Posted by Al Gerhardt on Apr 13, 2018
Lion Al Gerhardt introduced guest speaker, entrepreneur, Texas historian, and restaurateur Charlie Fogarty. Lions & guest pictured from left to right are: Lion Vice President Reyna Siras, Texas historian, and restaurateur Charlie Fogarty, Lion Past President Tim Fowler and Lion John Phillips.  Photo provided by Lion Al Gerhardt.
 
Mr. Fogarty owns The Steamboat House Restaurant on the Sam Houston Tollway (adjacent to Sam Houston Race Park).  His restaurant is named after Sam Houston’s home in Huntsville where he lived the final months of his life. The Restaurant is a great steak and seafood restaurant but also a great Texas history museum.  Charlie has a physical likeness to Sam Houston and has portrayed him in parades and other civic events.  He described how he acquired two large, 6’ x 8’, paintings, one of Sam Houston and one of George Washington, which were used in the centennial parade in Houston in 1936 commemorating the Battle of San Jacinto that took place on April 21, 1836.  These paintings, with frames built by Charlie’s U-Frame-It company are prominently displayed in The Steamboat House Restaurant.  Charlie gave a very interesting history of General Sam from his early military days serving under General Andrew Jackson to his service in government in Tennessee and eventually in Texas where he was one of the 59 delegates at Washington-on-the-Brazos where the Texas Declaration of Independence was signed in early March, 1836.  Then on April 21, 1836 General Sam defeated a much larger Mexican army led by General Santa Anna in the Battle of San Jacinto.  That battle, which lasted just 18 minutes, resulted in giving Texas its independence from Mexico after which General Sam became the first President of Texas on October 22, 1836.
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