2023
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New Missouri City bookstore brings books— anc community —together By Juhi Varma CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Do you love reading by the window as a storm roars outside, or sipping tea under the sun at a coffee shop while losing yourself in a beautiful story? Missouri City’s newest addition might be your next favorite spot. Books & More is a new, independent bookstore in Township Square on FM 1092, near Brandani’s and Rilion Gracie Jiu Jitsu. The store is owned and operated by brother-andsister team Michael and Marissa Matherne, lifelong Fort Bend residents who wanted to bring their shared love for books and community in one space. Before opening the store, Michael spent more than eight years teaching in Fort Bend ISD. It was his experience as an elementary teacher that shaped the store’s mission and design. “I have a love for teaching as well as a love for books and community,” he said. “I wanted to bring the classroom to the community. That’s why I started Books & More .... a bookstore that offered learning opportunities and community events in addition to selling books.”
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The new Books & More in Missouri City is owned and operated by brother-and-sister team Michael and Marissa Matherne. Contributed photo
Fort Bend / Southwest • Volume 50 • No. 46 • $1.00
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New Black Cowboy Museum breaks ground By Ken Fountain KFOUNTAIN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
The early fall weather couldn’t have been nicer November 4 as dozens of people gathered at Bates Allen Park in Fort Bend County’s far southwestern edge for the groundbreaking of the long-awaited permanent home of the county’s own Black Cowboy Museum. The building, the culmination of years of effort by county officials and the dreams of museum founder Larry Callies, will be part of a much larger complex honoring Black Americans in the
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Fort Bend County officials and others “turn dirt” during the official groundbreaking of the new home of the Black Cowboy Museum in Bates Allen Park in Kendleton. Photo by Ken Fountain
REMEMBER HISTORY AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE MONUMENT UNVEILED IN KENDLETON By Ken Fountain KFOUNTAIN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
The sky was bright with a scattering of clouds on Saturday morning as hundreds of people gathered at Bates M. Allen Park in Kendleton to celebrate the dedication of the new African American Heritage Monument, the centerpiece of a park that pays homage to the lives and legacy of Black Americans. Kendleton, at the far southwestern edge of Fort Bend County, was founded shortly after the Civil War by formerly enslaved people and is one of the oldest of the so-called “Freedmen’s Towns” in Texas and the nation. Numerous descendants of the the city’s original founding families were gathered for the ceremony, which also served as a kind of homecoming and family reunion. The park project, years in the making, encompasses two historical Black cemeteries – Newman Chapel and Oak Hill – and will ultimately include a new Black Cowboy Museum (which saw its own groundbreaking ceremony a few days before) and, in
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Members of the families descended from the original founders of Kendleton gather at the base of the new African American Heritage Monument in Bates M. Allen Park on Saturday. Photo by Ken Fountain.
County honors veterans, marks Marine Corps’ 250th anniversary By Juhi Varma
Marine veterans and Fort Bend County officials gather for a group photo in honor of the U.S. Marine Corps’ 250th birthday during a Veterans Day ceremony at the Gus George Academy in Richmond on Monday. Photo by Juhi Varma
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Fort Bend County officials, veterans, and community members gathered Monday afternoon at the Gus George Academy in Richmond for the county’s annual Veterans Day Ceremony, hosted by County Judge KP George. The event honored the service and sacrifice of the nation’s veterans and included a special recognition of the 250th birthday of the United States Marine Corps, celebrating the legacy of Marines who have defended the nation under the motto Semper Fidelis, or “Always Faithful.” The U.S. Marine Corps’ birthday on November 10 is on the day before Veterans Day. “I learned early on in that duty isn’t that it’s not just a concept,” said keynote speaker Greg Babst, the county’s director of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. “Duty
is what happens at 3 a.m. when the alarm goes off, when the seas are breaking over your bow, when you’re decked and you know lives are depending on your training, your decisions and your willingness to die.” Before taking his current position, Babst served 24 years in the U.S.
Coast Guard, reaching the rank of chief warrant officer. He described his own role as a coxswain, or boat leader, while acknowledging others who interdicted drug cartels, served in remote infantry posts, or piloted aircraft, saying all their missions were united by duty,
honor, and legacy – with duty meaning showing up. Fort Bend County Veterans Service director Mark Ned spoke about the county’s ongoing efforts to support military families and returning service members. Local veterans, military families,
and community leaders filled the academy’s Patton Hall, standing for the presentation of colors and a minute of silence in remembrance of those who gave their lives in service.
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