Fascinating research, powerful ideas, and inspiring personal stories provided the foundation of UHD’s spring 2025 President’s Lecture Series. With topics ranging from a local businessman’s family legacy to the plastic in our oceans, Black ancestors in the American West, and UHD alumni serving in our judicial system, the series provided audience members with monthly food for thought. Read on to see what you may have missed and be on the lookout for what’s in store this fall.
Searching for Black Ancestors in the American West
For the Black History Month edition of the 2025 President’s Lecture Series on February 18 in the TDECU Tour Room of the Welcome Center, African diaspora archeologist and UH professor Alicia Odewale, Ph.D., asked, “How can we use archaeology as a tool to help us find Black ancestors in the American West where Black towns and freedom colonies have been lost, burned down, abandoned, or built over and forgotten?”
“The search for Black ancestors requires unearthing buried histories, reclaiming what Toni Morrison described as the ‘disremembered past,’ and seeing with new eyes the complex landscapes of Black heritage that have been erased from the map,” said Odewale.
UHD Alumni Insights: Women on the Bench
In recognition of Women's History Month, the March President’s Lecture Series featured three UHD alums serving in the Houston Court System: Sonya Heath (’05), Julia Maldonado (’95), and Fran Watson (’05) on March 26 at UHD@1801 Main.
These trailblazing judges shared their journeys into the judiciary and discussed the challenges they’ve faced and the role UHD played in their careers. This thought-provoking panel discussion celebrated the courage, resilience, and leadership of Judges Heath, Maldonado, and Watson, who are paving the way for generations of future Gators and leaders.
“Entangled and Ingested: How Ocean Trash Threatens Marine Life”
Katharine Owens, Ph.D., a National Geographic Explorer; Fulbright Nehru fellow; and Professor and Chair of the Department of Politics, Economics, and International Studies at the University of Hartford, shared her eye-opening research on the impact of plastic waste on our oceans and marine animals. This President's Lecture was held on April 23 at Fondren Commons within the College of Sciences and Technology Building in recognition of Earth Month.
Following the lecture, UHD Gators joined Owens for a hands-on workshop, contributing to a life-size portrait of the largest artwork Owens has created to date, the 80-foot Fin Whale—one of the hundreds of animals harmed by plastic. This unique project allowed the campus community to contribute to a collaborative artwork, fostering a deeper connection to the ocean and its challenges.
Rooted in Resilience: A Grandson’s Reflections on the Gondo Legacy
On May 29 in celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, the President’s Lecture Series invited ABC13’s Miya Shay to interview Robert Gondo, President of Tokyo Gardens Company, about his family’s legacy in the TDECU Tour Room of the Welcome Center. Gondo’s grandparents, Eugene and Hisako Gondo, overcame internment during World War II to introduce Japanese cuisine and culture to Texas, opening the state’s first sushi bar. Their Houston restaurant, Tokyo Gardens, was a cultural landmark from 1966 to 1998. Today, their legacy lives on through Tokyo Gardens Catering, which supplies sushi to hundreds of H-E-B locations across the state. A true Houston legend!