Louis Benjamin “L. B.” Houston (1907-1985) received the local level Pugsley Medal in 1960. “For vision and sound judgment in the planning and development of the Dallas Parks and Recreation System, one of the finest in the country; for adherence to the highest of professional standards in administration and operation; for patience and unselfish counsel in the training and administration of present and future leaders in the park and recreation movement; and for stability and wisdom in guiding the park and recreation profession to an enviable position of prestige in proficiency and public service.”
This was the situation confronting 31-year-old L.B. Houston when he accepted the challenge of directing the department in 1939. He was to remain as director until his retirement in 1972. Houston had grown up on a farm between Poteet and Salado, Texas, and during high school in Belton he worked at the nearby Texas Agricultural Experiment Station.
He had intended to study agriculture at Texas A&M University until the last minute when he learned of a program at Southern Methodist University in electrical engineering, in which a student alternately could attend school for a month and then work for a month. Thus, he went to Dallas in 1925 to attend the new engineering school at Southern Methodist University and was a member of the department’s first graduating class in 1930. He returned to SMU for graduate study in applied psychology.
n 1956, Houston was appointed a member of a team of park experts to study organizational and operational procedures of the National Capital Parks System. In 1960, he was appointed by the interior secretary to a three-year committee heading the “Parks for America” program. He invested effort in developing the park management curriculum at Texas Tech, advising on course content and supporting the department’s study at Texas Tech. He won many national park-related awards and was nationally recognized for his work as a park administrator.