Bike to Work Day

Mayor White set a great example today by leading citizens as he rode from Memorial Park to his job at City Hall. 

Alvin Wright, Senior Staff Analyst, Michael Marcotte, Director, Public Works & Engineering, and Memorial Park Conservancy Board Secretary Regina Garcia share a moment before their ride.

Neil Bremner, Owner, Bike Barn, and Regina Garcia

Jode Martin, Asst. Manager, Bike Barn, Mayor Bill White and Mark Chambers, Manager, Bike Barn, prepare to zoom down Memorial Drive.

Laura’s Lucious Lemonade - Sweet Success!

Memorial Park Conservancy teamed up with Beck’s Prime to sponsor a young entrepreneur, Laura Mills, for Be Prepared for Life’s First Lemonade Day. On Sunday, May 6, over 2,000 new businesses were opened in Houston - albeit all lemonade stands. An amazing feat for any city, but a wonderful success for the young people who gained experience in the sales arena. Memorial Park, along with a number of city parks, was issued a one-day health department dispensation and served as a backdrop for several budding young CEO’s. Congratulations and thank you, Laura!

Laura, who raised $101.82, is pictured here with supporter and customer, Astros Pitcher Jeff Bagwell.

Wet and Wild

14^th Annual City of Houston Water Festival was held on Thursday, May 10, 2007. Non-profit volunteers helped hundreds of students from public and private schools citywide learn about our most precious natural resource - water. Memorial Park Conservancy’s staff member, Denise Manderschied, aka the Erosion Lady, demonstrated to children the effects of water erosion on the banks of Buffalo Bayou and the importance of trees and plant life near the water’s edge. Mayor Bill White and Public Works & Engineering Department Director Michael Marcotte spoke briefly and awarded the winner of the 2007 T-Shirt Design Contest.

Erosion Lady, Denise Manderscheid, and her "absorbing" new friends

Golf Tournament - Fore the Park

Only a few days left to sign up for the 2^nd Annual MPC Golf Tournament honoring Harold Wiesenthal. Over 120 players are joining chairman Preston Moore on Tuesday, May 22, for a day at the Memorial Park Golf Course. With superior hole-in-one skills you can really take home some terrific prizes - Tommie Vaughn Mustang Convertible, flatscreen tv, $250,000 in prize money or his and her Cadillacs. Raffle items include: Astros tickets, clothing, dinners for four at Backstreet Café, Becks Prime, Palazzios. Auction items include: George Bush, Sr.’s (41) "Belly Putter", Roger Clemens baseball, rounds of golf at Houston courses, Harolds apparel and jewelry. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased throughout the event. Take a day off and join us! You deserve it!

Tree-mendous Award

Trees for Houston honored Memorial Park Conservancy for helping with their very successful Arbor Day celebration in January. Volunteer/Community Outreach Coordinator Deb Taylor, accepted the award on behalf of the board of directors, staff and volunteers at Beck’s Prime on May 8.

Deb Taylor and Trees for Houston Board President Olive Hershey

Save-the-Date

Memorial Park Conservancy’s 2^nd Annual Gala will be held on Wednesday, October 17 at the River Oaks Country Club. Watch our website www.memorialparkconservancy.org for more info.

Chairs: Gaye Lovett Davis and John Kelsey

Co-chairs: Kate and Scott Gibson

Memorial Day

Memorial Park Fitness Center and Pool will be open on Thursday, May 31.

Jump into the summer fun at Memorial Park!

($5000+)

Bergieures Foundation

H-E-B

($2,500-4,999)

Amegy Bank

Ann K. and John W. Foundation

Northern Trust Bank

Melinda Hildebrand

($1,000-2,499)

Ballard Exploration Company, Inc.

Kirksey Architects

Nelson Family Foundation

Ross Dunn Realty, Inc.

Joe E. Russo

Silver Eagle Distributors, L.P.

Wallace Halpin LLC

($500-999)

Debner & Company

Paul A. Marchand

William Rafferty

Bernard Riviere

Mr. and Mrs. Michael Talbert

($25-499)

Breen Investors LP

Mr. J. Evans Attwell

Charles Austin

Dr. Norman Berkman

Jeanie Connell

Mr. and Mrs. R. O. Hunton

B. J. Liedtke

Mr. Bolivar Andrews

Stewart Cureton, Jr.

Mr. F. Ames Smith

Mr. and Mrs. John C. Tyler, III

(These gifts have been received between April 19-May 17, 2007)

Impact Day

Deloitte & Touche volunteers will assist Houston Parks & Recreation Department personnel, Moss Landscaping, Walter P. Moore Engineering, and Memorial Park Conservancy volunteers in building a split-rail fence on the north side of Crestwood on Friday, June 8, 8 a.m. - 2 p.m. This enhancement is funded through contributions from Memorial Park Conservancy and Deloitte & Touche.

Park Points

In 1924, Will Hogg (brother of Ima Hogg) bought 875 acres of land on Buffalo Bayou for $175 an acre, later adding 600 more acres at $600 an acre, thinking it would be a perfect spot for a wooded city park. Through an arrangement with the city government, Hogg Brothers, Inc., sold the land to the city of Houston for $650,000, arranging to carry the note for ten years and donating $50,000 to enable the city to make the first payment. This land is now Memorial Park, named by Will Hogg in honor of the dead in World War I.

--The Governor’s Daughter

By Virginia Bernhard