ALICE EVANS PRATT HOUSTON, TEXAS
Alice Evans Pratt was born January 17, 1915 in Houston, Texas to Joseph W. Evans and Emily Scott Evans. She attended The Kinkaid School and later spent a year at Newcomb College. The Evans family founded Evans & Company Cotton Buyers and Exporters in 1908. Located in the Houston Cotton Exchange Building, Evans & Company remained a major business in Houston throughout the early 20th century. Alice’s father, Joseph, was instrumental in establishing the Port of Houston as an important port for cotton producers and contributed to its current status as an international gateway for essential cargo. Alice had a natural curiosity and love of learning. Her interests included gardening, decorating, medicine and business. She loved dogs, especially Sam, one of the many German Shepherds she owned throughout her life. As a native Houstonian, Alice was dedicated to improving the Houston community. She created the Emily Scott Evans Endowed Professorship in the Special Collections and Archives Department at the University of Houston and also supported the construction of the Emily Scott and Joseph Wood Evans Training Room classroom that provided UH students a place to research and learn from the library’s rare books, archives and manuscripts. Alice was also instrumental in funding the landscaping for the Houston Public Library’s main downtown location. On a national level, Alice was on the board of the National Parks Foundation and established the Wills Foundation to fund medical research for Huntington’s Disease. She was extremely interested in the medical field, specifically genetics, and was excited by genomic advancements. Alice was fascinated with technology and saw new advancements in electronics and their impact on the world as the most important development of her lifetime. Alice loved to travel and had a special appreciation for Turkey, France and New York City. She remained active until the very end of her life, even taking a motorcycle ride to celebrate her 90th birthday. Alice died in June 2016 at 101 years old. New Orleans Auction Galleries is pleased to offer items from the Estate of Alice Evans Pratt in our Winter Estates Auction.