The Way I See It: Leebron’s op-ed inspired native Houstonian to return to hometown
Editor’s note: Over the holidays President David Leebron received the letter below in response to a Houston Chronicle op-ed about Houston that he wrote in 2014. The letter was reprinted by permission of the author.
Dear President Leebron,
I have wanted to write to you for a year about something upon which you had a major influence, but had no way of knowing your impact.
Joan Baird Glover
To set the stage, I was born and raised in Houston. My mother, father and sister all graduated from Rice University. I worked in public information/public affairs at both Hermann Hospital and MD Anderson Cancer Center. I married at age 44 in 1988, and my husband and I decided to begin our new lives together by moving to the state of Washington. We bought an apple and a pear orchard, which we operated for 26 years until my younger sister sent me a link to your op-ed article “10 reasons Houston attracts new residents” in the Houston Chronicle Aug. 1, 2014. It was a major catalyst, and we decided in mid-August to sell our orchard and relocate.
In December 2014 we bought a townhouse in the Montrose area and now enjoy all the benefits of being able to walk to cultural and educational events nearby. It is not an understatement to say that your reminder of the many advantages of this city, plus many changes that have occurred since we left in 1988, are why we love living here now. Among the most important to us is Rice University’s Baker Institute. We have become members of the Baker Institute Roundtable and have attended many lectures, forums and receptions.
I simply wanted to thank you for the “encouragement” that your piece provided so that we could begin this new adventure of our lives. We are grateful.
Warm regards,
Joan Baird Glover
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I, too, wish to thank President Leebron for his op-ed. As the Rector of Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church, which is located directly across Main Street from Rice University, I’m happy to have Joan and her husband as parishioners. It is a joy to run into them at Rice events, such as last summer’s discussion of the Affordable Care Act at the Baker Institute for Public Policy.
My family and I moved to Houston in the summer of 2014, and I wholeheartedly agree with each of the ten points in that op-ed. Since this wasn’t a homecoming for me, I can also affirm these words from President Leebron: “This city loves and welcomes the people who choose to come here.” All of us can further that legacy by accepting and encouraging those who follow us and make their home here.