Features

Barbara Burger ’83

“This is my second rodeo in Houston,” says Burger, who arrived six years ago from Northern California. “I love it here—it’s an incredibly welcoming, inclusive place. When I came back, everyone made me feel right at home.” A University trustee and the president of Chevron Technology Ventures, Burger first lived in Houston from 1997 to 2000.

Burger is also a member of the Houston Network Leadership Cabinet, a growing group of alumni and friends committed to celebrating their connections and building their network. “I embrace where I live, and here in Houston, there is so much to do and there are many ways to make a difference. I’ve seen that in my role at Chevron, in the community, and as part of the Rochester alumni network here.”

“Houston is growing so fast, and will soon overtake Chicago in terms of population,” she says. “People come from everywhere—for jobs and opportunity, and because the city is, on average, very affordable. The expression ‘dream it, do it’ is really the mind-set here.”

Houston Symphony

Jones Hall, 615 Louisiana St.

“The symphony is one of Houston’s gems,” says Burger, who serves on the orchestra’s board of directors. “It offers programs as far ranging as Harry Potter–themed concerts to Rachmaninoff piano concertos and more.”

Several Eastman School of Music alumni are members of the orchestra, too, including Anthony Kitai ’98E, Nancy Goodearl ’78E, Martha Chapman ’79E, Allen Barnhill ’77E, Joan DerHovsepian ’91E, ’94E (MM) and Kathryn Ladner ’10E.

Chevron Houston Marathon

Start line: Congress Ave. and San Jacinto St.

“Every January, thousands of runners participate in this world-class marathon,” says Burger. “And, it doesn’t matter if you finish in three hours or in six, you are greeted at the finish line and treated like a winner.” Every year, Burger runs the half marathon. Her goal is to get to the finish line early to celebrate the runners as they come in. “If you’re a runner looking for a winter race, sign up for this,” she says. “The weather is typically perfect.”

Museum of Science

5555 Hermann Park Dr.

Houston’s Museum District boasts 19 top-notch cultural institutions, including the Museum of Fine Arts, the Museum of African American Culture, and the Center for Contemporary Craft.

Be sure to visit the Museum of Science, Burger says. Its Weiss Energy Hall tells the story of energy from its many sources: oil, gas, solar, and wind. “If you are going to be in the energy capital of the US, this is where you can get a great crash course in it.”

Todd Frazier ’92E

Frazier is system director of the Center for Performing Arts Medicine at Methodist Hospital, part of the Texas Medical Center. Known as TMC, the complex brings together clinical and research programs of Rice, Baylor, the University of Texas, and other universities, as well as prominent hospitals and health care organizations into the world’s largest medical center.

A native Houstonian and a sixth-generation Texan, Frazier says his favorite places represent the soul of the city, a perspective that first blossomed at the Eastman School of Music.

“I left Eastman wanting to broaden the definition of professional success beyond the traditional orchestral and teaching roles,” he says. “This is why I have been so committed to developing music programs within the health care environment—there is such great potential there.”

Anderson Fair Retail Restaurant

2007 Grant St.

Bob Dylan, Lyle Lovett, and other folk and country music legends have cut their teeth at the rather secretive, singer-songwriter venue. Run by volunteers, it’s hidden on Montrose Avenue and rarely publicizes its hours or show details. “You have to drive by and check out the chalkboard outside the front door to see who’s coming to town and when,” he says. “Every professional musician knows about this place, and if you are invited to play there, it means something.” He adds that it’s a serious listening place. “You can get a drink and something to eat, but you’re really there for the music.”

The Original Ninfas

2704 Navigation Blvd.

The late Ninfa Laurenzo was famous to Houstonians for her great Mexican food. Her family business took off years ago and later became a franchise. Frazier suggests visiting the Original Ninfas, which is still run by the members of the Laurenzo family. “You’ll find the same kitchen and even some of the same employees who were there 40 years ago.” Frazier recommends the chicken fajitas, homemade tamales, and the diablo shrimp.

Texas Medical Center

Houston

Organized as a district and neighborhood of its own, the center features a surprising set of museums, says Frazier. Check out the Michael D. DeBakey Library and Museum, which chronicles the life of the pioneering heart surgeon; the Wallace D. Wilson Museum at the Texas Heart Institute, which presents a collection of art and other materials related to the institute’s cardiovascular technology, discovery, and care; and a new interactive digital wall at TMC’s Walter Tower, which traces 100 years of the history of Houston Methodist, one of the center’s main hospitals.

J. J. Gonzalez ’11

Gonzalez grew up in McAllen in the Rio Grande Valley, just a few miles from the Mexican border and five hours south of Houston. He moved to Houston to expand his law practice in 2017.

“The people of Houston are what make it such a great city,” says Gonzalez.

A scholarship student who served as 2011’s class president, Gonzalez was active on campus in fraternity life and LGBTQ initiatives. He spent a semester in Ecuador and did a Take 5 program in which he studied Islam.

“Rochester changed my life,” says Gonzalez, who practices real estate law. “A lot of the things I love about Rochester, I love about Houston. Both are filled with exceptional, inspiring people.”

Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

NRG Stadium

“Houston pride comes alive during the rodeo,” he says. “This is when everyone gets out their cowboy hats, boots, and western wear.” Founded in 1932 as a way to promote agriculture and showcase cowboy heritage, the rodeo now draws more than 1 million visitors a year during its annual monthlong run in February and March. In addition to traditional rodeo competitions and agricultural demonstrations, the event offers arena-filling musical performers and the World’s Championship Bar-B-Que Contest.

Gonzalez’s grandfather owned a feed and seed shop that had a regular booth at the rodeo, and since he was a little boy, Gonzalez has attended nearly every year. In the photo on page 26, Gonzalez is wearing a belt buckle his granddad made in the 1960s.

Houston Baseball and Sports

Minute Maid Park, 501 Crawford St., and other locations

Gonzalez loves sports, especially the Houston Astros. “Everyone rallies at a ball game,” he says. “People find common ground over a beer, a hot dog, and fireworks.” It’s what happens, he says, at any sporting event in town, be it baseball, football, or basketball. Gonzalez has sponsored a Sugarland Skeeters minor league ball game for University alumni and friends for the last few years.

“We rent out a skybox and celebrate our Houston and Rochester connections,” he says. “We have a lot of fun.”

Houston History

Various locations

For Texas history, Gonzalez recommends the Sam Houston Memorial Museum to learn about the man who led Texas to its independence from Mexico in 1836 and was a key political figure in the state.

Ebon Robinson ’01S (MBA)

Like Burger, Robinson is on his second tour of Houston, having arrived last year after spending four years in Brazil with Chevron, where he’s business finance manager.

Houston has the kinds of opportunities in energy and finance that Robinson was looking for when he enrolled at the Simon Business School.

“Simon didn’t offer this as a concentration, but they saw potential in it, gave me a scholarship, and believed in me,” he says. “I’m forever grateful.” He also knew of Rochester through his grandfather, Harry Bray ’38, one of the University’s earliest African American graduates.

When Robinson isn’t spending time` at home, he and his family can be found at their favorite Houston locales.

Houston Zoo

6200 Hermann Park Dr.

Robinson recommends taking the zoo’s night tour, when the temperatures are much cooler. Consider signing up for an Animal Encounter, too, and interact with sloths, reptiles, and big cats or take a zookeeper-guided walk with a dingo or cheetah.

Buffalo Bayou Park

105 Sabine St.

Plan your visit with an eye on the weather, says Robinson, but for him and many others, Buffalo Bayou Park—a 160-acre urban green space—is an ideal place to get back to nature. The park offers trails for walking, running, and cycling as well as public art spaces and places to picnic and play.

NASA

NASA Pkwy.

Serving as the training base for astronauts like Josh Cassada ’00 (PhD), NASA’s Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center is a hub for human spaceflight.

The public can visit Space Center Houston, NASA’s official visitor center and a Smithsonian affiliate. A space buff himself, Robinson regularly wears an Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch—the same model that has been a part of six lunar missions.