THIS IS AN EXCLUSIVE MEMBERS’ EVENT FOR YOU AND A GUEST TO ATTEND A RECEPTION WITH THE ASTRODOME CONSERVANCY

Members: You and a guest are invited to enjoy a history exhibit featuring 92 years of Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and congregate with like-minded preservationists who value saving structures that define our great City.  We would like to thank the HLSR Western Art Committee and guest speaker Richard Gruen, also known as "Flame the Rodeo Clown".

Richard is an active community volunteer who moved to Houston in 1970 after receiving his master’s degree in education from the University of Iowa. His professional career included almost 50 years as a nonprofit program director and fundraising professional. In February 2018 he retired from Today’s Harbor for Children, formerly Boys & Girls Harbor, after working for 13 years as their Director of Development and Communications.

He is a Life Member of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and this year marks his 25th year as a volunteer on the Speakers Committee. In addition to speaking to business and civic groups about RODEOHOUSTON, he also spends time telling children and adults about the Rodeo as “FLAME” the Rodeo Clown. In 2002, 2022 and 2023 he received the Committee’s “Speaker of the Year” award. He has also been recognized as one of the Committee’s “Top Producers” five times and in 2012 he was named “Top Special Events Speaker”. After serving as a vice chairman for three years, this year he is the captain of the “Future Leaders” team where he serves as a mentor for new Speakers Committee members.

Community involvement includes membership in the Rotary Club of Houston Heights and the Optimist Club of Downtown Houston. He currently serves on the Board of the Apollo Chamber Players, a nonprofit string quartet, and the Board of the Rotary Club of Houston Heights Charitable Foundation. In addition to the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo Speakers Committee, he is also a Team Captain for the Astros Foundation Volunteer Corps, and volunteers at other charitable organizations in the Greater Houston area. In his spare time, he enjoys visiting museums and bass fishing.