Portal to Beeville, Bee County, and beyond
. . ."Free" web presence for Beeville/Bee County since 1996
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Portal to Beeville, Bee County, and beyond
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"Free" web presence for Beeville/Bee County since 1996 |
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Joe Barnhart Bee County Library Beeville Art Museum
Joe Barnhart
Foundation Tracy Bell Saucier, Administrator
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The Joe Barnhart Foundation is dedicated to carrying out the vision of Dr. Joe Barnhart, founder of the Foundation, who asked his trustees to work toward the development and expansion of educational and cultural opportunities for the people of Beeville, Texas, particularly the children of the community. Although based in Houston, Texas, the Foundation devotes the largest portion of its time, attention and funding to endeavors in Beeville. Over the past nine years, the Foundation has contributed over $1 million annually to programs there. Dr. Barnhart (1920-1993) spent his formative years in Beeville. He practiced orthopedic surgery in Houston for thirty-five years. He was Chief of Orthopedics at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital from 1968-1985 and Chief of Orthopedics at Texas Children’s Hospital from 1982-1985. The orthopedic department at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, is named for him. Chair of that department is titled Wilhelmina Barnhart Chair of Orthopedic Surgery, named for his wife. In addition to his medical achievements, Dr. Barnhart was involved in investment and ranching interests. Active in the Beeville community through the years, Dr. Barnhart was named 1992 Citizen of the Year by the Beeville Chamber of Commerce. At the dinner in his honor, he was described as a “man of service to others, one with a great zest for learning, a philanthropist, outstanding surgeon, and a man who has never forgotten his home.” HIGHLIGHTS - PROGRAMS CREATED BY THE FOUNDATION One of Dr. Barnhart’s dreams was the creation of a library, a new, modern facility to serve the entire community. The Foundation worked with the community to make that dream a reality. The Joe Barnhart Bee County Library opened March 3, 2001. Housed in an historic 1906 building owned by the Foundation located on the courthouse square, the library is a state-of-the-art facility and is one of the first public libraries in the country to use the newest 3M Digital Identification System. It offers distance learning, video-conferencing, and Tex Share, a program enabling patrons to check out books from participating libraries across the state, including the University of Texas and Texas A & M University. The library provides over 36 public access computer workstations and 34 public access laptops, all with high speed Internet connections. The library has over 27,000 volumes, including a first edition Samuel Johnson dictionary dated 1755. The library shares its resources, via a shared library system, with the Live Oak County Library and area schools. The library has created branch facilities including the Art Library at the Beeville Art Museum, which is equipped with public access workstations and the library’s art book collection, and the West Side branch, located at the Boys and Girls Club of Beeville, equipped with public access computer workstations and books aimed at the young adult audience (ages 11-16), and future plans for an “e-branch” at St. Christus Spohn Hospital. Custom-made, signed Thomas Moser furnishings are featured throughout the building. The glass addition to the original structure includes a glass elevator. Funding for the creation of the library, including build-out, equipment and furnishings, technology and books, was provided by a grant of over $4 million from the Foundation. In addition, the Foundation provides $150,000 annual endowment to the library for operating expenses. The Foundation leases the building to the library for $1 per year and funds capital maintenance and repair costs of the building. Remaining operating budget funding is provided by Bee County, the City of Beeville, and grants. THE JOE BARNHART SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM Created to motivate and assist Beeville Independent School District (BISD) high school students in receiving post-secondary educations, the Joe Barnhart Scholarship Program has benefited 550 students since the program began in 1998. The program is unique in two ways: the collaboration between a public school and a private foundation - and the one-on-one relationship of each student with a volunteer. Over 30 volunteers work with students to counsel, encourage and assist students individually in completing the paperwork necessary for college admission. The program Director has acquired over $800,000 annually in financial aid for the students of Beeville. In addition, the Foundation provides financial assistance for some students. Since the program began, Beeville school officials have noted a rise in the number of students taking college entrance exams and a decline in the student dropout rate. THE BEEVILLE ART MUSEUM In March 2000, Foundation trustees initiated comprehensive art educational programs at the Beeville Art Museum. The museum is dedicated to the concept that art and art education are positive forces in the development of creative skills and thought. To that end, the museum is committed to providing exhibitions featuring works of renowned artists and collections from museums, galleries and private Collections from across the state, area artists and student work. Special emphasis is given to educational activities designed to stimulate the imaginations of young people. Exhibitions include contemporary paintings, Old Masters paintings, photographs, textiles, Latin American art, outdoor sculpture, watercolors, artifacts of the American West, local artists and student work. The museum provides organized docent-conducted tours for all students, art classes for students throughout the year and classes, workshops and lectures for adults. The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, in collaboration with the Beeville Art Museum, BISD and the Joe Barnhart Bee County Library, provides a wide range of art education programs in Beeville. Funded by the Foundation, these include art classes for students, story-time programs connecting art and children’s literature, workshops for Beeville teachers in Houston, summer art camps at the Beeville Art Museum and art exhibitions at the Library. EARNING BY LEARNING The Foundation offers Earning By Learning, a proven reading improvement program, for all K though age 11 students in BISD and parochial schools. On completion of a book and testing on the book’s content, students are paid an average of $3 per book read. Annual funding from the Joe Barnhart Foundation is currently $50,000. The program is conducted at the Joe Barnhart Bee County Library, and figures indicate over 600 students participating in 2002. Reading skills have improved over the years since inception of this program. VARIOUS PROGRAMS CREATED OR SUPPORTED BEEVILLE INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT
VARIOUS PROGRAMS CREATED OR SUPPORTED - CONTD. COASTAL BEND COLLEGE
FIRST BAPTIST, ST. MARY’S & ST. PHILIP’S
COMMUNITY
The Joe Barnhart Foundation JOE BARNHART FOUNDATION
TRUSTEES |
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Updated Thursday, December 21, 2006 20:58 Moved from Folder in Beeville Art Museum October 17, 2002 #0367 |
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