Tribute to an influential Texan

Members of the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of Texas (NSCDA-TX), gathered in homes, in small groups, with many dining al fresco for “A Texas Tribute” to celebrate honoree J.P. Bryan. Guests enjoyed wine, a gourmet menu, and video tributes by friends. Co-chairs were Aline Wilson and Fay Kirby, and the committee included Eileen Moody, Sarah Almy, Minnette Boesel, Linda Condit, Heather Firestone, Kathy Lord, Cinda Matthews, Laura Stover, Karen Pope, and Ann Harder. Bryan was named the inaugural recipient of the Award for Distinction in Historic Preservation. He is best known, along with wife Mary Jon, as the man who “saved” the Gage Hotel in Marathon, Texas, and for opening the Bryan Museum in the restored Galveston Orphans’ Home. Bryan has spent five decades as a preservationist and collector of Western art and artifacts. Filmed tributes to Bryan’s achievements included former First Lady Laura Bush, Jan Felts Bullock, and Nancy Powell Moore, the event’s three honorary chairs. Pictured are (standing, from left) co-chair Fay Monsen Kirby, state president of the Colonial Dames Eileen Moody, and co-chair Aline Wilson; (seated) honoree J.P. Bryan. 

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