Speaker for July Meeting, Catherine M. O'Bryan

on June 27, 2025

 



Catherine M O’Bryan (Cathy)

Born in Panama in May of 1952, Cathy traveled back with her mom to Quito, Ecuador where her parents were assigned to the embassy. In her young life she moved many times living in Peru, Panama, Puerto Rico, Maryland, and Washington DC. 

She graduated from Towson Catholic in Towson Maryland and while in high school there she attended Loyola College and John Hopkins University. Her main college experience was at the University of Houston Main campus. While there she pledged Phi Mu Fraternity, was a senator for the college of Education and the Cougar Mascot in 1976.

After graduation with a BS in Art Education she started as a teacher with Fort Bend ISD. While working for Fort Bend, she was offered the opportunity to go back to school where she added to her all-level Art Ed degree with an all level Speech, all level Theatre, Math, Geography and self-contained 1-8 certificates. Thirty years and five school districts later she retired to enjoy life with her family.

Cathy has always painted but writing was something she accidently fell into in 2019. On a road trip out west, she stopped with a group of writer friends at a writing workshop where she was afforded an opportunity to present a five-page story to a publisher. As a former nationally ranked speech coach, this felt to her like a fun opportunity to pursue. T

That small event produced the publishing, of book one “A Child of the Cold War…Code Name Kitten” with the second book “Growing Up in the Cold War…Code Name Kitten” a short four months later.

The third book in the series “Leaving the Cold War Behind” published a year later. She is also working with a consortium of other writers on a project that is called The Twin Creek Series. The projects commitment includes four books from each author. 

Her first published book in the series is “Escape to Texas”. Cathy is currently working on book two in the Twin Creeks Series and has just complete the Prequel to the Cold War Series. This prequel, “A Chance Encounter” is the story about the main characters’ parents and their involvement with the CIA. The Cold War series is based on a true story of the authors childhood.

Cathy is currently living in Tomball Texas, close to her daughter, Laura, who is a teacher/coach at Doerre Intermediate in Klein ISD, where Cathy has the privilege of subbing in her daughters’ school. Her son, Daniel, works with the Costa Rican agricultural department and until November 2023, Cathy was living in Playa del Coco, Costa Rica with her son and his family. Her oldest child, Miwa, was adopted and resides in Montreal, Canada, she is a linguist speaking six languages and is also an artist.

Members of Chapter's Color Guard participates in celebration of 130th Anniversary of Galveston's DAR Chapter

on June 24, 2025

 On June 14th, two members of the Alexander Hodge Chapter Color Guard gathered to celebrate the 130th Anniversary of the DAR Chapter in Galveston.  The Bernado de Galvez SAR Chapter in Galveston also attended the ceremony.  The joint Color Guard of both Chapters performed the presentation of the Colors at the ceremony.

The George Washington DAR Chapter in Galveston is the oldest DAR Chapter in Texas.  It was organized on June 17, 1895.  

The ceremony was held at the Artillery Club in Galveston.  The Galveston Artillery Club is the oldest private club West of the Mississippi River.

Note:  The Bernado de Galvez Chapter in Gaveston is the oldest SAR Chapter in Texas with the first meeting occured in 1896.  The Texas SAR in 1923 evolved to having Chapters.  Bernado de Galvez became Chapter #1.


Pictured L-R
Billy Mayo - Galvez
John Loper - Galvez
Hugh Ferguson - Galvez
Sandra Johnston, the DAR Regent in Texas
Carl Hill - Alexander Hodge
Steve Barber - Alexander Hodge
Matthew Hewitt - Galvez