Scope and Contents This interview delves into the life of Maureen Patton who at the time of interview had been Executive Director of the Galveston Opera House for 25 years. The interview describes the history of the theater and how concerned citizens of Galveston mobilized to preserve it so that today it has attained national recognition as a historical site. Also included are several interesting anecdotes that most historical accounts have not previously recorded.The tone of familiarity between...

Scope and Contents Mr. Pye is the patriarch of a family that has been a part of the opera house from its inception in 1894 when his grandfather was part of the first stage crew. From that date to the present at least one Pye family member has been a part of the theater’s stage crew.This interview describes not only how stage crews remain the foundation of the shows’ presentations but also describes the uniqueness of the Galveston opera house. There are interesting stories about well-known...

Scope and Contents From the Collection: When UH’s Center for Public History and the University Libraries collaborated to create the Houston History Archives (UH-HHA), part of their mission included a repository for oral histories that tell stories of the growth and development of the Gulf Coast region from multiple points of view. To that end, the Houston Oral History Project in the Center for Public History trains history graduate students to research and interview Houstonians with recollections of the city’s civil rights,...

Scope and Contents From the Collection: When UH’s Center for Public History and the University Libraries collaborated to create the Houston History Archives (UH-HHA), part of their mission included a repository for oral histories that tell stories of the growth and development of the Gulf Coast region from multiple points of view. To that end, the Houston Oral History Project in the Center for Public History trains history graduate students to research and interview Houstonians with recollections of the city’s civil rights,...

Scope and Contents From the Collection: When UH’s Center for Public History and the University Libraries collaborated to create the Houston History Archives (UH-HHA), part of their mission included a repository for oral histories that tell stories of the growth and development of the Gulf Coast region from multiple points of view. To that end, the Houston Oral History Project in the Center for Public History trains history graduate students to research and interview Houstonians with recollections of the city’s civil rights,...

Scope and Contents From the Collection: When UH’s Center for Public History and the University Libraries collaborated to create the Houston History Archives (UH-HHA), part of their mission included a repository for oral histories that tell stories of the growth and development of the Gulf Coast region from multiple points of view. To that end, the Houston Oral History Project in the Center for Public History trains history graduate students to research and interview Houstonians with recollections of the city’s civil rights,...

Scope and Contents From the Collection: When UH’s Center for Public History and the University Libraries collaborated to create the Houston History Archives (UH-HHA), part of their mission included a repository for oral histories that tell stories of the growth and development of the Gulf Coast region from multiple points of view. To that end, the Houston Oral History Project in the Center for Public History trains history graduate students to research and interview Houstonians with recollections of the city’s civil rights,...

Scope and Contents From the Collection: When UH’s Center for Public History and the University Libraries collaborated to create the Houston History Archives (UH-HHA), part of their mission included a repository for oral histories that tell stories of the growth and development of the Gulf Coast region from multiple points of view. To that end, the Houston Oral History Project in the Center for Public History trains history graduate students to research and interview Houstonians with recollections of the city’s civil rights,...

Scope and Contents Born in Grand Taso, near Eunice, Louisiana. Served in the U.S. Air Force during Korean War and was stationed in Chateauroux, France, for two and a half years. He was a French interpreter when they opened a new base there in Chateauroux in ’53. After his service, he moved to Beaumont in 1959 and worked at Wyatt’s Cafeteria. He was transferred to Houston in 1961 and later went to work for Brown n Root building the Arco Petro Chemical Plant where he got his start in selling BBQ dinners....

Scope and Contents Alison Cook is the restaurant critic for the Houston Chronicle. She has been an active member of Houston’s journalism and culinary world since the 1970s. Although not raised in Houston, she is deeply passionate about the city’s culinary tradition and continuous transformation. In this interview, Cook discusses the ever changing field of restaurant criticism and the trends she has seen in Houston. Cook also outlines the history of women chefs in Houston, from the 1960s, when Cook was a...

Scope and Contents Ms. Irma Gonzalez Galvan was born Brownsville, Texas in 1941 and moved with her family to Houston’s 2nd Ward when she was a young child. Here, she learned to cook from a neighbor and began preparing meals for her brothers and sisters. Later, she worked in her school’s cafeteria, as well as in a couple of neighborhood bakeries, including La Zebra and Nopal. These early experiences with food combined with retail experience, formed the foundation of Irma’s restaurant which she opened in 1989,...

Scope and Contents Nicholas Gutierrez, son of Buddy Guindon (commercial fisherman and owner of Katie’s Seafood Market on 1902 Wharf Road, Galveston) has managed Katie’s Seafood Market since 2007. Mr. Gutierrez grew up on Galveston and in the Texas Gulf Coast culture, working in his father’s seafood market since he was fourteen years old. In his interview, Nicholas Gutierrez discusses his role as manager at a seafood market, the types of seafood markets in the area, conflicts with the Texas Gulf Coast seafood...

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Anita Jaisinghani is chef and owner of Indika restaurant, located at 516 Westheimer in Houston, Texas.

Anita Jaisinghani was interviewed on 17 November 2010. The interview was conducted by James Wall on behalf of the Oral History of Houston Project, Center for Public History, University of Houston. The interview is available at M.D. Anderson Library on the main campus of the university.

Scope and Contents Eleni Kyriazis is a member of the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Houston, Texas. She has been the pastry chairwoman for the church’s Greek Festival for twenty-two years, and was the co-chairwoman of the Festival in 2002. I consider her a leader in Houston world of Greek pastries because of her long-standing and successful leadership position at the Festival. The production of Greek pastries and Eleni’s role as chairwoman of pastries is a great place from which historians can analyze...

Scope and Contents Danton Nix was interviewed on September 30, 2010, at Danton’s Gulf Coast Seafood Kitchen, 4611 Montrose Blvd., Houston, TX 77006. The interview was conducted by Kyle Goyette on behalf of the Oral History of Houston Project, Center for Public History, University of Houston. The interview is available at M.D. Anderson Library on the main campus of the university. The interview explores such issues as how Mr. Nix came to open his restaurant in Houston, his past career as a chef, what kind of...