Join us Wednesday, November 5, 2025, from 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Forest Club, for Evening of Heritage 2025: Moving Forward by Looking Back. This year’s signature presentation, More Than a Store – Three Decades of Tumultuous Changes 1960–1990: A Series of Vignettes, invites you to step into pivotal moments of Houston’s retail history. Renowned author Robert T. Sakowitz will guide guests through Ultimate Gifts in the Golden Age of Catalogues, weaving together personal anecdotes and cultural milestones that defined an era of innovation and community spirit. Special thanks to Brian H. Teichman who is chairing the fundraiser.

Sakowitz’s two new volumes promise to turn retail history into pure storytelling gold. More Than a Store – Three Decades of Tumultuous Changes 1960–1990 stitches together pocket-sized vignettes—think backstage tales of holiday window reveals, inside jokes between sales clerks, and firsthand accounts of how the oil bust sent seismic ripples through Houston’s shopping scene. Ultimate Gifts in the Golden Age of Catalogues meanwhile resurrects those glossy, mail-order tomes of the ’60s and ’70s, complete with jaw-dropping product photography, cheeky copy that captures the era’s optimism, and surprising backstories on everyday items that became status symbols. Between Sakowitz’s warm humor, archival treasures, and unexpected cultural deep dives, the Evening of Heritage isn’t just a lecture—it’s a front-row seat to the quirks, drama, and sheer delight of Houston’s retail heyday.

About the Chair and Speaker

Brian H. Teichman, is a native of Galveston, and splits time with Houston since 2002.  He began fundraising at the age of 11, when The Old City Cemetery in Galveston became a target of vandalism.  Teichman organized and successfully ran a campaign to construct decorative iron fencing around the entire six square blocks.  The Old City Cemetery is the final resting place of many early inhabitants of the Island. Teichman considers it an honor to sit on numerous boards and is proud his efforts have helped to raise millions of dollars for capital campaigns, research and program services. Some of his favorite organizations are Cabaret for a Cure, Alley Theatre, and Taping for the Blind – Houston; Literacy Partners in New York City; and Caudwell Children’s Charity in Great Britain. Brian had an exciting career at Southwest Airlines and served as an advance staff member for President George H. W. Bush and Governor George W. Bush.  He is a graduate of Texas A&M University and serves as Communications Liaison to The Teichman Group, an international maritime company founded by his parents in 1957.

Robert T. Sakowitz was President and Chief Executive Officer of Sakowitz, Inc, helping to transform it into an internationally recognized fashion specialty retailer. He was a forerunner in initiating in-store marketing concepts of European ready-to-wear apparel boutiques in the United States in the 1960s, launching the first Andre Courreges boutique, following with Yves St. Laurent Rive Gauche and Valentino, and thereafter the first collections of Ermenegildo Zegna, Kenzo, Fiorucci, Zandra Rhodes, Issey Miyake. He also innovated the first wine department and Fine and Rare Wine Auctions within department stores, with Christie’s of London, which continued to develop the wine market in the U.S. for over twenty years. Sakowitz produced eighteen annual “theme-oriented” international festivals within the stores and throughout the City of Houston in cooperation with foreign countries. The extraordinary “Ultimate Gifts” of the annual Sakowitz Christmas Catalogues were covered by press and television media world-wide.

Evening of Heritage: A Celebration of Houston’s Past and Future

Proceeds from Evening of Heritage directly support The Heritage Society’s mission to preserve and celebrate the city’s architectural and cultural legacy. Your generosity helps us maintain and restore our historic structures, develop inclusive educational programming, and create dynamic exhibits that bring untold stories to life. Every ticket, donation, and auction bid fuels our efforts to keep Houston’s history accessible, engaging, and relevant for generations to come.

Together, we’re not just remembering the past—we’re building a future rooted in heritage.

If you would rather purchase your tickets with a check, please fill out this FORM and return to Laura Woods, Development Director.