Fox to be inducted into SoHo hall
Former science teacher 1 of 5 to be recognized
Patrick Fox will be posthumously recognized Sept. 20 as one of five inductees into South Houston High School’s 2024 Hall of Honor.
A former coach and science teacher at the area high school, Fox will be one of two former faculty members to be honored, joining fellow SoHo science teacher Amon Alford (chemistry, 1959-1968). Alumni being recognized include Michael Seale, Class of 1963; Brand Norman Griffin, Class of 1965; and Carla Thomas, Class of 1980.
The husband of local physician Dr. Mary Campbell Fox, Patrick Fox spent nearly three decades with Pasadena ISD, most recently coaching/teaching from 2000-2022 at South Houston, where he specialized in chemistry, physics and astronomy. Prior to that, Fox taught at Sam Rayburn High School from 1994-2000. (A 1976 Dobie graduate, Campbell Fox was inducted into Dobie’s Hall of Honor in 2013.)
Originally from Oklahoma City, Fox in 1977 graduated from Father Flanagan’s Boys Town, where he excelled in sports, particularly football basketball and track and field.
Fox earned several athletic achievements, including the Ike Mahoney Memorial Most Valuable Football Player award, Boys Town Outstanding Back Award and Boys Town Athlete of the Year (1977).
Fox and the other four inductees will be recognized Friday at the Tojans’ homecoming football game against Rayburn’s Texans, as well as at a luncheon to be held at the SoHo campus earlier that afternoon. See full story in next week’s Leader.
Voter registration deadline nears
Oct. 7 last day to register to vote in Nov. 5 election
The deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 5 general election is Monday, Oct. 7.
To vote in a Harris County election, one must be registered to vote at least 30 days before the election date. To change one’s name or address, a completed and signed application is also required.
The Harris County Voter Registration Department serves more than 2.5 million registered voters in the nation’s third largest county. Voter registration materials are available in English, Spanish, Vietnamese and Chinese.
Eligibility requirements
To be eligible for registration as a voter in this state, a person must meet the following criteria:
– Be 18 years of age or older.*
– Be a U.S. citizen.
– Not be partially/totally mentally incapacitated.
– Not be a convicted felon, or otherwise fully pardoned or discharged from parole/probation.
– Be a resident of the county in which application for registration is made.
* To be eligible to apply for registration, a person must, on the date the registration application is submitted to the registrar, be at least 17 years and 10 months of age and satisfy the above requirements except for age.
Confirm status
One may easily confirm their voter registration status by searching for it on the county’s website (www.hctax.net/Voter/SearchFL) or the Texas Secretary of State’s website (teamrv-mvp.sos.texas.gov/MVP/mvp.do). If one is currently living in Harris County but are registered to vote in another county, they must be registered to vote in Harris County at least 30 days prior to Election Day in order to vote in Harris County.
Where to register
Registering to vote is fast and easy. Simply complete a Voter Registration Application and mail the signed application (at least 30 days before the election date) to the following address:
Ann Harris Bennett
Tax Assessor-Collector and Voter Registrar
P.O. Box 3527
Houston, Texas 77253-3527
Where to obtain applications
Residents may obtain a Voter Registration Application the following ways:
– Visit any Harris County Tax Office location and submit one’s completed, signed form from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.*
– Download and print an application in English on the SOS site or download here, Spanish on the SOS site or download here, Vietnamese, or Chinese
– Request an application online from the Texas Secretary of State.
– Request, via email at voters@tax.hctx.net, and the county will mail a paper application to them. Residents must provide a mailing address and phone number in their email.
– Call 713-274-VOTE (8683) to be assisted in English, Spanish, Vietnamese or Chinese.
– One can pickup an application at their local U.S. Postal office, library, high school, Texas Department of Public Safety site, Texas Health and Human Services Commission and other government offices.
Voter registration applications may be dropped off at any of the nine Harris County Tax Office locations throughout the Greater Houston area.
Pair donate mural, promote paint
Veterans mural to be done in new carbon-capture paint
Art meets science when a pair of local women join forces to create an environmentally friendly mural that salutes the troops while promoting conservationism. To be unveiled Saturday, Sept. 21, at American Legion Post 654 in Spring Branch, “Heroes in Boots” is a piece of artwork done by area artist Natalia Victoria in partnership with local NASA scientist Tanya Rogers, inventor of a new carbon-capture paint aimed at combating climate change. Together, the pair are hoping a splash of color can revitalize the aging 75-year-old landmark.
The two women have selflessly donated their time and supplies to complete the massive 20-foot by 60-foot mural, which will adorn the entirety of the Post’s front wall. Victoria said the mural is expected to take approximately two weeks to complete painting.
Loosely affiliated with the Veterans of Foreign Wars’ annual “Boots & Heroes” gala being held the previous week at the nearby Spring Branch VFW lodge, “Heroes in Boots” is an homage to former U.S. presidents, who after serving their country in the military, went on to spearhead the nation’s conservation efforts.
From establishing national parks and monuments to passing meaningful legislation aimed at protecting the country’s limited natural resources, the environmental actions taken by the presidents honored in the mural continue to shape the nation’s path forward to this date.
The concept for the mural was conceived by Victoria, who said she was initially approached by Terry Chung from Post 654 about possibly doing a mural at the aging American Legion building to coincide with the VFW’s upcoming “Boots & Heroes” event. While eager to support the worthwhile cause, such a project would require paint – a lot of paint.
Enter Rogers, who had independently approached Victoria about doing a mural to promote her new environmentally friendly paint startup company, the People’s CO2. Rogers’ project, however, would need to incorporate conservationism, Victoria said, prompting the artist to get creative in her approach when combining the visions of her two colleagues.
“It was a perfect fit,” Victoria said of the arrangement.
With nearly 15 years of professional art experience, Victoria is no stranger to tackling large jobs. She has earned multiple artistic achievements over the last decade, such as being honored by former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner; being featured on Pepsi Cola/LIFEWTR’s website; having a mural listed in 365 Things to Do in Houston magazine; and winning awards in more than a dozen local and state contests.
Also a performing artist and professional roller skater, Victoria made national headlines the summer of 2022 when she skated 1,100 miles from Houston to Chicago. A close friend of Victoria’s, Leader staff member James “Bo” Bolen joined the skater on her epic journey, serving to both promote the event to local media outlets as she rolled through town and to provide safety for the skater by following her in a brightly lit, slow moving vehicle.
Sometimes known by her alter ego Dorothy Duke, Victoria published a book last year chronicling the historic experience, titled “The World is in Your Hands” (www.amazon.com/World-Your-Hands-Natalia-Victoria/dp/B0CH2BLRNL).
This will mark Victoria’s first time working with Rogers on a project.
A Rice University graduate with a Ph.D. in chemical and biomolecular engineering, Rogers officially launched a Kickstarter campaign for the People’s CO2 this past May (www.kickstarter.com/projects/pco2/carbon-capture-paint-from-the-peoples-co2/rewards?ref=section-arts-projectcollection-17-staff-picks-category). The launch was met with great reception, as it is already now fully funded. At press time, the patent application for Rogers’ carbon-capture paint was in the final stages of approval.
“This will be my third patent for CO2 capture, and I gotta say, inventing technology to help solve environmental challenges feels pretty good,” Rogers said in a recent Facebook post.
Both Victoria and Rogers have deep family ties to the military. The mural is particularly sentimental to Rogers, as she recently lost her grandfather, a veteran responsible for much of her upbringing.
A signed print of the mural design recently fetched $500 in auction at the VFW’s annual Boots & Heroes gala, held Sept. 14.
– What: Unveiling of the “Heroes in Boots” mural honoring veterans/promoting conservation.
– When: Saturday, Sept. 21, from 7 to 9 p.m.
– Where: American Legion Post 654, 3105 Campbell Road in Spring Branch.
– More information: https://www.facebook.com/events/1289237335392451.
For additional information on Natalia Victoria, visit https://linktr.ee/envie_nataliavictoria.
For additional information on People’s CO2, visit www.thepeoplesco2.com.
E-mail mynews@southbeltleader.com with news items of interest.