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Ima Hogg, Where's Your Sister Ura?

© Joy Butler

"Texas, an empire in itself geographically and historically, sometimes seems to be regarded as remote or alien to the rest of the nation. I hope, in a modest way, that Bayou Bend and these memorials may serve as a bridge to bring us closer to the heart of an American heritage that unites us."

These are the words of Miss Ima Hogg, spoken in 1966, as she accepted the 7th annual Louise duPont Crownishield award for historic preservation, and Bayou Bend is one of the nation's most outstanding museums. Encircled by fourteen acres of beautiful gardens, this elegant pink mansion consists of twenty-eight rooms, and houses one of the finest historic collections of its kind, including exceptional furniture, paintings, silver and ceramics that illustrate the inspiring artistry of early America. Once home to the renowned collector and philanthropist, Bayou Bend is listed in the National Registry of Historic Places and certified as a Texas Historical Landmark.

Miss Hogg also made outstanding contributions to music, health, and education. She helped found the Houston Symphony Orchestra which played its first concert in June 1913. She served as its president in 1917, then again from 1946 until 1956, and her influence brought world renowned conductors to Houston. In 1918, she suffered mental and nervous disorders and went to Philadelphia for special treatment. Upon returning, Miss Ima, as she was affectionately known, continued her philanthropic works in the 1920's by founding the Houston Child Guidance Center, which provides education, therapy and counseling for disturbed children and families. In the 1940's she helped establish the Hogg Foundation for Mental Hygiene at University of Texas, where she had once been a student, and served as a member on the Houston school board. She worked to establish symphony concerts for children, set up a painting-to-music program in public schools, and for equal pay for teachers regardless of sex or race. In 1948 she was elected the first woman president of the Philosophical Society of Texas.

In 1958, Ima Hogg presented the restored Hogg family home near West Columbia to the state of Texas as the Varner-Hogg Plantation State Historical Park. In the 1960's she restored the old Winedale Inn near Round Rock and presented it to the University of Texas. The Winedale Historical Center is now the site of the annual fine arts festival. She also restored her parents' old home at Quitman and established the Ima Hogg Museum.

Miss Hogg, also known as the "First Lady of Texas", was once called upon by President Eisenhower to serve on a committee for planning the National Cultural Center (now the Kennedy Center) in Washington DC, and she accommodated Jackie Kennedy by serving on an advisory panel in search of historic furniture for the White House. In 1971, Southwest University gave her an honorary doctorate in fine arts. This elegant lady received too many awards and recognitions to name here, but her contributions to education and the American cultural heritage were many.

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