ARTIE LEE HINDS

Artie Lee Page Hinds passed away peacefully at home on Friday, the 19th of May, at the age of 91. She was a loving and caring wife and mother and a gracious Christian lady. She was born on the 15th of July 1925 and raised in Pasadena, California. She married Jackson C. Hinds Jr. in 1946 and moved to his hometown Houston. They raised three children in Houston. She loved Houston and became actively involved as a civic volunteer and fundraiser..

From the time she was a child she was an achiever. She loved life and kept it full. She attended Pasadena schools, earned a Bachelor of Music at the University of Southern California. She was a professional violinist in the Los Angeles area, playing background music for motion pictures, a member of the Musicians Union (AF of M) locals #47 in Hollywood and #65 in Houston. She was concertmaster of the Pasadena California Symphony and a former member of the Houston Symphony. She was a child actress on radio, Los Angeles Saturday Children’s broadcasts. In 1944, she was a Princess in the Queen’s Court, Pasadena Tournament of Roses and Rose Bowl.

She is predeceased by her husband, Jackson C. Hinds, Jr. former Chairman and CEO of Entex, Inc. She is survived by her three children, Randy Hinds and wife Marcia of Boerne, Texas, Page Hinds-Athan and husband Harry Athan of Wellington, Florida. Denise Hinds Cartwright and husband Bruce of Houston and her 4 grandchildren and 9 great grandchildren: Bruce Link Cartwright Jr. of Orange County California, Jason Andrew Howard and wife, Hilary and children, Cora Rose, Wesley Dean and Helen Olive Howard of Houston; Hinds Scott Howard and wife Eriona and children Rhea Sofia, Luke Hinds, and Alec Jackson Howard of Philadelphia, Mary Liz Howard Eastland and husband Edward Eastland, their sons, Edward Junior, Andrew Scott, and Walker Seaborn Eastland of Hunt, Texas. She is predeceased by her great grandson, John James Eastland. She is also survived by her nieces, Carol Vaughn of Austin and Cindy Sweeney of Michigan and their families.

A magazine article on Artie Lee once said “her distinguished record of service rivals any Nobel laureate.” Her goal was never the record, but rather the service. Her resume reflects her tireless efforts as a volunteer. She was a member of the Houston Junior Forum and served as its President. Because of her initiative in building Houston’s first Day Center For Senior Citizens she was nominated by Governor Preston Smith and invited by President Richard Nixon to be a Texas delegate to the White House Conference on Aging in 1971. The Day Center for Senior Citizens was lauded by the President’s Commission on Aging as the finest senior citizen’s recreation center in the country.

She was elected to a seven year term with the Board of Directors of the Greater Houston Chamber of Commerce, later the Greater Houston Partnership. She served as chairman of the Civic Affairs Committee for three years and Chairman of the Civic and Cultural Committee for four years. During those years some of the programs included a list of incentives and disincentives for inner city revitalization, the formation of Clean Houston Inc., assistance in leading the Buffalo Bayou Transformation project for implementation of the first flood control improvement demonstration in the Sabine Street vicinity. She later served as Chairman of the Buffalo Bayou Partnership.

She was appointed to the Houston Municipal Art Commission by 7 mayors and served there 35 years. Working closely with her good friend, Pam Ingersoll they initiated a program to restore, preserve and maintain Houston’s entire body of city owned works of art, culminating in the complete restoration of the Sam Houston monument in Hermann Park. For this restoration, the Mayor asked her to accept for Houston the first “Monumental Defender Award” from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American Art and Heritage Preservation. This award was given in 1997 in Washington D.C.

In 1974, she was appointed by Mayor Louie Welch and City Council to the American Revolution Bicentennial Commission and served as chairman of the Heritage Committee. The major event planned by this committee was the Harris County Bicentennial Youth Fair at the Astrohall. The fair consisted of exhibits and activities showing American progress in all academic areas. It included the 21 Independent School Districts of Harris County and involved directly and indirectly 500,000 school children. She received the Freedom’s Foundation At Valley Forge Award “given for outstanding achievement in bringing about a better understanding of the American way of life”

In 1975 she was asked by the Chamber of Commerce to be the Task Force Chairman of Tranquillity Park, a bicentennial project for the city commemorating the landing on the moon in Mare Tranquillitatis (the Sea of Tranquillity) by Houston Astronauts.

In 1968 she joined the Board of Directors of the Lighthouse for the Blind and was President two years. Their industrial division moved from a deficit operation with limitations in earnings and fringe benefits to a surplus generating industry able to guarantee a minimum wage to all blind workers and an industrially sound fringe benefits package. In 1975, Artie Lee was elected to the Board of Directors of the National Industries for the Blind, a non-profit agency implementing the Javits Wagner O’Day Act for allocating industrial contracts for purchasing products made by blind persons for sale to all agencies of the federal government. This allowed Blind Work Centers across the country to compete for federal contracts. Their Skilcraft line of products is well known in government agencies. In 1999 she was awarded their highest award, the R. B. Irwin award “in grateful recognition for having devoted more than 30 years of volunteer service to blind people throughout the United States.” Her experience at the federal level led her to found “Texas Industries for the Blind and Handicapped”, she was the incorporating director and Chairman of Texas Industries for the Blind and Handicapped, a non-profit agency organized as mandated under legislation as the Texas Code of Human Resources Chapter 122 to implement a program to purchase products and services produced by persons who are blind and severely handicapped for sale to state agencies and political subdivisions. She served as Chairman of this company for 19 years. When she retired, this corporation initiated the “Artie Lee Hinds Award” as their top award to be presented to the disabled employee of the year.

She was a Director of the St Joseph Hospital Foundation and later a Life Director. She was the chairman of the Capital Fund Drive for the Women’s Hospital. That Foundation changed its name to Christus Foundation for Health Care. She was the honoree of their Annual Spring Luncheon in 2007 and was presented with their first annual Legacy Award.

In 2011 she was the honoree of the Sheltering Arms Senior Services luncheon where distinguished Pulitzer Prize winner and American political columnist, Charles Krauthammer was the guest speaker.

The University of Houston was a special love of Artie Lee’s for many years. She served on the search committee for Chancellor of U of H Downtown, charter member of Board of Visitors, elected to Board of the U of H Foundation, co-chairman of the U of H Excellence Fund Campaign, member of the Board of Development, member of the first committee to renovate and decorate Wortham House. She was presented the Community Leader Award by UHDC Alumni Association.

During her life Artie Lee saw women in America overcome many stereotypes and barriers. She watched her mother go to work in a war industry in the 1940’s and Artie Lee was on the leading edge of women accepted in typically all-male symphony orchestras. She was the second woman to ever serve on the Board of the Greater Houston Chamber of Commerce. Her concern for women and women’s issues led her to join the Delegation for Friendship Among Women, a national organization recognized by the U.S. State Department receiving briefings from U.S. Embassies in each country. She visited with women of the Republic of China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Borneo, Malaysia, Indonesia, Sumatra, Thailand, Singapore, South Africa, Kenya, Abu Dhabi, Jordan, Egypt and Havana Cuba. She was guest of Fatima Bint Mubarek, the wife of the President of the United Arab Emerites, and guest of Susan Mubarek, wife of the President of Egypt. She was a member of the Houston Sister City of Abu Dhabi.

She was a member of Tri-Delta Sorority and served as its alumnae president. In 2002 she was awarded the Community Service Award by the Lady Washington Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

The City of Houston dedicated an official day as Artie Lee Hinds day three different times in her honor and issued two Proclamations of Appreciation over the years. She was honored as the “Mayor’s Proud Partner” by the Houston Clean City Commission in 1988.

Houston and national organizations have repaid Artie Lee many times over with a long list of honors which always pleased and humbled her. She shared with her husband memberships in the River Oaks Country Club, the Cherry Hills Country Club in Denver, Colorado, and Hiwan Golf Club in Evergreen, Colorado. She was loved, respected and admired by all who knew her. She loved her precious community at the church of St. John the Divine.

The family is eternally grateful for the constant care given by Marlene Vyoral, Ivory Deal, and Ofelia Quintanilla. They made her last years fun and exciting.

Friends are cordially invited to gather with the family and share remembrances of Artie from five o’clock in the afternoon until seven o’clock in the evening on Tuesday, the 23rd of May, in the grand foyer of Geo. H. Lewis & Sons, 1010 Bering Drive in Houston.

A Memorial Service is to be conducted at eleven o’clock on Wednesday, the 24th of May at will be held at The Church of St John the Divine, 2450 River Oaks Blvd in Houston.

In lieu of customary remembrances, memorial contributions may be directed to the Artie Lee and Jackson Hinds Scholarship Endowment Fund, University of Houston Downtown, One Main Street, Houston, Texas 77002, or Christus Foundation for Health Care, P.O. Box 1919, Houston, Texas 77251, the Houston Junior Forum, P.O. Box 7941, Houston Texas 77270 or St. John the Divine Episcopal Church, 2450 River Oaks Blvd, Houston 77019, or charity of your choice.