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Archives and Finding Aids

Lappe, Mary Martha

 Person

Biography

Mary Martha Lappe was serving as chairwoman of the University of Houston dance studio when she was asked to help launch the High School for The Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA) in 1971. The original plan for the Meyerland resident was to take a one-year leave of absence from the UH. Instead, her association with HSPVA extended to more than 40 years. Lappe was chairwoman of the HSPVA Dance Department for 25 years. In 1997, she became executive director of HSPVA FRIENDS, a nonprofit organization that raised $8 million in private support for the school and its students, including $1.6 million in scholarships. She retired in May 2012 and has worked 52 years in public education. Excerpted from a Houston Chronicle article “Retired educator: Arts, Academics Mix” by Paul M. Kopenkoskey (http://ahs1956.com/Photos2012-3.htm)

Found in 2 Collections and/or Records:

Lappe, Mary Martha

 File — Box: 12, Folder: 50
Found in: University of Houston Libraries Special Collections / 1969-066, Faculty Vita Records
Dates: 1960-1990
Scope and Contents From the Collection: Vitae folders are arranged alphabetically, according to the last name of the individual. Each card contains information (education, date of birth, brief employment history, and sometimes a photograph) for people employed by the University of Houston. Some of the folders also contain newspaper clippings associated with that individual. For example, the folders relating to Paul Chu contain numerous newspaper articles associated to his research in the area of superconductor material....

Mary Martha Lappe Papers

 Collection
Identifier: 2019-023
Found in: University of Houston Libraries Special Collections / Mary Martha Lappe Papers
Dates: approximately 1940-2012
Scope and Contents This collection contains approximately 5 linear feet, dating from approximately 1940-2012, of correspondence, news clippings, photographs, awards and other archival records related the life and career of dancer and dance instructor Mary Martha Lappe. It documents her early career in academic dance programs at James Madison University, LSU, and UH, and as founder and director of the dance program at High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA). The collection contains documentation...

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