Event Date: September 23, 2026
Location: Houston Fire Museum
Event: Luncheon
Beneficiary: Houston Fire Museum
No. in attendance: 100
Chairpersons: Yvonne Conklin and Cheryl Boblitt King
Emcee: Rick Flanagan, Retired Executive Assistant Fire Chief
Keynote Speakers: Thomas Muñoz, HFD Chief; Executive Director Kate Ryther; and Honorable Bill King
Photography: Courtesy of Houston Fire Museum
A Historic House, a Heroic Heart: Houston Fire Museum Sparks a New Tradition at its Inaugural 1899 Legacy Luncheon
Houston’s oldest standing firehouse answered a different kind of call on September 23, 2026, when history, heroism and community spirit converged at the Houston Fire Museum’s Inaugural 1899 Legacy Luncheon. Co-chairs Yvonne Conklin and Cheryl Boblitt King filled the beloved landmark with supporters, infusing the building with fresh energy. Its remarkable story began more than a century ago.
Affectionately known as “Old 7’s,” the former fire station offered a setting rich in character. Houston firefighters brought their expertise to life with demonstrations, while a safety-hazard house transformed everyday dangers into valuable lessons. Rare treasures from the museum’s extensive collection offered fascinating glimpses into the equipment, ingenuity and grit behind generations of firefighting.
Emcee Rick Flanagan, HFD’s former Executive Assistant Fire Chief and a current museum trustee, guided the gathering. Executive Director Kate Ryther connected the museum’s storied past with its present ambitions and future needs, making a compelling case for preserving a place where Houston’s firefighting heritage remains vividly within reach. During her speech, Kate relayed a story from the HFM archives about Captain Drew Campbell King, a strict, stern man who was in charge and always carried a Colt 45. He heard two firefighters fighting upstairs in the dormitory and took his Colt 45 and shot 2 bullets into the ceiling to stop them. Even after the building’s preservation, the holes are still there!
The occasion also offered a poignant encounter with the museum’s newly installed 9/11 memorial, featuring steel recovered from Ground Zero at the World Trade Center and transported on a flatbed truck by Jerry Rubenstein, Chairman of Texas Pipe and Supply and his team. Marking the attacks’ 25th anniversary, the permanent installation creates a space for remembrance, honoring the lives lost and the extraordinary sacrifices of first responders. Against the backdrop of the historic firehouse, those artifacts forge a powerful connection between local service and national memory.
Houston Fire Chief Thomas Muñoz, joined by 17 members of his command staff, addressed the crowd and reflected on the museum’s enduring significance to the department and the community it serves. Their presence underscored the living bond between the firefighters whose stories fill the museum and those who bear that responsibility today.
Beyond its historic treasures, the museum offers an inviting calendar of possibilities: children’s birthday celebrations, school field trips featuring fire safety education, senior tours and private events throughout the building. Over 1,500 children have visited since the restoration. The Museum’s downstairs area will host seated gatherings of 100 guests.
Honorable Bill King closed the luncheon with an appeal for support, inviting guests to help write the landmark’s next chapter.
For a firehouse that has witnessed 127 years of Houston history, this inaugural gathering provided a promising new spark. “Old 7’s” still has stories to tell—and a community ready to keep them glowing.
In the Social Scene (not previously mentioned): Trini Mendenhall-Royalty, Jo Ann Petersen, Jane-Page Crump, Aimee Snoots, Beth Wolff, Kate Lucrezi, Katherine Pulse, Elizabeth Stein, Sonia Soto, Gina Bhatia, Craig Farrell
