Thanks to a grant from the Jacob and Terese Hershey Foundation, the BPA has expended considerable effort to catalog into a searchable digital database the books, articles, reports, and other articles that we have collected in our office over the years.

Althiea Morris Environmental Archives
1929-2003

BPA's environmental records collection is dedicated to the memory of Althiea Morris, a woman whose energy, spirit, and enthusiasm enhanced the quality of life in the BPS office and helped advance BPA toward its mission. Althiea ("Al") worked for the Weingarten Corporation until she met Terry Hershey. Impassioned by Terry's contagious advocacy for conversation, Al joined The Park People as office manager, a job she held for at least ten years. She organized the office, trained executive directors, and set up and maintained the historical scrapbooks. Then she went to work at the BPA, where she took personal interest in the board activities, reminding members of upcoming events, and where she kept the office atmosphere lively with her high spirits and tasty snacks. During this time, Al organized Terry Hershey's papers and coordinated the transfer of BPA records from Terry's collection to the BPA office. Al and Terry are the likeliest reasons why the BPA has a record collection to preserve. Al enjoyed the outdoors before she began her service in environmental organizations. She and her husband Joe spent weekends camping, bird watching, or sometimes just listening to the trees. Al's environmental work expanded and intensified her interest in nature conservation, and she became a tireless environmental advocate. her organizational abilities created order and kept The Park People and the BPA running smoothly. Above, all, Al was an inspiration. Through her orderliness, Al communicated a sense of mission to staff and volunteers alike. Her ability to nurture everyone created a community of commitment. And al's ebullient personality generated a joyous atmosphere where work was a pleasure. BPA's environmental record collection was processed and named to honor Al Morris, for all the work she did and for the spirit she imparted to those who had the privilege to know her.

The BPA maintains files on its activities from its beginnings in the 1960s. Materials on the history of Buffalo Bayou date back to the 1920s, so the collection is dated from that period through 2003. Most of the materials collected for the archives were housed in the BPA offices, but those papers included contributions from Terry Hershey, Frank Smith, George Mitchell and Fred Lazare, as well as others. Overall, the papers represent a broad overview of BPA's activities, but there is a strong emphasis on preservation campaigns and community education efforts.

The archive collection consists of:

• Newspaper clippings (including a background source for research on any publicized watershed issue)
• Photographs and slides
• Maps References - books, engineering reports, monographs and seminar materials
• Digital media - videos and audio tapes

(To view and research the archives, please call the BPA office to schedule a time. Regular business hours are 9:00 - 4:00 Monday thru Friday.)

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"Protecting and restoring the richness and diversity of our waterways"