Message from the President of GHF, 2007-2008

Raymond 'Ray' Lewis, GHF 2007-2008 President of the Board of Directors.

For the next year, I have the honor of being at the helm of the board of directors for the oldest preservation organization in Texas and one of the oldest such organizations in the country. I follow in the foot steps of hundreds of dedicated volunteers and staff people who have given their time, energy and resources to assuring this Galveston, Texas based organization has not only survived, but flourished over the past fifty some odd years. Those individuals saw to it that we are now able to enjoy an exquisitely restored tall ship, a street festival that has grown into the internationally renowned Dickens Festival and 'kick started' the restoration of The Strand District. I follow in the footsteps and stand on the shoulders of a host of individuals, whose dedicated and tireless efforts, have earned The Foundation the honor and responsibility of being considered the 'stewards of Galveston's most historic properties'.

A few months ago board members and staff sat down with a facilitator and hammered out a new strategic plan with five key goals to take into the (not too distant) year 2010. The gist of those goals are that we will take better care of our properties, we will work at getting our finances in the black and function more effectively as a lean and mean board and staff. Sounds simple enough but as we all know, the 'devil is in the details'.

A few years ago I recall the historical foundation moving several historic homes from the site of a development soon to be a new seawall.

The visual image of those old homes lumbering down Galveston streets to find new life really put into perspective what this organization is all about; that is, finding ways to bridge the Island's future with it's past. During the next year and beyond, we will enhance the educational aspects of the organization for children as well as adults and most assuredly, we will work harder at making sure our local community is at least as aware of what we do as is the national community. Most of you would be particularly pleased at how GHF has assisted The Island's elderly home owners through the Paint Pal's Program and the Code Compliance Assistance Program as well as how the organization has successfully assisted first timers own their own homes.

During this past year, GHF, through its programs and events, attracted an estimated 150,000+ visitors to The Island. Some say news stories about events such as The Homes Tour, Dickens and The Elissa generate millions of dollars in advertising for Galveston Island. I make a promise, on behalf of The Galveston Historical Foundation, that we will continue to live up to our charge of being good stewards of historical properties and hope that you will join us (we have plenty for you to do). We will continue to be a major voice of preservation advocacy both locally and throughout the state. It just makes good business sense!

Raymond 'Ray' Lewis