The Dallas Historical Society had a truly historical event take place. The Harry W. Bass Jr. Foundation has just presented DHS with a $7M gift — the largest donation in the organization’s history.
Thanks to this very generous donation, the DHS will be able to showcase the stories of Dallas and Texas history with “dynamic, interactive formats that engage visitors of all ages.”
A perfect example of using today’s technology to enhance history is the DHS’s Battle of the Alamo Interactive Diorama “Texas Liberty Forever,” where an interactive app makes people feel more connected with the dramatic scene from the siege of the Alamo.
According to DHS Executive Director Karl Chiao, “We have seen a decline in local historical non-profits in the past few years, yet the Dallas Historical Society has managed to not only survive but, thanks to the generosity of the Harry W. Bass Jr. Foundation, will thrive as the DFW Metroplex’s perennial keepers and presenters of Dallas and Texas history.”
Using the donation, Karl envisions exhibitions “that will provide new avenues for learning” about the histories of the following:
- The Juneteenth Experience including the viewing of the only surviving copy of the Juneteenth document
- The State Fair of Texas
- Prominent And Impactful Women In Texas
- Dallas Founders
- Civil Rights In Texas
A bit of history about the late philanthropist Harry W. Bass Jr., whose foundation has provided the financial support.
Harry was one of those Texans who wasn’t born here but got here as fast as he could. And, boy, did he look like the prototype Texan with a killer smile, eyes that twinkled and a charismatic personality.
Born in Oklahoma City in 1927, you might say he had oil running through his veins since his dad Harry W. Bass Sr. was in the oil business. Just a year after Harry Jr. was born, Harry Sr. “developed the first portable drilling mast, the A-frame derrick still in use today.”
With the legendary oil boom underway in 1932, Harry Sr. decided that Dallas was more centrally located to develop and own oil and gas properties spread across five southwestern states.
Young Harry attended the Texas Country Day School in Dallas that is today’s St. Mark’s School of Texas, and SMU. When World War II got underway, the 20-something Harry served in the South Pacific with the Navy.
After he got out of the service, he joined his father’s oil and gas companies and also developed ski resorts in Aspen and Vail.
But starting in the 1960s, he started collecting coins. His “hobby” resulted in his investing “millions of dollars” in coins by 1976. He claimed that he “had 25% of my portfolio in coins.” Needless to say, his collection was monumental both historically and in value.
Not only was Harry a member of the American Numismatic Society, he became its president by 1978.
Interestingly, it was also in 1978 that Harry presided over the “development of databases for the ANS collections, library and services. Within a year, the hardware and software were in place at the ANS to begin the historic transition of the ANS from an institution that served those who came to it to one that increasingly makes its resources universally known.”
Despite Harry’s death in 1998, this $7M gift to DHS from his foundation is once again utilizing modern-day technology to enhance the importance of history, thanks to philanthropy.