Judy Montagu gives her daughter Anna a spin / photo courtesy of Anna Mathias
Preservation Houston’s History in Print author series continues at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, November 13, with Anna Mathias presenting her mother’s newly published travelogue, The Greyhound Diary.
In 1949, British traveler Judy Montagu, a spirited cousin of Clementine Churchill, set out to understand America by journeying coast to coast on Greyhound buses. Her three-month tour opened doors to newspaper editors, political leaders and celebrities across the country. In Texas, she rode in a rodeo, visited Fort Worth publisher Amon Carter — and in Houston was the guest of Jesse Jones, the powerful banker, publisher and political insider.
Judy’s account of Houston paints a vivid portrait of the postwar city: lavish evenings at the Bayou Club, the grand spectacle of the Shamrock Hotel, a tour of the Houston Chronicle presses, and even a boat ride on the Ship Channel with Jones himself. Her sharp, witty observations capture a city in the midst of explosive growth, full of oil wealth, social whirl and civic ambition. Beyond Texas, Judy’s travels took her from tea with Mary Pickford in Hollywood to a romance with Adlai Stevenson in Illinois, all under the watchful eye of the press intrigued by her Churchill connections. Preservation Houston was pleased to assist Anna in researching the Houston and Texas passages as she prepared the book for publication.
During her talk, Anna will share the story behind the diary and read from its pages, offering a clever, colorful and observant portrait of the United States against the backdrop of a close Anglo-American alliance.
Copies of The Greyhound Diary will be available for purchase at the event for $35, and Anna will sign books following the program.
About the author and speaker
Judy Montagu (1923–1972) was the latest in a long line of spirited, independent-minded aristocratic women. During the Second World War, she served with distinction in the Auxiliary Territorial Service. A frequent visitor to the United States, she returned often in the postwar years, and in 1962 married the American photographer and art critic Milton Gendel. The couple settled in Rome, where they raised their daughter, Anna Mathias, the editor of The Greyhound Diary.
Anna Mathias is a retired teacher of art history and critical thinking who worked at the Metropolitan Museum in New York. She has contributed obituaries and reviews for The Art Newspaper.
Details and registration
History in Print featuring The Greyhound Diary will begin at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, November 13, in Fondren Hall at the Jones Youth Building at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, 5501 Main Street. Fondren Hall is on the second floor of the Jones building, which is immediately north of St. Paul’s historic sanctuary.
Free parking is available in the St. Paul’s lot on the northeast corner of Fannin and Binz (enter from Binz). The venue is a short walk from the Museum District station on MetroRail's Red Line.
Admission is free for Preservation Houston members and $10 for the general public.
About History in Print
History in Print is Preservation Houston’s ongoing author series, highlighting works that deepen our understanding of architecture, culture and place in Houston and beyond.