Ebby Halliday lived to see 104 birthdays and once she turned 90 years old each succeeding milestone was celebrated with more festivities and more grandeur. Ebby’s photographs, scrapbooks, and correspondence document the public adoration of the Queen Mum of Real Estate. In 2001, for her 90th birthday, the Communities Foundation of Texas honored her with…Continue Reading Happy Birthday, Ebby!
The Ebby Halliday Papers contain 25 years of Christmas holiday greetings sent by Ebby and her husband Maurice Acers. These undated, paper postcards and folded cards are all 8 inches by 9 inches and feature a photograph of Ebby and Maurice from a special event or celebration that took place that year. The back of…Continue Reading Ebby’s Christmas Greetings
Texas didn’t make Thanksgiving an official holiday until 1848. But in 1961, the Lone Star State became a special place in the holiday’s history, as home to the world’s only Thanksgiving shrine, known as Thanks-Giving Square. Today, Thanks-Giving Square is a unique, interfaith, multicultural site and research center on a 3.5-acre site in the heart…Continue Reading Ebby’s Thanksgiving Wish
Almost as famous as Ebby Halliday was Ebby Halliday’s ukulele. Whether she was the recipient of an award or welcoming a new class of real estate agents to Ebby Halliday, Inc., Ebby channeled charm and humor through her ukulele. She had a penchant for changing lyrics to well known songs to suit her topic and…Continue Reading Ebby Halliday Sings
Baseball fans have waited all season to see who will battle for the World Series championship. The formidable Houston Astros swept the Yankees and now they are looking to beat the wildcard Philadelphia Phillies. Many of these players began their career in the…Continue Reading Texas League: we knew them when…
October and early November is chili cookoff season. The first cookoff took place at the State Fair of Texas in October 1952, where Mrs. F.G. Ventura was declared the winner. That same year one of the most essential books on chili was published. Joe E. Cooper’s With or Without Beans includes a recipe from E.L….Continue Reading Chili Cookoff
Forty years ago, one sister made a promise to another, that she would end the silence around breast cancer; raise money for research; and to one day cure breast cancer for good. This was what Nancy Brinker promised to her sister Susan Goodman Komen who died of breast cancer in 1980. In 1982, Nancy had…Continue Reading One foot in front of the other…
Anita Nanez Martinez was born in Dallas, Texas on December 8, 1925, the fifth of six children born to Jose and Anita Nanez. She lived in the Dallas neighborhood known as “Little Mexico”. From her early childhood, Martinez demonstrated a passion for community advocacy and volunteerism. At the age of 14, she led her first…Continue Reading There’s a Doctor in the House…
Fans of American western culture are celebrating the 162nd birthday of author Owen Wister on July 14th. In 1902 Wister published The Virginian: a horseman of the plains, which is considered the basis for the modern western novel and film genres. The Virginian is the story of an unnamed ranch hand in Wyoming called…Continue Reading The Virginian: 120th anniversary of a cowboy classic
On exhibition this summer in the DeGolyer Library’s Hillcrest Hall Send me a postcard! Women on the road across 19th-20th century America examines women motorists/automobilists and their travels across the country. The concept for this exhibit developed from a series of blog posts written over the course of a few summers. “That’s Where the…Continue Reading Send me a postcard!