Friday, October 27, 2023 – Snarky Friday

Let’s all sing … “I’m getting married in the morning; ding dong the bells are going to chime; kick up a rumpus, but don’t lose the compass, but get me to the church on time.”

Of course I’m not getting married. But it was a good snark, huh? But I am attending a very fancy wedding in Houston at the Cohen House on the campus of Rice University. Great niece, #4 is getting married. I am very excited and looking forward to dressing up. I have not dressed up in this much finery since Baby Bush was in the White House. Of course there will be pictures.

I shall be wearing a three piece blue-gray pants suit ensemble. The embroidered top will be adorned with a lovely string of pearls. There will be make-up on the face and eyes. As you can see my nails are done in a matching color.

And of course my purse matches and ties it all together. I am calling the outfit 50 Shades of the Grey Goose. It will double as my Halloween costume.

I have no idea why the couple selected the Cohen House as a wedding venue. Not my wedding. Neither attended Rice. But the historian in me looked up the history of the setting. It is a beautiful wedding venue. First of all it is not named after the Cohen Brothers or George M. Cohen.

In the 1920’s George S. Cohen, a Houston business man and owner of Foley’s department store donated $125,000 to Rice University to build a faculty club in honor of his parents Robert I. and Agnes Cohen. The faculty club was officially opened at homecoming in November 1927. The building was enlarged in 1958 when the main dining room and terrace were added. The cost of this renovation, which was also funded by George S. and his wife Esther Cohen, was $260,000 and brought the size of the building from 7,100 square feet to 13,600 square feet. In 1976 a major renovation took place and in 1980 the Esther M. Cohen Memorial Garden and the fountain were dedicated. In 1983 the employee restrooms and locker rooms were renovated and the air-conditioning was updated. In 1985, crown molding and new wall coverings were added. In 1993 and 1994 more renovations took place to add wheelchair ramps as well as new club offices and restrooms. In 2006, further renovations replaced the ceiling in the dining room and placed early photographs of campus reprinted by Geoff Winningham from the original glass plate negatives.

You lost me at Foley’s Department Store! If you grew up in the Houston area, you remember Foley’s. I loved going to the downtown store. When I was little and we went downtown, I thought the sparkles in the sidewalk were diamonds.

As you read the Cohen House serves as the faculty club for Rice University. I am excited to breath the air of really smart people who taught and went to school there. People like Larry McMurtry – a Rice faculty member until from about 1960, when he was a graduate student getting his MA, to 1969 when he said “I can’t teach and write.” If you are a McMurtry fan, his biography is outstanding. Wow! What an author. So many literary works. What a Texan. RL? Did you know his BA is from UNT?

Back to the wedding. Because of the wedding at 5:00 in the evening, I shall not be watching any football games this weekend. I must use my 11:00 hour for travel. Several family members expressed some concern over parking. Rice University plays Tulane at 3:00. But then again, we thought – It’s Rice and laughed! And we shall be on the other side of the campus.

Stay safe. I hope your team wins.

Thanks to Astros for a great year. Thank you, Dusty Baker.

BTHO South Carolina