Houston is the fourth largest city in the United States. It is my hometown, but, more importantly, it is Beyoncé's hometown. All hail Queen B. Stream the Savage Remix by Megan Thee Stallion and Beyoncé now as all streams go to Houston COVID relief. #notanad
The city of Houston is truly a city with a little bit of everything. Its proximity to Galveston Bay through a route known as just "the ship channel" made it a hub for industry and immigrants from all countries. It became an export center for cotton in the 19th century, but the discovery of oil in the 20th century caused the city to grow exponentially. Houston also has one of the best medical centers in the world thanks to M.D. Anderson as well as NASA's Mission Control. We can host the Superbowl at the beginning of the month and the world's largest indoor rodeo at the end of the month, and the rodeo will get more attendance. Most importantly, we are able to do all this in more with the most diverse metropolitan population in the United States, and this characteristic is in my opinion our greatest strength as a city.
Okay, enough about how much I love my city, but maybe it's just in my blood as my ancestors loved Houston enough to make it their home too. It took them until recent generations, but eventually, both my paternal and maternal timelines converged into Houston.
On my paternal side, my grandparents, Jack Koch and Nancy Baarlaer, were both born in Cincinnati and lived there for the first few years of the marriage, but they moved down to Houston in 1966 to raise their seven children. They became the first of my paternal direct ancestors to move out of the Cincinnati area for generations, and my grandmother still lives here today.
On my maternal grandmother's side, Catherine Shaub's parents, Charles Shaub and Norine Roache, were both born and married in Nashville. Catherine was born there, but the three of them moved to Houston when Catherine was an infant. The house where they lived near Rice University is still standing today.
On my maternal grandfather's side, my great-grandmother Marie Wilkening was born in Houston. She was the daughter of German immigrants Gustav Wilkening and Magdalena Goekel. Henry Hajovsky Sr. was born in Taiton, TX, a small town of German and Czech immigrants. He was one of twelve kids, and when his parents decided they had enough help on the farm, they sent him to live at the local YMCA in Houston so he could finish school. Henry and Marie met there and married in 1923. They raised their four kids, including my grandfather Hank, there and lived in Houston for the rest of their lives. Hank and Catherine lived in Houston all their lives as well.
I leave you now with the wise words of Beyoncé, "this is how they made me: Houston, Texas baby!"