An Evening as Unique as Texas' History
President and Mrs. George H. W. Bush are honored guests at this elegant evening fundraising event at the historic San Jacinto Monument
The San Jacinto Museum of History Association's second Elegant Evening with History on Thursday, November 15, is sure to be a memorable evening for supporters of the Museum, as well as an opportunity to raise funds to support the San Jacinto Museum of History. President and Mrs. George H. W. Bush will be the honored guests for the evening. The Board of Trustees of the San Jacinto Museum of History welcomes former President George H. W. Bush and Mrs. Bush to the worthy cause of preserving the history of Texas.
Public service to the United States and its citizens is a common thread in the history of the Bush family. They have made generous contributions through their philanthropic works with such organizations as C-Change, an organization whose underlying principle is to "leverage the leadership and expertise of all sectors of society to eliminate cancer as a major public health problem at the earliest possible time". The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy contines to support statewide literacy programs in Texas and other states. Since leaving office, George Bush has helped to raise millions of dollars for hurricane relief. President and Mrs. Bush's decades of public service have made a positive difference throughout the world and in Texas. Their support of Texans and Texas heritage will be appropriately honored at the San Jacinto Monument.
A famous Rolls Royce - "Theodora", a 1927 Phantom I touring car - makes a return appearance at the Monument. On its first visit on June 11, 1936, it carried President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to view the construction of the Monument. "Theodora" will welcome guests on the terrace of the monument and be available for viewing and photos.
A highlight of the evening will be a tour of the special map exhibit Drawn from Experience: Landmark Maps of Texas at the San Jacinto Museum of History with the curator and library director. The exhibit features more than fifty important maps depicting Texas and the Gulf Coast region that date from the 16th century to the present. These beautiful maps - some hand drawn, many produced from copper engraving and lithographic processes - will appear alongside their modern counterparts that include geologic maps of the Houston Ship Channel and views of the state from space. A feature of the tour will be the recently conserved hand-drawn map of the San Jacinto Battlefield by San Jacinto Battle veteran, James W. Winters, Jr., which provides valuable historic information about the conflict.
A special exhibit of unique and rarely seen documents and artifacts will be displayed on this evening only, including a letter from General George Washington to the Quartermaster General of the Continental Army, dated October 27, 1779, and a porcelain bowl given to Mrs. Sam Houston by the Chinese ambassador to the United States.
Today there are only eight glass armonica players in the world. One of these, Dean Shostak, will delight guests with a musical performance on both the glass armonica and a spectacular new one-of-a-kind glass violin. Shostak is the only glass armonica player since the 18th century to use a flywheel and foot treadle as designed by Benjamin Franklin when he invented the instrument in 1761.
At the conclusion of this special evening, each guest will receive the gift of an authentic historic document from the Museum Association.
Thanks to a challenge grant from The Houston Endowment, Inc., the museum will receive $.50 for every dollar raised at the Elegant Evening, up to a total grant of $100,000. This will ensure that the Museum can continue its operations and keep Texas History alive for all its guests, including families and students.
To reserve a seat or table at this rare event, please contact Evelyn Buchner at 281.479.2421.
Drawn from Experience: Landmark Maps of Texas at the San Jacinto Museum of History is sponsored by generous donations from Bank of America, The George and Mary Josephine Hamman Foundation, The Charles W. Tate and Judy Spence Tate Charitable Foundation, and The Summerlee Foundation.
The San Jacinto Monument is located on the 1,200-acre San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site near Houston in the Pasadena/Deer Park/La Porte area. For more information or reservations, call the museum at 281.479.2421 or visit www.sanjacinto-museum.org.
The state park includes the historic battleground, the monument and museum, the marsh boardwalk and the Battleship TEXAS. Admission to the park is $1 per person aged 13 and up. Tours of the battlship can be booked at 281.479.2431, ext. 234. For additional information, visit www.tpwd.state.tx.us/park/sanjac.
