The Houston Metropolitan Research Center salutes its 40th anniversary by honoring a gallery of individuals who dedicated their lives to making the world a better place for future generations. These courageous Houstonians spanned the 20th century in diverse fields such as business, medicine, civil rights, social justice, the arts, journalism, environmentalism, education and government service. The personal and social challenges they encountered and took on had a lasting impact on the city of Houston, the state, nation and even the world.

Their challenges resonate today as we face variations on many of the same issues. This exhibition tells the stories of these incredible individuals through photographs, documents, audio-visual media and ephemera. Individuals featured include: Edward Mandell House, Benjamin and Jennie Belle Covington, Annette Finnigan, Leopold Meyer, Christia V. Adair, Alfonso Vazquez, Emma Ferdinand Trichelle, Joseph M. Heiser, Jr., Felix and Janie Tijerina, William Clayton, and Julia Ideson (HPL’s first librarian).

A Closing Day lecture series to accompany the exhibition. Historians will address aspects and themes of the exhibition:

• 10:15AM-11:00AM, Barbara Humphreys — “The Intrepid Miss Ideson”

• 11:15AM-12:30PM, Thomas Kreneck — “Felix Tijerina, Alfonso Vazquez and the Mexican-American Collections at HMRC.” A screening of the film Forgotten Minds, the 13-minute promotional piece for Felix Tijerina’s Little School of the 400, will accompany the lecture.

• 1:00PM-1:50PM, Bartee Haile — “Edward Mandell House: The Colonel Behind the Curtain”

• 2:00PM-3:00PM, Betty Chapman — “Breaking Down Barriers: Houston Women and the Road to Equality”