Museum of the Gulf Coast

Museum News

The Museum of the Gulf Coast is One of More Than 800 Museums to Offer Free Admission to Military Personnel and Their Families This Summer

The Museum of the Gulf Coast announced its participation with Blue Star Museums, a partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, and more than 800 museums across America to offer free admission to all active duty military personnel and their families from Memorial Day through Labor Day 2010. The complete list of participating Blue Star Museums is available at www.arts.gov.

“America’s museums are proud to join the rest of the country in thanking our military personnel and their families for their service and sacrifice,” said National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Rocco Landesman. “I cannot imagine a better way to do that than welcoming them in to explore and enjoy the extraordinary cultural heritage our museums present. The works of art on view this summer will inspire and challenge viewers, and sometimes they will just be a great deal of fun.”

“There have always been wonderful examples of partnerships between museums and military installations, but the scale of this gift from the museum communities to military families is thrilling,” said Blue Star Families Chairman Kathy Roth-Douquet. “Military families work hard for this country, and it is gratifying for us to be recognized for that. We anticipate that thousands of military families will participate in the program and visit museums this summer – many of them for the first time. Blue Star Families will work hard to help our military families make the most of these opportunities.”

More than 800 museums in all 50 states and the District of Columbia are taking part in the initiative. Blue Star Museums runs from Memorial Day, May 31, 2010 through to Labor Day, September 6, 2010. The free admission program is available to any bearer of a Geneva Convention Common Access Card (CAC), a DD Form 1173, or a DD Form 1173-1, which includes active duty military and five immediate family members, Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, National Guard, and Reserve.

This is the latest Arts Endowment program to bring quality arts programs to the military, veterans, and their families. Other NEA programs for the military have included Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience, Great American Voices Military Base Tour, and Shakespeare in American Communities Military Base Tour.

Blue Star Families is a national, non-partisan, non-profit network of military families from all ranks and services including guard and reserve, with a mission to support, connect and empower military families. In addition to morale and empowerment programs, Blue Star Families raises awareness of the challenges and strengths of military family life with civilian community and leaders. Membership includes spouses, kids, parents, service members, veterans and civilians. Operation Appreciation is an initiative of Blue Star Families that seeks to connect military families to the larger community. Blue Star Families 2009 annual survey shows that 94 percent of military families feel that the larger community doesn’t truly understand or appreciate the sacrifices we make for the country. Through initiatives such as Blue Star Museums, Blue Star Families provides avenues for the larger community to show that they do understand, in meaningful ways that enrich the lives of military service members, spouses, children and parents. For more information, please visit www.BlueStarFam.org.

The NEA is a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts – both new and established – bringing the arts to all Americans, and providing leadership in arts education. Established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government, the Arts Endowment is the largest annual national funder of the arts, bringing great art to all 50 states, including rural areas, inner cities, and military bases. For more information, please visit www.arts.gov.

Cowboy Receives Living Legend Award

Cowboy entertainer and southeast Texas native Rudy Robbins will be honored by the Frontier Times Museum with a Living Legend Award on Saturday, July 24 at high noon on the Court House Lawn in Bandera, Texas, the Cowboy Capitol of the World. The ceremony is part of the Museum’s second annual induction into the Frontier Times TEXAS HEROES HALL OF HONOR held in conjunction with the National Day of the American Cowboy. Located in Bandera, Texas, the Cowboy Capitol of the World, the Frontier Times Museum was established by J. Marvin Hunter, author and publisher of the world famous Frontier Times magazine. Now, 76 years since its opening, the Frontier Times Museum, in keeping with the pioneering spirit of its founder, has established the Frontier Times TEXAS HEROES HALL OF HONOR, to recognize the contributions of REMARKABLE INDIVIDUALS AND WONDEROUS CHARACTERS who, through their leadership, creativity, example and hard work, keep the pioneer spirit alive and HELP KEEP TEXAS, TEXAN.

Rudy Robbins grew up in Port Arthur, Texas, graduating from Thomas Jefferson High School in 1952. After attending Lamar Technical Institute and East Texas Baptist College he graduated in 1956. Robbins achieved success as a western entertainer in film, television, Wild West shows, music and literature. His career began when John Wayne cast him in the epic movie The Alamo and he went on to work as an actor/stuntman in such films as Two Rode Together, Cheyenne Autumn, The Rounders, The Green Berets, Rio Lobo and Sugarland Express. Joining the likes of John Wayne, Charlton Heston and Clint Eastwood, he was awarded an Honorary Membership in The Stuntmen's Association of Motion Pictures. Robbins also trained horses for other stuntmen and became a production manager for various shows. In 1967, he was selected by the U.S. Department of Commerce to go to Europe as a Cowboy Goodwill Ambassador to introduce and promote the sale of blue jeans. Later Robbins joined with Montie Montana, Jr. to re-create Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. With a cast of 125 cowboys, cowgirls and Indians and 135 buffalo, longhorns and horses the show toured worldwide. Back in Texas, Robbins produced the Rudy Robbins Western Show and The All American Cowboy Get-Together, a two-day event of cowboy music, poetry, cooking, arts, crafts and demonstrations. He also formed the Spirit of Texas, a western harmony group, which, in 1991, was named the "Official Cowboy Band for Texas" by the State Senate. In addition to singing, Robbins has written many songs as well as short stories for Cowboy Magazine. With so many high level accomplishments in the field of western entertainment, Rudy Robbins is truly an all-around Cowboy Showman. Robbins is a past inductee into the Museum of the Gulf Coast’s Notable People Gallery where a permanent exhibit features photos and memorabilia from his illustrious career.