by Warren Ross
Published November 1996
The Houston Objectivism Society (HOS) was formed in October 1987 to spread Objectivism in the Houston area, as well as form the catalyst for social and self-education opportunities. The first HOS meeting was held on November 20, 1987, at which time it was agreed that an award would be offered for the best local entry in The Fountainhead essay contest sponsored by the Ayn Rand Institute.
The founders of HOS formed an Executive Committee (EC) to make policy decisions regarding the club, as well as organize club activities. In addition, the EC serves as the judges for the local essay contests.
During the past nine years, members have benefited from the social and intellectual opportunities made possible by HOS. This article will examine some of the activities organized by HOS and its members.
At the time of HOS’s formation, one of the founders donated dozens of titles from the Second Renaissance and The Intellectual Activist Book Services catalogs for the formation of the HOS Library. Since then, the contents of the library have expanded through contributions from members and purchases by HOS. In addition, a garage sale held in 1993 raised sufficient funds for the club to purchase Dr. Leonard Peikoff’s The Introduction to Logic lecture series.
The library [the library no longer exists] currently contains more than 120 titles, including four of the lecture series by Dr. Peikoff which were previously available only for rental, and a video tape of Miss Rand’s appearances on Phil Donahue and Tom Snyder. The library also contains numerous pamphlets, some of which are available for distribution to nonmembers.
HOS has provided members with increased opportunities for self-education through study groups. Initially, the study groups consisted primarily of Dr. Peikoff’s taped lecture series. In 1991 one member hosted a study group for The Romantic Manifesto. HOS members have also formed study groups to discuss the second edition of Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology, The Fountainhead, Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand, The Ominous Parallels, and current events.
These study groups serve a dual purpose. Not only do they facilitate a better understanding of the material, but they also provide an opportunity to improve one’s ability to articulate that material. To quote from an article in the September 1992 issue of the HOS newsletter: “The format itself helps one to integrate and condense Objectivism by minimizing prepared written answers. In verbalizing one’s answers, one must recall essentials and express the issue in one’s own words.”
Since the founding of HOS, members have engaged in a wide variety of activities to promote rational ideas. HOS meetings have been used to promote these activities, such as workshops on writing letters to the editor and pamphleteering.
Writing has been one of the most popular forms of activism. More than a dozen HOS members have had letters to the editor printed in local papers, and three Op-Ed articles by Brian Phillips have been published in the Houston Chronicle.
Michael Mazzone fought mandatory pro-bono in Texas, and more recently won a ruling from the 5th District Court of Appeals in regard to Interest On Lawyers Trust Accounts (IOLTA).
In 1989 four members produced a documentary on the Montessori method of education which was aired on Access Houston cable channel. The president of HOS was interviewed in the documentary and another member served as narrator.
When City Councilman Jim Greenwood proposed instituting zoning in Houston in January 1990, two members responded by founding The Ad Hoc Committee for the Protection of Property Rights. They wrote a pamphlet titled “Zoning vs. Freedom”, which was widely distributed, and in conjunction with other literature written by the two, contributed to the defeat of zoning in the 1993 referendum. During the debate over zoning and in subsequent debates over property rights issues, Brian Phillips’ comments have been quoted in the Chronicle, the now defunct Post, Channel 11 Nightly News, and on KTRH radio. Three members have also appeared before City Council to voice their support for property rights.
In 1994, during the debate of the Clinton health care proposal, an effort led by member Dwyane Hicks resulted in 2,000 copies of Dr. Peikoff’s pamphlet “Health Care is not a Right” being distributed to local physicians.
These efforts, and others not mentioned here, have exposed thousands of Houstonians to rational ideas. In addition to defending one’s values, such efforts may also reach minds receptive to Objectivism–at least two current HOS members discovered the organization as a result of intellectual activism.
In conjunction with the Ayn Rand Institute, HOS offers prizes for local entrants in The Fountainhead and Anthem essay contests (the Anthem prize was added in 1994).
Several winners of the local contest have also won prizes at the national level, including the first Fountainhead winner–St. Johns High School student Adam Wagman–and this year’s Anthem winner–Bellaire High School student Sam White.
Since beginning the essay contest, HOS has given $9,850 to 18 area high school students. In addition, hundreds of high school students have been exposed to Ayn Rand’s ideas through the essay contests.
For the first several years, the bi-monthly HOS meetings consisted primarily of playing audio and video tapes. Later meetings began including original presentations by HOS members, such as papers, workshops, and lectures.
In the fall of 1994, in response to a member survey, HOS began meeting on a monthly basis. That first monthly meeting also served as the first annual planning meeting, in which members discussed and selected meeting topics for the following year.
Monthly meetings now consist almost entirely of original presentations by HOS members. An annual Christmas party is held each December, highlighted by a progressive gift exchange in which members engage in “dog-eat-dog” competition for the best gifts.
As HOS enters its tenth year, it is worth remembering the many notable achievements of the organization and its members. Not only are they worthy of celebration, but they can also serve as inspiration for future successes.