AUSTIN — AUSTIN — Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush yesterday afternoon chaired the first meeting of a reconstituted Alamo Endowment Board, promising to turn the nonprofit into a fundraising powerhouse for Alamo preservation efforts. As Texas Land Commissioner, Bush oversees the Alamo on behalf of all Texans. As chairman of the Alamo Endowment, Bush will lead a board of Texas titans focused on fundraising for the Alamo's future.

"The future of the Alamo lies in preserving and protecting its past and expanding the opportunities for sharing the story of the heroes of Texas’ greatest treasure, our Alamo," Bush said. "This new board represents a new beginning for the Alamo."

The Alamo Endowment board members are:

• Ramona Bass
• Jim Dannenbaum
• Red McCombs
• Lew Moorman
• Gene Powell
• Welcome Wilson, Jr.

"I am proud to announce, with the formation of a reinvigorated Alamo Endowment Board, we begin a master planning process that will bring the best ideas forward for preserving and promoting the Shrine of Texas Liberty," Bush said. "The story of Texas — and the Alamo — is one of independence, tenacity, sacrifice and courage.  The Alamo story is a universal story written in Texas, but read around the world. The time has come to create a future for the Alamo that is as proud and as purposeful as its past."

To support the Alamo Endowment’s mission to preserve and protect the Shrine of Texas Liberty, please visit: http://alamoendowment.org/oldsite/AEOnlineContributionForm.pdf

Endowment member biographies:

A 6th generation Texan, Ramona Bass was born and raised in San Antonio in a family where the spirit of the Alamo and what it symbolized pervaded her childhood.  She has been a lifelong student of history in general and Texas in particular.  She and her husband Lee live in Fort Worth and along with various civic interests concentrate their philanthropy on wildlife conservation and education not only in Texas but nationally and internationally as well.  Most recently, she has been involved with her hometown's Mission Reach Ecosystem Restoration and Recreation Project, specifically the Mission Espada.  She is an avid supporter and co-chair of the Fort Worth Zoo and has been the driving force behind its privatization and recognition as one of the top 5 zoos in the country.

James D. (Jim) Dannenbaum serves as Chairman of Dannenbaum Engineering Corporation, a consulting engineering firm headquartered in Houston with regional offices in Fort Worth, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, El Paso, Laredo and McAllen. Dannenbaum employs more than 220 people and is one of the most respected civil design firms in Texas. Governor Perry appointed Mr. Dannenbaum to the UT System Board of Regents in 2007.

Red McCombs is the founder of the Red McCombs Automotive Group, a co-founder of Clear Channel Communications, and a former owner of the San Antonio Spurs, Denver Nuggets, and the Minnesota Vikings. He is the namesake of the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin. He served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of his alma mater, Southwestern University, and Chairman of the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. 

Lew Moorman joined Rackspace in April 2000 and has served in a variety of roles, including as President and Chief Strategy Officer while the company grew to $1.3 billion in annual sales. Lew remains a senior advisor to Rackspace on strategy and product issues and serves as a member of the Board of Directors. He is also an active angel investor in technology start-ups. A native of San Antonio, Lew received a B.A. from Duke University and a J.D. from Stanford Law School.

William Eugene "Gene" Powell earned a bachelor's and master's degree in Finance at The University of Texas at Austin while on a full athletic scholarship playing football under Coach Darrell K. Royal. He currently serves as Vice-Chairman and previously Chairman of The University of Texas System Board of Regents. Powell is the founder of The Powell Companies, a real estate brokerage company, and co-founder of Bitterblue, Inc., real estate developers and co-founder of AirStrip, WellAware and Vemory/Splice. Powell serves or has served several organizations including the Real Estate Council, the Greater San Antonio Builders Association, San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Greater Chamber of Commerce of San Antonio, Responsible Growth Alliance, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Los Compadres de la Missiones, and the Witte Museum.

Welcome W. Wilson, Jr. is Vice Chairman of the University of Houston System Board of Regents. Wilson is president and chief executive officer of GSL Welcome Group, a commercial real estate development firm.  He also serves as developer with Kingham * Dalton * Wilson Ltd. and director of River Oaks Financial Group, Inc. He is very active in the community, serving in a variety of roles for the Southwest Houston Redevelopment Authority, Houston Realty Business Coalition, Texas Business Hall of Fame, Houston Food Bank, Greater Houston Partnership and the Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corporation.

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