the first word
Publisher’s Note
W
When we say we’re from
Houston, we’re saying we’re
from a place where all things
good and great originate, re-
gardless of the havoc Hurricane
Harvey has wreaked along the Texas
coastline in recent days. In the aftermath of the
most dangerous storm in more than 100 years,
I have witnessed Houstonians working together
to make the best of a common disaster—a di-
saster that didn’t discriminate, regardless of fi-
nancial status, age, race, religion, or anything else
that might separate us. phrase his words: “Leadership isn’t everything;
it’s the only thing.” J.J. Watt and the Texans
football team stepped up big time and raised
funds for disaster relief, with H-E-B donating
$5 million to the cause! Jim “Mattress Mack”
McIngvale sent out his delivery trucks to gather
volunteers and evacuees and opened the doors
of his Gallery Furniture stores to shelter victims
of the flooding. Our own Mayor Sylvester Turn-
er and County Judge Ed Emmett have shown
extraordinary leadership during the worst of the
storm, and we will continue to need their lead-
ership in the coming months.
So many of our great citizens stepped up far be-
yond the call of duty and gave their best to help
their neighbors—even at the risk of their per-
sonal safety. You only needed to watch any local
or national TV station to see people of multiple
nationalities coming to the aid of their fellow
human beings! iF you needed to find a silver
lining in the clouds that dominated the skies of
our great city, you could find it as you witnessed
Houston’s diversity working at its very best. I have no doubt we will rebuild. The evidence
can be seen in the resilience of the people who
live and work in our great city—people who are
not talking of leaving but are doing their part to
make Houston even greater than it was before
the storm. This brings to mind another quote
from Coach Lombardi: “It’s not whether you get
knocked down; it’s whether you get back up.”
Let me just say that the citizens of our great city
have made me PROUD to be a Houstonian,
and yes—we will definitely get back up!
Vince Lombardi once said, “Winning isn’t ev-
erything; it’s the only thing.” Allow me to re-
And as always, thank you for your readership!
Val
Val Thompson
Publisher & CEO
[email protected]
iF Magazine | www.iFMagazine.net
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