Clear Lake Chatter

BRENDA HELLYER HONORED WITH BAHEP’S QUASAR AWARD San Jacinto College Chancellor Dr. Brenda Hellyer is presented the Quasar Award by Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership Board Chairman Todd Caliva at the Jan. 24 Quasar Banquet at South Shore Harbour Resort as BAHEP President Bob Mitchell, right, and incoming BAHEP Board Chairman Robert McAfoos, left, smile their approval. Pasadena Mayor Jeff Wagner, left, with Economic Alliance Port Region CEO Chad Burke. Seabrook Mayor Thom Kolupski and his wife, Tamara, left, stop for a photo with Bay Area Houston Transportation Partnership Chairman Carl Joiner and his wife, Colleen.

DR. BRENDA HELLYER, the San Jacinto College chancellor who has taken the Bay Area school to new heights in recent years, received a signal honor Jan. 24 when the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership presented her with its coveted Quasar Award.

BAHEP Board Chairman Todd Caliva presented the award before a blacktie crowd of nearly 600 gathered in South Shore Harbour Resort’s Crystal Ballroom. Besides becoming the educational training partner for the Houston Spaceport, the school has twice recently been awarded the Aspen Prize, listing it in the top 10 community colleges in the country. Afterwards, Bob Mitchell commented on her selection as he joined them on stage to also introduce the new board chairman, Barrios Technology President Robert McAfoos. “Brenda Hellyer represents the best in all of us,” BAHEP President Bob Mitchell said of her selection. “She is the ultimate professional who cares deeply about her family, her students, faculty and staff at San Jacinto College, and her community. Brenda’s passionate commitment to providing educational access and diverse career opportunities for everyone in the region affects us all directly or indirectly. She is highly deserving of BAHEP’s Quasar Award.”

Dozens of elected officials and their spouses were in the happy crowd, including Congressmen Dr. Brian Babin,

MARY ALYS CHERRY

Pete Olson and Randy Weber, Galveston County Judge Mark Henry and County Commissioner Ken Clark, Harris County Commissioner Adrian Garcia, State Sen. Larry Taylor, State Reps. Dr. Greg Bonnen, Dennis Paul, Mary Perez and Ed Thompson; Mayors Pat Hallisey of League City, Jeff Wagner of Pasadena, Julie Masters of Dickinson, Thom Kolupski of Seabrook, Michel Bechtel of Morgan’s Point, Mark Denman of Nassau Bay, Terri Gayle of Kemah, Louis Rigby of La Porte, Donna Rogers of Webster and Houston Mayor Pro tem Dave Martin Plus, a number of city councilors –David Robinson of Houston, Andrea Wilson, Larry Tosto, Beverly Gaines, Martin Graves, Edward Lapeyre and Jennifer Heidt of Webster; Trish Hanks of Friendswood, Greg Grippon, Andy Mann and Todd Kinsey of League City, Laura Davis, Ed Klein and Joe Machol of Seabrook; Teresa Vasquez Evans of Kemah; Jay Martin, Steve Gillette and Brandon Lunsford of La Porte; and Don Matter, Bryce Klug, Bob Warters, Matt Prior, John Mahon and Ashley Graves of Nassau Bay.

Many educators were there, including San Jac Vice Chancellors Teri Crawford, Dr. Allatia Harris and Sandra Ramirez and SJC Board members Dr. Ruede Wheeler, Larry Wilson, Marie Flickinger, Dan Mims and Erica Davis Rouse. Plus UH-Clear Lake President Dr. Ira Blake and Deans Rick Short and Miguel Gonzalez; Clear Creek ISD Superintendent Dr. Greg Smith and Dickinson ISD Superintendent Carla Voelkel.

Johnson Space Center Director Mark Geyer and Deputy Director Vanessa Wyche and their spouses were among a host of aerospace folks enjoying the event – Lockheed Martin VP Dr. Mike Hawes, GB Tech President Gale Burkett, MEI Technologies CEO David Cazes, Barrios Chairman Sandra Johnson and Program Manager Mark Polansky, Boeing officials Brian Freedman and Peter McGrath, Alpha Space CEO Mark Gittleman, NASA’s ISS Program Manager Kirk Shireman, KBR VP Genie Bopp, Oceaneering VP Mike Bloomfield, MRI Technologies President and VP Debbie and Tim Kropp, SAIC Director Charlie Stegemoeller, Cimarron VP Kurt Restemyer, Jacobs Deputy GM Paul Nemeth and Bastion Technologies President Jorge Hernandez. Turning around, you might have bumped into Kuraray President and CEO Hitoshi Toyoura and GM Robert Armstrong, BayTran Chairman Carl Joiner, Space City Films CEO Marc Havican, bankers Mike Huss, Kenny and Kristi Konkaba, Brent Cockerham, Jesse Maury and Mathew Orth; Education Foundation CEO Deborah Laine, attorneys Joe Barlow, Dick Gregg Jr. and Dick Gregg III; Rebecca Lilley and Ashlea Quinonez of Memorial Hermann, BayTran President Theresa Rodriguez, Bay Area Houston Magazine CEO Rick Clapp, Economic Alliance CEO Chad Burke, City Managers Gayle Cooke, Seabrook, Danny Presley, Webster, and Jason Reynolds, Nassau Bay; and Houston Airport GMs Mario Diaz and Arturo Machuca. Other faces in the crowd included Elizabeth and Dan Seal, Jeff and Mengo Carr, Debbie and Peter Wuenschel, Phyllis and Dr. Bernie Milstein, Beverly and Dennis Peterson, Steve and Jana Phelps, Pat and Wendell Wilson, Emmeline Dodd and Gene Hollier, John and Shari Wilkins, TJ and Beth Aulds, Harv and Carolyn Hartman, Carol and Bob Robinson and Jack and Marcy Fryday. Joyce Abbey, Kaci Hanson, Eva and Alberto deCardenas, Donald O’Connor and Kimberly Fleming, Cindy and Jeff DeWease, Glenn and Sara Freedman and newlyweds Ernie and Elizabeth Smith.

Friends toast new TxDOT Houston district en gineer DOZENS OF CLEAR LAKE friends turned out to wish Eliza Paul well and congratulate her for her recent promotion to Houston district engineer for the Texas Department of Transportation when Kippy Caraway hosted a party at her home in The Reserve in Clear Lake to celebrate during the holidays.

Several elected officials came, including Mayors Jon Keeney of Taylor Lake Village, Thom Kolupski of Seabrook, Mike Foreman of Friendswood and Michel Bechtel of Morgan’s Point; Galveston County Commissioner Ken Clark; and State Reps. Ed Thompson and Dennis Paul, who also happens to be the honoree’s husband. Nassau Bay Mayor Mark Denman had planned to attend but got stuck up north when bad weather grounded his flight home.

Early arrivals included San Jacinto College Vice Chancellor Teri Crawford and her husband, Kevin; South Belt Leader Publisher Marie Flickinger and Bay Area Houston Magazine Publisher Mary Alys Cherry, quickly followed by Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership President Bob Mitchell and Executive Director Dan Seal, Port Houston Commissioner Clyde Fitzgerald with his wife, Vickie, and NASA Chief Counsel Bernie Roan and his wife, Deborah.

Others in the crowd included Metro Board Chairman Carrin Patman, Houston Pilot Commissioner Darrell Morrison, Houston American Society of Engineers Past President Truman Edminister, Economic Alliance Houston Port Region Chairman Chad Burke, Mary Ann Shallberg, Pat and Wendell Wilson, Emmeline Dodd, Gene Hollier, Dr. Vissett Sun, Houston Automobile Dealers Chairman Wyatt Wainwright and his wife Jamie, James Cogburn and Mike Unger.

Port Houston Commissioner Clyde Fitzgerald and his wife Vickie, left, are happy to see Johnson Space Center Chief Counsel Bernie Roan and his wife Debbie at the party honoring new TxDOT Houston District Engineer Eliza Paul.

Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership President Bob Mitchell, right, visits with State Rep. Ed Thompson, Galveston County Commissioner Ken Clark and State Rep. Dennis Paul, from left, as they arrive at the celebration honoring Eliza Paul.

Faces in the crowd that came to honor Eliza Paul included San Jacinto College Vice Chancellor Teri Crawford and her husband Kevin, left, South Belt Leader Publisher Marie Flickinger, and BAHEP Executive Director Dan Seal.

Several Bay Area mayors were on hand to help honor new TxDOT Houston District Engineer Eliza Paul, third from right, at the celebration hosted by Kippy Caraway in Clear Lake. With them are, from left, are Mayors Michel Bechtel of Morgan’s Point, Mike Foreman of Friendswood, Thom Kolupski of Seabrook and Jon Keeney of Taylor Lake Village.

Haley will graduate this spring at the University of Arkansas, after which she plans to study veterinary medicine, Erica is in nursing school, and Caitlyn, who wants to be a speech therapist, is studying communication disorders at Stephen F. Austin University in Nacogdoches.

NOW, TAKE a look at the photo of Bay Area Houston Ballet & Theatre Executive Director Jill Reason of League City and her girls – three daughters, including twins, all Clear Creek High grads, and her daughter in law.

The twins, Savannah and Sydney, are on either end and daughter-inlaw, Tyler Jo, is in the middle with Jill and Jill’s daughter Ashton, who was home from Nashville, where she works for an advertising agency. The twins are seniors at the University of Alabama and will graduate in May. Sydney is studying to become a child life specialist and Savannah is majoring in education.

Tyler Jo and her husband, Dalton Reason, who met while they were working on the Houston Rodeo – love at first sight, we hear -- live in Sugarland, where she is an event planner for Shepard Exposition Services while Dalton heads off to the Houston Medical Center, where he works with Houston Methodist.

Photos add to Yule merri ment DURING THE HOLIDAYS we all seem to share some of our best photos, and this year was no exception. We found several that surely drew oohs and aahs from both friends and relatives.

Among them was one of the triplet granddaughters of banker Paul Maaz and his wife, Sharon, of South Shore Harbour in League City and the daughters of Friendswood High grad Eric Maaz and his wife, Tammy, who is originally from Dallas.

Haley, Caitlyn and Erica Maaz are all graduates of Cy Fair High.