Archive Collection Highlights

From the Administrative Records collection

This 1977 publication offers a sweeping overview of the Hogg Foundation’s work during its first three decades. It particularly addresses changes to the Foundation’s approach in those years—from promoting mental health education to funding more direct services and programs. At the time of writing, the Foundation centers “young children and disadvantaged people” in its programs. Lastly, the report offers potential grantees an in-depth introduction to the Foundation’s grant application process.   

From the Administrative Records collection

In this 1976 letter from Hogg Foundation President Wayne H. Holtzman to UT Austin Chancellor Dr. Charles A. LeMaistre, Holtzman writes about a planned conference called “Future Perspectives” featuring an “entire Day of Celebration honoring Miss [Ima] Hogg.” He also clarifies the role of the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health in relation to the Ima Hogg Foundation, which supported the provision of direct mental health services to Harris County-based families and is now part of the broader Hogg Foundation endowment.  

From the Communications collection

The Human Condition was a radio series produced by the Foundation that ran from 1971 to 1983. The series was broadcast weekly by stations that subscribed to the Longhorn Radio Network. It featured conversations on subjects that spanned the full range of human interest, including mental health. Guests included historically notable figures such as Dr. T. Berry Brazelton, Roy Wilkins, Karl and Roy Menninger, Oscar-winning actress Mercedes McCambridge, and numerous others.  

From the Communications collection

These reports, which used to be published annually by the Hogg Foundation, summarize major programs and initiatives in which the Foundation invested. Further, the reports demonstrate that the Foundation has always taken a holistic and integrated approach to promoting mental wellness by funding education, research, and community improvement projects.  

From the Events collection

This is the agenda for the First Robert Lee Sutherland Seminar in Mental Health on Friday, May 26th, 1978. A summary of the event reads, “The initial seminar sponsored by the Hogg Foundation in memory of Dr. Robert L. Sutherland, founding Director and first President of the Foundation, is devoted to a report by the President’s Commission on Mental Health. The conference will focus on mental health programs and policies in Texas as these relate to the Commission’s study and recommendations.” Speakers included Wayne H. Holtzman, then President of the Hogg Foundation, as well as Surgeon General of the United States Dr. Julius Richmond; Texas Lieutenant Governor William P. Hobby; Harvard University Psychiatrist Dr. Shervert Frazier, and Hogg Foundation Executive Associate Reymundo Rodriguez, who was a member of the President’s Commission on Mental Health at the time. First Ladies Rosalynn Carter and Lady Bird Johnson were also in attendance.  

From the Events collection

This summary and agenda describe a conference hosted by the Hogg Foundation in Houston on March 22-25th, 1990. At a time when the number of immigrants and refugees was growing throughout North America, the Foundation—in its fiftieth year—aimed to raise awareness about the mental health landscape for immigrants. Additionally, the Foundation hoped “to initiate the formation of a North American council or working group of the World Federation for Mental Health.” Speakers included academics working in public health, psychiatry, and history; the UN High Commissioner on Refugees; and service providers from various nonprofit and public sector agencies. Importantly, the conference held space for refugees from Southeast Asia and Central America to offer firsthand accounts of their experiences.  

From the Director & Staff Files collection

In this audio recording, Executive Assistant Ida Fischer recalls the work habits of the Hogg Foundation’s founding Director and first President, Dr. Robert Lee Sutherland. Ida shares that Dr. Sutherland did much of his work for the Foundation off-campus in a small, un-air conditioned office. Her recollections not only memorialize the day-to-day activities of the Foundation’s first Director but also reveal the flexibility in the organization’s early days.  

From the Director & Staff Files collection

In this interview, the Foundation’s first Black Program Officer Adrian Fowler recalls balancing her role with a desire not to be seen as a “representative for the entire Black community.” She shares how her civically engaged upbringing in Texas prepared her for the relational work at the heart of the Program Officer position. Her approach always emphasized meeting communities where they are and relaying their perspectives to the Foundation from her liaison role. She also reflects on her work advising a student group at UT, bringing cultural competency resources to medical students, and starting a summer program for students of color seeking careers in the medical field.    

From the Hogg Family collection

In this interview from 1967, Ima Hogg recalls her brother’s introverted behavior growing up. She remembers Will as a dedicated student and “bookworm” with ambitions of being a Methodist minister. After a stint at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Will briefly decided to study law instead before moving to San Antonio. His professional ambitions eventually led him to St. Louis, Missouri, where Ima maintains Will experienced a drastic change to his personality. Suddenly her brother was “outgoing, breezy” and “an extrovert.” Ima recalls how he became more introverted again in the last few years of his life.  

From the Hogg Family collection

In this 1961 interview, Ima Hogg recalls her own experience seeking care through psychiatrist Dr. Austen Riggs for her insomnia in 1922. She recalls Dr. Riggs’ philosophy, that “every person must have a purpose in life” and his insistence that factors in childhood determined one’s motivation to achieve this purpose. In this sense, Ima was inspired by Dr. Riggs to focus primarily on education and the mental health of children in her philanthropy—an outlook that shaped her direction for the Hogg Foundation.