James Glassman - The Houstorian Calendar: Today in Houston History

Published by The History Press

Charleston, SC

www.historypress.com

Copyright 2019 by James Glassman

All rights reserved

Front cover, bottom left: Astros Rally. Copyright Marco Torres, used with permission; right, third from top: Rendez-Vous Houston. Copyright Terry Munder, used with permission.

First published 2019

e-book edition 2019

ISBN 978.1.43966.623.4

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018960980

print edition ISBN 978.1.46713.987.8

Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the author or The History Press. The author and The History Press disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

For EBG and SMG

Who we are cannot be separated from where were from.

Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers: The Story of Success

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Houstorian has been a fun project, and it is my privilege to share it with you. Thanks to social media, Ive been able to build this group of Houston history fans way beyond my expectations. I am indebted to all who have helped and encouraged along the way. Special thanks to Tracey Robertson and Christina Urquhart Wilkerson, who were very early supporters of Houstorian. A big thank-you to my sports editor and friend Andrew Curry. I appreciate direct or indirect support from Stephen Fox, Rod Canion, John Nova Lomax, Marco Torres, Kam Franklin, Nick Zamora, Pete Gershon, Ryan Soroka, Mike Acosta, Harrod Blank, Terry Munder, Missy Wibbelsman, Jennifer Curry, Cory and Nick van der Does, Donna Scott, Erica Gunderson, Peter Glassman and Hilary Glassman.

INTRODUCTION

I founded the history advocacy group Houstorian in 2006 as a response to the perceived public indifference to preserving Houston history, especially among younger Houstonians and newly arrived Houstonians. As a forward-looking community, we love new, but we tend to forget our past. Put another way, Houston suffers from a collective amnesia. Houstorians mission is nothing short of changing the way Houstonians look at their own city and curing that amnesia. I want Houstorian to deepen and enrich both locals and visitors understanding of this history-rich community. Houstorian is active, loud and always looking for new ways to put Houstons history in everyones heads and hearts. History lurks around every corner!

The Houstorian Calendar was inspired by my Twitter feed, where I post one or more historic events that happened on any given day. Ive limited myself to one event per day on these pages.

Please enjoy.

JANUARY

JANUARY 1, 2004

Rail Returned

On this day in 2004, MetroRail opened to the public, marking the first time since Houstons last streetcar ran in 1940 that multiple generations of car-loving Houstonians had the chance to use light rail. The 7.5-mile Main Street Line (later renamed the Red Line), a $324 million light rail system, began its inaugural trip with Mayor Lee Brown, one of its strongest supporters, at the controls. Metro offered free rides all day and the following weekend at all sixteen stations connecting Downtown, Midtown, the Museum District, the Texas Medical Center and Reliant Stadium. The line, which opened one month before the Super Bowl returned to Houston, eventually carried forty-eight thousand passengers daily, making it one of the nations most traveled routes. In 2013, it was expanded to 13 miles, offering rail service north of Downtown, to the Northline Transit Center. Today, MetroRail is three lines and covers over 23 miles.

MetroRail grand opening. Courtesy of Metropolitan Transit Authority.

JANUARY 2, 1924

West University Place Was Incorporated

Although the residential community saw its first country homes in 1920, West University Place incorporated on this day in 1924, allowing itself to provide utilities and civic servicesat the time, the City of Houston had no plans to annex the community that was so far from its city limits. Even when Houston eventually proposed annexation, the municipality founded west of Kirby chose to remain independent and has been so ever since.

JANUARY 3, 1962

Astrodome Groundbreaking

Following Houstons awarding of a Major League Baseball expansion team, owners and civic leaders, including Judge Roy Hofheinz and Bob Smith, staged a ceremonial groundbreaking that included Colt .45 handguns (firing blanks), in lieu of traditional shovels, on this day in 1962. For the first three seasons, the team was known as the Colt .45s, but Colt Manufacturing Company objected to the use of its brand name, and the team was updated with the more Space Raceera appropriate Astros in 1965. Formally known as the Harris County Domed Stadium, the Astrodome was the worlds first indoor sports arena and would be home to the Houston Astros, the Houston Oilers and the Rodeo.

Astrodome groundbreaking. Photo by Darling Photography. George Kirksey Papers. Courtesy of Special Collections, University of Houston Libraries.

JANUARY 4, 1904

John de Menil Was Born

Local businessman and arts patron Jean Menu du Menil was born in Paris, France, on this day in 1904. John de Menil married Dominique Schlumberger, whose family founded the oil services company Schlumberger Limited, in 1931 and later had five children with her. At the outset of World War II, they moved to Houston (where Schlumberger had its North American headquarters) and later commissioned architect Philip Johnson to design their International-style home in River Oaks. The de Menils were major donors to a young University of St. Thomas and founded the Art Department there. They commissioned the nondenominational Rothko Chapel, which opened in 1971. The de Menils supported human and civil rights causes, including the De Luxe Show in the Fifth Ward, and dedicated the Rothko Chapels Broken Obelisk to Martin Luther King Jr. John de Menil died in 1973.

JANUARY 5, 1972

Space Shuttle Program Began

As early as 1969, looking past the Apollo missions to the Moon, NASA sought to build a presence in low Earth orbit with a reusable manned space vehicle. On this day in 1972, President Nixon announced the creation of the Space Shuttle program, with launches commencing in 1981. With large rear cargo bays, space shuttles delivered and retrieved satellites, supplied and repaired the Hubble Space Telescope and helped build the International Space Station. Houston retained its earned Apollo-era nickname, Space City, throughout the shuttles lifetime. Once the Space Station was completed, the Shuttle Program lost its usefulness, and it ended in 2011. Houston was baffled and angered when, for some reason, NASA declined to give Johnson Space Center a retired shuttle.

JANUARY 6, 1980

The Renfro Play/Oilers Homecoming

Today in 1980, during the Oilers-Steelers AFC Championship at Pittsburgh, Houston Oiler wide receiver Mike Renfro made a game-tying touchdown catch, but the referee claimed he didnt have both feet in-boundstherefore, no touchdown. The Oilers never recovered, and the Steelers went on to the Super Bowl. At that point, instant replay wasnt used by the refs, but everyone agreed that they blew the call on this no-catch catch. Years of bitterness toward Pittsburgh festered from that painful loss. Later that day, seventy-five thousand football fans met the Houston Oilers for an emotional homecoming in the Astrodome after their second loss in the AFC Championship. Heightening the drama, the team came straight from the airport, with the buses parking on the Dome floor. Head coach Bum Phillips famously claimed, Last year we knocked on the door. This year we beat on it. Next year were going to kick the son of a bitch in.