Monthly Archives: December 2022

“Christmas Greetings of Peace and Goodwill,” 1930s

This beautiful hand made, hand colored card carried holiday greetings from the family of Rice architecture professor William Ward Watkin, circa early 1930s: The house pictured is the Watkin’s home, of course, located at 5009 Caroline, in a neighborhood that … Continue reading

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“functional and utilitarian without neglecting the aesthetics,” 1949

After all my talk about those Aalto tables in the library, I finally have something to say about a chair. The other day I was looking in the file drawer called “Miscellaneous” where I found this: It was the only … Continue reading

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The First Time Rice Beat Texas, 1917

A while back I noticed a large, mysterious scrapbook back by the vault on the bottom of the oversize shelves. Last week I had time to pull it out and take a good look. It was full of pages from … Continue reading

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“A Dream Coming True”: Fondren at 75

I can’t let 2022 slip away without acknowledging something that an alert reader pointed out to me a while ago. This year is the 75th anniversary of the laying of the cornerstone of Fondren library, just before Christmas in 1947. … Continue reading

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