Rememering Bobby Moody

Robert L. 'Bobby' Moody, scion of iconic Galveston founding family, passes away at 88

Robert L. "Bobby" Moody has died, Galveston County's Daily News reported on Tuesday, November 7. Diagnosed with Alzheimer's 10 years ago, Bobby Moody was 88 years old and passed away in his sleep, per the report.

Part of the family that helped turn Galveston into an early-20th-century regional economic powerhouse, Moody himself was a businessman whose family owned or managed banking and insurance companies around the state.

"As a child growing up in Galveston, I respected Bobby Moody and recognized him as a Galveston icon," Tilman Fertitta, chairman, CEO, and owner of Landry's, Inc. — and a Galveston native — noted in a statement.

"Later in life, even when we were at odds, I always regarded Bobby as a formidable adversary known for his tenacity and grit. The Island has lost a true island champion. He has left a legacy of a wonderful family who will continue the Moody's impact on Galveston and Texas for generations."

The Moody name is among the most recognizable on the island and beyond. The Moodys lent their name and philanthropic dollars to several of the city's museums and attractions, including the Moody Mansion, located on Broadway and bought by W.L. Moody, Bobby Moody's grandfather, from its original owners following the Great Storm of 1900; Moody Gardens, the popular Galveston theme park and resort; and Rice University's Moody Center for the Arts, established with a $20 million grant from the Moody Foundation.

The Moody Foundation's biennial report for 2014-2015 described Bobby Moody as a "dreamer and doer," who led by example. Moody retired from helming the foundation in 2015.

In addition to heading the foundation that bears his family name, Moody created the Transitional Learning Center (TLC), a post-acute brain injury rehabilitation facility offering patients physical, occupational, and vocational therapies to transition back into their daily lives, as CultureMap reported. Moody founded TLC following his son Russell's traumatic brain injury, the result of a car accident.

Throughout his career, Moody was lauded for his vision, forward thinking, and game face. “Robert’s game face will stay with me forever,” his brother-in-law Doug McLeod once told the Moody Foundation, “the way he closed one eye and looked at you with the other. It was as if he was examining you.”

“[He] was an absolutely brilliant man,” McLeod later told The Daily News. “Although he was dyslexic and therefore didn’t achieve academically, he was one of the smartest men I’ve ever encountered.”

$\u200bRick Perry, Ann Moody, and Robert L. Moody at Moody Gardens for the dedication of the rainforest glass pyramid, August 1992.$

Photo courtesy of Moody Foundation

Rick Perry, Ann Moody, and Robert L. Moody at Moody Gardens for the dedication of the rainforest glass pyramid, August 1992.

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Party Watch

Contemporary Western art shines at Galveston museum fundraiser

Photo by Jacob McCready

Ryan Horton, Meredith Peebles, Taylor Crowder, Kara Przybyl McIver, and David McIver.

What: Art Untamed, A Night of Contemporary Western Art

Photo by Jacob McCready

Ryan Horton, Meredith Peebles, Taylor Crowder, Kara Przybyl McIver, and David McIver.

Where: The Lancaster Hotel

The Scoop: With cowboy boots traded for cocktail attire, more than 115 artists and art lovers moseyed into downtown for Art Untamed, an evening that lassoed the spirit of the West with a modern twist.

Now in its fourth year, the fundraiser benefiting The Bryan Museum was steered by a dedicated committee including Christine Glover, Linda and Bill Reeves, and Guylene and Jay Lendrum. The event spotlighted 32 Southwestern artists featured in the Visions of the West exhibit.

Guests sipped and mingled during cocktail hour, sizing up 73 pieces ranging from luminous landscapes to storytelling textiles. The live auction, led by crowd-favorite auctioneer Randolph Holford, delivered a flurry of paddles in the air, especially for Bob Stuth-Wade’s radiant Santiago Peak from Chalk Draw, Nathaniel Garza’s moody Three Reasons, and Echo Ukrainetz’s intricate batik honoring cowgirl trailblazer Lucy Mulhall.

The weekend kicked off at The Lancaster Hotel, where partner Jay Shinn hosted artists and VIPs at a reception in the historic property set to celebrate its centennial next year. During the festivities, museum founder JP Bryan captured the mood best.

“A collection is an expression of a soul; it speaks to where our heart is,” he said. “That is why the museum was founded, to share the important story of Texas and the American West through a world-class collection, outstanding exhibitions, and educational programming.”

The evening raised nearly $100,000 to support educational programming and outreach at The Bryan Museum.

Who: Lori Leal Wedemeyer and Barkley Wedemeyer, Sassy Stanton, Bill Pinckard, Mike Glover, Shara Fryer, Barry Silverman, Frank Rynd, Deborah and Monte Stavis, Kelly and Luis Zúñiga, Kara Przybyl McIver and David McIver, Dianne Reynolds, Stephanie and Brent Kindle, Penny and Townes Pressler, Linda and Jerry Dickson, Bob Leibrock, Paulina Padilla, Nocona Burgess, Vickie McMillan-Hayes, Ricardo Robles, and Bob Stuth-Wade.

museums fundraisers bryan museum visual-art