A jewel of a restoration

"Party in the Stacks" shows off renovated Clayton Library

Photo by Dave Rossman
Photo by Dave Rossman
Photo By Dave Rossman
Photo by Dave Rossman
Photo by Dave Rossman
Photo by Dave Rossman
Photo by Dave Rossman

The beautifully restored Clayton House was the main attraction at the third annual "Party in the Stacks" fundraiser for the Houston Public Library Foundation.

A languid lawn party feeling permeated the grounds of the Clayton Library Center for Genealogical Research in the Museum District as guests toured the newly renovated home where Anderson Clayton founder William Clayton lived until his death in 1966, feasted on a buffet of fried chicken strips, deviled eggs, and biscuits with gravy, sipped Old Fashioneds, and listened to Yvonne Washington and the Mix perform in a backyard tent amid crepe myrtles, roses and other vegetation that was popular in Houston in the early 1900s.

The Clayton family gave the three-story brick Georgian-style house, designed by Birdsall P. Briscoe and built in 1917, to the city of Houston in 1958. Ten years later, it became the center for the library's genealogical collection. In 1988, a new building was constructed in the same style next door.The main home had fallen into a state of disrepair before the recent six-year renovation.

"I truly believe we saved a historic building from the wrecking ball," said Susan Clayton Garwood, the great-great granddaughter of WIlliam Clayton and honorary chair of the event. "It took a village, but we got it done."

She recalled that when she was little, "we had dinner here every Friday night. I was three or four years old, and I had to sit on a telephone book at the dinner table."

Garwood urged guests to research their family genealogy at the center, where monthly sessions are offered from beginner to advanced levels. "No Internet search can come close to the Clayton," she said. "So get your pencil ready."

Also on hand, Mayor Annise Parker who praised the city's specialty libraries but lamented recent budget cuts that have severly curtailed library hours.

"It is going to be a struggle for parents and kids to get those library hours in," Parker said, while noting the increase in library volunteers as a result of the crisis.

"We're going to tap into that wellspring of attachment to the library," Parker vowed. "It's not the size of library, it's the books you find inside."

Also on hand: Houston Public Library Foundation board chair Cathryn Rodd Selman, council members Melissa Noriega and Wanda Williams, event chair Cyvia Wolff, HPLF president Susan Bischoff and husband, Jim Barlow, Nene Foxhall and Steve Jetton, Andrea White, Jack and Ginger Blanton, and Bill and Melissa King.

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Barbara’s Legacy

Tom Selleck headlines Houston literacy luncheon, helps raise $775K

Barbara Bush Foundation literacy luncheon 2025

Photo by Priscilla Dickson

Lina Lorelle and Tom Selleck.

Tom Selleck may have played many roles throughout his decades-long career — private investigator, cowboy, police commissioner — but at an event in Houston, the Hollywood icon stepped into a new one: literacy advocate.

The Emmy and Golden Globe winner headlined the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation’s 10th Annual Power of Literacy Luncheon: Opening Doors to Literacy, bringing personal anecdotes, quiet wisdom, and his signature mustache to the sold-out crowd at The Post Oak Hotel.

“I first met Barbara Bush in Hawaii, when I was doing Magnum P.I.,” he shared from the stage. “She hosted a small reception, and I have to say we really hit it off.”

That connection made his participation all the more thoughtful.

Selleck reflected on stories from his 2024 memoir You Never Know, keeping the audience rapt with his tales of humor and humility. When asked what he hopes readers take away from his book, he offered an introspective insight.

“Getting there isn’t such a big deal, because there is always somewhere else to go,” he said. “The real value is in the journey.”

That sentiment struck a chord with the 800 attendees, who helped the Ladies for Literacy Guild raise a record-breaking $775,000 to fund literacy programs across Houston.

Co-chaired by Sidney Faust and Betty Hrncir, the luncheon honored the guild’s 10th anniversary and the 100th birthday of Barbara Bush. The event began with an invocation from students at Barbara Bush Elementary, followed by a rousing performance from the Saint Thomas’ Episcopal Pipe Band. Emmy Award-winning journalist Linda Lorelle emceed the afternoon.

Guests were also treated to a pearl-themed raffle courtesy of Tenenbaum Jewelers—a nod to Barbara Bush’s signature style—along with florals donated by H-E-B. Phillips 66 led the charge as Title Sponsor, joined by Literacy Champion Sponsor ExxonMobil.

Showing their literary love were Sarahbeth and Pierce Bush, John Hrncir, Nancy Ames and Danny Ward, Maggie Austin, Jamie Barrere, Tony Bradfield, Cheryl Byington, Cathy and Joe Cleary, Amy Chronis, Sue Conway, Patricia Cornelius, Tammy Genovese Davis, Stick Delaup, Deborah Dunkum, Lesha Elsenbrook, Tena and Tyson Faust, Julie Finck, Gail Garland, Rhonda Graff, Katy Hays, Maureen Higdon, Leslie Hix, Courtney Hopson, Lisa Jakel, Jenny Joy, Patti Kroll, Laurie Lashier, Julie Little, Tama Lundquist, Cora Sue Mach, Martha Adger Madget, Anne McClellan, Mary Hale, Lovett McLean, Marsha Montemayor, Trish Morille, Barbie Prusak, Tenley E. Raj, Regina Rogers, Mary Sage, Sandra Shenkir, Tharen Simpson, Rhonda Smith, Deborah Stavis, Andrea Suarez, Suzi and William Dore, and Jacqueline Hamilton Taylor.

Photo by Priscilla Dickson

Lina Lorelle and Tom Selleck.

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