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Texas Hall of Fame, Part 2© Greg Melikov
Nov 6, 2001
The Texas Horse Racing Hall of Fame fund-raiser fell way short of expectations, netting about $25,000 toward construction of a museum, Executive Director Jo Ann Weber announced.
"I was pleased with that," she added, "considering the current economic slowdown. It was a sign of the times. I think all in all we did well."
The good news: Two pledges of $25,000 have been made by men who "want to remain anonymous for now," Weber added.
In all, $375,000 of the $1 million goal has been raised toward constructing the building on the grounds of Retama Park, where the $100 per person Hall of Fame Gala was held in suburban San Antonio.
While 1,500 invitations were sent out, only 225 people showed up and heard Weber stress, "If we don't get it preserved now, it'll be gone."
The most money raised by dozens of live and silent auctions was $5,000 pledged by Jim and Marilyn Helzer, who own JEH Stallion Station, a breeding farm that stands 10 stallions in Pilot Point north of the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
The couple successfully bid on a "2002 Kentucky Derby Package" donated by John T. L. Jones Jr. and Walmac Farm that features round-trip airfare for two and hotel accommodations.
One of the six inducted into the Hall of Fame was the son of Joe Straus Jr., chairman of the Hall of Fame. Joe Straus Sr., a San Antonio native, was the driving force to get pari-mutuel wagering returned to Texas.
He bred and raced a number of graded stakes winners, including No Le Hace, second to Riva Ridge in the 1972 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, who was inducted into Louisiana's Horse Racing Hall of Fame. That's what gave his two sons, Joe Jr. and David, the idea of establishing a Texas version.
Both accepted a Waterford clock presented to representatives of the inductees after videos of all honorees were played, narrated by Steve Fallon, executive director of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in Waco.
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