Houston's Most Fascinating People In 2017

HOUSTON, TX — There are no shortage of characters or interesting people in a city the size of Houston, but cast the net a little wider and you will hit the motherlode of interesting people who are good, and maybe not so good, but still contribute to the diversity of our area, if not provide a good story.

In the Houston area alone, the names of athletes are prominent among the local folk heroes.

Years ago, names like Bum Phillips, Nolan Ryan, and Hakeem Olajuwon were tops in Houston, and anyone who has lived here for any number of years probably believes those names still belong on that list, and they wouldn’t be wrong.

However, for 2017 the list is dubious for a number of reasons, and the names that populate it are not only just a smattering of local athletes and politicians, but a noted few who either contributed to their neighbors or communities, or affected the news in Houston and the surrounding area in some small way.

Politics:
Politicians played a huge role in the greater Houston area in 2017 for a number of reasons, and while some of that had to do with Hurricane Harvey, there were others who contributed interesting stories to our area.

Among those were Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and Harris County Judge Ed Emmett who tag-teamed and worked tirelessly during Hurricane Harvey to help keep the peace and drive unity and community spirit in a time of real crisis. Both may have already been familiar faces to many Houstonians, but they became a little more human to many in Houston's time of need.

Houston City Council Member Dave Martin, who is from Kingwood, was on the front lines at the height of Hurricane Harvey working with officials in Humble ISD, as well as in Clear Lake to get as many residents to safety as possible. In the days that followed Harvey, Martin blasted the American Red Cross for their lack of help during the crisis.

Gordy Bunch, who serves as the chairman on the Woodlands Township Board Of Directors, may not be a household name outside of the northwest Houston area, but he made headlines in September when the debate over Confederate statues was red hot. While statues were being removed in Dallas, Austin and San Antonio, Bunch suggested those statues be moved to The Woodlands, and ridiculed those who were attempting to eliminate history, according to a Houston Chronicle report. Bunch later apologized for his comments, and those statutes never made it to The Woodlands.

Former Pasadena Mayor Johnny Isbell found himself on the hotseat in late 2016 and early 2017, and knee-deep in a lawsuit between the City of Pasadena the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF), which claimed a voting scheme passed by voters in 2013 diluted the growing Latino voting bloc. The city lost its case with U.S. District Judge Lee Rosenthal calling the voting scheme “racially polarizing.” The City appealed to the 5th U.S. Circuit in February and lost there as well. This summer, newly elected Mayor Jeff Wagner asked the city council to settle the case.

In Fort Bend County, it was a decal that some considered crude and inappropriate that drew the ire of Sheriff Troy Nehls in November. Nehls took to Twitter with a photo of the sticker and the truck and claimed there had been numerous complaints. The sticker was straight forward and said: “F[][]K TRUMP AND F[][]K YOU FOR VOTING FOR HIM.” Nehls use the media to ask the truck owner to come forward and discuss. Karen Fonesca, who owns the vehicle, refused to remove the sticker, and refused to meet with Nehls. She was later arrested on an outstanding fraud warrant out of Rosenberg and added Nehls name to her sticker afterward. As far as aneyone knows, Fonesca has not removed her decal.

Athletes:

Houston's athletes stepped up in a big way to make the city proud in 2017, most notably the Houston Astros, who won their first ever World Series championship, proving they are not just another ordinary team, but actually pretty extraordinary. Jose Altuve was named the Most valuable Player in the American League, Manager A.J. Hinch was named Manager of the Year by Baseball America, and George Springer was named World Series MVP. All very cool and well-deserved, but of course, it was Carlos Correa who stole the show with a marriage proposal immediately after winning the Wold Series title.

Texans defensive end J.J. Watt showed his love for the city after Hurricane Harvey when he started a fundraiser for flood victims with the goal of raising just $200,000. Within hours of announcing the fundraiser, the pot was sitting at $8 million, and within just a few days it was nearly $20 million. A month after starting the fundraiser, $37 million had been raised. Since then, some of the money has been distributed to charities that Watt felt were doing the most good for Houstonians. The rest will be distributed in 2018. Still the efforts of one man — athlete or not — impacted thousands.

It's not every day that a rookie quarterback donates his very first game check as a pro to help someone else, but that's exactly what Houston Texans rookie Deshaun Watson did. Weeks after Hurricane Harvey, Watson presented checks to three NRG stadium employees who'd been affected by Hurricane Harvey, KTRK reported. The checks totalled about $27,000.

While many made a positive impact in the Houston area, there were instances representatives of local sports teams slip up. That's what happened to Texans owner Bob McNair, who during an NFL owners meeting where discussions focused on players said, "We can't have inmates running the prison." The remark, whether it was a reference to NFL thuggery or mere expression, was enough to lead to frustration disappointment and anger between McNair and his players, and players on other NFL teams. Even weeks later, the affects are still being felt.

Neighbors:

The heart of any community is always demonstrated by the people we call our neighbors, those who insert themselves into the community and never hesitate to reach out and help, when needed.

Houston's Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale is among Houston's most iconic faces. His commercials have graced the airwaves for more than 30 years, promising to "Save You Money." But when the rain began to fall that the images began to flash of th devastation of Harvey, Mack opened his three Gallery Furniture stores and took in the displaced, giving them a place to sleep and food to eat. He was the epitome of neighborly and loving to a ravaged city and days later, took in donations of cleaning supplies and food that were distribute to those who are still picking up the pieces. On Nov. 28, Mack gave $13,000 worth of new furniture to Virginia and Daniel Saldivar, who lost their home and six members of their family during Harvey.

Humble ISD Superintendent Elizabeth Fagen hasn't been in the Houston area very long, having taken the reins of one the Houston area's most successful districts in 2016. Classes were delayed for many in the Houston area because of Hurricane Harvey, but the start of year two would be a challenge for Fagen, who not only worked to help with evacuations, but provided school buses and opened school campuses when possible to act as shelters. However, when the waters receded, she and other district leaders saw the devastation of Kingwood High School, and said then the school would remain closed. Kingwood High and Summer Creek have shared a campus this year and made the best of a bad situation, and now district leaders believe Kingwood will open their doors this spring. Klein ISD Superintendent Bret Champion, who like Fagen literally just here, braved the storm at the Klein ISD Multipurpose Center that served evacuees from all over the Spring and Klein communities. Klein ISD Police Chief said afterward that Champion never left, and was a ball of positive energy and encouragement when so many who were fearful. Not unlike the other school districts, Spring ISD also saw its fair share of flooding and devastaton. Spring ISD Superintendent Rodney Watson, and a throng of other school district leaders made the rounds to affected homes to check on students and their families in the days after Hurricane Harvey. Overall, it was a massive community effort in Spring, Klein and Humble ISD's that helped thousands see the love of community first hand, from it's leaders.

Some neighbors don't need to open their homes, some just open their hearts and minds. That was the cas in August, when factions concerned with the issue of Confederate statues in Sam Houston park in downtown Houston gathered to chant their displeasure for a marker, while others supported their love of history. That's where Vince Powers and Douglas Brown met. Powers, a long-haired white man waving a Confederate flag, shook hands with Brown, a black man who'd walked across a busy Houston street to speak with him. At the time both men claimed neither k new of the planned rally to remove a Confederate statue, and although both men stood on opposites sides of the rally that day when protesters arrived, both shook hands at the end of the day.

Bruce Hillegiest is among one of the most well-known people in the northwest Houston area, and part of that has to do with his lineage which goes back generations in the Tomball area. The president of the Greater Tomball Area Chamber of Commerce is a bit of an ambassasdor to local businesses (obviously), but he's also a smiling face and a handshake to a stranger, and he's been known to don lederhosen during the annual Tomball German Heritage Festival. If you need to meet someone in town or you'd just like to take a tour, you'd better call Bruce.

Image: Houston Texans fans hold a sign supporting their the city of Houston before an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Thursday, Sept. 14, 2017, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Gary Landers)

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