Author Archives: Nick Sawicki

Dear friends: On Oct. 17, 2026, the Houston Public Library Foundation will host a gala celebration marking the centennial of the Julia Ideson Building. Inspired by the Spanish Renaissance style of the building, the “Impossible Dream” gala will be themed on “Don Quixote.” The occasion will also see 12 Houstonians honored as the “Don Quixotes”Continue reading “12 “Don Quixotes” to be Honored at Ideson Centennial Gala”

The Houston Public Library Foundation has appointed six young professionals to serve as the inaugural leadership team of the newly established Prologue Society, a group dedicated to supporting, celebrating and championing the Houston Public Library. The Prologue Society brings together culturally engaged and civically minded professionals ages 22-40 who support the library through membership, volunteerContinue reading “Welcoming our Prologue Society Leadership!”

Houston Public Library Foundation celebrates the appointment of Ambassador Chase Untermeyer, former U.S. ambassador to the State of Qatar, as Houston Public Library’sinaugural diplomat-in-residence during a ceremony on June 4, 2026, at the Julia Ideson Building (550 McKinney St, Houston, TX 77002). Untermeyer has held positions at the local, state, national and international levels overContinue reading “Celebrating HPL’s new Diplomat-in-Residence!”

Dear friends, In 1969, Sir Kenneth Clarke’s remarkable television series “Civilization” premiered on the BBC. After touring us from the collapse of Rome through the Romantics of the 19th century, Clarke ends the series with this personal reflection: “I believe that order is better than chaos, creation is better than destruction.  I prefer gentleness toContinue reading “Happy New Year!”

Dear friends: At the end of 2024, the Houston Public Library Foundation began our “By the Numbers” quarterly email to update you on YOUR impact on the Houston Public Library.  As we come to the end of 2025, we want to share some of the extraordinary growth that the Library has seen over the pastContinue reading “BY THE NUMBERS: HPL IS BOOMING!”

Dear friends: Today is #GivingTuesday—a day when generosity shines around the world. Here in Houston, that generosity fuels something extraordinary: a library system that opens doors, expands opportunity, and strengthens every neighborhood it touches. Every day, someone in our city uses the Houston Public Library to learn a new skill, search for a job, findContinue reading “#GivingTuesday”

Dear friends, As we celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday, I can’t help but to recall the words of Henry David Thoreau: “I am grateful for what I am and have. My thanksgiving is perpetual.” Every day, I am grateful for my family, friends, and all of those who have enriched my life in so many waysContinue reading “Happy Thanksgiving!”

Dear friends, The 20th century saw a marked shift in how we discuss war—the heroics of antiquity and the romantics of the Victorian era fell away to be replaced by the harshness of reality in the face of industrialized warfare. Each major war in the last century has been accompanied by powerful poetry, literature, andContinue reading “Thanking our Veterans”

The Houston Public Library will honor five outstanding individuals as part of the inaugural Honorary Fellows program.  The program honors exceptional individuals whose work, leadership, and contributions reflect the library’s mission to inspire lifelong learning, advance knowledge, and strengthen the community through access to information and ideas. The inaugural Fellows of the Houston Public LibraryContinue reading “Houston Public Library to Install Five Inaugural Fellows”

Dear friends: Good partners offer mutual support. Great partners also connect and build. On October 21, the team at aramco once again served as the Visionary Partner for the “See to Succeed” program, supporting eye exams and glasses for students from local area school districts. This program is run by the Houston Health Department andContinue reading “The Power of Partnership: aramco and the Houston Health Foundation”