Dine-and-Discover Meetings and Events
Our meeting date is the last Wednesday of the month. Special event dates will be announced. RSVPs are due by noon on the Monday prior to each meeting as online registration automatically closes at that time. If registration is closed and you find you can attend, please contact Mary Abshier to check on seating availability.
Below is a menu of programs that are sure to satisfy any intellectual appetite. Join HFCW’s meetings where lifetime learners gather. Be a part of our long history of sharing wit and wisdom with HFCW members and their guests since 1974.
Questions? Contact Mary Abshier at marketing@hfcw.org or 281-923-9241
- This event has passed.
Discover the Secrets of a Library That Acts Like a Museum
Wednesday, February 28, 2018 @ 11:30 am - 1:00 pm
You’ll be surprised and enchanted to hear stories and tidbits of information about some of the treasures in the University of Houston Rare Books Collections, one of the 13 different collections housed in the Special Collections of the MD Anderson Library on the UH campus.
Of the UH Library’s 3.2 million volumes, more than 106,000 are part of the Rare Books Collections. They are kept in secure, climate-controlled book stacks, until they come out to the reading room for teaching and study by students and the general public. The rare books are used for research as well as for educating at the undergraduate and graduate levels in classes ranging from medieval art to the Victorian novel to African American poetry.
The oldest item in the collection will astonish you. And you will be amazed to discover that the pages of the King James Bible printed in 1611 are the size of cookie-sheets. If you need help in identifying the three different types of dragons, Topsell’s The History of Four-footed Beasts and Serpents published in 1658 will guide you.
You’ll also come away with details about Houston’s largest Tier One university, with a student population of 45,000.
 |
Leigh Owen loves books. In fact, she still has her scrapbooks from when she was six. Leigh believes that books are the true treasures of our human history and she is passionate about helping to preserve these jewels.
Born in Jacksonville, Texas, Leigh received her B.S. from Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches. After graduating, her first real job was in book publishing and it not only fired her continuing love of books, it became a lifelong career. Leigh first learned the book publishing business by designing books and handling their production and printing for Gulf Publishing Company. Through 20 plus years as director of marketing for Gulf’s book division, she designed and wrote book-marketing campaigns geared to reach libraries, bookstores, and individual book buyers. Next came a decade as director of marketing for Vickie Milazzo Institute, the oldest and largest legal nurse consulting education institute in the nation and the only publishing company dedicated to that field. Now Leigh is in charge of the Institute’s educational publishing where she guides special publishing projects and the editing of online learning materials. Leigh thrives on making connections between the people and organizations she knows throughout her favorite city—Houston. She is a past president of the Federation of Houston Professional Women (FHPW), Houston Focus on Concerns for Women (HFCW), and the 501(c)(3) FHPW Educational Foundation. She served 20 years as a member of the University of Houston Friends of Women’s Studies (FWS) board and is a lifetime member of FWS. She also served as chair of the advisory board of Women in the Visual and Literary Arts (WIVLA). At the request of UH Dean of Libraries Lisa German, Leigh is honored to be a member of the UH Libraries Dean’s Campaign Committee and Cabinet supporting the Rare Books Collections. Leigh even married a book editor. She lives in the Houston Heights with her husband Tim Calk and their beloved books. She loves traveling Texas back roads with Tim, writing haiku, and creating art cards and collage. |
If you plan to attend, please RSVP to marketing@hfcw.org.