Category Archives: Woodson Research Center

Astrodome Memories Oral History and Scanning Event (2)

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Woodson Research Center staff Amanda Focke and Dara Flinn participated with other local archives in the Astrodome Memories oral history and memorabilia scanning event on Saturday morning, which brought members of the community to the Houston Public Library’s historic Julia Ideson Building to share wonderful stories of life in the Astrodome. Houstonians fully used all six scanning stations, the photography station for 3D and oversize objects, and the two oral history stations during the four-hour event, and made time to get to know each other’s stories as well. The event provided a reunion of sorts for two of the original Spacettes, the women charged with ushering guests in the dome. Betty Court Laney brought photos while Emily Hammond brought her 1965 gold lamé uniform, including blue boots and Astrodome-shaped pill box hat. Other fans brought photos and memorabilia of sporting events, the rodeo, and concerts held in the dome. Donald Bond brought photos and ephemera related to his father Walter Bond, who played for the Colt .45’s (later the Astros) baseball team.

Spacette Reunion

Spacette Reunion

Donald Bond with photo of Walter Bond

Donald Bond with photo of Walter Bond

Future events will be announced over the next year, and the Astrodome Memories Project staff will be happy to scan your memorabilia and record your oral history by appointment. The Astrodome Memories site can be found here:

http://www.astrodomememories.org/

Astrodome Memories Oral History and Scanning Event

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The Woodson Research Center is participating with other local archives in the creation of the Astrodome Memories Project. The project web site is live at:

http://www.astrodomememories.org

The next Astrodome Memories event is an oral history and scanning event:

August 8, 2015
10:00 AM until 2:00 PM
Julia Ideson Building Auditorium
Houston Public Library
500 McKinney Street
Houston, TX 77008
For Appointments Call: 832-393-1522

Drop-in appointments are available, but if you wish to record an oral history or have more than three items to contribute, we recommend making an appointment.

Oral histories and items scanned at the event will be shared online at the project Web site. You can view items that were scanned at the 50th Anniversary Birthday Party at the Astrodome by visiting:

50th Anniversary Event

Astrodome Memories is a project of the Houston Public Library in partnership with the Houston Metropolitan Research Center; the Harris County Archives; the Woodson Research Center Special Collections & Archives, Fondren Library, Rice University; Special Collections, University of Houston Libraries; and the Harris County Public Library. The project provides access to a broad collection of Astrodome-related materials, including items contributed by the public as well as from major archives in the Houston area and the state. The collection includes oral histories, photographs, blueprints, and audio-video materials related to the construction of the Astrodome, as well as pamphlets, scrapbook, and memorabilia documenting the use of the Astrodome for the last fifty years.

This project has been made possible in part by support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services provided by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

Jesse Jones records archived in Woodson

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The historic records of Jesse Jones (1874-1956), one of the nation’s most powerful appointed officials during the Great Depression and World War II and one of Houston’s pre-eminent developers during the first half of the 20th century, are now archived at Woodson Research Center. Read more in the Rice News article: http://news.rice.edu/2015/06/15/jesse-jones-archive-now-at-rice-university-2/

Jesse Jones archive

To view finding aids online visit:
or contact the Woodson Research Center for more information.

New exhibits on display

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The Exhibits Committee have created several new exhibits now on display in Fondren Library and the RMC:

In the Woodson Research Center, memorabilia from the Rice Hotel Collection including china, door plates, sheet music for the “Rice Hotel Blues,” and photographs are showcased.

On the first floor of Fondren Library, “Rice in the Classroom” displays photographs of students, faculty, and staff in the classroom. Also included are various instruments that have been used at Rice over the years.

On the third floor outside Kyle Morrow Room the exhibit, “Through a British Lens: The Photography and Captions of Julian and Juliette Huxley” focuses on Julian Huxley’s travel photography. As part of his research and work for UNESCO, Huxley took photographs of the people, animals, and land they visited during the 1940s-1960s.

On the sixth floor the focus is on Freshmen at Rice. From the late 1930s up until 1960s first year students were “welcomed” into Rice by wearing a variety of outfits such as beanies, red suspenders, and green dresses and white pinafore for the women. The exhibit includes photographs, beanies, and a green dress with pinafore.

Powderpuff at Rice is exhibited in the RMC Trophy Case featuring photographs and memorabilia from University archives collections. The Committee hopes you will take an opportunity to visit and explore these new exhibits!

Woodson online exhibit highlights history of science collection

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Newton's comet

Newton, Sir Isaac (1642-1727). Philosophia Naturalis Principia Mathematica, 1687.

Fondren Library intern Susan Kirby created an online exhibit featuring books from the Woodson Research Center’s History of Science book collection. Susan selected works from the collection, scanned pages, created metadata, researched the works and created the layout of the exhibit. The exhibit also includes an introduction by Dr. Albert Van Helden, Rice professor emeritus of history, who was instrumental in the acquisition of many of the books in the History of Science collection. The exhibit can be found online: http://exhibits.library.rice.edu/exhibits/show/historyscience

The History of Science collection includes important volumes of physics, mathematics, and astronomy tracing the history of science. The collection includes four rare astronomy books: Nicolaus Copernicus’ masterpiece, De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium (1566), which marks the dawn of modern science; Alessandro Piccolomini’s La Sfera del Mondo (1579), considered the first handbook for stargazers; Cornelius Gemma’s De Naturae Divinis Characterismis (1575) relating to the nova of 1572 and a comet in 1556; and Johannes Kepler’s Tabulae Rudolpinae (1675), the first English text of Kepler’s tables based on the laws of planetary motion.

Susan received her master’s degree in library science from Texas Woman’s University in December 2013.

Woodson Research Center acquires new illuminated manuscript leaves

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The Woodson Research Center recently added 2 illuminated manuscript leaves to its collections. The “Beatus” leaf from a Latin psalter has a beautiful historiated initial B showing scenes from the life of King David and with a decorative border including a hunting scene. The text is from Psalm 1:1-2:8. The upper compartment of the initial contains of miniature of King David harping in his palace and the lower compartment shows the young David about to behead the giant Goliath.

The second leaf is also from a Latin Bible with an illuminated initial showing King Ahasuerus, Esther, and Mordecai all connected by a hangman’s rope. The text is from the opening through the first three chapters of Esther. Both leaves are dated around the late-13th century.