We received the attached thank you note from our Communities in Schools (CIS) partners. CIS Thank you.pdf
Winter General Meeting: Remembering Melvalene Cohen
On Wednesday, February 16, Evening Group members gathered for the Club's winter general meeting at the Clubhouse! Everyone was thrilled to be able to finally meet in person. The group enjoyed snacks and wine and just being together.
Many members wore their favorite hats and fascinators in honor of long-time member and millinery enthusiast, Melvalene Cohen. Before club business got underway, members shared tributes to Melvalene. Recollections of delightful events and conversations were plentiful. Memories of Melvalene's stories of mischief were shared by several members. Most of all, Club members remembered Melvalene for her kindness, her generosity, and her passion for Houston and the Houston Heights Woman's Club. She was treasured by Club members and residents of the Greater Houston Heights area and will be missed by all of us.
View a slide show of some of our favorite images of Melvalene. melvalene video.mp4
Read about Melvalene in the Timbergram or The Leader.
Women's involvement in our communities is just as important in 2021 as it was in 1920. This was the theme of 2021 Founder’s Day which was held Thursday September 30.
Founders’ Day is one of our club’s signature events where we present the Hortense Ward Appreciation Award to a third or fourth year female Houston area law school student. Due to the pandemic, the 2020 event was canceled and this year’s recipient came from those who had applied in 2020.
The 2020-21 award recipient is Maryam Ghaffar. Before entering law school, Maryam taught English at HISD’s Pilgrim Academy Middle School for three years as part of her Teach for America service. She was inspired by her students to attend law school and specialized in Education Law. Maryam received her JD from University of Houston Law Center and graduated summa cum laude in her class. Maryam recently completed a clerkship with Justice John Devine at the Supreme Court of Texas and now serves as a law clerk for federal judge Jeffrey Vincent Brown on Galveston Island. When she thoughtfully accepted the award, she reminded us how much this scholarship makes a difference. When she received the news, she had been wondering how she would pay her moving expenses to Galveston to start her new job. This scholarship came at just the right moment for her.
Our Speaker was Rae Bryant, a member of the Houston Genealogical Forum (HGF). She and fellow genealogists created the Houston Suffragists Project as a way to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment. These dedicated genealogists started with a simple goal: to find the Harris County 1920 poll tax list and make the women's names publicly accessible. After researching many primary source documents, they have located, researched, and cataloged the names of Harris county women who paid the poll tax and registered to vote in 1920.
This appreciation award continues because of our memberships belief in honoring the memory of Hortense Ward and the positive impact the award has on a deserving woman. So many people helped bring this special event together.
Thank you to:
Our event Sponsors: Found Realty.
To Epicurean Group, LLC and Patti Ramsey for providing the delicious food.
Viula Torgerson and Carrie Schadle for starting this process, your work with each of the universities brought us our best and biggest applicant pool yet.
Rae Bryant, for sharing her research about our club, and for "bringing history to life" for us.
Carrie Schadle, Autumn Humphreys, Ginnie McConn, Leah Braden, and Edda Tinis, for serving on the scholarship committee.
Shea Hill for the lovely flower arrangements
Teresa Matlock and Leah Braden for bringing everything together for a memorable evening.
Leah Braden closed the event in the words of Laurel Thatcher Ulrich: "Well behaved women seldom make history. Let's make some history, ladies!"
On October 29, the Houston Heights Woman’s Club convened once again as a collective coven in time for the annual Witches Luncheon. After placing the luncheon on a hiatus in 2020 due to COVID-19, the witches came back in full force and were ready to maraud in merriment together. The Good Witches, Kris Berbling and Jill Taylor, and Bad Witches, Amber Rabo and Margaret Ferenz, picked a wicked good theme (“Pick Your Poison”) to entice members and guests alike.
The luncheon was held at Porta’Vino which was delighted to have our coven for lunch (and can’t wait for us to join again!). For the “Pick Your Poison” theme, the tables were adorned with various liquid potions and spooky accents and a photographer was present to take photos of the witches (see the interpretation of the theme in various costumes - the Good Witches were Medusa and the Bad Witches were Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn!).
Attendees munched on wild boar bolognese, chicken, and a vegetarian/GF option. Members and guests were even treated to an adult milkshake for dessert! But it all came down to the costume contest and the winners were:
The 2021 Good and Bad Witches appreciate the support received from everyone who attended, and they encourage members and guests to sign up for membership and/or continue to keep your membership active. If you have feedback regarding the event and/or are interested in being a Witch in the future, complete this form.
Happy Hauntings!
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