Gary said it himself — never trust a fund raiser! When he approached me right after Christmas about making a few remarks about my friend Gleaves, my first reaction was the three big questions — When? To whom? For how long? He was very quick to give me the correct date, and a very loose estimate of for how long, but as you can see he was just a little less than honest when he said the Administrative Council was honoring the Jameses with a small intimate gathering... NEVER TRUST A FUND RAISER! Ever since I was made aware of the size and distinguished nature of this audience, not to mention the caliber and talents of the gentlemen who share this podium with me, I have been a nervous wreck. This has ruined my very fragile golf game! However, from this spot as I look out on this wonderful crowd, I realize that this is, in fact, an intimate group. I realize that I am addressing a group of intimates — people like me — who have personally been touched by Gleaves, up close and personal, and you are here as I am to say a hearty thank you to her and to Tom for ten years of service and devotion, not only to the University and to Galveston, but to each of us personally.
It was ten years ago when another search committee finished its quest for a new leader to join a distinguished and talented list of presidents here at UTMB. Rai and I happened to meet a very happy Ballinger Mills soon after the committee made its choice, and he was so excited about the man they had successfully recruited. He went on and on about the wonderful achievements and assets of Dr. James. When I asked him about Mrs. James, he said she was absolutely lovely and charming. Of that I was sure. Very successful men seldom make the top with a less than charming and lovely wife!
I had a mental picture of Dr. James’ CV — 200 pages of academic honors, degrees etc. And on page 201 in the fill-in-the-blanks part was: Married, wife Gleaves, mother of three boys. But it wasn’t long before I got to know what charming and lovely meant, Gleaves style. We found that we had a lot in common. She loved photography, as I do. We are the same age — Oh, I’ll never get away with that — I’m nine days older! Even more interestingly, she had decided that the Runge House was where she really wanted to live, and in spite of all my protestations and warnings that Lillie Runge was one stubborn woman who had vowed to die in that house, she set about wooing and charming Miss Lillie. My brother and I had tried every trick and every enticement to get her out of that house, and Miss Lillie was adamant, but Gleaves and Carolyn Clyburn made weekly visits for tea, armed with Carolyn’s banana nut bread, and, before I knew it, Miss Lillie thought it was all her idea to sell the house. So in addition to lovely and charming, I now knew that Mrs. James was patient and tenacious.
I knew we were in for a special kind of lady when Gleaves appeared at the door of 1301 Market Street in work clothes and jumped right into that mess. She and my granddaughter packed every piece of china and crystal in that house, and I had a new and special friend. So now the list of attributes includes very hard-working.
Gleaves jumped into Galveston with the same dedication, commitment and enthusiasm. She became an active working board member of the Galveston Arts Center and the Satori School Board even before her house was ready. She hosted several fund-raisers for those two groups in the condominium as she was working with contractors to do a major rehaul of the Runge House. She would patiently tell me what she had in mind for that old house, but I would always say, Can’t show a fool unfinished work.
And creative gets added to the growing list of lovely-Gleaves style.
It wasn’t long before the Galveston Historical Foundation discovered the gifts Gleaves could bring to that organization. She allowed GHF to show the Runge House on a Homes Tour, and she wowed everyone by personally greeting each and every tour with a Welcome to my home
introduction at the door, so now most of Galveston and half of Texas had been introduced to this warmly hospitable and gracious lady who displayed absolutely amazing stamina.
Her contributions to GHF are staggering: She co-chaired the extremely profitable Eric Stoller fund-raiser, in spite of last-minute weather complications. She co-chaired the huge centennial celebration and hosted the beautiful party at the just barely restored Open Gates mansion. She has served as Assistant Vice President and Vice President of the Homes Tour, chaired the Williams Home Founders Award event, and served on so many other committees that I would be here all night enumerating them. Suffice it to say her contributions were so many that she received GHF’s President’s Award for distinguished service. Betty Massey said in the presentation, She has been a part of the Galveston scene for just a few years, but her contributions to preservation are truly awesome.
At the same time, Gleaves has been a very active member of the Ronald McDonald House board. She co-chaired the Hendley Market Easter egg silent auction for three years and painstakingly took photos of each entry and wrote personal letters to each artist in thanks for participation. Seldom is there a rummage sale that doesn’t have Gleaves as a marker or salesperson. Add another mark for hard-working and getting grubby!
Gleaves demonstrates her love for children in so many ways. Not content with just her constant involvement with her own beloved grandchildren, she is very active on the Trinity School Board, and she has taught the little ones at First Presbyterian Church for as many years as she has been here, and I think it is her very favorite effort.
Somewhere during these years, she served a term or two on the Salvation Army Board and on countless other committees for other organizations. But my friendly fund raiser did give me an allotted amount of time, and the list goes on.
That previously mentioned creativity, dedication and tenacity are most embodied in the remarkable and everlasting monuments that Gleaves has resurrected for this island and the state of Texas. The Runge House is just one, and for that I am so personally grateful, since Miss Lillie’s contributions to UTMB and my grandparents’ gifts to the city have been treated with sensitivity and respect by the Jameses. And they have opened once again those doors for the enjoyment and pleasure of so many.
It still defies this fool who can’t picture unfinished work that she could so magically transform the so often tragically desecrated historic Rosenberg House into a landmark guest quarters that welcomes prestigious professors, guests and donors, and carries the wonderful spirit of Galveston hospitality all over the globe. What a PR move that has proven to be. Mr. Rosenberg and Miss Molly would be so proud!
I guess the biggest challenge would never have been accepted by a less courageous lady, but Open Gates was too great a treasure to lie dormant and dying. The beauty and location of the building were too important to Galveston, but, more importantly, the generosity and long tradition of commitment of the Sealy family could be memorialized in the restoration of that wonderful and historic home. Well, she did it! As most of you can testify, the gates are indeed open. She managed to overcome the objections and stringent demands of the National Preservation Trust, tremendous financial obstacles and the pessimists who thought the job too ambitious. Open Gates is now home to a vital program, dedicated to the study of learning, sharing and gaining knowledge, using the most modern communications available — an open gate to the world.
Now you realize, these were projects Gleaves did in her spare time. Her real job was at Tom’s side, because she planned every menu, arranged every table, picked every posey that adorned every table for ten years, and one of those included the very busy and eventful celebrations of UTMB’s Centennial Celebration. She also has recruited faculty, entertained VIPs, hosted faculty and student lunches, brunches and receptions. I would almost bet that she has personally met and touched every member of the UT community. The only way I could ever measure her fatigue was by just how long it took her to kick off her shoes!
Ballinger was right those ten years ago. Mrs. James is charming and lovely, and Dr. James’ CV was right. She is a devoted wife and mother of three boys. But now all Galveston knows, Gleaves James is also warm, gracious, hospitable, caring, dedicated, creative, totally committed to this island and really needs to be moved up to page one on that CV I imagined ten years ago, but I’m sure Tom figured that out close on to 50 years ago.
The Runge House, the Rose Garden, the Rosenberg House, and Open Gates are not difficult to enthusiastically list as the tangible monuments to Gleaves’ many contributions. I found a far greater task awaiting me when I went out to see the staff about preparing these remarks for you. I was met with teary-eyed, genuine remorse, and I was met with their overwhelming emotion that she will not be there to work with them. No one gave me any words of wisdom. Rather they charged me, to speak from my heart, for them — to somehow express that after ten years, each of them personally loves and venerates Mrs. James. That devotion is only exceeded by the respect they have for the wonderful lady who has so touched them over these years. What a challenge for this speaker! If I have been successful in relaying this to Gleaves, this love and respect, I think, will be the monument that will be the most meaningful to Gleaves. I hope I have not disappointed them. I think everyone in this room loves and respects the indomitable lady named Gleaves. So we, here friends, welcome this Islander by choice to the other side of the Ether Curtain that has so many holes in it due to her efforts with our heartfelt appreciation for ten years of dedicated and devoted service to the UTMB System.