Note depicting gift from Gus S. Wortham to his wife Lyndall F. Wortham

Abstract

Gus Sessions Wortham (1891-1976), businessman, civic leader, cattle rancher and philanthropist, served as chairman of the board and chief executive officer of American General for almost five decades. He and his wife, Lyndall Finley Wortham, are also remembered for establishing the Wortham Foundation for support of cultural organizations and parks in Houston. In addition to the Wortham Theater Center, several other public places in Houston are named for Wortham, including Gus Wortham Park, Gus Wortham Memorial Fountain, Wortham Fountain at the Texas Medical Center, Wortham House (home of the University of Houston chancellor), Wortham IMAX Theater at the Museum of Natural Science, Wortham World of Primates at the Houston Zoo, and Wortham Tower in the American General Center.