SLHF NEWSLETTER                                                    
AUGUST 2011                                                    

SAVE THE DATE!
10 / 8 / 2011

 


SUGAR LAND HERITAGE HIKE
The Sugar Land Heritage Hike is scheduled for Saturday, October 8, 2011 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at 198 Kempner Street (SLHF Headquarters).  This event will kick off our second Saturday monthly walking tours of Sugar Land's historic district. 
 
We will have more event details for you in our September newsletter, but in the meantime, please check out our volunteer opportunities link to see how you can help.  And don't forget to mark 10/8 on your calendars!
 
SLHF IN THE CLASSROOM
Another new project we are excited about is the development of Sugar Land history lesson plans for students in Fort Bend ISD.  Several FBISD social studies teachers have worked with us to create TEKS-aligned lessons which incorporate the appropriate curriculum requirements for elementary and middle school classrooms. 
 
We are very proud of this important achievement, and we look forward to expanding our educational outreach programs and initiatives even more in the future.  Check out the "Educator Resources" link on our homepage to view our new lesson plans:  www.slheritage.org
 
Curator's Corner:
  
Photo Restoration -- Before and After
We recently enlisted the help of local photographer Geof Nesossi when we discovered a large circa 1918 photograph of Lakeview School that was badly deteriorated and damaged.


After scanning the original image, Geof was able to recreate the missing sections and produce a restored and historically accurate photograph using a specialized software program.

Preservation projects like this one are what the Sugar Land Heritage Foundation is all about!
Who's Who in History:
  
Thomas Leroy James (1907-1988)
Thomas Leroy (Tom) James was born in Montgomery, Alabama in 1907.  In 1924, he entered the workforce as a stenographer.  James married Miriam Ada Harper in 1929 and the newlyweds moved to Sugar Land, Texas several months later when James accepted a position with Sugarland Industries.  

Sugarland Industries was a trust estate independent from the Imperial Sugar Company. The Sugarland Industries managed all facets of the company town, both residential and commercial.  These included Sugar Land Telephone Company and Sugar Land Truck Lines as well as affiliated companies Belknap Realty Company, Sugar Land Motor Company, and Fort Bend Cattle Company, among others.

 

Tom James began his outstanding 43-year career with Sugar Land Industries as an assistant to G.D. Ulrich, Vice President and General Manager. Upon Ulrich's death in 1947, James was promoted to Vice President and was elected President and Director of Sugar Land Industries in 1953.  He held this leadership position until his retirement in 1972. 

 

In addition to these responsibilites, James was founding director and President of Sugar Land State Bank from 1955 to 1972.  From 1973 until 1984, he served as Chairman of the Board Emeritus.

 

Tom and Miriam James had one daughter, three grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.  Fondly remembered for his dedicated and caring service to the Sugar Land community, a city park was named for Thomas L. James at 210 Venice Street.

 

TRIVIA ANSWER: 

In 1852-53, Benjamin Franklin Terry and William Jefferson Kyle purchased Oakland Plantation from the Williams brothers and renamed the area "Sugar Land."  Kyle and Terry convinced the owners of the Buffalo Bayou, Brazos, and Colorado Railway (BBB&C) to bend its tracks to run past their sugar mill and cotton gin.  In so doing, these men were instrumental in establishing a pattern of future growth for Sugar Land.

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In This Issue
Curator's Corner
Who's Who in History
Volunteer Opportunities
Quick Links

TRIVIA OF

THE DAY

 

So who  named Sugar Land "Sugar  Land"?

 

(answer is at the bottom of the page)  

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

 
Don't Forget!

 

 

Our next Walking Tour Docent Training is scheduled for:

 

Saturday, September 17th
from 9 am to 12 pm.  
 
 

 

 

 

**ALSO, we need volunteers to assist with a variety of duties at our Heritage Hike event on October 8

 

To sign up or for more information, please email Executive Director Eleanor Barton at:

 

[email protected] or call 281-494-0261.