Melissa Kean, former Centennial Historian of Rice University, was honored March 10 at the 41st Friends of Fondren Library Gala.
The dinner and auction was held at the River Oaks Country Club, with all proceeds going toward physical improvements to Fondren Library.
Kean, who was honored for her 30 years of service to Rice and the library, is known for her dedication to the people of the university's past, speaking about them as though they were her friends even if she's never met them, and gathering pieces of the university’s history as if assembling a jigsaw puzzle. Her patience and determination have unearthed troves of memorabilia now safely residing in Fondren’s Woodson Research Center. She also strengthened Rice’s place in the broader community when, after Hurricane Harvey flooded synagogues and businesses, she and her colleagues rescued countless important records, many of which were later donated to the Houston Jewish History Archives in the Woodson.
To learn more about Kean, watch this video. To learn more about Friends of Fondren, click here.
(Photos by Jenny Antill)
