Ima Hogg

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ima Hogg, circa 1910

Ima Hogg (July 10, 1882 – August 19, 1975) was one of the most respected Texas women of the 20th century. Born in the small town of Mineola, Texas, the daughter of a one-time Texas governor, James Stephen Hogg (Big Jim Hogg), her roots were deeply embedded in the state’s welfare.

Ima was named after an epic Civil War poem that her uncle, Thomas Hogg, had written. The heroine of the poem was called Ima, short for Imogene. Hogg later recounted: "My grandfather Stinson lived 15 miles from Mineola and news traveled slowly. When he learned of his granddaughter's name he came trotting to town as fast as he could to protest but it was too late. The christening had taken place, and Ima I was to remain." According to popular belief, Ima did have a sister named "Ura". She was affectionately known as "Miss Ima" by those who knew her and considered by many to be "The First Lady of Texas."

Hogg loved music and studied it extensively. In 1895, she entered the Coronal Institute of San Marcos and later in 1899, she attended the University of Texas at Austin. In 1901 she moved to New York City to study music, and continued her studies in Vienna and Berlin from 1907-1909. Hogg then returned to Texas, settling in Houston where she helped found the Houston Symphony Orchestra in 1913. She became the president of the Houston Symphony Society in 1917.

With the help of money made from oil found on her family's lands, Hogg began branching out into more philanthropy work. In 1929, she founded the Houston Child Guidance Center, which provided counseling for disturbed children and their families. She also founded the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health at the University of Texas at Austin in 1940. In 1957, she donated her Houston mansion to The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston which in 1966 was opened to the public as MFAH's Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens.

Hogg held many positions of authority over the years, an enormous feat for a woman at that time. She became part of the Houston school board in 1943, and helped establish music programs for area children. She also regained her position as president of the Houston Symphony Society in 1946, and remained in that position until 1956. Meanwhile, in 1948, she became the first woman president of the Philosophical Society of Texas. In 1960, she was appointed by President Eisenhower to serve on a committee to plan the National Cultural Center, now called the Kennedy Center, in Washington, D.C.

Hogg received many awards for her contributions to the community, including the Santa Rita Award, given by the UT system for contributions to higher education, and the Thomas Jefferson Award, given by the National Society of Interior Designers for her contribution to cultural heritage. She also received an honorary doctorate in fine arts from Southwestern University in 1971. On August 19, 1975, at the age of 93, Ima Hogg died of complications from a traffic accident while she was vacationing in London. She is buried in the Oakwood Cemetery in Austin, TX. Her work lives on through the Ima Hogg Foundation, which she founded in 1964 and which is the major beneficiary in her will.