David Lee Huynh will be starring in a television show called “Encounter Party.” It is being produced by Hasbro’s Entertainment One (eOne) and will be the official actual play of the Dungeons and Dragons roleplaying game.
Article here: https://variety.com/2023/digital/news/dungeons-dragons-free-streaming-fast-channel-eone-launch-1235609856/
Jamal Cyrus (’04), a Houston-based artist, was recently awarded a 2023 Guggenheim Fellowship in the category of Fine Arts. A total of 171 scientists, writers, scholars and artists were honored across 48 fields and chosen from nearly 2,500 applicants for their promise of enriching the lives of fellow human beings through their research and work.
Cyrus’ artwork investigates and shines a light on the political histories and visual culture of Black America through collage and assemblage. He uses ordinary materials and processes to provide a deeper understanding of issues Black Americans have faced and currently face.
He graduated from UH with his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with a concentration in photography and digital media in 2004. He went on to graduate with a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 2008. His work has been featured across the country and world, including here at UH. His piece, “Eroding Witness, Episode 3 Season 20,” is featured in the John M. O’Quinn Law Building. His exhibition, “The End of My Beginning,” was first featured at UH’s Blaffer Art Museum in 2021 and went on to be featured at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles and the Mississippi Museum of Art.
Cyrus’ reply about winning the fellowship: “In an odd way I was relieved. Relief because of what the fellowship will allow me to accomplish in the studio. It allows me to be a little more adventurous in the studio than perhaps I would have been before. At the same time, I felt very honored to become a part of a list of artists who have been awarded a Guggenheim, which is a pretty stellar cast.”
Cyrus’ reply about his time at UH: “That was an exploratory period in my life. You really had the opportunity to express yourself in regard to what you make and what it’s about. At UH, I learned to become comfortable expressing myself and talking about my work. I also think the block program at the University of Houston (this is an intensive “block” of semesters for fine arts majors enrolled in junior and senior level studio courses) is perfect training for graduate school. I got to be self-determining and self-directed in terms of describing what my projects were about. That helped me quite a bit.”
Cyrus’ reply about a current project: “I’m working on a public art piece with artist Charisse Weston. We’re doing a commemorative glass sculpture for Barbara Jordan, which will be located at the Gregory School in Houston’s Freedman’s Town.”
On May 6th, our dear sweet dad, Vernon Paul Eschenfelder Jr. went to be with our Father in heaven and the love of his life, Pauline Falsone Eschenfelder. He passed peacefully at our home, surrounded by his loving children and grandchildren. Vernon was born on November 21, 1931, in Houston, Texas to Vernon and Elizabeth Eschenfelder.
A native Houstonian, Vernon attended Jefferson Davis High School and earned his undergraduate and master’s degrees at the University of Houston. He began his military career in the U.S. Army as a medic stationed in Okinawa, Japan. After active duty, he continued his military service in the Army Reserves and retired after 30 years at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. In July of 1960, Vernon married his beloved, Pauline Falsone and moved to Stafford Texas. The couple were blessed with four children, Joseph, Verna, Kevin and Melissa.
Vernon started his career in the early 1960’s as the Director of Athletic Training for the Houston Independent School District. He continued as Athletic Trainer and Professor of Kinesiology at Houston Baptist University. He completed his sports medicine career at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston where he worked to establish the first sports medicine program in the Texas Medical Center. One of his proudest accomplishments was serving as the U.S.A. Olympic team trainer for the 1975 Pan American Games in Mexico City. He was honored with a Visiting Professorship at the University of Beijing in China for their developing sports medicine programs in the 1980s.
Upon leaving his career in sports medicine, Vernon served as the Director of Health and Safety for the city of Stafford. He loved his community in Stafford and volunteered as a Fireman for over 50 years and was named Fire Marshall for the city of Stafford. In addition, he served on the inaugural Stafford MSD school board. Whether it be his faith, family, career or community Vernon was always willing to lend a hand to help those in need.
Vernon is preceded in death by his parents, Vernon P. Eschenfelder Sr. and Elizabeth Eschenfelder, wife Pauline Eschenfelder and son Joseph Eschenfelder.
He is survived by his 3 children, Verna Eschenfelder, Kevin Eschenfelder and wife Jeanne, Melissa Salton and husband Trevor. Grandchildren, Gabby Salton, Gabby’s fiancée Richard, Nicole Eschenfelder Shepard and husband Ben, Gavin Salton, Jake Eschenfelder, and Emery Salton; Cousins, Mary and Jerry Paquette, Paul and Ann Eschenfelder, Barbara and Joe Ford, brother in-law Joe Falsone and his wife Bessie and many nieces and nephews.
A visitation will be held on Monday, May 15 from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in the chapel at Earthman Southwest Funeral Home, 12555 South Kirkwood Road in Stafford, with the Recitation of the Holy Rosary at 7:00 p.m.
A Funeral Mass will be held on Tuesday, May 16 at 11:00 a.m. at Holy Family Catholic Church, 1510 5th Street in Missouri City.
The interment will follow, via funeral procession, to Forest Park Westheimer Cemetery in Houston.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared with his family at www.earthmansouthwest.com.
May 9, 2023 | Austin, Texas | Appointment
Governor Greg Abbott has named Brian A. Bailey as chair of the Texas Facilities Commission for a term to expire annually. The Commission builds, maintains, and supports state buildings and property across the State of Texas. In addition, the Commission is responsible for the construction of Texas’ border wall along the southern border.
Brian A. Bailey of Austin has served on the Texas Facilities Commission since May 2019. He is a member of the Greater Austin Crime Commission and The University of Texas Chancellor’s Council Executive Committee. Bailey received a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from The University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Houston.
Judge Fortunato “Pete” Benavides, age 76, of Austin, Texas, passed away on Friday, May 5, 2023. He is survived by his wife Evelyn (Eveie) Benavides; daughter Amanda Laura Carter and her husband Benjamin, and grandsons Noah and Milo Carter; daughter Adelaide Pilar Benavides; brothers Tony X. Solis, Adán Benavides Jr., Gabriel Benavides and wife Letty; sister Liza Garza and husband Sam; sister-in-law Cathy Solis (wife of Ray); and cousin Dina G. Hinojosa and husband Roy Lee; and many appreciated nieces and nephews. Pete was preceded in death by his infant son Ramon Joseph Benavides, mother Pilar C. Benavides, father Adán Benavides, and uncle and “Dad” Ramón G. Cavazos; sister Mary Lou Lara and husband Pete; and brothers John Lee Solis and wife Mary; Joe M. Solis and wife Minerva; Ray E. Solis; sister-in-law Edith Pearl Solis (wife of Tony); aunts Eva B. Gorena and husband Humberto, and Inés B. Leal and husband Pete; cousins Minerva Gorena and Irma Leal Gutierrez and husband Eugenio.
Pete was born on February 3, 1947, in Mission, Texas, in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, but grew up in neighboring McAllen. On his paternal side, he was a direct descendant of Captain Francisco Benavides, born in the Canary Islands, and on the maternal side, he was a direct descendant of Captain Juan Cavazos del Campo, who like Benavides, was in the second wave of colonizers of Monterrey and Cerralvo, Nuevo León, arriving in the 1620s. Later descendants of Juan Cavazos would be among the founders of Reynosa, Tamaulipas, in the 1740s. Members of these latter families would demarcate the grazing and farmlands of southern Texas along the margins of the Rio Grande.
Pete excelled in several sports, especially basketball. He was gregarious and greatly admired. His superb memory was already evident and became a lifelong trait extending to lyrics in all genres of music and whose renditions were highly entertaining. After graduation from McAllen Senior High School in 1965, he received his undergraduate degree in Business Administration from the University of Houston in 1968 and his law degree from the University of Houston Law Center in 1972.
The following summary of Pete’s judicial service is taken liberally from the dedicatory page of “The 2022 Fifth Circuit Judicial Conference” program written by Priscilla Richman, Chief Judge of the Fifth Circuit Court. By then, Pete had attained the position of Senior United States Circuit Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit.
Judge Benavides began his career as a litigator in private practice in McAllen, but only five years after receiving his law degree, he began his judicial career with his appointment as a judge on a County Court at Law for Hidalgo County, Texas. He served on that bench for two years and then returned to private practice for two years. Pete was elected judge of the Hidalgo County 92nd District Court in 1981, and served for three years until 1984, when Texas Governor Mark White appointed him as a Justice on the Thirteenth Court of Appeals of Texas, which was based in Corpus Christi. Then Justice Benavides was elected at the next general election to retain that position and served seven years, until 1991, when Governor Ann Richards appointed him to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, Texas’s court of last resort for criminal matters.
Tom Phillips, who was then the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Texas, selected Pete to serve by special appointment to numerous Texas state courts. Pete briefly returned to private practice as a partner in the McAllen law firm of Atlas & Hall from 1993 to 1994, until he was appointed as a Judge on the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals by President Bill Clinton in 1994. In addition to his judicial service, Judge Benavides was a member of the Texas Juvenile Probation Commission from 1983 to 1989. He established a center for troubled teens, the Ramiro H. Guerra Youth Village, a residential facility in Weslaco for male juvenile offenders. His work with the center led President Bill Clinton to name Pete one of 53 “Faces of Hope” in 1993.
In 1994, when President Clinton nominated Judge Benavides to serve on the Fifth Circuit, President Clinton’s office issued a statement, noting that Judge Benavides “has been praised by both prosecutors and defense attorneys for his work in Texas” and “is often applauded for his compassion and fair-mindedness.” During the nomination process, a Senator asked Judge Benavides what in his background made him sensitive to those less fortunate. Judge Benavides responded: “Well, we can start probably with my father, who was born in Mexico and came to this country to work and fought in World War II and was wounded. It makes it very difficult to forget your roots when you are still so close to the ground.”
In 2022, Chief Judge Priscilla Richman of the Fifth Circuit Court noted that “Judge Benavides has recounted rich, sometimes poignant, often humorous, personal and professional experiences, as anyone who has spent even a short time conversing with him can attest, including judges, countless law clerks from his and other judges’ chambers, and other court personnel. It is a privilege to know him. We have all benefitted greatly from his experiences and perspectives and his positive, though incisive, outlook.”
Judge Benavides was an active Fifth Circuit judge for eighteen years. During that time, he served numerous terms as a member of the Judicial Council of the Fifth Circuit. He has also served as a member on Committees of the United States Judicial Conference, including the Committee on International Judicial Relations and the Committee on the Administration of the Bankruptcy System.
In 2012, Judge Benavides assumed senior status. In the opinion of Chief Judge Richman, Pete “continued his excellent work for the court and also shared his wisdom and acumen with the Ninth and Eleventh Circuits, sitting as a visiting judge several times over the years. During his twenty-five years on the Fifth Circuit, Judge Benavides authored more than 2000 opinions. During his tenure as a state judge, Judge Benavides authored over 500 opinions. Judge Benavides was known for his cogent opinions in which he faithfully applied precedent and for his ability to make the most complex case understandable.”
Graveside services and interment will be Friday, May 19, 2023, at 11:00 A.M. at the Texas State Cemetery, 909 Navasota St., Austin, Texas. Funeral arrangements are being handled by Weed Corley Fish Funeral Homes, Austin, Texas.
In lieu of flowers, the family encourages donations in Pete’s name to a charity of your choice.
Published by Weed-Corley-Fish Funeral Home North – Austin on May 9, 2023.
Brooks Bassler (’02), Founder of BB’s Tex-Orleans is a 2023 Gulf South Finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year.
The Gulf South – formerly known as the Central South – program celebrates entrepreneurs from Central and South Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi. Now in its 37th year, Entrepreneur Of The Year is one of the preeminent competitive business awards for transformative entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies who are building a more equitable, sustainable and prosperous world for all.
45 entrepreneurs were selected as finalists by an independent panel of judges. The candidates were evaluated based on their demonstration of building long-term value through entrepreneurial spirit, purpose, growth and impact, among other core contributions and attributes.
Entrepreneur Of The Year® is the world’s most prestigious business awards program for unstoppable entrepreneurs. These visionary leaders deliver innovation, growth and prosperity that transform our world. The program engages entrepreneurs with insights and experiences that foster growth. It connects them with their peers to strengthen entrepreneurship around the world. Entrepreneur Of The Year is the first and only truly global awards program of its kind. It celebrates entrepreneurs through regional and national awards programs in more than 145 cities in over 60 countries. National Overall Award winners go on to compete for the World Entrepreneur Of The Year® title. Visit ey.com/us/eoy.
Carlos De Aldecoa (’97), Cadeco Industries & Affiliated Companies Houston is a 2023 Gulf South Finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year.
The Gulf South – formerly known as the Central South – program celebrates entrepreneurs from Central and South Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi. Now in its 37th year, Entrepreneur Of The Year is one of the preeminent competitive business awards for transformative entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies who are building a more equitable, sustainable and prosperous world for all.
45 entrepreneurs were selected as finalists by an independent panel of judges. The candidates were evaluated based on their demonstration of building long-term value through entrepreneurial spirit, purpose, growth and impact, among other core contributions and attributes.
Entrepreneur Of The Year® is the world’s most prestigious business awards program for unstoppable entrepreneurs. These visionary leaders deliver innovation, growth and prosperity that transform our world. The program engages entrepreneurs with insights and experiences that foster growth. It connects them with their peers to strengthen entrepreneurship around the world. Entrepreneur Of The Year is the first and only truly global awards program of its kind. It celebrates entrepreneurs through regional and national awards programs in more than 145 cities in over 60 countries. National Overall Award winners go on to compete for the World Entrepreneur Of The Year® title. Visit ey.com/us/eoy.
William “Bill” Harvey Morgan, Sr., of Kerrville, passed away on April 25, 2023 at the age of 84.
Visitation at noon will precede The Rosary that will be held on Friday, May 19, 2023 at 1 p.m., and Funeral Services will be held on Saturday, May 20, 2023 at 10 a.m. all in the Notre Dame Catholic Church (909 Main St. in Kerrville), followed by internment at the Garden of Memories (3250 Fredericksburg Rd. in Kerrville). A reception will be at the Elks Lodge (1907 Junction Highway in Kerrville) immediately following funeral mass and internment.
He was born March 12, 1939 in San Antonio, Texas, to Willie Lee Jones Morgan, a life-long 2nd grade teacher, and his father, Read Semprez Morgan, who served as superintendent in several Texas public schools.
Bill is survived by his loving wife, Marjorie Ann Wille Morgan, daughter, Kathryn Marie Morgan (Connie Justice), son, William H. Morgan, Jr, granddaughter, Leanne Marie Morgan, and grandson, Read Edward Morgan. Bill joins his parents, and his brothers, Read S. Morgan, Jr., and John Edward in Heaven.
After graduating from Bishop HS in 1959, Bill attended University of Texas, where he met his wife, Margie at a YWCA Dance. He ultimately graduated from The University of Houston in 1963 with a B.S. in Pharmacy. Bill cherished being a pharmacist for 58 years in Austin, Houston, Robstown, Mineral Wells, Beeville, and Kerrville. He testified before Congress avidly so that generic drugs could become legally substituted in the U.S. and Texas, and worked tirelessly to create and manage Hill Country Pharmacy Service, a network of relief pharmacists providing small town pharmacists vacations.
Bill was a devoted community volunteer in many capacities: He served as Vice-President of Texas Pharmacy Association, past-president of Hill Country Pharmacy Association, trustee to Texas Pharmacy Association, and a member of Bexar County and West Texas Pharmacy Associations. He served on the University of Houston’s Dean’s Council, was active in both Notre Dame Catholic Church and The Elks Club in Kerrville. He mentored pharmacists suffering with addiction and gave them the tools they needed to regain their suspended licenses.
He co-owned and loved working at Conoly Drug Store in Beeville for 27 years, and later enjoyed working with the healthcare teams and assisting patients at the VA in Kerrville. Bill loved making new friends everywhere he went, connecting with old friends, sharing funny stories and playing practical jokes and camping all over the US with his family, and later traveling around Europe and Australia with Margie. He enjoyed bird-watching and his love of animals led him in assisting older dogs find homes after their owners passed away.
Thanks to all the loving friends and caregivers for providing wonderful support to Bill and the family during his stay at River Hills Nursing Home and Sid Peterson Hospital, and a special thanks to Peterson Hospice. Your kindness and attention will always be remembered.
Those interested can make Memorial Gifts to St. Jude Research Hospital or Kerrville Pets Alive.
E. MICHAEL LOUIS OBITUARY
On April 29, 2023, Ernest Michael Louis passed from this world. Mike was born on April 11, 1927, in Washington, DC, to Ernest M. and Enola Chew Louis. In 1933, the family moved to Gallup and then Mescalero, NM. Mike spent his youth in Mescalero and spent summers at “the ranch” of an uncle at Pool Creek, land currently encompassed by Dinosaur National Monument in Utah and Colorado. He moved with his mother and stepfather, Neil Burdick, to Eureka, CA, where he finished high school and graduated early to join the Navy. Mike became an Aviation Storekeeper Third Class, spending much of his service time during and after World War II in Hawaii before he was honorably discharged. He earned a BS in Journalism at the University of Houston, which sparked an interest in police work, which led to employment as a police officer in Houston, TX and Albuquerque, NM.
In 1959, Mike married Kathleen (Kac) Cunniff. They raised five children in Albuquerque and Crystal Lake, IL. While his family was growing, Mike earned an MA in Public Administration from the University of New Mexico and in 1971 accepted a position teaching criminal justice at Harper College in Palatine, IL. Mike and Kac returned to New Mexico where he worked in emergency management for the state until retirement. Later, Mike and Kac moved to Kac’s home state of Minnesota and then to Illinois near their son’s family, who welcomed Mike into their community while enabling him to live and travel independently after Kac’s death.
Mike had many interests throughout his life, chief among them was flying. In Albuquerque, the Louis house was a bit odd in that it had an airplane parked in the back yard. That Luscombe flew again after the move to Illinois and his flying continued into his 80s, earning him membership in the United Flying Octogenarians (UFOs). Always expanding his skills, Mike also worked as a surveyor, created a home dark room for his photography, took classes in pottery-making, ballet and aerobics, studied ham radio and the Apache language, and learned to stitch leather for his airplane seats. He was an early adopter of home computers and learned video editing to volunteer at the local PBS station. Mike built additions on two of their homes, once with the assistance of Goofus, a roadrunner who would ride the wheelbarrow to inspect progress. And, if you were lucky enough to eat Luisi spaghetti and Santa Fe style enchiladas prepared by Mike, you were lucky, indeed.
Mike adopted his mother’s passion for genealogy, traveling around the U.S., Canada, and France in pursuit of his roots. Kac and Mike were great road trippers and their wanderlust never faded. Mike was always at home at “the ranch” which changed from Pool Creek, as a child, to another uncle’s ranch near Jensen, UT. He returned there, yearly, into his 90s, to help with spring lambing, and his heart will remain there forever.
Mike was predeceased by his wife; parents; brother, Neal Burdick; brothers-in-law, John (Lois) Cunniff and Gerald (Eleanor) Cunniff; sister-in-law, Jeanne (Roger) Kuchera; and sons-in-law, David Dolan and Conard (Mac) McCarley. He is survived by his brothers David Burdick and Patrick (Karen) Burdick; daughters, Mary Dolan, Margaret Louis, Tracy Slavin, Suzanne McCarley; son, Michael (Sandra) Louis; seven grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.
A memorial service with military honors will be held at Santa Fe National Cemetery, NM, on a date yet to be determined. Memorial donations may be made to the Mayo Clinic, philanthropy@mayoclinic.org
E. Michael Louis Born: April 11, 1927 in Washington , DC
Died: April 29, 2023 in St. Louis , MO
Published by Legacy Remembers from May 1 to May 4, 2023.
Steve Alexander has published “Exploring Galveston: A Naturalist’s Guide to the Island”
After growing up in Galveston and graduating from Ball High School, Steve Alexander enrolled at the University of Houston, and after four years, graduated in 1972 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. During his tenure at UH, “Marine Biology” was his favorite course, one taught by Dr. Nick Fotheringham, a recent doctoral graduate from Scripps Institute of Oceanography. The course sparked in him a desire to pursue marine sciences at the graduate level- and he did so at Louisiana State University, completing his doctoral degree in Marine Sciences in 1976.
After graduating from LSU, Dr. Alexander taught college-level courses in marine sciences for 27-years before retiring and returning to Galveston in 2005. There, he taught part-time for 13 years at Texas A&M University at Galveston while also volunteering as a Texas Master Naturalist, accumulating in excess of 2,500 volunteer hours.
His 40-years as a biologist, ecologist, marine scientist, and naturalist working on the Texas coast gave him the perfect background to write a nature guide for the Upper Texas coast. His book, Exploring Galveston: A Naturalist’s Guide to the Island, serves as an excellent resource when wandering the natural habitats of Galveston Island and Bolivar Peninsula.
Through his series of 25 stories, readers get an expert, guided look at the best natural wonders Galveston Island and vicinity have to offer- the Gulf beachfront, bay wetlands, local parks and preserves, and top attractions. In addition, the book describes the impact of hurricanes and oil spills on Texas coastlines and also includes maps to guide visitors, over 100 color photographs, and a list of coastal plants and animals by habitat.
Dr. Alexander is grateful to the University of Houston for his initial training in biology and for sparking in him a passion for all things marine, a passion that persists in him to this day.
Exploring Galveston: A Naturalist’s Guide to the Island is available locally at The Galveston Bookshop and online at amazon.com.