A Former President’s Acclaimed Speech Sets the Pace for the Annual Houston Heritage Luncheon

A Former President’s Acclaimed Speech Sets the Pace for the Annual Houston Heritage Luncheon

Former Houston First Chairman David Mincberg and his wife, PR executive Lainie Gordon, chaired the annual Houston Heritage Luncheon. David welcomed guests to the dignitary-filled gathering at the Briar Club. Receiving recognition were French Consul General Valérie Baraban and Israel Consul General Livia Link-Raviv, along with City of Houston Council Members Sallie Alcorn, Joaquin Martinez and Fred Flickinger.

Board President Minnette Boesel introduced Barry Moore, a board member and nephew of Heritage Society founders Charles and Faith Bybee. Barry talked about his recollections of discussions at their family home about how this group of Houstonians could save the Kellum-Noble House by creating The Heritage Society and convinced the City of Houston to abandon the demolition plan. Thus began The Heritage Society!

On June 12, 1962, at Rice University Stadium, President John F. Kennedy spoke these immortal words about venturing into space: “We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard; because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one we intend to win.”

Douglas Brinkley, a renowned Professor of History at Rice University, CNN Presidential Historian, Contributing Editor at Vanity Fair, and the award-winning author of American Moonshot: JFK and the Great Space Race, was the highly anticipated guest speaker. His insightful talk on the space race of the 1960s and President Kennedy’s inspiring aforementioned quote left a lasting impression. His book, a testament to the extraordinary political, cultural, and scientific factors that fueled the birth and development of NASA and the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo projects, which propelled the United States to victory in the space race against the Soviet Union, was a highlight of the event. July 20, 2024, marks the 55th anniversary of the Moon Landing, a significant milestone in space history. Brinkley also shared fascinating details about the formation of the Johnson Space Center, a pivotal moment that forever changed Houston’s landscape. Also present was Tom Moser, a distinguished member of the NASA Alumni League, Chief Engineer, and Senior Manager of Apollo, Space Shuttle, and Space Station Programs at the Center.

In the Social Scene (not previously mentioned):  Peter Boesel, Phoebe Tudor, Joanne E. Zumbrun, Evelyn Boatwright, Angela and Will Cannady, Tevia Weiner McLaren, Sallie Morian and Michael Clark, John L. Nau, III, Isla C. Reckling, Susan Snell Barnes, C.C. and Duke Ensell, Katy and Clyde Hays, Nita Jackson, Jillian Jopling and Peter McGillivray, JoAnn Moore, Jacquelyn and Steve Ditsler, Linda and Spencer Gardner, Ginnie and Tom Moser, Estella and Pete Gillette, Scott Holstead, Jillian Jopling and Peter McGillivray, Guy Hagstette, Laura and Roy Nichol, Sheila and Ben Turner, Walt Bratic, Analisa and Kyle Frazier, Nita Jackson, Tevia Weiner McLaren, Beth Wiedower Jackson, Stewart Morris, Jr., Kirksey Gregg and Shay Calhoun