Volume 6 • Number 3 • Summer 2009 SUMMER SPORTS UNIVERSITY of H O U S T O N CENTER FOR PUBLIC HISTORY Harry Potter books. The universe of major league baseball had LETTER FROM THE EDITOR the great advantage, however, of being populated by real people succeeding and failing at a game I played and knew. My dad raised me to Unfortunately, few of us had the chance to see these players pitch for the St. Louis in a real live major league baseball game, since St. Louis, the Cardinals, the over- closest major league city, might as well have been in a galaxy whelming favorite of far, far away. We knew, however, that the major leaguers were all of our country boy/ real because we had seen a few of them pass through the minor dads who had grown league team in nearby Beaumont, and a few of us had even been up during the Great privileged to take the hundred mile trip to see the Houston Buffs Depression listen- play. Those of us with access to televisions could also watch the ing to the Cardinals’ game of the week and then the World Series, an event so impor- “gas house” gang on tant in my family that my parents at times allowed me to skip the radio. I seemed school when a series game was played on my birthday. well on my way to the So it was an amazing development when we learned that ma- big leagues at age 12, jor league baseball was coming to Houston. On several memo- when I pitched a one- rable occasions my dad and I drove to Houston to games at the hit shut out in a Little team’s temporary stadium. Sitting out in the sun without a roof League All-Star game for a July Fourth doubleheader at Colt .45s Stadium, I learned with much of my town the true meaning of hot. Later, at a somewhat cooler night game, in attendance. Unfortu- I experienced one of my favorite baseball moments, when Stan nately, that marked the Musial unwound on a fastball and drove a high line drive far, peak of my baseball career; when I finally made it to St. Louis far out into the darkness of the parking lot beyond the right field years later, it was as a graduate student, not a pitcher. fence. The ball curved foul, but that did not change the thrill of But I always remained a baseball fan. Growing up in a seeing it jump off of the bat of Stan the (Old) Man, who retired world without much chance to travel, I embraced baseball as the next year. a window on the world. I came to enjoy reading in part by Despite the temperature and bugs at the temporary stadium, following the major leagues in our local newspapers and by I was one of the few people disappointed in the move to the new reading biographies of baseball players. Baseball taught me Astrodome. As is clear from the article in this issue by Mike geography, giving me a reason to locate on a map New York Acosta, it was an amazing structure. But I have to agree with City, home of the mighty Yankees, and then to move on to the much of Larry McMurtry’s reprinted essay. The Dome was a location of both the Bronx (site of Yankee Stadium) and Brook- strange, disorienting place, as well as a bad place for a tradi- lyn (home of the Dodgers). Photos of the amazing baseball tional fan to watch baseball. Astroturf had an evil impact on the stadiums of the 1950s introduced me to the basics of architec- game I loved. Although major leaguers played there, the Dome ture and even of urban planning. Math was much more fun never seemed to me like a proper field for major league baseball. once I learned how to figure batting averages and earned run This did not keep me from going to games. In my years averages. History was everywhere in baseball, from the great at Rice in the late 1960s, I discovered the right field pavilion names in the Hall of Fame to the records of such mythic figures bargain seats, and I made it a habit to go watch the great pitch- as Babe Ruth. ers of that era—Drysdale and Koufax, Juan Marichal, and my More than anything, baseball gave me a cast of larger-than- favorite, Bob Gibson of the St. Louis Cardinals. I also began to life characters with exotic names and unfamiliar backgrounds. go out and watch the Astros’ young star pitcher, Larry Dierker. Mickey Mantle, country boy from Oklahoma whose dad had During my freshman year, I would go over and catch a game raised him to be a switch-hitter for the Yankees, was recogniz- when I needed to escape the agony of trying to pass calculus and able to me. But my world had to be expanded to include other German. There on the mound would be Dierker, only two years players such as Willie Mays, Ted Kluszewski, “Big Chief” older than me and already in his third year in the majors. Forty Allie Reynolds, Minnie Minoso, or Yogi Berra. These baseball years later, it was a cheap thrill to interview him for this “Sum- heroes gave me a parallel universe somewhat like later gen- mer Sports” issue of Houston History. Once a fan, always a kid. erations had with the Star Wars movies or video games or the JOEL DRAUT has found his dream job. Having spent thirty-five years as a newspaper photog- rapher, he now combines his passion for photography and history as the senior communications specialist responsible for maintaining the collection of over four million images housed at the Houston Metropolitan Research Center (HMRC) in the Julia Ideson Building at the Houston Public Library. Every day reveals new treasures—from the oldest photo taken of Main Street in 1856, to a panoramic shot of the Goose Creek oil fields, to pictures of notable Houstonians like Howard Hughes and visitors such as the Beatles. Draut is overseeing preparations to move the collection into the building’s new wing. This facility will control temperature, humidity, pollution, and light to maximize the life of the origi- nals, which include glass plates, negatives, prints, and film. He is also working to scan images, making them more accessible to the public while maintaining the integrity of the artifacts. To access the collection you can request assistance at the information desk in the HMRC or browse the catalogs and bound copies of the more popular images, but don’t forget to ask for Joel—he Holding a panoramic camera circa will probably be your most valuable resource! 1915, Joel Draut shares his office with Joel contributed the Spring 2009 Houston History cover photo of the Julia Ideson building. a collection of photographic equipment spanning 100 years of technology. TABLE OF CONTENTS READERS’ FORUM Page 2 Volume 6 • Number 3 • Summer 2009 FEATURES A Conversation with... EdITORIAL STAFF MR. ASTRO, LARRY DIERKER and Joe Pratt Page 4 Joseph A. Pratt, Editor-in-Chief Debbie Harwell, Managing Editor Jamie Quiroga, Associate Editor Kristin Deville, Program Coordinator Marsha Van Horn, Designer That You May Win: Tom Tellez Teaches UH Athletes Page 14 to Go for the Gold By Ernesto Valdés AdVISORY BOARD Betty Trapp Chapman William Kellar Barbara Eaves Fred Korge Steven Fenberg Jim Saye Rain or Shine: How Houston Developed Page 20 Cliff Gillock Martin Melosi Space City Baseball By Mike Acosta Penny Jones Kathleen Brosnan EdITORIAL POLICY Houston History is published three times a year by the Center for Public History at the University of CULTURE—HIGH AND LOW Houston. We welcome manuscripts, interviews, and Love, Death, and the Astrodome Page 29 photographic essays on the history and culture of By Larry McMurtry the Houston region, broadly defined. All correspon- dence should be sent to Houston History, University of Houston, Department of History, 547 Agnes Ar- nold Hall, Houston, TX 77204-3007 (713-743-3123). The web site is www.history.uh.edu/houstonhistory. MUSEUM We also welcome ideas for topical issues; these Long before the “Battle of the Sexes,” there was Babe… The Babe Didrikson Zaharias Museum Page 32 can be sent to the above address or to HoustonHis- By Debbie Z. Harwell [email protected]. Subscriptions are $10 per year for students, $15 per year for individuals, and $25 per year for institu- tions. Single issues and back issues are available for NEIGHBOrhOOD $10. Urban Village or ‘Burb of the Future?: The Racial and Economic Politics of a Houston Neighborhood Page 38 © 2009 by the Center for Public History. All rights By Jordan Bauer reserved. Reproduction of this issue or any portion of it is expressly prohibited without written permis- sion of the publisher. The Center for Public History disclaims responsibility for statements of fact and opinions of contributors. HISTORIC PRESERVATION POSTMASTER Send address changes to: Preservation CAN work in Houston: The Humble Oil & Refining Company Building Page 46 University of Houston By Victoria J. Myers Center for Public History 547 Agnes Arnold Hall Houston, TX 77204-3007 NEWS BrIEFS & BOOKS Page 51 Cover photo courtesy Houston Astros By Barbara Eaves Vol. 6, No. 3–Sports 1 Readers’ Forum What are your memories of the Astrodome? What are your suggestions for its future? Houston History invites you to send us your reminiscences and to weigh in on the preservation of the building. We will include your comments in a future issue. Email: [email protected] Mail: Houston History Center for Public History 547 Agnes Arnold Hall University of Houston Houston, TX 77204-3007 People from around the world knew the was a 2002 concert by country star George Astrodome in Houston as they knew the Strait, ending a thirty-six-year run for the Empire State Building in New York, the Eiffel Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo in the Tower in Paris, or the Pyramids in Egypt.