Calendar

May
3
Fri
Monthly Lunch: Prof. Jim Olson, TAMU @ Tony Mandola's Gulf Coast Kitchen
May 3 @ 11:30 – 13:00

TxGC MEMBERS ALWAYS GET $5 OFF!

  • Advance purchase online: $30 ($25 for TxGC members)
  • Week-of-event & walk-ups*: $35 ($30 for TxGC members)
    • *if seats available
  • TxGC Member discount is provided by a discount code via member-only newsletter

MENU

  • Ice tea, water, soda, cash bar
  • Choice of Sicilian salad or Mama’s gumbo
  • Choice of entree
    • Chicken John Kim: grilled chicken topped in mushrooms, roasted peppers, white wine butter sauce
    • Penne Pasta with Meat Sauce: traditional penne pasta with Mama’s slow cooked meat sauce
    • Blacked Trout: filet topped with etoufee served with red-skinned mashed potatoes and vegetables
  • Choice of chocolate cake or cheesecake

Guest Speaker

James Olson

Professor of Practice, Texas A&M University

Jim Olson served in the Directorate of Operations of the Central Intelligence Agency, for more than 30 years, mostly overseas in clandestine operations.  He will speak to us about past covert operations, his opinion on current threats to the U.S., and the need for effective intelligence agencies.

Jim worked as a Case Officer in the field, created elaborate “covers” for effectiveness, and looked for individuals with information who were willing to betray their country in exchange for some sort of inducement.  Joining the CIA also introduced Jim to his future wife.  The two worked in tandem undercover focused on gathering intelligence during the Cold War.

In addition to several foreign assignments, he was chief of counterintelligence at CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia.

In 1997, Jim Olson came to The Bush School of Government and Public Service – Texas A&M, to teach courses on intelligence, counterintelligence and international crisis management.  He is the author of two books related to spying and counterintelligence.  Visit https://bush.tamu.edu/faculty/jolson/  .  Prior to his career in the CIA, he served in the US Navy, where he attained the rank of LCDR.

Jun
7
Fri
Monthly Lunch: Prof. Ric Stoll, Rice Univ. @ Tony Mandola's Gulf Coast Kitchen
Jun 7 @ 11:30 – 13:00

TxGC MEMBERS ALWAYS GET $5 OFF!

  • Advance purchase online: $30 ($25 for TxGC members)
  • Week-of-event & walk-ups*: $35 ($30 for TxGC members)
    • *if seats available
  • TxGC Member discount is provided by a discount code via member-only newsletter

MENU

  • Ice tea, water, soda, cash bar
  • Choice of Sicilian salad or Mama’s gumbo
  • Choice of entree
    • Chicken John Kim: grilled chicken topped in mushrooms, roasted peppers, white wine butter sauce
    • Penne Pasta with Meat Sauce: traditional penne pasta with Mama’s slow cooked meat sauce
    • Blacked Trout: filet topped with etoufee served with red-skinned mashed potatoes and vegetables
  • Choice of chocolate cake or cheesecake

Guest Speaker

Richard J. Stoll

Albert Thomas Professor of Political Science, Rice University

Areas of Interest: Research interests include the study of international conflict, public attitudes on foreign and defense policy, and American national security policy. Professor Stoll’s current research encompasses a number of areas.  He is studying naval arms races from 1816 to the present.  In collaboration with other researchers, he is studying support for foreign policies that promote gender equality.  Finally, working with Professor Devika Subramanian of Rice’s Computer Science Department, he is exploring the use of social media (in particular Twitter) to tap public opinion.
In addition to being well known as one of Rice University’s outstanding teachers, Professor Stoll is an accomplished scholar of international conflict. He has used computer simulation techniques and statistical analysis to study topics such as arms competitions, comparative foreign policy, and political realism. Dr. Stoll recently participated in a ten university effort funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to collect data on militarized interstate disputes. Along with Devika Subramanian of Rice’s Computer Science Department, Dr. Stoll is engaged in an effort to create events data from online news sources and to predict the outbreak of serious international conflict. This research has been supported by the National Science Foundation.

Jul
11
Thu
Joint Academy Happy Hr. @ FM Kitchen and Bar
Jul 11 @ 17:30 – 20:30

Join us with WP, USMMA, Coast Guard, and Air Force.  Food and drink specials.

Aug
1
Thu
Annapolis in Hou Happy Hour @ El Tiempo “1308 Annex”
Aug 1 @ 17:30 – 19:00

Join us and meet some of our USNA Alumni Assoc. & Foundation leadership, from Annapolis, on their roadshow through Texas. We’ll have some free snacks, and drink specials, at the 2nd floor, private bar at El Tiempo “1308 Annex” Westheimer.

Sep
6
Fri
Wellborn ’59 Memorial N* Football Lunch @ Tony Mandola's Gulf Coast Kitchen
Sep 6 @ 11:30 – 13:00

The Buddy Wellborn ’59 tradition continues…

Annual Navy Football Preview Lunch, presented by Dave Miller ’65

Prepare for an in-depth presentation on Navy football… a summary of what happened (and went wrong) last year, as well as an analysis on the team’s strengths and weaknesses going into this year, player by player.  Additionally, prepare of Dave Miller’s prediction on the potential outcome for each opponent.

TxGC MEMBERS ALWAYS GET $5 OFF!

  • Advance purchase online: $30 ($25 for TxGC members)
  • Week-of-event & walk-ups*: $35 ($30 for TxGC members) – if seats available
  • TxGC Member discount is provided by a discount code via member-only newsletter

MENU

  • Ice tea, water, soda, cash bar
  • Choice of Sicilian salad or Mama’s gumbo
  • Choice of entree
    • Chicken John Kim: grilled chicken topped in mushrooms, roasted peppers, white wine butter sauce
    • Penne Pasta with Meat Sauce: traditional penne pasta with Mama’s slow cooked meat sauce
    • Blacked Trout: filet topped with etoufee served with red-skinned mashed potatoes and vegetables
  • Choice of chocolate cake or cheesecake

About Guest Speaker, Dave Miller ’65.  Dave hails from the mountains of southwest Virginia. The only industry is coal mining. He played football, basketball and baseball in high school, and as a result, has always been an avid sports fan especially when it involves Navy. Dave served as a Navy pilot, and as an instructor at Whiting Field in VT-3 and flew P-3’s out of Jacksonville, Florida, tracking Russian subs. He left the Navy after almost six years and then worked for EDS for 29 years before retirement. He continues consulting.

In memory of Buddy Wellborn ’59.  Raymond Burke “Buddy” Wellborn, Sr., Captain USN (ret.) died 23 October 2018, in League City TX, of complications from an Aortic Aneurism at age 82. Born in Bryan Texas, 13 August 1936, he attended Rice University for 1 year before entering the United States Naval Academy in 1955 in the Class of 1959. He was a standout football player during his time at USNA. He played on the winning 1958 Cotton Bowl team. After graduation, he married Gladys Hamby of Houston Texas and their journey began. He reported to USS Frank Knox for his first tour then eventually went on to Submarine school. After 15 years and numerous tours on diesel boat submarines, including a Command of USS Entemador, he transferred to the Surface Warfare community. He commanded the USS Mount Baker and the USS Detroit. His final command was Navy Electronics Command in Charleston S.C. After 30 years of service, he retired in June 1989 and eventually moved home to Houston. He taught at Texas A&M while earning his Doctorate in Maritime Economics. He then left Texas A&M to pursue his love of writing and lecturing. He had many hobbies, but in the end he enjoyed being involved with the Navy Football brotherhood and as a Trustee United States Naval Academy Foundation and Scholarship Program. He tirelessly wrote game summaries of each Navy football game for friends and many others to enjoy. Each football season, he would travel around to numerous Alumni chapters to give his Navy Football preview.

Sep
28
Sat
All Services Golf Tournament @ Battleground Golf Course
Sep 28 @ 10:30 – 20:00

All Services Golf Tournament, presented by West Point Foundation of Greater Houston

10:30-11:30am Check In & Warm Up
11:30am Tournament Briefing/Box Lunches
12:00pm Tee Time – Shot Gun Start
4:30- Reception Begins

5:30pm – Award & Recognition Dinner Begins

8:00pm Conclusion

~ Format ~
Four man scramble
Bogie is your friend

~ Lunch & Dinner ~
Box lunch at tee time
Fajita Buffet Awards Dinner afterward

~ Awards ~
Longest Drive = 2 chances to win
Closest to the Pin = 2 chances to win
1st, 2nd and 3rd team winners

~ Registration ~

https://secure.west-point.org/wpfgh/golf/

Register NLT COB Friday, September 13th, 2019

Register as an Individual = $100.00 (Meet new friends!)
Foursome = $350 (Bring friends, business contacts, family)
Dinner ONLY, NO GOLF = $30.00 (Not a golfer? Join us for a fun and informative dinner)

~ Sponsorships/Donations ~

Sponsor a Hole (18): $500 | Tent, Sign, Promo Material OK

Platinum Sponsor (3): $7,500 | includes 4 X Foursomes

Gold Sponsor (5): $5,000 | includes 3 X Foursomes

Silver Sponsor (10): $2,500 | includes 2 X Foursomes

Bronze Sponsor (20): $1,500 | includes 1 X Foursome

Donations for door prizes welcome

Oct
4
Fri
October Monthly Lunch: Convict Cowboys @ Tony Mandola's Gulf Coast Kitchen
Oct 4 @ 11:30 – 13:00

October Monthly Lunch with Mitchel Roth

Join us for lunch with MITCHEL P. ROTH, the author of 16 books including Convict Cowboys: The Untold History of the Texas Prison Rodeo, Global Organized Crime: A 21st Century Approach, and An Eye for An Eye: A Global History of Crime and Punishment, translated into Turkish, Croatian, and forthcoming in Chinese. Roth recently completed Fire in the Big House: The Forgotten Story of the Ohio Penitentiary Fire, America’s Worst Prison Disaster, and its Aftermath. He is professor of criminal justice and criminology at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas. He resides in The Woodlands, Texas.

Mitch will discuss his latest book, Convict Cowboys.  Convict Cowboys is the first book on the nation’s first prison rodeo, which ran from 1931 to 1986. At its apogee the Texas Prison Rodeo drew 30,000 spectators on October Sundays. Mitchel P. Roth portrays the Texas Prison Rodeo against a backdrop of Texas history, covering the history of rodeo, the prison system, and convict leasing, as well as important figures in Texas penology including Marshall Lee Simmons, O.B. Ellis, and George J. Beto, and the changing prison demimonde.

TxGC MEMBERS ALWAYS GET $5 OFF!

  • TxGC Members, use the discount code, provided via email, at check out
  • $35 for non-members
  • $30 for TxGC Members

MENU

  • Ice tea, water, soda, cash bar
  • Choice of Sicilian salad or Mama’s gumbo
  • Choice of entree
    • Chicken John Kim: grilled chicken topped in mushrooms, roasted peppers, white wine butter sauce
    • Penne Pasta with Meat Sauce: traditional penne pasta with Mama’s slow cooked meat sauce
    • Blacked Trout: filet topped with etoufee served with red-skinned mashed potatoes and vegetables
  • Choice of chocolate cake or cheesecake
Nov
1
Fri
November Lunch: Prof. Richard Murray @ Tony Mandola's Gulf Coast Kitchen
Nov 1 @ 11:30 – 13:00

November Monthly Lunch with Prof. Richard Murray, PhD, Bob Lanier Chair in Urban Public Policy, and Director of Survey Research Institute, University of Houston 

Richard Murray, longtime professor @ UH and leading commentator on national and local politics, will speak on What impact will the now likely US House impeachment and following Senate trial have on the 2020 election?
 
He will also comment on the impact of possible outcomes resulting from the Trump case.
 
Murray has spoken to us several times over the years, and he’s proven to be always interesting, usually somewhat controversial, and probably more often right than wrong when pushed to opine on election outcomes.

TxGC MEMBERS ALWAYS GET $5 OFF!

  • TxGC Members, use the discount code, provided via email, at check out, and get $5 off regular or advance, online price, for each ticket purchased
  • $35 per person (regular price)
  • $30 per person (advanced, online price)

MENU

  • Ice tea, water, soda, cash bar
  • Choice of Sicilian salad or Mama’s gumbo
  • Choice of entree
    • Chicken John Kim: grilled chicken topped in mushrooms, roasted peppers, white wine butter sauce
    • Penne Pasta with Meat Sauce: traditional penne pasta with Mama’s slow cooked meat sauce
    • Blacked Trout: filet topped with etoufee served with red-skinned mashed potatoes and vegetables
  • Choice of chocolate cake or cheesecake
Nov
7
Thu
Salute to Veterans Lunch @ Ballroom at Bayou Place
Nov 7 @ 11:00 – 13:00

Come and honor our veterans at our fundraising luncheon Nov. 7 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Ballroom at Bayou Place, 500 Texas St. Dress is business. All veterans will be recognized.

Networking time is set at 11 a.m.

Meeting/Program begins promptly at 11:30 a.m.

RSVP by Sunday, Nov. 4. Members ticket is included with membership, but you must RSVP to reserve your seat. Any RSVPs made within 72 hours of an event may not have a guaranteed seat or meal.

This is a fundraising event. 100% of the net revenue will stay in Houston to directly benefit Houston veterans.

Tables are available to purchase. Please contact David Hale (dhale1901@comcast.net) to purchase:

  • premium location table of 10 is $1,500 (limited availability),
  • standard table of 10 is $1,000,
  • to donate a seat at your table to a veteran, please email the number of seats to dhale1901@comcast.net.

You can also donate any amount to help our efforts with local veteran charity groups. This donation does not include a meal at the luncheon.

This is is an expanded program, please arrive on time. Featured events include:

  • Posting of Colors by Texas A&M Color Guard.
  • Patriotic songs performed by the 60 member choir from the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts,
  • National Anthem performed by a featured soloist from the Houston Grand Opera,
  • Recognition of WWII, Korean War, and Vietnam veteran guest,

This fundraiser is sponsored by USO Houston and US Naval Academy Alumni Association – Texas Gulf Coast Chapter.

Please RSVP to RSVP@downtownrotaryhouston.org. Guests are $50.00.

All Credit Cards Accepted.

Join Happy Hour @ FM Kitchen & Bar
Nov 7 @ 17:00 – 20:00
Join us on November 7th, from 5-8pm, for the final Joint Service Academy Happy Hour of 2019! Jointly hosted by USMMA – Kings Point Alumni Houston, West Point Society of Greater Houston, and USNA Alumni Assoc., Tx Gulf Coast Chapter & Foundation at FM Kitchen and Bar with drink specials until 7pm!
$5 Texas Draft Beers
$5 House Wines
$6 Classic & Frozen Cocktails