Perfect synergy
Harris County commissioners pay tribute to a Nassau Bay hero by renaming the Bay Area Museum for fallen police officer
Tracey Sullivan tries to catch her breath as she talks about her late wife, a Nassau Bay police sergeant killed conducting an on-duty traffic stop in December.
“It wasn’t long enough,” she said of their five-month marriage.
Now the family and community will have a permanent way to honor 43-year-old Kaila M. Sullivan, a 16-year veteran of the Nassau Bay Police Department. Harris County Precinct 2 agreed in late June to rename a local historical building for her, marking the first time the city has officially recognized a member of the LGBTQ community with a public landmark.
The Kaila Sullivan Chapel, formerly the Bay Area Museum, is housed in a modest-sized building on NASA Road 1 originally built in 1890 but restored and relocated 6 miles from its original spot. Since the early 2000s, the Bay Area Historical Society has maintained it as a venue for weddings and civic events.
Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia, who proposed the renaming, said Sullivan’s story and passing was the catalyst to turn what had been an effort to repurpose an aging venue into a project that would pay tribute to a local hero.
“I’ve been in law enforcement for the better part of my life and it’s hard to separate yourself from it,” Garcia said. “My heart goes out anytime men or women in law enforcement go down.”
Garcia, who attended Sullivan’s 2019 memorial service, says the late officer’s impact on the Bay Area and especially Nassau Bay was evident by the tributes pouring in from all corners, including city officials, members of the
LGBTQ community and area law enforcement agencies.
The Friendswood resident was remembered as a devoted wife and mother to her son, Kaden. She was an advocate for victims of domestic violence and a motorcycle enthusiast who served as president of the Texas chapter of Sisters Eternal Women’s Motorcycle Club.
“(Sullivan’s story) moved me,” Garcia said. “I know that when things happen in a big city like Houston, or county like Harris County, it really affects a lot of people and when I learned about her life and her contributions — my heart went out to that very small community.”
Honoring Sullivan’s place in the Bay Area while retaining the building’s historical place in Nassau Bay turned out to be perfect synergy, said Garcia. Through a partnership with the historical society, Precinct 2 and the county assumed the building as part of its parks projects.
“It was a great opportunity to do two things all at once, and that was to take this beautiful building, support and maintain it and at the same time honor a fallen member of our community who has done so much,” Garcia said.
While artifacts from the space program accent its small entrance area, the building’s non-denominational worship space — with its eight pews, high-vaulted wood ceiling, antique floors, two organs and a piano that sit on a small stage near a podium — has always been its centerpiece.
“(The name-change) gives the chapel a better depiction of what it really is, which is a welcoming place to everyone, and that embraces Sullivan’s life — she was welcoming to all,” he said.
Nassau Bay, a city adjacent to Johnson Space Center, has a population of just under 4,500 people, and the Sullivan family made their home in nearby Friendswood.
According to Tracey Sullivan, her late wife was welcomed everywhere she went.
“It means so much that the community absolutely embraced my wife; they loved her,” she said. “When we met with them (Precinct 2) during the process to rename the building, they didn’t care that Kaila and I were gay, and it was just awesome.”
Sullivan was struck and killed during an on-duty traffic stop, two weeks before marking her of 16th year with the department.
“We’re very appreciative of Commissioner Garcia and the entire Harris County Commissioners Court for taking the initiative and moving forward in finding a local place to recognize Sgt. Sullivan,” said Nassau Bay Police Chief Tim Cromie. “It speaks of her reputation not only here in the Nassau Bay community but the entire south Clear Lake City area. I find it humbling for our department that the county would recognize her commitment and impact on citizens here.”
According to Cromie, Sullivan lived her life without passing judgment on others, and her colleagues in the close-knit department took that example to heart.
“To us, she was just Kaila,” said Cromie. “We loved her for the person she was.”