Gutenberg Dinner Honors Women in Print

By Ruchi Mukherjee

History has proved that print media has always played a vital role in shaping the world. It was in my formative years I realized the power of the pen and by the age of 12 I was determined to be a journalist. My father who was an educator had often explained to me that women play a very powerful role. He told me that women were gifted with the art of story telling and therefore we had the power to change the world for better. Keeping these ideas The Printing Museum is dedicated to fostering the art, craft and impact of printing in all its forms for women, and their families throughout the Greater Houston area.

Alexandria Hodge, Dr. Renu Khator, and Melanie Lawson

Houston’s diverse community understands the value of print, and therefore honoring women in print seems to fit appropriately for the 2015 Gutenberg Dinner hosted in October by The Printing Museum at the Houston Country Club. The evening was made special with Dr. Renu Khator, Chancellor & President of the University of Houston, as the keynote speaker. Honorees included Debbi Briggs, founder and president and CEO of ImageSet, and Dorris Ellis, founder and publisher of the Houston Sun. Briggs is an avid supporter, advisory board member, and frequent host to students in the UH digital media program. For over 20 years, The Printing Museum has honored several people with the Gutenberg Award who share the Museum’s mission of promoting, preserving and sharing knowledge of printed communication to promote freedom and literacy. Past recipients of the honor have included former President George H. W. Bush and Mrs. Bush, James Baker, III, F. C. “Bud” Hadfield, Dick Johnson and, most recently, Julie and Andy Plata.

The gala was an inspiring blend of individuals from various backgrounds such as fashion, media, business and philanthropy helping raise The Printing Museum more than $40,000. The very elegant Mistress of Ceremonies KTRK-13 anchor Melanie Lawson did a wonderful job welcoming the keynote speaker who spoke about the value of education and explained about the shift towards online degrees.

Guests later mixed and mingled while bidding on some wonderful auction items, while emcee and keynote speaker were spotted taking selfies with aspiring writers, guests and students. It was a fabulous evening reminding the technology minded generation once again the value of print.

Spotted at the gala were: Geeta Anand, Farida Abjani, Nicole O’Brian Lassiter and James Lassiter, Toni and Howard Tate, Carlos and Karina Barbieri, Dr. Monira Kundi, Donae Chramosta, Co-chairs Astrid Marklund, Honorary Consul General for Sweden, and Margrit Young-Zellweger, Honorary Consul General for Switzerland, Mark C. Osborne Executive Director of The Printing Museum, and many others.