THE BACKBENDER’S GAZETTE
Volume LV ----- Houston Gem & Mineral Society ----- July 2025
The Importance of Connecticut Brownstone
Table of Contents
Click a Table of Contents Entry to jump to that article.
Houston Gem & Mineral Society
Regional and National
American Federation of Mineralogical Societies (AFMS)
South Central Federation of Mineral Societies (SCFMS)
The Importance of Connecticut Brownstone
by Sigrid Stewart
As you drive around the Houston area, you have undoubtedly noticed that once-familiar neighborhoods have become warrens of 4-story townhouses. You would be forgiven for thinking these were a modern architectural style driven by land prices and the desire to be close to downtown, but developers have been building these city homes for a long time.
While visiting the state of Connecticut, we stopped by the Portland Brownstone Quarries in Portland, Connecticut, across the river from Middletown, Connecticut, the largest city in the Connecticut River Valley. The brownstone quarried there was used as facing stone for many townhouses from Chicago to New York City and Washington D.C., so much so that the homes themselves came to be known as “brownstones”.
Brooklyn Heights, the first suburb of New York City, is a famous brownstone district. Generally, a basement or ground floor housed servants and utility rooms, with parlors and bedrooms on the upper floors.
This building material is a brown sandstone of Triassic to Jurassic age and was first quarried in 1690 by a man named James Stanclift, who traded stonework for land in Middleton. The Brainerd Quarry Company began commercial quarrying in 1783. At its peak, 1500 workers were shipping the product on company ships during the warmer months.
Between 1833 and 1884, the business deeded some profits to Wesleyan University and many campus buildings were built using Portland Brownstone. Eventually, fashions in architecture changed and the stone became less popular. In 1936 and again in 1938, floods closed the quarries permanently. Only minor quarrying for replacement stone has been possible. Today, Brownstone Adventure Sports Park is based in the former quarry.
References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brownstone
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portland_Brownstone_Quarries
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooklyn_Heights
https://www.mammothnewyork.com/blog/nyc-brownstones-architectural-history#:~:text=At%20its%20core%2C%20a%20%22brownstone,transitions%20within%20New%20York%20City.
Wesleyan College Row photo:
By Smartalic34 at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6256376
Other photos by Sigrid Stewart and Steve Blyskal
Section News
Beading – Second Saturday, 12:00 PM
At our next meeting, on Saturday, July 12th at Noon Ginger will teach a beaded Kumihimo bracelet. Kits will be available for this project.
Materials Needed
- Eight strands of thread of 24″ each or 4 strands 48″ each (I use the 4 stand method to start my projects. Each strand will count as two strings).
- 25 to 30 (depending on how long you want your bracelets) size 6/0 beads for a total of 150 to 180 beads
- Two end caps
- One clasp
- Two jump rings
- Glue (E-6000 clear is a good choice)
- Scissors
- Kumihimo Disk (I have found them at Michaels in the children’s craft area).
- Thread Bobbins (optional
- Weight (this is optional, but I highly recommend having one)
- On Saturday, June 14th, Ann Money taught a wrap bracelet on leather using two hole beads.
- We have welcomed new members from the Houston Bead Society.
NOTICE: Do you have a bracelet or necklace that needs restringing? The Beading Section will carefully restring your piece at an hourly rate of $15.00 + materials. Contact Beading @HGMS.org to make arrangements. All funds will go to the Beading Section.
Always bring beading mat, scissors, wire, wire cutter, round nose and needle nose pliers, thread, and beading needles if you have them.
Find out more about the Beading Section!
Gemstones and Faceting – Second Thursday, 6:30 PM
Our next meeting will be July 12th at 6:30 pm.
- The subject is “Learn from My Mistakes”.
- The Section has a new chairman, Randy Carlson, assisted by John Lee.
- Randy is also starting a new club, Sam Houston Gem and Mineral Club at Sam Houston State University.
- Pat Cockeral donated two digital UltraTecs and other equipment to the Gemstones and Faceting Section.
- The theme for the show for Gemstones and Faceting will be synthetic, lab-created stones.
Learn more about the Gemstones and Faceting Section here.
Lapidary and Silversmithing – Third Monday, 7:00 PM
The next meeting will be on July 16th starting at 7:00 pm.
- We will alternate between lapidary and silversmithing projects.
Email Lapidary@hgms.org if you have questions, and check out the Lapidary and Silversmithing Section page.
Day Light – First Wednesday, 12:00 PM
The Daylight Section meets the first Wednesday of the month from 12:00 to 3:00 PM.
Please register for this session at daylight@hgms.org so that I will have the correct amount of supplies for the session. There will be a charge of $5.00 per participant.
Maybe you could make a convertible necklace/glasses holder like these ladies!
Mineral – Third Wednesday, 7:30 PM
Our next meeting will be a hybrid meeting on July 16th at 7:30 pm.
The link for the Zoom meeting is https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4517997588?pwd=SnZjckZBTnRMbHRxZitScE9WU3RWUT09
- We will continue the common rock-forming minerals series with Feldspar Part 2! We will discuss feldspar formation and bring specimens to show everyone. There will be snacks and a door prize.
- The idea is that there are lots of beautiful, exotic, expensive minerals, but there are plenty of common minerals that are accessible, inexpensive and easy to identify!
- Bring a mineral to show or identify.
Email mineral@hgms.org to request details.
Paleontology – Third Tuesday, 7:30 PM
The next meeting is Tuesday, July 17th at 7:30 pm. Paleo Section member Al Robb will present a talk entitled “Mozambican Paleontological Odyssey” at the July meeting.
Chris Povinelli will also give a short presentation on spiral fossil burrows during Show and Tell at the beginning of the meeting. Hope to see you there!
Zoom link for the meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86053771923?pwd=ek5lNlk5SGFYNjN6U29ONU4xVElyQT09
or
Meeting ID: 860 5377 1923
Passcode: 826994
If you’d like to join the Paleo Section email list, send an email to hgmspaleosection@gmail.com and ask to be added.
And by the way, we are looking for someone to help run Zoom meetings!
Youth, First and Third Saturdays, 10:00am – 12:00pm
Mostly we will be working on cabochons. Children must be accompanied by parents.
Volunteers Needed
HGMS needs someone to answer the HGMS phone! The HGMS phone would be transferred to the volunteer’s phone after 3 rings at the clubhouse. The volunteer would direct calls to Section Chairmen, Committee Chairmen, or just answer the caller’s question.
I answered the phone for about 7 years. I received calls about 5 times a week. It is important to answer or get back to a caller soon, because many calls are time sensitive about meetings.
Thank you in advance for volunteering for this important part of our publicity and service.
Contact me directly with any questions and volunteer commitments.
Nancy English
HGMS Secretary, Volunteer Committee Coordinator,
nancyjodi@aol.com
832-722-5441
Another Way to Make a Difference for Your Hobby
Please read the article in this post by Don Shurtz, President SCFMS, about volunteering.
SCFMS News – Make a Difference!
CONTRIBUTIONS WELCOME!
SCFMS exists for the benefit of our member clubs and we are all volunteers. Please consider enriching our club by making a photo, drawing, or written contribution to the newsletter about a geology or earth science related topic.
Pick a topic that interests you and give it a go. Please send it me at scfmsedi-tor@yahoo.com by the 20th of the month prior to the expected publication date and I would be glad to work with you to finalize your item for this newsletter.
Susan Burch, Editor
scfmseditor@yahoo.com
Education
Beginning Enamel
In this class, we will cover the fundamentals of vitreous enameling. This will include metal preparation, sifting, wet-packing and counter enameling. We will be transferring the image of a simple sunflower and filling it with colors using both transparent and opaque enamels. We will also cover attaching glass balls to the enamel and using outline black to refine the piece.
This will be a two day class starting on Saturday July 12, 2025 from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. and continuing on Sunday, July 13, 2025 from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
There will be a short break for lunch. The cost of the class is $225.00 for members; $250.00 for nonmembers. Class size is four to make and limited to six.
You will need to bring small craft paint brushes such as these:
https://www.michaels.com/
necessities-10171138?com_id=
https://www.hobbylobby.com/
set/p/64228?queryId=
Many of you probably already have these, so they will not be provided. You will need to wear cotton clothes and closed toe shoes. You will also need to bring a N-95 particles mask.
The enamels, copper blank, a very small liner brush and all other equipment will be provided, along with an inexpensive bezel setting for the finished enamel.
Here are examples of some past students’ work:
Deborah Kirkpatrick is a former Artist in Residence at the Center for Contemporary Crafts, SNAG, HMAG,GANA, HGMS and GIA member.
Note: This class had to be cancelled.
Shop and Building News
The lapidary section will be doing an inventory on their cabinets and on the cabinets in the silversmithing room. To evaluate how we can use this equipment better. After lengthy discussion we have decided there are too many unauthorized keys to the cabinets so we will have the the cabinet locks rekeyed. Anyone needing a key to these cabinets please contact the lapidary section so we can get one to you.
The Jewelry Studio will have a supervisor on Wednesday July 2 from 11:00am – 3:00pm. If you need help completing a project or just need to work on some metalsmithing, come on by.
Rockhound Skin Safety
by Don Shurtz, President SCFMS
From the May-June Newsletter
I like to write about rocks and minerals – their chemical properties, where they are found, and oddities associated with them. For the SCFMS Newsletter, I need to write about other things like the status of the SCFMS, the SCFMS Convention, and similar topics. However, I will write about something totally different for this column.
As a youth, I spent a lot of time in the sun. There was little league, swimming, tennis, swimming, roller-skating, swimming, biking, swimming, rock polishing, swimming – you see the pattern. My father built the first private swimming pool in our small community. The concept was so novel that neither the town nor the county had anything in its building codes about private swimming pools. They rapidly made copies of the code from the large city about 40 miles away. They changed the city and county names as appropriate, and there it was – a building code for swimming pools. A month later, we had a swimming pool. The family and all the neighborhood kids had a great time for years. So, what comes along with a lot of time outside, particularly when swimming? The sun with all its UV rays! I think the only form of sunblock that we had was a T-shirt, and we all knew that only wimps wore T-shirts when swimming. Even that long ago, the lifeguards at the town pool used zinc oxide on their noses to block out the sun. Some had a large umbrella over their chair and no other protection. The swimmers didn’t even have the zinc oxide on their noses.
For the last 10 to 15 years, I have been paying for all that time in the sun. It started with a sore that looked like a pimple but would not heal. It was a basal cell carcinoma – a mild skin cancer. The basal cell was removed; I have seen a dermatologist regularly since then. Every visit, the dermatologist uses liquid nitrogen to freeze off pre-cancer areas and occasionally removes a basal cell carcinoma by surgery. I had one surgically removed from my nose in April of this year. The golf-ball-size surgical dressing was in place for two days, then a surgical dressing for the next three weeks. This particular surgery has been the hardest one to recover from. It is not something I want to wish on anyone.
So, how does all this tie in with being a rockhound? We wait all winter for the weather to be nice enough to get out on field trips. Unfortunately, many field trips stretch into the hot summer months. The sun in the spring and summer is out to get you. You need to use a good sun-block cream. I personally use SPF 100. It would also help to wear long-sleeved T-shirts, which are easy to wear in the early spring, but the short-sleeved shirt generally prevails when the temperature heats up. Unfortunately, the UV rays we currently experience are not doing all the damage.
The effects of UV light are cumulative. The damage from the UV rays as a youth stays with you and worsens. That is why so many older people end up with skin cancers. If you have a darker complexion, consider yourself lucky; the fair-skinned people are most prone to the issue. If you want to go on a rock-collecting trip in the summer months, my first recommendation is to wait until later in the year. However, most of us (including myself) ignore that recommendation – strike when the opportunity arises. So, when you go, take plenty of sunblock and use it several times daily. If possible, long-sleeved shirts are better. A canopy over the top of your collecting area would be nice if practical. And don’t forget about all the other necessities – water to keep hydrated, the right tools, a first aid kit, food, etc. Also, remember that all field trips do not need to be rock collecting – a trip to a museum, a rock shop, or a gem and mineral show will work and may save you a lot of grief later in life. Protect your skin!
SCFMS News - Make a Difference!
by Don Shurtz, President SCFMS
From the May-June Newsletter
Now, putting on a different hat – it is time to write a little about the SCFMS. We need only one District VP – a representative for the Southeast Texas district to fill out the elected officer compliment of the SCFMS. (Houston area – that’s us!) In the last newsletter, I mentioned that Becky Copenhagen had volunteered to be our new Secretary. With a bit of pressure from Becky, her husband, Kris Copenhagen, has volunteered to be the District V (West Texas) Vice President. Thank You, Kris, and Thank You, Becky.
This summer, I will reach eighty years old. It is time for me to start shedding some of my SCFMS positions. Is there anyone out there who will be willing to be the SCFMS Webmaster? Several club web admins do great work with their club website. The effort to maintain and update the SCFMS website would be easy if you knew a little bit about web design.
How about someone to take on the Website Contest Chair position? It would take about twenty to thirty hours each year. The effort would be centered around the end of September to get entries for the contest and then a few hours to get the winners entered into the AFMS contest. The AMFS Website contest chair has automated and simplified many of the tasks.
The SCFMS Scholarship Chair is another easy task. You receive all club donations to the AFMS Scholarship Fund and forward them to the Fund Treasurer. You need to track the donations and write a “Thank You” letter for each donation, which is basically busy work. You would also be expected to attend the annual AFMS Scholarship Fund meeting at the AFMS Convention – but that could be accomplished by Zoom. If you are interested, I would be happy to talk to you further about explaining these positions.
Bench Tips
DO BEZELS SHRINK ?
The engineer in me says there’s no reason a bezel should shrink when I solder it onto a base plate, but I sometimes find that the stone won’t quite fit into the bezel that was perfect just before soldering.
If that ever happens to you, here’s a fix that usually works for those times when there’s just a minor problem. I file or sand the stone down a little around its base. For soft cabs like Turquoise, Lapis, Jet or Howelite, you can use a sanding stick. Harder cabs like jasper or agates will require a diamond file. In a pinch, a ruby nail file from the drug store will work.
There are two important things to remember when doing this. First, you can only make a minor adjustment to the stone’s size. All filing or sanding has to be hidden by the bezel because it takes the polish off the stone.
Secondly, remember to round off all sharp edges on the bottom of the stone. A sharp edge here might sit on a little extra solder at the bottom joint of your bezel. Any problem with the fit in this area might break the stone as you burnish the bezel down onto it.
Straightening Wire
Have you ever reached for your silver wire only to find that it’s all bent up? The easiest way I’ve found to straighten it out is to stretch it a bit.
Simply put one end in the bench vise and grab the other end with a pair of serrated tip pliers. Then pull just enough to feel the wire stretch like a rubber band. This works best on smaller wire diameters, up to about 16 ga.
Be careful if you are trying to pull hard on a thick wire. Brace yourself in case the wire breaks or pulls out of the pliers.
Field Trip to Fort Kerr
by Mike Dawkins
The Paleo section had a field trip in May 25, 2025 to Fort Kerr, the famous petrified wood house in Columbus, Texas. We were hosted by Debbie Damon. We had 23 HGMS members and a few neighbors come to visit. We were told about the history of the house (built in 1947) and for those that were interested, also got a tour of the inside.
Scott Singleton gave us an education about the origins of the wood and showed off the book “STONE-TREE HOUSES OF TEXAS” by Charles Garrett in which this house is featured. It is quite an amazing house.
We were able to collect some pieces of fossil wood left over from the construction. One of the neighbors had a fossil and rock collection and those that were interested also got a tour of his mini-museum. Everyone had a good time and enjoyed getting outside.
Organic Material Can Survive Fossilization
by Sigrid Stewart
For many years, scientists have maintained that organic molecules could not survive fossilization. Now, a study by researchers at the University of California in Los Angeles and the University of Liverpool, U.K., have published a study showing that collagen, a component of bones, was detected in a dinosaur hip bone. Previous claims of original organic materials were dismissed as contamination by modern life.
The specimen tested was a large well-preserved bone from a Edmontosaurus, a duck-billed dinosaur of late Cretaceous age found in the Hell Creek Formation in South Dakota. This area is famous for dinosaur discoveries. This particular bone was not completely fossilized, and mass spectrometry of an area in the middle revealed unaltered hydroxyproline, an amino acid found only in collagen in bones.
This discovery opens possibilities to explore fossils of many kinds in much greater detail. In this way, it is similar to discoveries of fossilized dinosaur skin and feathers, which have radically changed our perception of dinosaurs.
References:
Tuinstra, L., Thomas, B., Robinson, S., Pawlak, K., Elezi, G., Faull, K. F., & Taylor, S. (2025). Evidence for endogenous collagen in Edmontosaurus fossil bone.
Analytical Chemistry. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.4c03115
https://www.newsweek.com/fossils-dinosaurs-paleontology-collagen-mass-spectrometry-2025392
HGMS Board of Directors Meeting
Meeting Minutes for June 3, 2025
| Board Member | Section Board Member | ||
| President – LT [Logan] Wilcox | X | Beading – Maggie Manley | |
| 1st Vice President – John Moffitt | X | Day Light – Fred Brueckner | |
| X | 2nd Vice President – Sarah Metsa | Gemstones & Faceting – Randy Carlson | |
| X | Treasurer – Rhett Cooper |
Lapidary & Silversmithing – Richard Good | |
| X | Secretary – Nancy English | X | Mineral – Ray Kizer |
| Past President – | X | Paleontology – Mike Dawkins | |
| X | Web & Show – Scott Singleton |
2nd Vice President Sarah Metsa called the Zoom meeting to order at 7:45 p.m. A quorum was present.
Approval of Minutes – Secretary Nancy English
Nancy English moved, effective immediately, to change the signatures on the Paleo HGMS accounts at Smart Financial be changed as described below and taken from the letter signed by the Paleo Section Acting Secretary, Jenean Slamen. Maggie Manley seconded the motion, and it passed.
The following members shall be added as authorized signatories on the above accounts and certificates of deposit:
Raymond L. Kizer
Michael Dawkins
Carol Jenean Slamen
Rhett Cooper
The following members shall be removed as authorized signatories on the above accounts and certificates of deposit:
Christopher Peek
James (Jim) Paras
Nancy admitted that the April and May Board meeting minutes are not finished.
Treasurer’s Report – Treasurer Rhett Cooper sent the April 30, 2025, Treasurer’s Report to members on May 6, 2025. Rhett moved $20,000 out of Chase to Live Oak Bank to earn interest. He will move it back to Chase to pay the final Show venue fees.
MOTION Nancy English moved to let the Live Oak Bank CD rollover at maturity in June. Ray Kizer seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously. It earns 5% annually.
Treasurer Rhett Cooper will send Education Chairman Maggie Manley the W-9 form for the instructors. Anyone who earns more than $600.00 per year must complete one.
Rhett Cooper has a list of contractors to contact about the ventilation. However, Shop users are asking him to wait to shut down the Shops for construction until their summer breaks are over. So, they can continue working. He will be emailing the Board for bid approval in August.
The Treasurer@hgms.org is not working correctly. If anyone has not received reimbursement, please contact him. He will be out of pocket for the 1st 2 weeks of July. So, there may be delays getting back to people.
Rhett Cooper has priced 360-degree cameras. He will get with Logan Wilcox to be sure they agree on the replacement of cameras. Ray Kizer said we are looking for higher resolution. If 360 cameras show more area but no higher resolution, then it won’t work. Mike Dawkins and Fred Brueckner are concerned that our current system cannot accept higher-resolution cameras. Rhett said the cameras have a zoom-in feature. But Mike Dawkins said he has the same system, and it will not take a higher resolution camera. We are talking about a whole new system. Rhett will talk about those details with Logan (LT) Wilcox.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
Clubhouse Maintenance – Dean Wix replaced batteries in the wall clock.
Donations, Sales, Auction Committee (DSAC) – Ray Kizer HGMS received another $4,400 from the last auction. We split that 50/50 with Gary Anderson’s daughter. Steve Bylskal is talking with Katy Rock Shop about buying part of Gary Anderson’s donation. Clyde McMeans sold more at the May General Meeting. He did not take the tax. Someone backed the tax amount out for him and sent the information to Rhett.
A school donated rock training kits for topography and kits for identification, including graduated sieves. Nancy English asked for some of the sieves for the Dino Dig. Ray said yes.
Education Committee – Maggie Manley: Debbie Kirkpatrick is teaching an enameling class. Maggie said Debbie is an excellent teacher. Sharon Halton is, too. Treasurer Rhett Cooper asked Maggie Manley for W-9s for all the instructors. He will send her the blank to provide to the teachers.
Safety/Policy Committee – Rhett Cooper said no report on the ventilation system project.
Membership Committee – Sarah Metsa did not have new and renewed memberships in May. She will provide them later in the month. She has been moving back into her house. So, have new members later. Ten more online memberships have been sent.
Student Membership: The Board reconsidered Tony Dincau’s request to establish a Student Membership at a discounted rate. After the discussion, a motion was made.
MOTION: Nancy English moved to establish a Student Membership with the following criteria.
- The dues will be $35.00 per year.
- Eligible candidates must be under 26 years old.
- The Student membership has all privileges and the right to vote and to hold office, subject to the provisions of Article II, Section 1.
Maggie Manley seconded the motion. Six members voted for, and one voted against. The motion passed.
- The HGMS Bylaws have been updated to acknowledge this membership addition.
- The HGMS.org membership page and online form have been updated so students can join online.
- The Website has been updated.
- The paper enrollment form will be updated.
- A formal announcement will be made when the system and form are updated.
Volunteer Committee – Nancy English and Daniel Rodriguez. No report.
Scholarship Committee – Mike Sommers and Daniel Rodriguez. Mike Sommers reported via email that he has eight applications so far. Mike is verifying all the info received for each candidate. Then, he will distribute them to those who wish to evaluate them. Ray Kizer asked how many scholarships we will be giving out. Nancy explained that we give away three $2500 scholarships budgeted by HGMS. However, this year we have $6,000 more donated by someone who donated their father’s rock collection. And we have $2,500 from the Elizabeth Jean Smith scholarship fund. So, the committee would like to give more scholarships this year.
Show Committee – Scott Singleton needs help at the Homeschool convention this weekend.
SECTION REPORTS
Beading Section – Maggie Manley in person: second Saturday, 12:00 p.m., June 14, July 12, August 9.
Maggie held a wonderful Open House meet-n-greet for the prospective Beading Section members. Eighteen Houston Beading Society members joined. Maggie is signing the contract for the Beading Retreat for September 12. She will ask Scott West at Pathfinder to send the insurance liability page directly to the hotel. He is waiting for her call. Maggie also asked for the library spreadsheet so she could enter donated beading books onto the computer. She has several boxes of books about beading to donate to the HGMS Library.
Day Light Section – Linda Krzywicki in person: first Wednesday, 12:00 p.m., June 4, July 2, August 6.
Day Light is doing a pot holder crochet project on June 4.
Gemstones and Faceting Section – Turner Whitham Zoom Hybrid: second Thursday, 6:30 p.m., June 12, July 10, August 14.
Turner Whitham resigned effective June 3, 2025. “I’m writing to formally resign from my position on the HGMS Board and as Chair of the Faceting Section, effective immediately. I’ve accepted a role overseas that will require my full attention.” Turner left a list of future projects for the next chairperson.
Lapidary and Silversmithing Section – Tony Lucci in person: third Monday, 7:00 p.m., June 16, July 21, August 18.
Mineral Section – Steve Blyskal Zoom program planned: third Wednesday, 7:30 p.m., June 18, July 16, August 20.
Paleo Section – in person: third Tuesday, 7:30 p.m., June 17, July 15, August 19. Mike Dawkins reported that 23 people went on the field trip to the Petrified Wood House.
Youth Section– Beverly Mace in person: first and third Saturdays, 10:00 a.m. to Noon, June 7 & 21, July 5 & 19, August 2 & 16.
OLD BUSINESS
Vote on the latest Bylaws.
MOTION: Ray Kizer moved to approve the most recent iteration of the Bylaws. Maggie Manley seconded the motion, and it passed. The new Bylaws will be emailed to the membership now so we can vote on them at the July General Meeting.
DSW Landscaping: Plant 2 Texas Sage scheduled for May 14 or 15.
Per my conversation with Audrey Kelly at Coir Management, the landscapers will install 2 Texas Sage plants in the front (Brooklet) and leave two to be planted by HGMS. All four have been planted. We will get an actual bill for about $25.00 each.
Per Audrey Kelly at Coir Management, via email. The landscaping assessment [after the hurricane and derecho] was not enough to cover replacements. Due to a lack of funds, the new plant installation is being charged to the tenants. Texas sage is called barometer bush because it blooms after a rainfall, an increase in humidity, or a change in barometric pressure. A low-maintenance plant tolerates drought and humidity, but it doesn’t like too much shade. Overwatering, insufficient drainage, and too little sun can cause growing problems.
NEW BUSINESS
Dunn SW Business Park Association produced a Crime Prevention Meet and Greet on May 29, 2025, at Tanches Global Management. HGMS received valuable information about Jugging from 2 Houston’s finest: Jharyde Nickerson and Ana Bertens.
Jugging is a robbery by a person running up to you and grabbing whatever you are carrying, then running off, usually to a waiting vehicle.
- Install motion sensor exterior lighting around your property. Nancy will ask Dunn Southwest about exterior lighting specifications.
- Install exterior and interior video cameras.
- Always be alert when leaving a bank, particularly when you exit your vehicle at home or, office. Pay attention to gas stations, shopping malls, and grocery stores.
- Trespass Affidavit
The Houston Police Department is asking that you, as business owners, sign and notarize a Trespass Affidavit so they can hold suspects caught breaking into your property after normal business hours.
- If a Trespass Affidavit is not on file, the police may be forced to release suspects caught in the act of burglarizing your property unless you can be contacted by phone and you advise them you are willing to prosecute.
- Please help the Houston Police Department help you! Every commercial property owner submitting a Trespass Affidavit must submit:
- The Trespass Affidavit Data Sheet
- Affidavit for Residential/Apartment Complex or
- Affidavit for Business or Commercial Property
- Notarize both documents.
Send to:
Houston Police Department
Westside Crime Analysis Unit
3203 S. Dairy Ashford
Houston, Texas 77082
MOTION Maggie Manly moved that Nancy English, HGMS Secretary, prepare and submit the Trespass affidavit to the Houston Police Department. It will be mounted on both entrance doors. Ray Kizeer seconded the motion, and it passed.
Maggie Manley volunteered to be a backup for the Dunn Southwest meetings.
The next Board of Directors Zoom meeting is on the first Tuesday, 7:30 p.m., July 1, 2025.
The next General Meeting will be on the fourth Tuesday, 7:30 p.m., June 24, 2025.
Adjourn: Ray Kizer moved to adjourn. Nancy English seconded the motion, and it passed. The meeting adjourned at 8:55 p.m.
HGMS General Meeting Minutes
Minutes for June 24th, 2025
by Nancy English
The minutes for the June 24th General meeting will be posted when available.
Upcoming Shows
-
- August 9-10, Baton Rouge Gem and Mineral Society, Lamar Dixon Expo Center, https://www.facebook.com/groups/batonrougegemandmineral/
- August 16-17, Ark-La-Tex Gem and Mineral Society, Bossier City Civic Center, https://larockclub.com/
- October 17-19, Gem and Mineral Society of Austin, Palmer Events Center, https://www.agms-tx.org/
- October 18, SCFMS Convention hosted by G&MS Austin, 6719 Burnet Ln, Austin, TX 78757
- November 1-2, Paleontological Society of Austin, Old Settler’s Heritage Association, https://www.austinpaleo.org/fest.html
- November 1-2, Midland Gem and Mineral Society, Bush Convention Center, https://www.midlandgemandmineral.org/
- November 7-9, Houston Gem and Mineral Society, Humble Convention Center, https://hgms.org/
Permission to use material originating in this newsletter is given freely providing that credit is given to the author and the source. Articles published in the BBG may be edited for grammar and content and should be submitted before the 15th day of the month. Email content and comments to editor@hgms.org.