COMMITTEE SPOTLIGHT
The HBA Historical Committee By Lionel M. Schooler
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one location. The Bar and the committee icero said that “History is the welcome contributions of potential archiwitness that testifies to the val material from the membership and the passing of time; it illumines public. reality, vitalizes memory, provides guidance in daily life BOOK ON THE HISTORY OF THE BAR and brings us tidings of antiquity.”1 The These initial efforts were followed by the HBA’s Historical Committee is dedicated to first major project undertaken by the Hispreserving that testimony. torical Committee — publishing a book In 1987, the Houston Bar Association on the HBA’s hislaunched the comtory. Guided by the mittee to coincide committee, the HBA with the Bicenteneventually succeednial celebrations of ed in publishing the U.S. Constitu“A Commitment to tion. Harold Metts Public Service: The of Baker Botts, the History of the HousHBA president that ton Bar Association” year, wanted to ensure a formal means Lionel M. Schooler (left) prepares to interview in 1992. This book, which was sold both of compiling and Steve Susman for the Living History Series. through the HBA and through local bookmaintaining the history of the HBA, which stores, was the result of a collaborative efwas established in 1870 and is now the fort between the Bar and Eric Fredrickson, fifth largest metropolitan bar association who was then a post-graduate student at in the United States. The legacy of Mr. the University of Houston’s Institute for Metts’ administration has been shepherded Public History (and a future lawyer). Mr. and guided through the years by longtime Fredrickson undertook the task of combHBA Executive Director Kay Sim and longing HBA archives, as well as the archives of time HBA Communications Director Tara the City of Houston, the State Bar of TexShockley. as, the Houston Public Library and local newspapers. He also interviewed numerCOLLECTING ARCHIVAL MATERIALS ous past presidents and other bar leaders The initial efforts of the Historical Comabout the association. mittee were devoted to working with HBA staff to collect and archive HBA historical LIVING HISTORY SERIES material, including minutes, photographs, The committee also inaugurated a living scrapbooks, documents and early pubhistory series by having its members videolications of the Houston Bar Bulletin and tape interviews with senior members of the The Houston Lawyer magazine. Following Houston legal community. Work on the the HBA’s move into its present offices in “living history of the Bar” has been ongoFirst City Tower in 1990, HBA designated ing since that time, and the result of this efa room as the “Archives Room” to ensure fort has been to preserve perspectives and organized efforts to store such materials in
anecdotes on the history of life, and the practice of law, in Houston. To date, more than 80 such interviews have been conducted, many with assistance from Vinson & Elkins LLP, which makes its Media Services Department available for videotaping the interviews. However, many more such interviews remain to be done. The committee invites anyone who is interested to volunteer to conduct such an interview, or to recommend a person for interview. Those interested in volunteering should contact Tara Shockley at the HBA’s office (713-7591133) or by e-mail (taras@hba.org) for more details. PRESERVING ARCHIVAL MATERIALS In the mid-1990s, the committee was instrumental in recruiting law librarians Elizabeth Black Berry and Chris Anglim to assist it in ordering archival materials to begin the process of preserving HBA records, a daunting task given the fragile condition and age of many such materials. In 2007, the HBA Board approved the Historical Committee’s preservation plan to digitize HBA archives and make them more accessible. Committee member Grady Cayce enlisted the help of LIT Group, now Gulfstream, who agreed to perform the digitizing of documents on a pro bono basis. Gulfstream worked with HBA staff to scan and digitize Houston Bar Bulletins, starting with the earliest ones from the 1940s through the 1990s.2 As indicated in the endnotes, this project also welcomes interested volunteers. HARRIS COUNTY HISTORICAL RECORDS PRESERVATION The committee has also provided assis-
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