Welcome to the Friends of the Texas Room

July 25th FTxR Meeting - Donald HayesOur Mission: The Friends of the Texas Room (FTxR) seeks to support the collections of the Texas and Local History Department, the Archives and Manuscripts Department, and the Special Collections Department of the Houston History Research Center (HHRC) of the Houston Public Library.

The HHRC, the primary resource for the history of Houston, is housed in the Julia Ideson Building of the downtown Houston Public Library across from City Hall. The beautiful Spanish-Renaissance style building holds one of the largest collections of Texas history in the state.

Visit the Julia Ideson Building (Chapter 1 from the FTxR DVD In Search of Houston's History).

The FTxR qualifies under Section 501 (c) (3) IRS revenue service code.

The Monday evening meetings are January 30th, April 24th, July 31st, and October 23rd.

Our Next Meeting: The Monday, April 24th virtual Zoom meeting from 7:00 to 8:00 pm will feature an evening with Mister McKinney interviewing Robert Kimberly, archivist for the Digital Sig Byrd Archive. This archive is an online repository of Houston Press columns by Sigman Byrd, the mid-century chronicler of a Houston long gone. Kimberly will take us on a journey through his research aided by the HMRC collection. Byrd's writings from 1947 through mid-1950s leave behind a distinctive portrait of Houston's upstanding citizens as well as those who lived on the fringe of the city's respectable society including junkies, hookers, hustlers, street-corner preachers, pawnshop owners, honky-tonk angels, boogie-woogie boys, dealers, and more.

FTxR members and guests may join the Monday, April 24th meeting by using the following link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82807668495?pwd=TTNHelA0S0hSaWVCM3p0WUlheFRsZz09

2022 Board of Directors:
President - Mister McKinney
Vice President - Susan Teich
Secretary - (Open Position)
Treasurer - Frank Jones
Directors:
Jim Bailey
Nancy Burch
Anthony Cavender (Julia Ideson Award)
J.J. Gonzalez (Membership Chair)
Carol Haddock
Rebecca Harris
Jeff Lindemann (Dispatch Editor)
George Slaughter