .368 with 39 home runs and 116
runs batted in. In 1997, he became the first
Astro and the only first baseman in baseball
history with 30 homers and 30 stolen bases in
one season.
A four-time All-Star, Mr. Bagwell
hit at least 30 homers and drove in at least
100 runs in six consecutive seasons from 1996-2001.
He finished with 449 career home runs, including
a club-record 47 in 2000.
In 2005, which would be the
last season of his career, Mr. Bagwell played
in the Astros’ first-ever trip to the World
Series. He retired in December 2006 as the Astros’
all-time leader in home runs, RBI, and walks.
His No. 5 was retired on August 26, 2007.
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James
A. Baker III
Inducted 1999
Houstonian James A. Baker III
graduated from Princeton University in 1952.
After two years active duty as a lieutenant
in the United States Marine Corps, he attended
the University of Texas at Austin Law School
where he received his JD with honors in 1957.
James Baker served in senior
government positions for three U.S. presidents.
Most notably, he served as the nation’s 61st
Secretary of State under President George H.W.
Bush. During his tenure, Mr. Baker traveled
to more than 90 countries as the United States
faced the unprecedented challenges of the post-Cold
War era. Mr. Baker also served as the 67th Secretary
of the Treasury and White House Chief of Staff
under President Ronald Reagan.
Mr. Baker’s extensive record
of public service began in 1975 as Undersecretary
of Commerce to President Gerald Ford and continued
through the George H.W. Bush Administration
where he last served as White House Chief of
Staff and Senior Counselor to the President
until August 1993. In 1997, Mr. Baker served
as the Personal Envoy of United Nations Secretary-General
Kofi Annan to mediate international disputes
over the Western Sahara Desert.
Mr. Baker was awarded the Presidential
Medal of Freedom in 1991 and has been the recipient
of many other awards for distinguished public
service. He has received the Princeton’s Woodrow
Wilson Award, Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy
School of Government Award and the Department
of the Treasury’s Alexander Hamilton Award along
with numerous honorary academic degrees. In
his honor, Rice University has dedicated the
James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy.
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Lloyd
M. Bentsen Jr.
Inducted 1999
Senator Lloyd Bentsen was appointed
the 69th Secretary of the Treasury by President
Bill Clinton in January 1993. He played a pivotal
role in the Clinton Administration’s successful
efforts to reduce the federal deficit and increase
economic opportunity through international trade.
As Secretary of the Treasury,
Mr. Bentsen was a major policy advisor to President
Clinton and had primary responsibility for formulating
domestic and international financial, economic
and tax policy, managing public debt and overseeing
the Treasury’s substantial law enforcement role.
Prior to joining President Clinton’s
Cabinet, the Texas native was one of the most
powerful members of the U.S. Senate where he
had served since 1971. Senator Bentsen was Chairman
of the Senate Finance Committee, which has responsibility
for tax and trade issues. He also served as
Chairman of the Joint Committee of Taxation
and the Joint Economic Committee. In 1988, Senator
Bentsen was the Democratic Party nominee for
Vice President of the United States.
Sentor Bentsen began his public
service career as a Texas county judge. He then
served three terms in the U. S. House of Representatives.
In 1955, he began a 16-year career as a Houston
businessman, serving as president of Lincoln
Consolidated, a financial holding institution.
Volunteering for the Army after
graduation from the University of Texas School
of Law in 1942, Bentsen served in an intelligence
post and later volunteered as a pilot. He flew
35 combat missions in Europe, winning promotion
to major and squadron commander by age 24. Mr.
Bentsen left the service with the rank of Colonel
in the Air Force Reserves and was awarded the
Distinguished Flying Cross for Aviation Valor.
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Gordon
Bethune
Inducted 2004
Gordon Bethune brought worldwide
acclaim to Houston as chairman of the board
and chief executive officer of Continental Airlines
for a decade. He joined the locally based airline
in February 1994 as president and chief operating
officer before being named CEO in November 1994
and chairman in September 1996.
Mr. Bethune rescued the financially
troubled carrier from a seemingly irreversible
tailspin, saving not only the business but also
sparing thousands of Houston jobs. Continental
went on to thrive under his leadership, winning
more awards for customer satisfaction from J.D.
Power and Associates than any other airline.
In 2004, Fortune magazine ranked Continental
the No. 1 Most Admired Global Airline and has
also named Continental among the 100 Best Companies
to Work for in America for six consecutive years.
Mr. Bethune was ranked among
the 50 best CEOs in America by Worth magazine
in 1999, 2000 and 2001. Business Week named
him one of the top 25 global managers for 1996.
In 1997, Aviation Week & Space Technology,
along with the Smithsonian Institution’s National
Air and Space Museum, honored Mr. Bethune with
the Laureate in Aviation trophy. A native Texan,
he was inducted into the Texas Aviation Hall
of Fame in 2003.
Mr. Bethune earned a bachelor
of science degree from Abilene Christian University
and is a graduate of Harvard Business School’s
Advanced Management Program. He is a licensed
commercial pilot, type-rated on Boeing 757 and
767 aircraft and the DC-3. He is also a licensed
airframe and power plant mechanic and served
as a U.S. Navy aircraft maintenance officer.
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Jack
S. Blanton
Inducted 2009
Jack Sawtelle Blanton made his
mark in Houston in two activities often associated
with the city’s leadership: the energy business
and community service.
Mr. Blanton was born in Shreveport,
Louisiana, on December 7, 1927, but raised in
Houston, where his father, William N. Blanton,
was general manager of the chamber of commerce.
After attending Lamar High School, he earned
a bachelor of arts degree from the University
of Texas at Austin in 1947 and a law degree
from the UT Law School in 1950.
That same year, Mr. Blanton
began work for Scurlock Oil Company and rose
through the ranks to become president in 1958,
and eventually CEO and chairman in 1983. In
1988 he became president of Eddy Refining Company.
Mr. Blanton has been a strong
civic leader in Houston where he served as chairman
of the board of the philanthropic foundation,
Houston Endowment Inc. He also served on the
boards of the Methodist Hospital Healthcare
System, Texas Medical Center, Greater Houston
Chamber of Commerce, Houston Zoo and the Jesse
H. Jones School of Management at Rice University,
among many others.
Mr. Blanton was a regent for the University
of Texas System from 1985-1991, becoming chairman
in 1987, and was recipient of the Santa Rita
Award, UT’s highest honor. In 1997 the University
of Texas at Austin renamed its art museum the
Jack S. Blanton Museum of Art in his honor.
His honors include the Woodrow
Wilson Corporate Leadership Award, University
of St. Thomas Ethical Leadership Award, Texas
Medal of Arts, and the Texas Business Hall of
Fame.
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George
R. Brown Family
Inducted 2008
George Rufus Brown (1898-1983),
an internationally recognized engineer, was
one of Houston’s best-known citizens. He and
his older brother, Herman, founded Brown &
Root, which became America's largest construction
and engineering company. George R. Brown created
landmarks that shaped the Houston landscape,
but his creation of the Brown Foundation is
undeniably his most lasting legacy.
In the mid-1970s, when George and Alice Brown
added their daughters as trustees, along with
Herman’s children, the Brown Foundation was
a fledgling institution with a fairly narrow
scope. It was up to the next generation to give
discipline and shape to their vision of giving
back to the community and to execute their commitment
to service to others. Nancy Negley, Maconda
O’Connor and Isabel Wilson, George’s three daughters,
accepted the challenge.
For the past 30 years, these
exceptional women have worked tirelessly to
help make the Brown Foundation the world-class
institution it has become. Their triage of interests
– education by Nancy Negley, social services
by Maconda O’Connor, and the arts by Isabel
Wilson – have ensured that the Brown Foundation
has influenced every major cultural institution,
and educational and social service initiative
in the Houston area.
As of June 30, 2008, the Brown Foundation has
made grants totaling more than $1.2 billion,
supporting a wide array of institutions and
projects.
The city indeed owes the Brown
family a debt – to George and Alice Brown, for
their vision and spirit of generosity, and to
their three daughters, for implementing and
expanding the vision so faithfully.
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Dr.
Paul C. W. Chu
Inducted 1999
Dr. Paul Chu arrived in Houston
in 1979 to assume an academic appointment at
the University of Houston. Since his arrival,
Dr. Chu has established himself as one of the
world’s leading experts in the field of superconductivity.
In January 1987, Dr. Chu and his professional
colleagues made a landmark achievement in modern
science by establishing stable superconductivity
at –290 degrees Fahrenheit. Since that time,
Dr. Chu’s team has continued to break new ground
in the field of superconductivity.
Dr. Chu began his distinguished
career with Bell Laboratories in New Jersey,
where he performed industrial research. He has
won numerous awards for his research, including
the National Medal of Science, the Texas Instruments’
Founders Prize and the World Cultural Council
Medal of Scientific Merit. Dr. Chu has been
elected as a member of the National Academy
of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and
Sciences as well as a Fellow of the American
Physical Society. Dr. Chu has received several
honorary degrees from colleges and universities
around the world and in 1990, was named the
Nations Best Scientific Researcher by U. S.
News and World Report.
Dr. Paul Chu has been a leading
force in the development of the new and exciting
science of superconductivity. His leadership
at the Texas Center for Superconductivity at
the University of Houston has enabled the organization
to become a world-class facility producing state-of-the-art
scientific research and technology.
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Will
Clayton
Inducted 2009
Shortly after Will Clayton moved
his burgeoning cotton company to Houston in
1916 he earned the nickname “Mr. Cotton.” But
his long tenure of public service extended far
beyond even his substantial cotton business.
Born in Mississippi in 1880,
William Lockhart Clayton moved to Tennessee
in 1886 after the family cotton farm failed.
It was there that he became acquainted with
Monroe Dunaway Anderson (after whom Houston’s
M.D. Anderson Cancer Center would be named).
In 1904, they formed the cotton firm Anderson,
Clayton and Company in Oklahoma City. Twelve
years later, the company moved to Houston to
take advantage of the city’s port. By 1936,
it was the largest cotton brokerage in the world
with annual revenues of $200 million.
As his business grew, so did
his national profile. In 1940, he took a leave
of absence from his cotton business and delved
into national affairs. After a series of federal
posts, he was named Undersecretary of State
for Economic Affairs in 1943. His greatest achievement
was creating the European Recovery Program,
better known as the Marshall Plan.
Although Clayton left his post
as Assistant Secretary of State in 1947 and
returned to Houston, he remained active in international
affairs. He supported the establishment of the
European Common Market and free economic exchange
among all democracies. After retiring from cotton
in 1950, Clayton became involved in Houston
civic causes. He focused his attention on slums
and the concept of replacing them with low-cost
housing.
Will Clayton died in Houston
on February 8, 1966, at 86. He deeded his family
home to the City of Houston and, in 1968, it
reopened as the Clayton Library Center for Genealogical
Research.
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Denton
A. Cooley M.D.
Inducted 1999
Houstonian Dr. Denton Cooley
is known worldwide for his many breakthroughs
in medicine, including the first successful
human heart transplant in the United States
and the first implantation of an artificial
heart in the world. In 1969, Dr. Cooley created
the world famous Texas Heart Institute located
in Houston.
Born in 1920, Dr. Cooley graduated
Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Texas
at Austin with highest honors. While attending
the university, he played on the Southwest Conference
Championship basketball team for the Longhorns.
He continued his education at John Hopkins University
Medical School and graduated with highest honors.
As an intern there, Dr. Cooley participated
in the first “blue baby” operation with Dr.
Alfred Blalock.
Dr. Cooley was awarded the Presidential
Medal of Freedom by President Ronald Reagan.
He has also received the National Medal of Technology
from President Clinton. Dr. Cooley’s other honors
include the Theodore Roosevelt Award, presented
by the National Collegiate Athletic Association,
and the Rene Leriche Prize, the highest honor
of the International Surgical Society. Dr. Cooley
has received several honorary degrees from colleges
and universities around the world. He has been
named Honorary Fellow of four Royal Colleges
of Surgery and has received decorations from
12 countries. Dr. Cooley is also a member of
more than 50 professional societies around the
world.
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Jose
Cruz
Inducted 2010
Jose
Cruz needs no introduction to Houston baseball
fans, but the Astros faithful gleefully joined
the chorus when Astrodome public address announcer
J. Fred Duckett intoned, “Now batting, left
fielder, No. 25, Jose Cruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuz!”
One of the most consistent hitters
of his era, Mr. Cruz spent most of his 19-year
career in a Houston uniform. He had a career
batting average of .284 with a total of 165
home runs and 1,077 runs batted in despite playing
in the pitcher-friendly Astrodome. He finished
his career with 2,251 hits, 317 stolen bases
and 1,036 runs in 2,353 games.
Nicknamed “Cheo” when playing
in his native Puerto Rico, Mr. Cruz finished
as high as third in the MVP voting (1980) and
was twice third in the league in batting. He
played in more games than any other player in
the history of the Houston franchise (1,870)
before being surpassed by Craig Biggio in 2001.
His 80 triples remains a team record as does
his six career walk-off home runs. In 1992,
the Astros retired his No. 25.
Mr. Cruz, instantly recognizable
for his high leg kick and his aggressive, slashing
swing, was an All-Star in 1980 and 1985, a two-time
NL Silver Slugger Award winner (1983 and 1984)
and led the league in hits in 1983.
Mr. Cruz was the Astros’ first-base
coach for the Astros from 1997 through 2009
and remains affiliated with the team as a special
assistant to the general manager and by participating
in many club-related community events.
He and his wife, Zoraida, make
their home in Houston. They have four children:
Jose Javier, Shakira, José Jr. and Joe Enrique.
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James
DeAnda
Inducted 2007
The late James DeAnda was a
trailblazer in the pursuit of civil rights and
a tireless advocate for indigent and minority
clients.
Judge DeAnda was born in Houston,
the son of Mexican immigrants, attended Texas
A&M and served with the Marine Corps in
the Pacific Theater during World War II.
When he graduated from the University
of Texas School of Law in 1950, he was one of
a handful of Hispanic students. He began practicing
law in Houston and in the mid-1950s he moved
to Corpus Christi. Through associations with
the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education
Fund and other groups, he became involved in
landmark cases dealing with discrimination in
Texas’ public education system. In Cisneros
v. Corpus Christi ISD, the U.S. Court of Appeals
upheld a lower ruling that Brown v. Board of
Education must be extended to Mexican-Americans.
He was a member of a legal team
of four Hispanic attorneys in Hernandez v. State
of Texas. On appeal, the U.S. Supreme Court
ruled that Hispanics were deserving of the same
constitutional protections as other minorities.
In 1979 President Jimmy Carter
appointed him to the U.S. District Court for
the Southern District of Texas, the second Mexican-American
named to the federal bench.
After retiring from the bench
in 1992, Judge DeAnda practiced law with the
Houston firm Solar & Associates. He received
the Distinguished Alumnus Award for Community
Service from the University of Texas School
of Law Alumni Association in 2004.
James DeAnda died on September
7, 2006, at the age of 81.
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Michael
E. DeBakey M.D.
Inducted 1999
Houstonian Dr. Michael DeBakey
has been globally recognized as a leading medical
inventor, medical school teacher and surgeon.
Dr. DeBakey joined the medical
staff at Baylor College of Medicine in 1948
after several years at Tulane University. Dr.
DeBakey served during World War 11 in the Office
of the Surgeon General as the director of the
Surgical Consultants’ Division. He served as
the chairman of the department of surgery at
Baylor until 1993. During his tenure Dr. DeBakey
gained world-wide recognition for inventing
the Roller Pump, which helped pave the way for
the first successful heart transplant and ushered
in the era of open heart surgery. Dr. DeBakey
was instrumental in developing a wide array
of modern surgical techniques for strokes, organ
transplantation and open-heart surgery.
Dr. DeBakey has received 50
honorary degrees from leading institutions and
has published 1,400 scholarly articles, chapters
and books on medicine, including his book The
Living Heart, which became a national best seller.
He also served under President Lyndon Johnson
as the Chairman of the President’s Commission
on Heart Disease, Cancer and Stroke. He received
the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President
Johnson. Dr. DeBakey also received the Albert
Lasker Award for Clinical Research and the National
Medal of Science from President Ronald Reagan.
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John
and Dominique de Menil
Inducted 2006
John
(1904-1973) and Dominique de Menil (1908-1997)
were influential figures in nurturing Houston’s
cultural life in the second half of the 20th
century, helping transform a quiet provincial
center into a sophisticated world city.
Born
and married in Paris, they moved to Houston
during World War II and quickly became key figures
in advancing Houston’s cultural institutions.
The de Menils were strong advocates of modern
art and architecture and brought to their adopted
city many of the leading artists, scientists,
and intellectuals of the day. They were also
deeply involved in Houston’s civil rights movement
and in global human rights issues.
The
de Menils assembled one of the world’s great
private art collections, with holdings of many
of the significant artists of the 20th century.
After her husband’s death, Mrs. de Menil and
Pritzker Prize-winning architect Renzo Piano
created a museum building celebrated internationally
for its serenity and attention to light. The
Menil Collection opened in 1987.
Over
the years, the de Menils provided leadership
to the Contemporary Arts Museum and the Museum
of Fine Arts, Houston and to art history programs
at the University of St. Thomas and Rice University.
They built the Rothko Chapel as an ecumenical
chapel. Mrs. de Menil oversaw the building of
the Cy Twombly Gallery and the Byzantine Fresco
Chapel Museum.
Mrs.
de Menil was the daughter of one of the founders
of Schlumberger, Ltd. Mr. de Menil, who was
from a military family, worked as a banker before
joining the oil services company. In Houston
he would eventually direct Schlumberger’s worldwide
operations.
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Clyde
Drexler
Inducted 1999
Houstonian Clyde Drexler is
considered one of the greatest professional
basketball players of all time.
He began his career as a member
of the famed “Phi Slama Jama” basketball sensation
at the University of Houston. During his college
career, he led the Cougars to their first NCAA
Final Four appearance and to their first NCAA
Championship game. Mr. Drexler was voted a two-time
All-American and was named Southwest Conference
Newcomer of the Year in his freshman season.
Clyde Drexler’s National Basketball
Association career began when he was selected
as a first-round draft pick for the Portland
Trail Blazers. He distinguished himself as a
top NBA player by leading Portland to two NBA
Finals and breaking 12 different franchise records.
In 1995, Mr. Drexler returned to his hometown
and joined old Cougar teammate Hakeem Olajuwon
as a member of the Houston Rockets. The two
former Cougars led the Houston team to the 1995
NBA Championship. Clyde Drexler made history
by becoming only the third player ever to top
20,000 points, 6,000 rebounds and 6,000 assists
in the NBA.
After retiring from professional
basketball, Mr. Drexler returned to his alma
mater, the University of Houston and signed
on as head coach of the men’s basketball team.
Aside from coaching, he has also dedicated himself
to bettering the community. In 1995, he started
the Drexler Foundation, which is administered
through the University of Houston and the University
of Texas. The foundation was established in
1995 to promote literacy to elementary school
students. Mr. Drexler has also been active in
supporting educational programs and charities
around the country and has served as official
spokesperson for the NBA’s Stay in School Program.
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Charles
W. Duncan Jr.
Inducted 2007
Charles Duncan’s lifelong commitment
to the Houston community extends deeply into
the fields of business, education and government
service.
A native Houstonian, born in
1926, Mr. Duncan stayed close to home when it
came time to choose a college, beginning a long
association with his beloved Rice University.
In 1945, after two years at Rice, he was called
into active military duty as an aviation cadet.
After returning to Houston,
he completed his degree at Rice in 1947. Following
graduation, he worked as a chemical engineer
for Humble Oil and attended the graduate school
of business at the University of Texas for two
years.
Later, Mr. Duncan joined the
family-owned Duncan Foods, maker of Duncan Coffee,
which was founded by his uncle, Hershel Mills
Duncan. Charles Duncan served as company president
from 1958 until 1964, when it was purchased
by The Coca-Cola Company. He served as chairman
of Coca-Cola Europe for three years, before
returning to the U.S. in 1971 to become president
of The Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta.
Mr. Duncan went on to serve
the federal government, first as U.S. Deputy
Secretary of Defense (1977-1979) before being
appointed U.S. Secretary of Energy (1979-1981).
Mr. Duncan returned to the board
of his alma mater after leaving Washington and
was named chairman in 1982, beginning a 14-year
chairmanship during which Rice’s endowment quadrupled
to $1.7 billion. Duncan Hall, located one the
Rice campus, is named in honor of Mr. Duncan
and his wife, Anne. In August 2007, the Duncans
donated $30 million to Rice for the construction
of an environmentally friendly residence hall.
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George
Foreman
Inducted 2004
Native
son George Foreman has attracted an international
legion of admirers through athletic achievement,
religious commitment, business acumen and, finally,
the sheer force of his engaging personality.
After a troubled childhood,
George Foreman turned to the U.S. Job Corps
and boxing to straighten out his life. Under
the direction of Charles "Doc" Broadus,
who saw promise in the youth’s physical strength,
young Mr. Foreman trained to become a boxer.
He fought in the amateur circuit,
winning 16 of 18 fights, and at the age of 19
he qualified for the Olympic boxing team. In
the 1968 Summer Olympics at Mexico City, he
won the gold medal as a heavyweight. The following
year, he turned pro.
Mr. Foreman captured his first
heavyweight championship title in 1973 by knocking
out Joe Frazier in the second round. In 1977,
after losing to Jimmy Young, Mr. Foreman experienced
a religious awakening and retired from boxing.
He became an ordained minister, established
a church and the George Foreman Youth Center
in Houston, counseled prisoners, and delivered
a regular radio message.
In 1987, Mr. Foreman ended a
10-year absence from the ring and won 24 straight
fights. In a title bout against Evander Holyfield
in 1991, the 40-year-old fighter lost a decision,
but gained global respect for his remarkable
comeback. In 1994, he scored a dramatic victory
over Michael Moorer to become the oldest heavyweight
champ ever.
Mr. Foreman served 12 years
as an HBO sports commentator, is a best-selling
author, and is also a spokesman for various
business interests.
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Zina
Garrison
Inducted 2007
Arising from local hard courts
at MacGregor Park, Zina Garrison became an ambassador
for Houston as she traveled the world and back
on the strength of a tennis racket.
Ms. Garrison attained the highest
levels in tennis in a professional career that
spanned 15 seasons, eventually earning a No.
4 world ranking. The youngest of seven siblings,
Ms. Garrison was born in Houston in 1963. She
started playing tennis at the age of 10 and
won the Wimbledon and U.S. Open junior titles
in 1981.
She turned pro in 1982, skipping
her graduation at Ross Sterling High School
to compete in the French Open, her first tournament
as a professional, where she reached the quarterfinals.
She went on to win 14 career singles titles
and 20 doubles titles. Ms. Garrison was a singles
finalist at Wimbledon in 1990, a three-time
Grand Slam mixed doubles champion, and a women's
doubles gold medalist at the 1988 Olympic Games
with partner Pam Shriver. She retired from competitive
tennis in 1996.
She continues to give back to
the sport that has given her so much by coaching
Olympic and Federation Cup teams. But most important
to her is the Zina Garrison All Court Tennis
Academy she founded in 1993. The academy provides
Houston’s children the opportunity to succeed
at life through tennis by teaching life skills,
promoting community service, strengthening educational
opportunities and providing positive role models.
Zina Garrison has been enshrined
in the Texas Women's Hall of Fame, Texas Tennis
Hall of Fame and National Black Sports and Entertainment
Hall of Fame.
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Bernard
A. Harris Jr., M.D., M.B.A., F.A.C.P.
Inducted 2010
Dr. Bernard Harris believes
nothing is impossible and promotes ideals of
self-empowerment and self-determination to inspire
young people to reach new heights in personal
achievement.
An accomplished NASA astronaut,
physician and businessman, Dr. Harris is president
of The Harris Foundation, a non-profit organization
he founded in 1998 to develop math and science
education and crime prevention programs for
America’s youth.
In 1990, he was selected as
a NASA astronaut and flew his first mission
in 1993. A payload commander of STS-63, the
first flight of the Russian-American space program,
Dr. Harris achieved a childhood dream by completing
a walk in space, the first African-American
to do so. He retired from NASA in 1996 after
logging 438 hours in space.
Dr. Harris is CEO and managing
partner of Vesalius Ventures, a venture capital
firm in healthcare technologies. He has served
as vice president of SPACEHAB, Inc., involved
in business development and marketing company
products and services. He is a board member
of some of the leading technology companies
in the world.
A native Texan, Dr. Harris earned
a bachelor degree in biology from the University
of Houston and a doctorate of medicine from
Texas Tech. A trained aerospace flight surgeon
at Brooks Air Force Base, he completed his residency
at the Mayo Clinic and fellowship at the NASA
Ames Research Center. He also earned two masters
degrees.
Dr. Harris has received numerous
awards, including election as Fellow of the
American College of Physicians, two NASA Space
Flight Medals, NASA Award of Merit, a fellow
of the American College of Physicians, and the
2000 Horatio Alger Award.
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Ned
S. Holmes
Inducted 2003
Native son Ned Holmes is a long-time
pillar of the Houston community, thriving in
personal business interests and serving with
distinction in leadership positions on important
public commissions and numerous charitable,
educational and business boards.
Mr. Holmes began his career
with Morgan Guaranty Trust Company in New York
in 1969 before returning to Houston in 1971
to enter the real estate business. In 1980,
he became associated with P&O, a publicly
traded company in the United Kingdom involved
in real estate development and management in
Houston and other major cities. He is chairman
of P&O Ports North America, Inc., and Parkway
Investments.
In 1980, Mr. Holmes founded
Commercial Bancshares, Inc., a bank holding
company based in Houston. In 2001, Commercial
Bancshares merged with Prosperity Bancshares,
Inc., a multibank holding company with 42 locations
in Texas, and Mr. Holmes was named chairman
of the merged entity.
Mr. Holmes was a member of the
City of Houston Planning Commission from 1983-1988.
In 1987, he was appointed a commissioner of
the Port of Houston Authority, serving as chairman
of the Port Commission from 1988-2000. Upon
leaving the Port Commission, he was named chairman
emeritus. In addition, he served as chairman
of the Greater Houston Partnership in 1999 and
has been a member of the partnership’s board
of directors and executive committee for 18
years. He also serves on the Texas Parks and
Wildlife Commission.
Ned Holmes earned an undergraduate
degree from the University of Texas and received
a JD from the University of Texas Law School
in 1969.
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Barbara
Jordan
Inducted 1999
Barbara Jordan one of the most
enriching political figures in modern Texas
history.
Ms. Jordan began her political
career by becoming the first African-American
administrative aide to the Harris County Judge
and later became the first African-American
woman elected to the Texas Senate since 1883.
A graduate of Texas Southern
University in Houston, Ms. Jordan was elected
President Pro Tempore of the Texas Senate and
served as a Texas Governor for a day on June
10, 1972. Ms. Jordan went on to become the first
representative of the newly created 18th Congressional
District in the United States House of Representatives,
the first African-American Texan elected to
Congress. As a member of the House, her reputation
was that of a skilled politician and forceful,
dynamic individual. During the infamous Watergate
Hearings, Representative Jordan distinguished
herself with her impassioned oratory. In 1976,
Ms. Jordan delivered the keynote address at
the Democratic National Convention, becoming
the first African-American woman to do so in
the 144-year history of the Democratic National
Convention.
Barbara Jordan received her
law degree from the Boston University School
of Law and received honorary degrees from 25
colleges and universities. After retiring from
Congress, Ms. Jordan became a professor at the
Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at
the University of Texas at Austin.
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Mathew
and Tina Knowles
Inducted 2008
Mathew and Tina Knowles, trendsetters
in their respective businesses, are one of Houston’s
modern-day power couples.
Mr. Knowles is President and
CEO of Music World Entertainment, one of the
nation's leading entertainment and music conglomerates.
Mrs. Knowles is the innovative founder of the
House of Deréon clothing line. Together, they
are the parents of entertainers Beyoncé, Solange
Knowles and Kelly Rowland.
Houston-based Music World Entertainment
includes record labels, artist and producer
management, staff producers, artist development,
master catalog series, investment and property
holdings, including offices in Houston, Los
Angeles, New York and London. Mr. Knowles has
developed Music World into one of the most successful
labels in the world with more than 150 million
records sold, including releases by Destiny's
Child, Beyoncé, Solange Knowles, Kelly Rowland,
Michelle Williams, Sunshine Anderson and the
"Dreamgirls" music from the movie
soundtrack.
Mrs. Knowles’ fashion designs
at House of Deréon, which was founded in 2005,
are inspired by the legacy of her mother, a
professional seamstress who created her own
designs in the 1940s. The contemporary women’s
collection reflects the style of three generations
of her family. In 2006, she created another
line of clothing, simply named Deréon, aimed
at the young women’s market.
Mathew
and Tina Knowles, along with their daughters
and Kelly Rowland, founded the Knowles-Rowland
Center for Youth at St. John’s United Methodist
Church in downtown Houston. In 2005, after the
devastation of Hurricane Katrina, they established
“The Survivor Foundation” to assist storm victims.
In addition, the family co-sponsors a transitional
living center for individuals in need of temporary
shelter and housing.
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La
Mafia
Inducted 2005
From its roots in the Near Northside
neighborhood, the two-time Grammy Award-winning
musical group La Mafia has charted a course
as one of Houston’s great international ambassadors.
La Mafia was founded in 1980
by Oscar De La Rosa and Armando Lichtenberger
Jr .at Henry’s Night Club, a bar owned by the
De La Rosa family. Mr. De La Rosa, as vocalist,
and Mr. Lichtenbeger, as keyboardist, accordion
player and the band’s producer, were joined
by David De La Garza III on keyboards and vocals
in 1988, Tim Ruiz Jr. on bass in 1996 and Joe
Gonzales on drums in 2003. The band’s original
name was Los Jovenes.
La Mafia, seeking to expand
musical horizons, began touring extensively
in México and Latin America beginning in the
late 1980s. The practice of Tejano and Mexican-American
artists playing in Monterrey, México City and
Guadalajara was unheard of before La Mafia.
Back home, La Mafia has performed in front of
three record-setting crowds at the Houston Livestock
Show and Rodeo.
Since 1993, La Mafia has recorded
each of its hits at its own Urbana Recording
Studios, including the million-selling “Estas
Tocando Fuego” and Ahora y Siempre.” The band
has recorded 35 albums and CDs, plus dozens
of compilation and greatest hits releases.
La
Mafia received Grammy Awards for its CDs, “Un
Million De Rosas” and “En Tus Manos.” It also
has received eight Premio Lo Nuestro Awards
and 12 Tejano Music Awards, including a Lifetime
Achievement Award from the latter, ranking La
Mafia as the most successful Latin artist Houston
has ever produced.
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Bob
Lanier
Inducted 2007
Bob Lanier cut an imposing and beloved figure
as the three-term mayor of Houston during a
period of great advancement in the city.
Mr. Lanier was born to working-class
parents in the refinery town of Baytown, Texas,
in 1925. As a child of the Great Depression,
he was greatly influenced by the idea that leaders
should make life better for those they serve.
Mr. Lanier’s history of public
service came after successful careers in law,
banking and real estate. At the helm of Houston
from 1992 to 1998, his actions helped the city
capitalize on its diversity, strengthen its
infrastructure and improve public safety. He
lowered crime significantly, built affordable
housing, championed the city’s affirmative action
program, attended to previously neglected neighborhoods
and laid the groundwork for downtown’s revitalization.
Before his mayoral terms, he
was a gubernatorial appointee to the Texas Highway
Commission, which he chaired, and chairman of
the Metropolitan Transit Authority in Houston.
He was a founding member of Houston Community
College and chaired the corporation that oversaw
construction of the Hilton Americas–Houston,
the city’s first convention center hotel.
Mr. Lanier worked while going
to college and graduated with highest honors
from the University of Texas School of Law.
He practiced law for a decade before pursuing
his successful business career.
He
is a recipient of the Hubert Humphrey Civil
Rights Award and the NAACP Texas Hero award.
He is a member of the Texas Transportation Institute's
Hall of Honor and earned a Bond Market Association
Award for his work in finance.
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The
Reverend William A. Lawson
Inducted 2008
William Lawson came to Houston to lead a student
group at Texas Southern University and wound
up guiding one of the city’s most dynamic churches
for more than 40 years.
Fresh out of Central Baptist
Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Rev. Lawson
accepted a position with TSU in 1955 to serve
as director of the Baptist Student Union and
professor of Bible. He served in that position
for 10 years, also becoming director of Upward
Bound, a pre-college program for high school
students.
A small group of neighborhood
residents persuaded Rev. Lawson and his wife,
Audrey, to establish a church near the university.
In June 1962, Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church
was established in their home. From 13 pioneering
worshipers, the congregation has grown to more
than 7,000 members with numerous outreach programs
that extend deeply into the community.
Since the church was born in
the infancy of the Civil Rights Movement, Rev.
Lawson has been deeply involved in advocacy
for African Americans, Hispanics, women and
the poor. He was propelled into civil rights
when 14 TSU students conducted a sit-in to protest
segregation at a Weingarten’s lunch counter.
He and his wife raised money to bail the students
out of jail. A voter registration program was
later launched.
In
1996 he was honored with the creation of a non-profit
advocacy agency called the William A. Lawson
Institute for Peace and Prosperity, which has
established a charter middle school for boys,
built apartment units for seniors, and promotes
affordable housing in Houston’s Third Ward.
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George
Thomas “Mickey” Leland
Inducted 2003
The late Mickey Leland was a
six-term Houston congressman who became a passionate
advocate to eradicate the problems of hunger
throughout the world. A champion for the poor
on the home front, he made numerous visits to
famine-stricken regions of Africa to draw attention
to severe malnutrition and starvation and helped
secure congressional approval for relief to
refugees in Sudan and Ethiopia.
Mr. Leland was born in 1944
in Lubbock, Texas, but was raised in Houston
and earned a degree in pharmacy from Texas Southern
University in 1970 and later became an instructor
at TSU. He first ran for public office in 1972,
winning the 88th District seat in the Texas
state house. In 1978, after Barbara Jordan chose
not to seek reelection to the U.S. House of
Representatives, Mr. Leland won an election
to succeed Ms. Jordan in the 18th District of
Texas.
In his first term in Congress, Mr. Leland received
a valuable seat on the Interstate and Foreign
Commerce (later Energy and Commerce) Committee,
a post he retained throughout his term. He established
the Select Committee on Hunger in 1984 and served
as chairman through the remainder of his term.
In additional to his committee responsibilities,
Mr. Leland was chairman of the Congressional
Black Caucus from 1981-1985. During his tenure
he successfully urged passage of stronger sanctions
against the South African government.
Mickey
Leland died on August 7, 1989, when a plane
carrying him and others on a relief mission
to Africa crashed in a mountainous region of
Ethiopia.
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Ben
F. Love
Inducted 2005
Houston is a can-do business
town. For decades the go-to banker to get business
done in the Bayou City was Ben Love.
As CEO of Texas Commerce Bancshares
from 1972 to 1989, Mr. Love successfully steered
TCB through the Texas banking industry’s decline
and recovery. In that time, TCB expanded from
one Houston bank to 80 Texas banks and seven
foreign offices.
Mr. Love began his career in
1956 at River Oaks Bank & Trust, where he
was later named president. He joined Texas Commerce
in 1967, was elected president in 1969 and CEO
in 1972.
He led TCB in achieving 65 consecutive
quarters of earnings increases and TCB was one
of two U.S. banks to achieve the AAA rating
from Standard & Poor’s. It was the only
“Big Five” Texas bank to survive the 1980s economic
downturn. Later, TCB merged with Chemical Bank
of New York to become J.P. Morgan Chase.
After retiring, in 1989, Mr.
Love’s energy was directed to civic work, including
the 1990 Economic Summit of Industrialized Nations
and the 1992 Republican National Convention.
He has served in various leadership capacities
for Texas Medical Center, Greater Houston Partnership,
M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Rice University’s
Council of Overseers, and UT Health Science
Center’s Development Board. Mr. Love also served
Houston Ballet, Houston Grand Opera and Alley
Theatre.
Ben
Love graduated from the University of Texas,
later earning the designation of Distinguished
Alumnus. He flew 25 combat missions over Europe
in World War II with the 8th Air Force, earning
11 decorations, including Distinguished Flying
Cross.
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John
P. McGovern, M.D.
Inducted 2003
Dr. John McGovern has made Houston
a better place for families for nearly 50 years.
He has been a noted physician, researcher, educator,
historian, author, philosopher, humanitarian,
investor and philanthropist.
He moved to Houston in 1956
to begin the McGovern Allergy Clinic, which
soon became the largest of its kind in the nation.
His skills and knowledge as a clinician, researcher,
teacher and scholar of medical history made
a widespread impact on the Texas Medical Center,
where he taught at six member institutions.
He holds 17 professorships, has received 28
honorary degrees and is past president or chief
elected officer for 15 professional societies
in medicine, science and health education. He
has been author or co-author of 252 publications,
including 26 books. He has received numerous
awards from the medical profession.
In 1961, he established the
John P. McGovern Foundation to funds projects
that promote healthy living and disease prevention
with emphasis on the child and family, primarily
in Harris County but also nationally and internationally.
The lake at Hermann Park, many exhibits at the
Houston Zoo, including the new children’s zoo,
many exhibits in the Museum District, including
the Museum of Health and Medical Science, and
the Texas Medical Center Commons Buildings all
bear his name as evidence of his support.
Programs
benefiting from his generosity include those
assisting the elderly and indigent, halfway
houses and initiatives to support more than
50 substance abuse treatment and prevention
programs. His efforts to curb drunken driving
have been recognized by the Surgeon General.
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Drayton
McLane Jr.
Inducted 2005
Drayton McLane Jr. wears a lot
of hats, but the one most Houstonians recognize
is adorned with the logo of the Houston Astros.
Under Drayton’s leadership since
he purchased the team in 1993, the Astros have
become one of the most consistently successful
franchises in Major League Baseball and have
touched countless lives through community projects
and the Astros in Action Foundation.
He played a vital role in rallying
community support for Houston’s new downtown
ballpark, which opened on March 30, 2000. The
ballpark is widely viewed as a catalyst for
other downtown development. He was also instrumental
in bringing MLB’s All-Star Game to Houston in
2004.
Drayton earned an undergraduate
degree from Baylor University, where he later
was Chairman of the Board of Regents, and a
graduate degree from Michigan State. Following
his education, he began working for the McLane
Company and ultimately transformed it from a
small family-owned grocery distribution center
into an international firm before merging with
Wal-Mart in 1991.
Today, Drayton devotes much
of his time to the McLane Group, the holding
company for his many diverse companies and the
Astros, and to charitable endeavors both in
Houston and Temple, particularly the Boy Scouts
of America and the United Way.
He
has won several significant awards, including
the Distinguished Citizen Award, Father of the
Year Award, and the Distinguished Leadership
Award from the community sector; the Herbert
Hoover Award and the Golden Plate Award from
the business sector; and Master Entrepreneur
of the Year and Baylor’s Distinguished Alumni
Award from the education sector.
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Robert
C. McNair
Inducted 2010
Bob McNair, a leading businessman
and philanthropist, has achieved remarkable
success in two arenas many Houstonians hold
near and dear: energy and football.
McNair founded Cogen Technologies
which became the largest privately-owned cogeneration
company in the world that he then sold in 1999.
He is chairman of the McNair Group, which includes
investment activities in private and public
equities, real estate and power plants. He is
a member of the Texas Business Hall of Fame
and was inducted into the South Carolina Athletic
Hall of Fame in 2010.
McNair is the founder, chairman
and chief executive officer of the Houston Texans.
Committed to bringing a National Football League
team to Houston, McNair formed Houston NFL Holdings
in 1998 , was awarded the 32nd NFL franchise
on October 6, 1999, returned pro football to
Houston in 2002, and hosted Super Bowl XXXVIII
in 2004.
McNair has served many institutions
as a board member, including Rice University,
Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Heart Institute,
Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Houston Grand Opera,
Greater Houston Partnership, Free Enterprise
Institute, Sigma Chi Foundation and the Federal
Reserve Bank of Dallas.
Bob and his wife Janice have
supported a wide array of charitable, scientific,
literary, educational and religious organizations
through the Robert and Janice McNair Foundation.
Born in Florida and raised in
Forest City, N.C., McNair has resided in Houston
since 1960. He graduated from the University
of South Carolina in 1958 with a bachelor of
science degree and was awarded honorary doctorate
degrees from the University of South Carolina
in 1999 and Baylor College of Medicine in 2010.
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Robert
Mosbacher Sr.
Inducted 1999
Houstonian Robert Mosbacher
Sr. has been a leading local, national and international
business figure for almost 50 years. He served
under President George H.W. Bush as the Secretary
of Commerce and has been a principal force in
the Houston oil industry for decades.
Mr. Mosbacher has served as
Chairman of both the National Petroleum Council
and the U. S. Oil & Gas Association. In
1987, Mosbacher was inducted into the Texas
Business Hall of Fame. Aside from creating his
own successful energy business, Mr. Mosbacher
has served as a director of Texas Commerce Bank,
Enron Corporation and New York Life Insurance
Company. Mr. Mosbacher is also on the Naval
Academy Endowment Trust Board and Board of Trustees
for the George Bush Presidential Library.
A
distinguished philanthropist, Robert Mosbacher
has twice been Chairman of the Board of Visitors
for the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. He co-founded
the Model School Program and was Vice-President
of the Texas Heart Institute. Mr. Mosbacher
has also served on the Advisory Board of the
Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University.
An avid sailor, Robert Mosbacher has won two
Olympic-class World Championships as well as
numerous other sailing awards.
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Louis
M. Pearce Jr.
Inducted 2006
As
one of the most ardent supporters of the Houston
Livestock Show and Rodeo for decades, Louis
M. Pearce Jr. is always ready for the next go-round.
Mr.
Pearce's involvement with the Houston Livestock
Show began when he bought a bull in 1939. In
1946, he became an exhibitor by showing cattle.
An expert cutting horse rider to boot, Mr. Pearce
became a member of the big show in 1948 and
was elected to its board of directors in 1961.
He served as a vice president and secretary
before being elected to a three-year term as
president beginning in 1967. Today, Mr. Pearce
remains active on the board of directors and
executive committee.
Mr.
Pearce is also one of Houston's successful businessmen.
He and his father owned Waukesha-Pearce Industries,
and he took the reins as president of the company
in 1947.
In
1970, he was named president of Texas Iron Works
Corporation. In 1972, a parent company, Pearce
Industries, was formed. Mr. Pearce continues
to serve as its board chairman.
Mr.
Pearce was born in Houston on February 17, 1917.
He went to Houston public schools, graduating
from San Jacinto High School, and attended Texas
Military Institute. He attended the University
of Texas, where he majored in business administration.
A
member of the Horse Cavalry of the U. S. Army
from 1940 to 1945, he served in all phases of
World War II campaign in Italy. He was discharged
as a major.
Mr.
Pearce has served numerous charitable organizations
and has received countless awards for his volunteer
efforts.
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Mary
Lou Retton
Inducted 1999
Houstonian Mary Lou Retton catapulted
to international fame by winning the All-Around
Gold Medal in Women’s Gymnastics at the 1984
Olympic Games in Los Angeles, becaming the first
American woman ever to win a gold medal in gymnastics.
She also won silver medals for
Team and Vault and bronze medals for Uneven
Bars and Floor Exercise. Her five Olympic medals
were the most won by any athlete at the 1984
Summer Olympic Games.
Ms. Retton’s other victories
include being the only woman to win three American
Cups (1983-85), the only American to win Japan’s
prestigious Chunichi Cup (1983), two U. S. Gymnastics
Federation American Classics (1983-1984), and
the All-Around title at both the 1984 National
Championships and Olympic Trials.
Mary Lou Retton retired from
gymnastics in 1986. Since that time, she has
toured the nation as a motivational speaker
and corporate spokesperson. Ms. Retton serves
as National Chairperson and sits on the Board
of Governors of the Children’s Miracle Network.
Countless
awards and honors have been bestowed on Mary
Lou Retton. They include the 1984 Sports Illustrated
Sportswoman of the Year and the 1984 Associated
Press Amateur Athlete of the Year. Ms. Retton
was the first gymnast and youngest inductee
into the United States Olympic Committee Olympic
Hall of Fame and the first woman to appear on
the front of a Wheaties box. Ms. Retton has
also been named one of America’s Top 10 “Most
Admired” public figures.
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Sylvan
Rodriguez
Inducted 1999
Houstonian Sylvan Rodriguez
was a television news personality in the Houston
area from 1977 until his death in 2000. The
veteran journalist was recognized as a long
time anchor for Houston’s KHOU-TV Channel 11.
Over the years he has captured the hearts and
minds of many Houstonians with his skillful
reporting of the news.
During his career, Mr. Rodriguez
interviewed every American President from Richard
Nixon to George H.W. Bush. He also covered the
beginning of the NASA Space Shuttle Program.
His coverage of the Challenger Space Shuttle
accident in 1986 led to an offer from the ABC
Network to become a news correspondent based
in Los Angeles. In California, he covered a
variety of celebrities ranging from movie stars
to Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega. Mr.
Rodriguez made several appearances on ABC World
News Tonight with Peter Jennings; Nightline
with Ted Koppel; the David Brinkley Show and
Good Morning America.
Mr.
Rodriguez was active in the Houston community
as a board member for the Museum of Natural
Science, the American Cancer Society, the American
Diabetes Association, the Volunteer Center and
the “I Have a Dream Foundation”. Mr. Rodriguez
was also on the Board of Governors for the Arthritis
Foundation. Through his golf tournaments, Sylvan
Rodriguez raised money for the Challenge Center,
United Cerebral Palsy, the Tourette Syndrome
Association and the Museum of Medical Science.
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Trinidad
Mendenhall Sosa
Inducted 2009
Between her business interests
and numerous philanthropic and civic pursuits,
Trinidad “Trini” Mendenhall Sosa cuts a diverse
path across Houston.
Ms. Mendenhall Sosa is the president
of Fulton Shopping Center and served as vice
chair of Fiesta Mart, Inc. upon the death of
cofounders, O.C. Mendenhall and Donald Bonham.
She is the founder and chairman of the Trini
and O.C. Mendenhall Foundation. She and her
foundation have given millions to support the
empowerment of women, minorities, and education.
Trini lives her deep Catholic faith through
the adage of “to whom much is given, much is
expected” by providing scholarships for Catholic
education and faith-based programs.
Her philanthropy extends to
contributing to the building of the Harris County
CPS Youth Services Center, the establishment
of The Mendenhall Asthma Research Laboratory
at Baylor College of Medicine, and a BCM research
project which focuses on diabetes in Hispanics.
Ms. Mendenhall Sosa, in 2008,
gave the largest gift by an individual donor
to the University of St. Thomas, a Hispanic-serving
institution, to establish the Mendenhall Achievement
Center. Her legacy will provide integrated advising,
counseling, and tutoring services.
She serves on the Baylor College
of Medicine Board of Trustees, the Metropolitan
Transit Authority’s Board of Directors, CHRISTUS
Foundation for HealthCare, and the Archdiocese
Development Board. She also served the Harris
County CPS, the University of St. Thomas, Catholic
Charities, Ronald McDonald House, and Houston
Ballet.
Ms. Mendenhall Sosa has received
numerous awards in recognition of her service
to the Houston community.
She
is presently married to Frank Sosa. She has
one son, Oniel, and two grandchildren.
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Don
Wang
Inducted 2009
Don Wang, one of the organizing
directors of Houston-based MetroBank, focuses
his energy on growing his banking business and
giving generously of his time to promote a more
culturally diverse community.
Mr. Wang helped found MetroBank
in 1987 to meet the financial needs of various
ethnic communities in Houston. Mr. Wang serves
as board chairman of the bank. He has also served
as chairman of the New Era Life Insurance Company
since 1989.
Active in a number of business
organizations, Mr. Wang has been a longtime
board member of the Greater Houston Partnership
and Greater Houston Convention and Visitors
Bureau. He has served as board chairman of the
Chinese Senior Estate – HUD Senior Housing Project
and also served the Harris County Hospital District,
Metropolitan Transit Authority, St. Thomas University
and the Export/Import Bank of the U.S.
Mr. Wang has a demonstrated
history of community leadership in Houston.
He has actively promoted Asian businesses and
has played a principal role in building relationships
between different communities. He was president
of the Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce of North
America from 1991-92 and has been active with
the Houston Asian Chamber of Commerce.
His many awards include the
1999 International Executive of the Year from
the Greater Houston Partnership and Houston
Kiwanis Club, 1999 Asian-American Entrepreneur
Award, 50th Year Humanitarian Award presented
by the National Conference for Community and
Justice in 1999, and the 2004 Arrival Award
from UH Law Center.
Mr.
Wang earned a bachelors of science degree from
National Chung Hsing University and a masters
in science degree from Utah State University.
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Kathryn
J. Whitmire
Inducted 2010
Kathy Whitmire blazed a trail
to Houston City Hall as the first woman elected
to any City office in Houston. She was voted
city controller in 1977 and served two two-year
terms before being elected Houston’s first woman
mayor and completing five terms from 1982 through
1991. She also served as president of the U.S.
Conference of Mayors and the Texas Municipal
League.
Ms. Whitmire led the campaign
to diversify Houston’s economy and market the
city nationally and internationally, resulting
in new economic growth. During her mayoral tenure,
she tripled Houston’s park space and expanded
cultural resources while reducing the cost of
government. She obtained voter approval of more
than $1 billion in bonds for capital improvements
and made major upgrades in the City’s public
transportation, emergency medical services,
police services and wastewater treatment.
Long an advocate for Houston’s
scenic environment, Ms. Whitmire received Scenic
America’s 1990 Stafford Award for national leadership
in beautifying America. She later chaired the
Board of Directors of Scenic America.
Since leaving office in 1992,
Ms. Whitmire has taught at Rice University,
Harvard University and the University of Maryland
and has lectured extensively on women’s leadership,
local government, economic development and community
leadership to audiences throughout the U. S.
as well as in many countries in Asia, Eastern
Europe, and the Middle East.
A
native of Houston, Ms. Whitmire was educated
in Houston public schools. A Certified Public
Accountant, she earned Bachelor of Business
Administration and Master of Science in Accountancy
degrees from the University of Houston.
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Ed
Wulfe
Inducted 2006
Ed
Wulfe has forged a can-do reputation and strong
leadership role in commercial real estate and
community service.
After
graduating from Texas A&M University and
beginning his career as a mechanical engineer,
Mr. Wulfe migrated to real estate and spent
17 years at Weingarten Realty Investors. In
1985, he founded Wulfe & Co., a commercial
real estate brokerage, development and property
management firm.
His
redevelopment of Gulfgate Center and revitalization
of the area generated 2003 Landmark Awards for
“Best Commercial Real Estate Rehabilitation/Renovation
Project” and “Best Impact on the Community Project.”
The company’s renovation of Meyerland Plaza
earned Legacy Awards for “Deals That Made a
Difference” in 1995 and 1996.
Mr.
Wulfe served as president of the Houston Symphony,
chairman of the Mayor’s Real Estate Strategies
Task Force, chairman of the Mayor’s Main Street
Coalition leading the redevelopment of Main
Street into a “signature boulevard” and successfully
chaired the 2003 citywide referendum to expand
Houston’s light rail and transit systems. He
also chaired Holocaust Museum Houston and Urban
Land Institute’s Houston District Council, and
was president of Congregation Emanuel.
He
was named a 2006 Texas Legend by Cadillac, received
the 2005 Texas Legends Award from the Galleria
Chamber of Commerce, the 2005 Exemplary Leader
Award from the American Leadership Forum, the
2004 Rice Design Alliance Award, the Park People’s
2004 Leadership Award, and Houston Business
Journal’s 2003 Lifetime Achievement Award in
commercial real estate. In 2002, he received
the American Jewish Committee's Human Relations
Award and was Scenic Houston's 2001 Scenic Visionary.
He
and his wife, Lorraine, enjoy six daughters
and 10 grandchildren.
BACK
TO TOP
John
W. Young
Inducted 2002
John Young is one of the most
decorated figures in American aerospace history,
serving with distinction in virtually every
area of manned space flight. Mr. Young is the
recipient of more than 100 major awards, including
the Congressional Space Medal of Honor in 1980
and three NASA Distinguished Service medals.
He is a member of the National Aviation Hall
of Fame and U.S. Astronauts Hall of Fame.
A fixture at Houston’s Johnson
Space Center and an active astronaut since 1962,
Mr. Young was the first person to fly in space
six times, logging more than 835 hours in space.
His first flight was aboard Gemini 3 in 1965,
the first manned Gemini mission. He was commander
on Gemini 10 in 1966 and was the command module
pilot on the Apollo 10 mission that orbited
the moon in 1969. On his fourth flight, Apollo
16 in 1972, Mr. Young explored the moon’s surface,
collecting 200 pounds of rocks and driving 16
miles on a lunar rover. In 1981, Young was commander
on the first Space Shuttle flight, which culminated
with the first winged reentry vehicle to return
from space to a runway landing. In 1983, he
led a six-man crew on the first Spacelab mission.
John Young has also served in
a series of administrative capacities at Johnson
Space Center, most recently as technical associate
director responsible for technical, operational
and safety oversight.
John
Young served in the Korean War and retired from
the Navy as a captain in 1976 after 25 years
of active military service.
BACK
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ZZ
Top
Inducted 2006
ZZ
Top enjoys the undisputed claim to being the
longest running major rock band with its original
personnel intact – guitarist Billy F. Gibbons,
bassist Dusty Hill and drummer Frank Beard.
Known throughout the world as “That Little Ol’
Band From Texas,” the trio’s enduring track
record of rock, blues, and boogie paved the
way for their induction into the Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame in 2004.
It
was in Houston in the waning days of 1969 that
ZZ Top coalesced from the core of two rival
bands, Billy’s Moving Sidewalks and Frank and
Dusty’s American Blues. In 1973, their third
album, Tres Hombres, catapulted them to national
attention with the hit “La Grange,” still one
of the band’s signature pieces. It was soon
followed by another enduring smash hit, “Tush,”
from Fandango! Houston treasured them with Mayor
Fred Hofheinz declaring November 27, 1975, as
ZZ Top Day, the first of many such honors that
would follow.
ZZ
Top’s breakthrough album, Eliminator, was released
in 1983 and has sold more than 10 million copies
in the U.S. alone. The album’s three smash singles
– “Gimme All Your Lovin’, “Sharp Dressed Man”
and “Legs” – swiftly transformed the innovative
musicians into icons. The 15 original albums
released since the band’s inception, including
Rio Grande Mud, Deguello, Afterburner and Antenna,
underscore their rock preeminence.
The
trio has sold millions of records over the course
of its career and has been officially designated
as Heroes of the State of Texas. Through it
all, Gibbons, Hill and Beard have remained ambassadors
for Houston, the city where their music first
began.
