Visionary Altharetta Yeargin Gone

We are sad to report that Altharetta Yeargin passed away Wednesday August 13, 2014. She was 93 years old and had been living the last few years with her niece in San Marcos. Mrs. Yeargin was the first art teacher for Spring Branch in 1954. She later became the Art Director for the district and was instrumental in getting art teachers in each school.

She and her husband Bob traveled the world together, going to all the continents and most countries-some as many as seven times. He was a noted Houston commercial photographer and while he took amazing pictures, she gathered artifacts, all to bring back and show her students. Her goal was to show them how much you could learn about a culture by looking at their artwork, with the materials they used and the designs they incorporated. She later donated all of her artifacts to SBISD which became the foundation of the museum.

Along with other donations, we now have a collection valued at more than 2 million dollars. Her vision and generosity will live on through all the lives of the students she touched and those that continue to be reached each time they visit AYAM.

We are forever grateful!
Visit the art museum website.

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SBEF to Host Gala - October 25

Spring Branch Education Foundation (SBEF) will host its second Legacies of Spring Branch Gala on October 25, 2014. Marissa and Duncan Klussmann will serve as co-chairs of the celebration. The event’s theme, Haute Homecoming, is reminiscent of a district-wide reunion of past and present Spring Brand ISD legacies.

The Gala will recognize three individuals who have gone above and beyond in their efforts to support education, says Duncan Klussmann, SBISD superintendent of schools. SBISD Distinguished Alumni Award – Chief Judge Diane P. Wood, United States Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit, and senior lecturer at the University of Chicago Law School – Chief Judge Wood is an alumna of Westchester High School, SBISD, and a graduate of the University of Texas, Austin (BA & JD).

SBEF Lifetime Achievement Award – Mallory and James Shaddix – Lifelong educational and community volunteers, the couple has served SBISD students through SBEF, multiple PTAs, Community Network, Academy of Finance, Mustang Mentoring, Collegiate Challenge, SpringBoard Mentoring, Spring Branch Family Development Center and Westside Homeless Partnership. Susan & Larry Kellner Champion for Education Award – Mike Feinberg, co-founder, Knowledge is Power Program Foundation and executive vice chair, KIPP Houston – Mike Feinberg co-founded KIPP with Dave Levin; today KIPP is a network of 162 high-performing public schools around the nation with 58,000 students.

In addition to silent and live auctions and dinner, the gala will include a homecoming dance featuring Molly and the Ringwalds. Individual tickets are available at $200. Tables for 10 are $1,500 to $10,000. For more information about the Legacies of Spring Branch Gala, visit springbranchisd.com/sbef or call 713.251.2381.

For regular updates, "like" SBEF on Facebook and/or follow it on SBEF93 on Twitter and Instagram.

About Spring Branch Education Foundation The Foundation’s mission is to enhance the quality of education for every student in SBISD. Founded in 1993, SBEF provides donors with a vehicle for making tax-deductible gifts to the district. The Foundation has raised more than $8 million and received the Houston Business Promise Award from the Greater Houston Partnership.

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