Marcella Perry Award in the Heights

Marcella Perry Award: Angela Dewree
presentation by Kelly Simmons

It is our honor to present the Marcella Perry Award to an important behind-the-scenes player for many years. She is serving her last year of two terms on the Houston Heights Association Board and is a staunch supporter of historic preservation and nature conservancy.

Having been the head designer for Tootsie’s and producing events and product launches for the likes of Hermes, storefront windows for Harold’s, and numerous galas for non-profits and the social elite alike for many years, our organization is fortunate for her design talents behind many of our fundraising events - such as the Candlelight Dinner and this Volunteer Appreciation Dinner. She has allowed us to produce these events that look like we’ve pulled out all the stops on what is actually a tight, shoestring budget - many times right out of her pocket.

Many of you may remember the out-of-this-world Tootsies mannequins that she provided and designed for the Candlelight Dinner event at Kaplan’s a few years ago, one of which still proudly stands in the front window of Boulevard Realty.

She has designed the print and marketing materials for the Spring and Holiday Home Tours many times. These design projects take weeks and weeks of tedious work, and we’ve been fortunate to have her gifted talent.

She would tell us that her proudest achievement in the Heights has been with the Urban Forestry Committee, which she founded five years ago. One of the main reasons people are drawn to the Heights is due to its old-growth tree canopy; a proud tree-hugger, she has made it her goal to spread the word throughout the neighborhood about conservation, care, and perpetuation of our treasured urban forest.

She has held monthly to quarterly events that have given away hundreds of trees and dispersed expert information by partnering with local and state horticultural organizations and agencies. She has organized nature walks on the Boulevard to talk about the many native species of trees and plants there, and she recently organized a meeting to begin recruiting groups to “adopt a block” along the Heights Hike and Bike Trail.

For several years now, she has also been responsible for bringing together all of the wonderful programs we have enjoyed at the monthly General Meetings.

Angela DeWree is a very gifted and sensitive woman whom we are very fortunate to have in our neighborhood. We are proud to name her the Marcella Perry Award recipient of 2009.