bestofheights.com jan + feb 2024
PERSONS OF THE YEAR PICKLEBALL CRAZE ARTS AND EVENTS CHEAP EATS
A TRIP TO FREDERICKSBURG
January + February 2024 |
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2 | HEIGHTS | January + February 2024
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january + february 2024 Send comments, thoughts or ideas to intownmagazine@gmail.com
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ON THE COVER Farmers Market Dancers
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PUBLISHER’S LETTER
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ARTS & EVENTS A WONDERFUL FIND IN FREDERICKSBURG
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PERSONS OF THE YEAR SPOTLIGHT: DANNY BURLESON BUZZ
GOOD EATS, CHEAPER
PRODUCTION CONTRIBUTORS PUBLISHER
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Lisa June
bestofheights.com
Lindsay Mowad William Hanover Marene Gustin Evans Attwell Philip Berquist Minnie Payne Virginia Billeaud Anderson
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January + February 2024 |
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Publisher’s Letter New Year, New Ideas
E
ach New Year’s Edition since 2009, when Beyonce first grazed our cover, Intown has selected just one Houston standout for our Person of the Year. Our original award and every Year since is the Person of The Year edition made famous by Time Magazine in 1927. That Year, aviator Charles Lindberg flew the first transatlantic flight, which was the Man of The Year. Not until 1999 did they change it to Person of the Year and have focused on only one. This Year, as in every Year, as we try to improve and keep the attention of readers, we decided to change it up by adding an s to the tile for Persons of the Year and covering three notable Houstonians and a special nod to a fourth: an exceptional hard-working health care worker Danny Burleson who provides comfort and quality services during trying times for families and patients. We have learned over the 30 years of publishing that people want to read about people. It’s also important not to be complacent and assume you do not need to evolve your product. We have several new ideas and projects to add in 2024. In our first attempt to kick off the new Year in 2024, we have selected three Houstonians who have had an enormous impact in 2023 and beyond. Following our first pick of Beyonce, we have had tributes to the late Peter Marzio in the arts, JJ Watt as a remarkable athlete, and Jim Allison, a unique cancer researcher, doctor, and Nobel prize winner, to name just a few. For most of us, the New Year means a new commitment to fitness; if you are like me, going to a gym or running can be tedious. Enter Pickleball. The craze only requires tennis courts with retrofitted nets and smaller court sizes. Pickleball has created a simple and effective way for young older sporting enthusiasts to get regular fitness, exercise, and all the social aspects. I’m hoping in 2024 to learn to appreciate the tunnels and newly reconfigured Memorial Park. Watching so much being done with a park I thought was already perfect was hard. I’m hoping all the new culling of trees and landscaping that is more ‘”environmentally” sound and constructed to serve future generations comes to fruition.
6 | HEIGHTS | January + February 2024
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January + February 2024 |
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ARTS+ EVENTS
Artupdate houston published every two weeks by houstonintown. For updates and more go to houstonintown.com and sign up for free updates.
Eagles - The Long Goodbye
MUSEUMS
Sharks! The Meg, The Monsters, & The Myths
Asia Society Texas Center
Ongoing TSHERIN SHERPA: SPIRITS Thru Jan 7 Ongoing RAFAEL DOMENECH AND Thru Jun 2 TOMAS VU: HEAT
UPTOWN PARK FARMERS MARKET 1st & 3rd Sundays | 11am - 3pm
Uptown Park Blvd
SILHOUETTE
Museum Of Fine Arts Houston
Ongoing ROBERT FRANK AND TODD Thru Jan 7 WEBB: ACROSS AMERICA, 1955
Ongoing REMBRANDT TO VAN thru Jan 21 GOGH: MASTERPIECES FROM THE ARMAND HAMMER COLLECTION Ongoing KEHINDE WILEY: AN Thru May 27 ARCHAEOLOGY OF SILENCE Contemporary Arts Museum Houston
Ongoing SIX SCENES FROM OUR Thru Mar 17 FUTURE Ongoing THIS WAY: A HOUSTON Thru Mar24 GROUP SHOW
HAMMAN HALL OF TEXAS COASTAL ECOLOGY HERZSTEIN FOUCAULT PENDULUM JOHN MCGOVERN HALL OF THE AMERICAS LESTER & SUE SMITH GEM VAULT MORIAN HALL OF PALEONTOLOGY STARKE HALL OF MALACOLOGY WIESS ENERGY HALL WELCH HALL OF CHEMISTRY
Jan 12 THE KINSEY AFRICAN Thru Jun 23 AMERICAN ART
SPECIAL EXHIBITIONS SHARKS! THE MEG, THE MONSTERS, & THE MYTHS KING TUT’S TOMB DISCOVERY EXPERIENCE
Menil Collection
MUSIC & DANCE
Holocaust Museum Houston
& HISTORY COLLECTION
Ongoing THE ICONIC PORTRAIT Thru Jan 21 STRAND BY NESTOR TOPCHY Ongoing HANNEDARBOVENThru Feb 11 WRITING TIME
Toyota Center
Feb 16
Ongoing through Feb 11
Ongoing CHRYSSA & NEW YORK Thru Mar 10 Ongoing WALL DRAWING SERIES: Thru Summer MARC BAUER Feb 23 JANET SOBEL: ALL-OVER Thru Aug 11 Houston Museum Of Natural Science
PERMANENT EXHIBITS ALFRED C. GLASSELL, JR. HALL CULLEN HALL OF GEMS AND MINERALS EARTH FORUEVERYDAY FABERGE FARISH HALL OF TEXAS WILDLIFE FRENSLEY/GRAHAM HALL OF AFRICAN WILDLIFE HALL OF ANCIENT EGYPT
8 | HEIGHTS | January + February 2024
EAGLES - THE LONG GOODBYE
Houston Symphony
SEE THE CLASSICAL MUSIC COLUMN
URBAN HARVEST FARMERS MARKET Saturdays | 8am - noon
THEATER A.D. PLAYERS
Jan 24 STEEL MAGNOLIAS Thru Feb 18 ALLEY THEATRE
Jan 17 PICTURES FROM HOME Thru Feb 11 Broadway Across America The Hobby Center
Jan 2 TINA: THE TINA TURNER Thru Jan 7 MUSICAL Jan 23 LES MISERABLES Thru Jan 28
2752 Buffalo Speedway
STAGES REPERTORY THEATER
Jan 26 SISTER’S IRISH Thru Mar 17 CATECHISM: SAINTS, SNAKES ...
Feb 16 LAUGHTER IN SPANISH Thru Mar 17 The Ensemble Theater
Jan 26 THE PIANO LESSON Thru Feb 25 Theatre Under the Stars
Jan 30 ON YOUR FEET THE STORY Thru Feb 11 OF EMILIO AND GLORIA ESTEFAN
SPORTS Houston Rockets Toyota Center
Jan 1 3 5 6 20 21 24 29 31
DETROIT NEW JERSEY MINNESOTA MILWAUKEE UTAH BOSTON PORTLAND LA LAKERS NEW ORLEANS
Feb 12 23 25
NEW YORK PHOENIX OK CITY
January + February 2024 |
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Houston All In On Pickleball
Photo 90131367 | Ball © Robert Hills | Dreamstime.com
I
t’s the New Year and many have decided to make their health a priority. Well, if you haven’t already heard, pickleball is the latest fitness sensation. Houston is catching on in a big way with many courts being built and others simply retrofitted from existing tennis courts. The courts is a bit smaller and the net shorter also. This means maybe a bit less running but strenuous and challenging for all ages. It is easy to learn and play with different skill levels as well. It’s a great way to stay active, socialize, and obviously have a lot of fun due to the staggering amount of new participants. Pickleball reportedly began in the 1960s, but only in the last two years has it exploded in popularity. In 2022 there were already 4.8 million players, but that number has doubled to 8.9 in 2023 according to the Sports and Fitness Industry AssociationzA. The sport is popular with children and adults alike, and people can play the sport into their 70s, 80s, 90s and who knows. While it’s usually played on a reconfigured tennis court many municipal recreation centers, and gyms. Health 10 | HEIGHTS | January + February 2024
clubs and private country clubs are also adding pickleball to their roster. Pro athletes and celebrities have hopped on the bandwagon, too, with pickleball investments coming from the likes of NFL player Drew Brees and NBA star LeBron James. There’s also Major League Pickleball for aspiring pros. The private Houstonian Club jumped into the booming pickleball business by reportedly investing $6.2 million in a pickleball complex with eight courts. Half will be covered and there will be an amphitheater that seats 300. There will also be a retail store for premium equipment. They broke ground in September and should be open for play in the spring of 2024. The City of Houston Parks & Recreation Department not to be out done offers Pickleball play at a number of indoor and outdoor courts across the city. Indoor courts are available for open play at designated Community Centers. Please check the list below for Open Play locations, days, and times. Outdoor Courts are located in
neighborhood parks. Access to these courts is available on a first-come, firstserved basis. Please check the list below for locations. Here are a few close-in options to join in on the fun: • Fleming Park 1901 Sunset, 77005 Shared Courts On Tennis Courts • Jaycee 1300 Seamist, 77008 Dedicated Courts Adjacent to Tennis Courts • Cleveland Park 4100 Memorial Dr, 77007 Shared Courts On Tennis Courts • West Gray Adaptive Recreation Center 1475 W. Gray St, 77019 Shared Courts On Tennis Courts For more go to www.houstontx.gov/parks/ pickleballcourts
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David Michael Young Broker Associate, CLHMS, CNE, GREEN
Compass RE Texas
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Texas Preferred Properties
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4705 Pine St Pine Circle Estates
A waterfront home in Walden on Lake Conroe with 5 bedrooms, 5 1/2 baths, a pool, & a covered boat slip is a fantastic property. Walden is a community located on the shores of Lake Conroe in Texas, known for its scenic beauty and recreational opportunities. Beverly Smith | Coldwell Banker Realty | 713-569-2113
Magnificent Modern home extensively remodeled offering guest quarters with private entrance off the 3-Car Garage. Positioned on an oversized cul-de-sac lot in the City of Bellaire, zoned to award-winning schools. Genevieve Rowland | Keller Williams | 281-904-7014
List Price $950,000 | MLS# 56073011
| September 8 || Intown October 2021 ||March 12 ++ April 2021 12 |HEIGHTS HEIGHTS January + February 2024
List Price $1,299,900 | MLS# 15295716
Beverly Smith
Mariana Saldana
Coldwell Banker Realty
Keller Williams Realty Metropolitan
CLHMS Lake Conroe Specialist
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Enjoy luxury living in this extraordinary home. An architectural masterpiece with 2-story guest house, sauna, lofts and much more. Stacy Brown | Texas Preferred Properties | 832-707-1496
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4722 Waring St | Afton Oaks
List Price $2,650,000 | MLS# 20619739
A truly unrivaled masterpiece built in 2006 and entirely modernized in 2023 with uncompromising quality and style. This amazing home boasts 6 spacious bedrooms, 5/2 baths, open living areas with soaring ceiling, an extraordinary island kitchen and amazing family gameroom with adjacent children’s playroom. The spacious backyard features a sparkling saltwater pool and spa and large covered patio. David M Young | Compass | 713-320-6453
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2105 Maroneal | Rice Museum District
Modern Mediterranean 4 bedroom, 3.5 bath home in gated Royal Oaks Courtyard Villas. LEED certified home offers state of the art smart home entertainment, lighting, AC & security features. Huge master suite upstairs and large first floor bedroom with outdoor access makes for comfortable guest or multi-generational family accommodations. David M Young | Compass | 713-320-6453
This French Regency home is a sanctuary for those who appreciate the blend of history, art, and architectural brilliance. Pool, cabana, elevator, library, wine room. A must see. Stacy Brown | Texas Preferred Properties | 832-707-1496
List Price $950,000 | MLS# 20619739
List Price $2,099,000 | MLS# 53961718
January + February 2024 |
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Intown’s Classical Music Editor and Critic,
the Hon. Philip Berquist,
Honorary Consul for the Republic of Croatia for Texas
It is time to showcase the January and February arts events in Houston HOUSTON GRAND OPERA HGO opens its winter repertoire with Richard Wagner’s magnificent final opera, Parsifal. Personally, I go back well over 40 years with Parsifal, preparing myself with multiple listening for my first trip to Vienna. To me this is a special piece of music. In the early 1990’s, HGO presented the work with the Houston Symphony conducted by Christoph Eschenbach conducting. The stage director was none other than Robert Wilson and the production was mesmerizing. I recall that it was mentioned often in subsequent years in the New York Times indicating it as a benchmark event. Parsifal is the story of an ancient group of knight’s who guard the Holy Grail, the cup that Jesus was to have drunk out of. The leader of the group, Amfortas, has a lingering wound inflicted by the magician Klingsor by means of the same spear that had pierced Christ on the cross. He and the order of the knights must be saved by a “tor,” “holy fool,” or “pure innocent” who turns out to be Parsifal. Parsifal now returns to HGO in a co-production with Chicago’s Lyric Opera. Conducted by Eun Sun Kim with lead roles by Russell Thomas as Parsifal, Elena Pankratova as Kundry, Kwangchui Youn as Gurnemanz and Ryan McKinney as Amfortas. Andrea Silvestrelli returns from his multiple roles in HGO’s Ring of the Nibelungen as the evil Klingsor. Directed by Tony Award - winning John Caird, this again promises to be a powerful show. Running nearly five hours with two intermissions, it is most highly recommended. Five performances at the Brown Theater, January 19, 21 (matinee), 27, 31 and February 2 (matinee). Due to the length of the performances, the opera begins at 6pm and the normal 2pm for the matinees. Also in its winter rep, Pucinni’s Madama Butterfly is scheduled. Butterfly tells the tragic story of a Japanese woman who is betrayed by an American Navy officer. It is one of Pucinni’s favorite operas. This revival is of Tony Award-winning director Michael Grandage and is conducted by Patrick Summers. Again, five performances at the Brown Theater, January 26, 28 (matinee), February 3, 7 and 9. Performances are at 7:30pm and 2pm for the matinee. HOUSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA HSO begins 2024 with five programs. The 14 | HEIGHTS | January + February 2024
Composer Richard Wagner & Parsifal
first, features the Mendelssohn Symphony 3, the “Scottish” conducted by Music Director, Juraj Valčuha as well as the Bartok Violin Concerto 2, with Yoonsin Song, violinist. January 12, 13 at 8pm and 14 (matinee) at 2:30pm. The next weekend brings back Valčuha and the Houston Symphony Chorus and the massive “A German Requiem” of Brahms. January 19, 20 at 8:pm and 21 (matinee) at 2:30pm. February begins with the Tchaikovsky Symphony 5 conducted by Itzhak Perlman. February 8, 10 at 8pm and 11 (matinee) at 2:30pm. Then comes “THE BIG ONE” - the Bruckner Symphony 8, conducted by Christoph Eschenbach. There is a fascinating story line here. In 1985 the Houston Symphony went on an American tour with key stops in Chicago and New York City. The music director at that time was Sergiu Comissiona. Comissiona fell ill and the assistant conductor took over the Chicago performance. What about New York, obviously the most im-
Conductor Christoph Eschenbach
portant concert on the tour, however? A frantic call went to Christoph Eschenbach in Europe to see if he was even available to conduct on short notice. He was but there was one notable (no pun intended) problem - he was not prepared to conduct the listed program with virtually no rehearsal time in the already tight schedule, the names of the pieces now evade me. Eschenbach had recently conducted the Bruckner Symphony 6 in Jones hall to critical acclaim, however. So the orchestra and he were certainly prepared but could they obtain the score from the publisher had it already been rented out to another orchestra? Amazingly, it had not, and the parts were rushed to NYC. Even luckier was the fact that the bowing marks and instructions that Eschenbach had given to the players remained penciled in each part. The performance was another big hit before the major classical critics in the crowd. This emergency role by Eschenbach began the relationship that only two years later, in 1988, he was appointed as Music Director of the Houston Symphony. To many, if not most Brucknerians, his Symphony 8 is the favorite of the composer’s oeuvre. Like his other works, it is a massive piece and is always the single piece in a performance. Two performances only, February 24 at 8pm and 25 (matinee), 2:30pm. These promise to be stunning performances and all efforts should be made to attend. Keep sending comments to me at classicalmusicberquist@gmail.com. See you next issue of Intown Magazine.
Sergei Leiferkus, guest vocalist
Rachmaninoff
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A Weekend in Fredericksburg:
16 | HEIGHTS | January + February 2024
A wonderful new restaurant find
R
By the Honorable Philip Berquist
Honorary Consul for the Republic of Croatia for Texas ecently, the Croatian Ambassador to the United States, H.E. Pjer Šimunović made a return trip to Texas to help commemorate the opening of the Holocaust Garden of Hope in Kingwood. An article on this will appear in a future edition of Intown Magazine. The Ambassador has been to Texas numerous times in his six years in Washington but had never been to the Hill Country. My wife, Lisa Powell, and I picked him up in Austin and drove to Fredricksburg for a couple of days prior to the Kingwood event. I am confident that most readers know of the amazing growth of Fredericksburg involving the wine industry with vineyards galore, wine tastings, dinners, etc. Just as there are new vineyards
each time we visit Fredericksburg, there are new hotels popping up in an attempt to handle the ever growing number of tourists and visitors. New restaurants are also appearing and we found one absolute gem this trip. Jack’s Chop House, 505 W. Main Street, opened in mid 2023 and it is the complete dining experience. The building used to be a bakery and has been transformed into a classic New York / Chicago style eatery. Believe me, the
modest appearance from the street belies what you will experience upon entering. Jack’s has a top notch bar. We went on a Friday night, an hour earlier than our reservation of 7:00pm assuming we could wait for our table with a cocktail at the bar. Not so that night as there would be no open seats at the bar for the entire evening. Of course there are stuffed heads of gigantic Texas deer and elk, already adorned with holiday lights, January + February 2024 |
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but, for us, the walls filled with pictures of mafiaso and Sinatra characters really set the mood. At our corner table there was a huge photo of Pope John Paul II as a young Polish priest, with a faint smile as on the opposite wall were photos of Al Capone, various mobsters along with Sinatra’s infamous “Rat Pack” and photos of JFK and Jackie, Jimmy Hoffa, Tony “Pro” Provanzano, and other famous “Capo’s” along with a huge photo at the bar of Marilyn Monroe. You get the idea. The coup d’grace, however, was the recording music being played. All Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong and others of the the 1940’s and 50’s along with a charming variety of music with Sicilian and Gypsy influences. From 8-10:00pm, the recorded music stopped and was replaced by a very talented wandering duo of violin and bass viol playing requests table to table. It is now time to discuss the incredible steaks offered with alternate dishes. Appetizers include “Parmesan Crusted Bone Marrow” served with grilled focaccia, “Burrata & Salmoriglio” which we had, along with fried calamari and shrimp cocktail among others. There is a nightly “chef ’s Chophouse Special,” which on our visit was a tempting grilled 12 ounce veal chop. They encourage dishes that can be shared such as the 40 ounce porterhouse, a 30 ounce bone-in tomahawk ribeye. The Ambassador and I settled on the 16 ounce ribeye, his medium, mine charred rare. Lisa had a salad and some of my steak. The meat is served to each customer on two plates, the plate on the bottom for handling and the plate with the ribeye so intensely hot that the steak juices were sizzling for several minutes. They also served carrots on the side along with an entire roasted head of garlic! Jack’s offers to slice the steaks to make shar18 | HEIGHTS | January + February 2024
ing easier but we asked for ours unsliced and they were superb. By the way, steaks are dry-aged at the restaurant. The sides likewise were ample and delicious. We had the creamed spinach, hand-cut fries and spaghetti with pomodoro sauce. If one prefers not to have beef, they offer garlic shrimp scampi, shrimp paisano and fresh Atlantic salmon and a 16 ounce pork tomahawk, chicken parmigaiana and chicken scallops. There must have been desert but that would have been impossible after such a meal! Wines were reasonably priced by the glass and bottle. Yes, they served a delicious vodka martini that passed my high standards with flying colors. After dinner, we met the owner, Greg Ball, from New York City. His goal was to replicate his favorite steak houses and atmospheres. Believe me, he succeeded. General Manager, Cristy Maguddayo and her husband, the Executive Chef, Evan Wintermantel, run Jack’s seamlessly. Trust me, Jack’s Chop House is not to be missed when you visit Fredericksburg. We are very much looking forward to returning. January + February 2024 |
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FOOD
Y
ou’re not alone if you’ve noticed that the majority of new restaurants opening in Houston last year seemed to be high-end, fine-dining eateries. Which is fine unless you’re one of the many whose New Year’s resolution is to cut back on spending. According to Food & Wine, the economy is having a chilling effect on diners in all demographics. “Half of Datassential’s respondents say that delivery costs are becoming untenable, and 39 percent say that they’ve abandoned orders once they saw how much the fees were adding up. With so many options out there, the company notes that restaurants and delivery platforms will have to go above and beyond to entice customers to spend their dwindling cash there, and that includes more generous portion sizes.” Craft Media reports that eaters are opting to buy more frozen foods, like pizza, fries, and dumplings, that they might otherwise have bought at restaurants. But there are still bargains out there for those who enjoy dining out … if you know where to look.
Oishii Japanese Restaurant
3764 Richmond Avenue 713.621.8628 oishiihouston.com Longtime family-owned sushi spot in Upper Kirby, Oishii is known for its fresh fish at jaw-dropping prices. And regulars know because they line up outside the door before the 11:00 a.m. opening. It’s a small space in a small strip center with tight parking, but it is certainly worth it to binge on lunch specials such as the nine-piece sushi for $10.95 or the delicious salmon teriyaki with steamed vegetables and white rice for just $8.95. Happy hour hits from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. with $5 appetizers, including some of the freshest edamame in town, select rolls, and fried bananas. There’s jalapeno tempura for $3.50 and a host of sushi and sashimi choices ranging from just a dollar a piece to a mouth-watering wagyu beef sashimi for $8.
Tacos Tierra Caliente
By Marene Gustin 20 | HEIGHTS | January + February 2024
2003 West Alabama Street | 713.584.9359 tacostierracalientemx.com Food trucks are almost always a great value and one of the most famous trucks is Tacos Tierra Caliente, conveniently parked across the street from the West Alabama Ice House. Open daily, this truck is known for its tacos on soft corn tortillas, some of the best Mexican street food you’ll find and cheap to boot. Two dollars and fifty cents will get you a fat al pastor or barbacoa taco loaded with cilantro and onions and their spicy green salsa. Breakfast tacos are just $2, and sandwiches, tortas, are $7. Grab a few and head next door to the ice house for an outdoor seat at a picnic table and a cold longneck. Bonus points, you can bring your four-legged friend along, as the ice house is dog-friendly.
Red Lion Pub
2316 Shepherd Drive 281.88.3599 redlionpubhouston.com Since 2003, this authentic British pub, with its charming ambiance, has been a favorite of ex-pats and Anglophiles. While regulars flock to the bar almost anytime, it’s the weekly specials that really draw them in. Thursday nights are ladies’ night with a filet mignon dinner and two sides at just $34, one of the cheapest steaks in town these days. Pair it with a house champagne for just $5 a glass, and you’ve got an incredible meal. Fridays are a favorite for their fish and chips, $18 for a huge portion, and a hearty half plate at $10. Plenty of late-night specials, the pub is open until 2:00 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and bonus points for airing soccer and rugby matches, Astros, and Texans games.
Bollo Woodfired Pizza
Brennan’s Houston
3300 Smith Street 713.522.9711 brennanshouston.com Lest you think all bargain eats are from pizza joints and food trucks, we present Brennan’s Houston. While bargain food and the old-world New Orleans charm of this first-rate establishment don’t scream cheap eats, they’re known for having one of the best oyster deals in town. Happy hour, Tuesday through Friday from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. in the Courtyard, features one-dollar Gulf
Coast oysters on the half shell. You have to order by the half dozen, but still, $6 for a plate of slurp-worthy chilled gulf goodness is a great bargain. Cocktails and wine by the glass are $7. And for martini drinkers, vodka or gin, go for lunch Monday through Friday and order an entrée and get a 25-cent martini! Limit is three, but that should hold you.
2202 West Alabama Street | 713.677.0391 bollohouston.com This hot spot for real woodfired pies is well known for its authentic Italian fare cooked in two ovens straight from Napoli. And Bollo has both a happy hour Monday through Friday from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. and a reverse happy hour from 9:00 p.m. to close in the bar area where you can get a pizza and a bottle of wine or a pitcher of beer for $25. Now that’s a bargain and a great date idea. The pizzas are made with Di Napoli Italian tomato products, natural wheat flour, and whole milk cheese. There are all kinds of toppings and specialty pizzas but just a plain old cheese pizza is pretty special when paired with an Italian Ruffino Pinot Grigio.
January + February 2024 |
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1
L
Jesse Lott
ott was best known for his approach to sculpture and collage art he referred to as “urban folk art” or “urban frontier art. “The sculptural technique, represented here, is a combination of the natural resources of the urban community along with the skill of a trained artist and the attitude of the primitive.” In his book “Collision: The Contemporary Art Scene in Houston: 1972-1985,” writer, curator and educator Pete Gershon wrote, “what really set Lott apart was his skill at turning trash into treasure.” Jesse Lott was a Louisiana native but grew up in Houston’s Fifth Ward, where he got his start after being discovered as a teenager by artist and John Biggers, best known as a muralist with works of his own throughout Houston. Biggers was also and educator had traveled extensively to Africa for art. Biggers passed away in Houston in 2001. Lott also was a co-founder, along with Rick Lowe and other artists, of the Project Row Houses. It was designed to transform the social environment in the Third Ward, Houston’s oldest African American neighborhood that lacked affordable housing, by providing low-income residents with refurbished houses. Lott’s indelibility in Houston as a pioneer and artist is solid. In 2016, he was given a Lifetime Achievement Award from Art League Houston. Houston artist Angelbert Metoyer had known Lott for many years. And became close friends. Metoyer described an encounter that embraced the work of Lott.
Lott and Lowe ‘Project Row’ houses French cheeseburger 22 | HEIGHTS | January + February 2024
Metoyer, while working on a project recalls an episode with Lott. “A train came by and started blowing the horn,” Metoyer says. “And he (Lott) started laughing, but I couldn’t hear anything because of the train. Right when the train horn was blowing, it started raining in this one spot where we were painting. And Jesse looked at me. He started laughing, saying, ‘Well, go ahead! Now God is painting with us.” “My first instinct was to move the paintings before they got messed up because we were painting with ink and watercolor,” Metoyer says. “But Jesse said, ‘Leave it there’. He turned around and got something to drink out of the studio. We came back, and the rain stopped. “And we left the work out there to dry, said Metoyer. “As a curator, I appreciated the wonderful integrity of his work — the honesty that combined humor with this monumentality,” Wardlaw tells PaperCity. “That always struck me. When you saw a piece by Jesse Lott, instantaneously, you knew that it was him. He carried his genius so lightly, and he put all of that effort into his work. “He was so accomplished in so many ways that he didn’t even talk about.” Lott has a documentary by 14 Pews Founder CressanRoast chicken
Left, Jesse Lott’s “Big Girl (A Tribute To Eula Love),” 1980, and “Untitled,” 1984, (courtesy of Deborah Colton Gallery and Museum of Fine Arts, Houston)
dra Thibodeaux. entitled “Jesse Lott: Art & Activism” along with students from her 14 Pews Film Academy. In the documentary, Lott describes importantly the power of art. “When you do a work of art, you have a greater possibility of reaching more people than when you write a book. Because the history books will be burned, and the history will be mistold. “But the art is there to be interpreted by each person, every time they look at it. You can tell many, many, many different stories with one picture.”
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Lott and Angelbert Metoyer at the gala for Texas Artist of the Year. The Art League Houston presented Lott with the 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award. (Photo by Alex Barber, Art League Houston)
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I
Richard Kinder
n 1996, as many remember, Enron was one of the fastest-growing companies in the nation. Richard Kinder was a 52-year-old lawyer who was supposed to be named its CEO. Kinder, who was Enron’s president at the time, and his college buddy at the University of Missouri, Ken Lay, had a succession plan all worked out. At the end of 1996, Lay would remain at Enron as chairman but would hand over his CEO title and the job of running the company’s day-to-day operations to Kinder. There are plenty of people who believe that if Kinder had stayed at Enron, the company’s implosion never would have happened, but what he has done since his snub has enabled him and his wife to become the philanthropists they are today. During Enron’s selloff of assets and unhappy about not becoming CEO Kinder was approached by Bill Morgan about starting a business. Morgan was vying to buy some old-school Enron assets that they wanted to unload. They ended up buying a couple of natural gas and carbon dioxide pipelines and a rail-to-barge coal transfer terminal when Morgan asked Kinder to join him. Previously, Kinder had been in real estate and had even filed for bankruptcy in 1980 before his big break. Previously Kinder had worked his way through the ranks at Enron and was President and COO in 1990 and poised to be named CEO when he resigned in 1996. Upon his departure, Ken Lay later replaced him with Jeff Skilling, and the Enron implosion began. Fast forward to 2023, and Kinder Morgan, Inc. is one of the largest energy The authorinfrastructure enjoying pintcompanies at Shelly’s in North America. The company specializes in owning and controlling oil and gas pipelines and terminals. Kinder 24 | HEIGHTS | January + February 2024
Nancy and Rich Kinder
Morgan owns an interest in or operates approximately 83,000 miles of pipelines and 143 terminals. The company reported in the first quarter of 2023 a net income attributable of $679 million, compared to $667 million in the first quarter of 2022. “For the sixth year in a row, we are very pleased to announce another increase in the dividend we provide our shareholders,” said Executive Chairman Richard D. Kinder. “ In addition to increasing the dividend this quarter, the company repurchased approximately 6.8 million shares for $113 million at an average price of $16.62 per share.” According to Chief Executive Officer Steve Kean. “Our natural gas pipeline network is composed of some 70,000 miles of interstate and intrastate pipelines that move about 40% of U.S. natural gas production, along with 700 billion cubic feet (Bcf ) of natural gas storage, comprising 15% of total U.S. natural gas storage capacity. “While the U.S. Congress debates
much-needed infrastructure permitting reform, the system we operate under today makes it difficult to permit new natural gas pipelines in much of the country. That, in turn, increases the value of our existing natural gas pipeline systems, which results in a favorable recontracting environment,” continued Kean. “With a large portion of our existing natural gas pipeline network in Texas and Louisiana, we also benefit from our ability to expand to meet growing demand in the most infrastructure-friendly region of the country. Today Rich Kinder is having a new kind of impact on Houston. His mission is to enrich the lives of Greater Houston people with transformational grants that impact urban green space, education, and quality of life.
Kinder Foundation Giving Highlights
Memorial Park To accelerate implementation of the visionary Memorial Park Master Plan, the Kinder Foundation offered a grant of $70 million to Memorial Park
Conservancy in April 2018. This grant became the catalyst for a public-private partnership with the City of Houston. The resulting “Ten-Year Plan” provides capital funds for many of the Master Plan signature projects and critical connections over the next 10 years along with committed resources for their longterm care. MFAH In 2015, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston unveiled plans for the redevelopment of its 14-acre campus, and a new home for the Glassell School of Art. The foundation committed a principal grant of $50 million, and in 2018, announced an additional $25 million challenge grant to complete the capital campaign goal of $450 million. On November 21, 2020, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, opened the Nancy and Rich Kinder Building to the public. To house the display of the Museum’s outstanding and fast-growing international collections of modern and contemporary art, the 237,000-square-
Nancy and Rich Kinder Building. Photo: Peter Molick Thomas Kirk III
foot Kinder Building was designed by Steven Holl, Principal and Lead Designer of Steven Holl Architects. Education Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts HISD received substantial funding through a bond election to build a new HSPVA campus in downtown Houston with a Kinder lead grant of $7.5 million toward a $10 million capital campaign led by HSPVA Friends—the non-profit dedicated to ensuring students receive
the best arts education in a state-of-theart facility. PRH Preservation, Inc. With initial funding of $2 million from the foundation in 2018, Project Row Houses formed PRH Preservation, Inc. whose mission is to maintain and enhance existing buildings in Houston’s Northern Third Ward to ensure longterm, safe, and affordable housing for its residents.
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DeMeco Ryans
Highly sought-after player and coach has landed successfully again in Houston
D
emeco Ryans was born and raised in Bessemer, Alabama, less than an hour’s drive from the University of Alabama. Ryans excelled in high school and became a top recruiting prospect for universities nationwide. He was also heavily recruited by the University of Alabama Crimson Tide. Ryans settled on his local Crimson Tide connections, where he played for four years and had a spectacular college career that preceded his accent to a lucrative NFL career. In college, he was a unanimous College All-American linebacker. In his senior year, he also received the Lott Trophy for a combination of athletic excellence and off-the-field achievements. Also, in his final year at Bama, Ryans was named the defensive MVP in Alabana’s 13–10 win over Texas Tech in the 2006 Cotton Bowl. Following his college career, Ryans played for six years as a standout linebacker for the Texans. He signed a rookie contract after having been selected as the 33rd pick in the 2006 draft. He excelled in his rookie season, earning Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. He went to two Pro Bowls during his playing days for Houston before being traded to the Philadelphia Eagles, where he played for four more seasons. Upon retiring, he again became a hot commodity as he had in high school and college but this time it would be as a coach. Demeco Ryans became Coach Ryans in 2017 after signing a coaching contract with the San Francisco 49ers as their linebackers coach. He then coached the inside linebackers from 2018 to 2020 before being named their defensive coordinator in 2021. As a successful assistant and defensive coordinator with the San Francisco, Ryans was being talked about as a potential head coach somewhere in the NFL coaching ranks. And to the pleasant surprise of many fans, here was hired by the owners of the Houston Texans franchise to be their eighth head coach in their twenty-two-year history. In his first year, he has the team on the cusp of returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2019.
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As the league’s defensive rookie of the year, and collector of 156 tackles in his first season many wondered what made him so special. He wasn’t the most athletic or the fastest linebacker but according to teammates was a tireless worker and weightlifter. He was in the front row at team meetings and studied the game. It’s obvious all the hard work has paid off in just his first year as a head coach he may well be named Coach of The Year by the league
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Serving Houston Methodist: Spotlight on By Virginia Billeaud Anderson
2023
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was a miserable year for my husband Donnie. He was hospitalized at Houston Methodist four times during a six month period. Two stays were lengthy. Needless to say, I practically lived at Methodist. We all know that lousy times can include moments of happiness. I had some chitchatting with Danny Burleson who has been serving meals to Methodist patients for 42 years. The first time I met Danny I was lying on the couch that was my bed in Donnie’s hospital room in Methodist’s Fondren Tower. Danny entered wearing a black vest, a hair net and a battleaxe smile. “Hi, I’m Danny. I come to take your order.” Day after day I watched him maneuver past the IV stand and respiratory equipment to enter menu items into his tablet, and serve and retrieve food trays. Nothing rattled him, not even puke. Danny instinctively knew that mentioning a football team or serving two cups of cherry ice, not one, soothed a sick person. Among the things 62 year old Danny and I chatted about was Tropical Storm Allison which dumped 37 inches of rain on the Medical Center in June 2001, and walloped Methodist to the tune of about $250 million in damage, requiring relocating some patients. “I worked the night before it hit. Strange, that day was sunny, a perfect day. I tried to call in, and couldn’t get no one, later learned the basement was underwater. The next day I came in. Flood water had reached the first floor ceiling. It was real hot, but everyone came to work, did what they had to do. The patients needed to be cared for. Everyone knew that.” Especially Methodist CEO Dr. Marc Boom who counted on Danny and the rest of his staff to put patients before themselves. “Overcoming Allison’s devastation,” Boom said, “proved to the Methodist community it could get through anything.” Although the Methodist community couldn’t have imagined Covid biting it in the butt. Ever since the late 1960s when DeBakey and his colleagues performed twelve heart transplants and two lung transplants, the world has thought of Methodist as super-duper advanced. Feats of that caliber continued. Newsworthy research takes place. Here’s one example. Nanotech engineers study carbon fiber materials in the International Space Station to determine the feasibility of making implantable drug-delivery devices, and prostheses. This is mouth dropping. At least to me. Here’s another. Researchers perform mathematical modelling to quantify the sensitivity of cancer cells to specific drugs. This hits close to home. Methodist did my post-surgery radiation and drug treatment, so math nerds doing modelling suits me just fine. My point here is that in every direction scientists, researchers and physicians are involved in endeavors to propel optimal treatment. Shooting the breeze with Danny, I sensed
DANNY BURLESON
he saw his job as equally important. “People come to Methodist, they want to be with Danny.” We all know Methodist treated President Bush and Barbara Bush. Did Danny meet them? “I ran into Mrs. Bush in the hallway. A very nice lady. She spoke to me. That was nice of her.” What landed him at Methodist? “My sister was pregnant and had a check-up here at the Medical Center, so I came with her and put in some applications. In those days we filled out those old paper applications. I did that at Memorial Herman, Texas Childrens and Methodist. A few weeks later Methodist called me and I started. All these years I’ve worked in only one department, food service.” With a push from his mama. “I thank my mama for getting me here. I was 20 or 21, working part time jobs, and living under her roof like I was some kid, like she was gonna take care of me the rest of my life. One day she came in my room, said enough is enough, get up and get a job. She meant a real job, not part time jobs. So I did. The first 25 years I worked Methodist and second jobs. I credit my parents for my work ethic. My sons have the same work ethic in them. They get up and work two jobs.” I asked about his part time gigs. I did yardwork, worked at a park, at Weingarten, Albertsons, at the Astro Hall and Astrodome, Jack in the Box, others.” Diversion Bowling Alley in the Galleria was his favorite. “My younger sister worked
at Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlour in the Galleria. In those days we rode the bus to that part of town.” Danny accompanied her and applied. The bowling alley put him to work that instant. “It was fun, ranked at the top. I made close friends. You know how a man ain’t supposed to cry? When they said that place closed, I cried. I became friendly with people from all these other neighborhoods, people from Lamar, from Memorial, really good friends. If time machines existed, I would go right back there.” Danny was raised in the Sunnyside area of southeast Houston. “We lived in a close community, a tight knit community. Had a lot of fun, going to the park, playing basketball, and softball. I’m thankful. I had great parents. My father had a very firm hand. He was a truck driver. He also had a small church, he was a pastor. We were brought up in the church. Before he passed away he told me, it doesn’t matter which church you go to, whatever you do in life, stay in church. And I did.” Eventually his mama needed him. “In 2003 I moved back into my parent’s house to help my mother. She had dementia. Me and my younger sons moved in and split up her care, that way they could stay in school and I could go to work.” On days off he takes her to the doctor. “She’s 93. I figure she’ll be with me until 99.” Occasionally Danny visits his old park, to see what changed. Apparently basketball changed. “I go sit
and watch them play. They don’t play like we did. We played serious. We competed. They have cell phones.” How many children? “I have four sons, but if you count my step children I have a total of nine. I lost my wife to ovarian cancer in 2003.” Danny, has anyone ever written about you? “No. But they should.” It’s said sitting is the new smoking, so every day I strolled around Methodist, through all the towers, and saw interesting things. One day I saw workers shop-vacuum the lobby because the fountain overflowed. In Walter Tower I saw a plaque that commemorates a philanthropic whopper. Paula and Rusty Walter and Walter Oil & Gas forked over $101 million, the largest single gift in Methodist’s history. I asked Danny if he ever worked in the heftily endowed Walter Tower. “No, but I stayed on the 18th floor of Walter when I had a stroke. It has big rooms. Great views. You could see NRG. I felt excited seeing that, like when I was a kid.” Butting up to Walter is the construction site for the $1.4 billion, 26-story Centennial Tower, which opens in 2027. After, Methodist will demolish two older buildings, Main Tower and West Pavilion, where my husband spent time. Unexpectedly, I bumped into Danny’s boss CEO Dr. Boom. What a sweet guy. He took time to talk to me. Why was I at Methodist, Boom asked. My husband was in West Pavilion. “I’d like to apologize for how old that building is, but tell your husband I didn’t hesitate to put my father there.” It’s early Monday morning. Danny reports a relaxing weekend. “Had my grandkids with me, relaxed, did some yard work, watched some football.” Another Monday morning, on the other hand, Danny seemed wilted. “Busy weekend. I had my grandchildren with me. My son Daniel’s children. It’s a lot. They played all day Saturday, stuck with me all day. They spoiled. Spoiled.” Then he back-peddled. “Truth is, I spoil them.” January + February 2024 |
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April Fabre, Jason Fabre, Jenny Koehler, Jason Wells, Chasta Martin, Megan Ryan, and Jason Ryan
Coy Lewis and Carol Katrana
Robin Cloyd and Everett Gibson
John & LeAnne Storrie and Tomorrow & Chad Thumann
Co-Chairs Megan and Jason Ryan
Chasta Martin, Ryane Jackson and Kameron Brackins
Jet Setters Ball Raises More Than $600,000 For The Lone Star Flight Museum The Lone Star Flight Museum was transformed into a Monte Carlo destination with a wash of coastal color and vibrant floral displays as operatic voices floated through the hangar. This year’s fundraising gala raised $620,000 to support the museum’s STEM-related programs, educational mission, and exhibits. and paid tribute to museum founder Robert L. Waltrip. The gala program also recognized Veteran’s Day and those who have bravely served our country. CenterPoint Energy, ConocoPhillips, and Bette and Ralph Thomas served as premier sponsors. Other key sponsors include Carolyn and Anthony Hall, Joan Skipper and Ed Peine, and the Strake Foundation. Gala co-chairs Kelly and David Rose and Megan and Jason Ryan welcomed more than 500 guests and supporters for an evening that included a wine pull, big board auction, paddle raise, and a spirited live auction.
Joel Lucks, Michelle Bramblett, Carey Kirkpatrick, Megan Ryan, and Jason Ryan
Mindy and Josh Davidson Candy and Lonnie Schiller Co-Chairs Kelly and David Rose
Mary and Col. Bif and Shauna 30 | HEIGHTS | January + February 2024 David Novelli French
Joel Lucks and Carey Kirkpatrick
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