GOD & TEXAS: Westheimer

“I feel safer on a racetrack than I do on Houston’s freeways!” This familiar quote has been attributed to auto racing legend A.J. Foyt. And if you have ever traversed the Loop 610 interchange at the Southwest Freeway at rush hour, you will no doubt concur.

Houstonians have a love-affair with their cars. In 2023, Houston registered 5,528,277 vehicles travelling on over 40,000 streets. Each street has a name that adds to the intrigue of this international city. Some of the street names are easy to remember.

East of Bush Intercontinental Airport, Sears Drive merges into Roebuck Drive. Just south of the Memorial City Mall, Hansel Lane intersects with Gretel Drive. In far southeast Houston, Pitching Wedge Court dead ends at Bogey Way.

Many street names have historical significance. Artesian Street is named for the well that Houston Water Works excavated in 1888. Dowling Street celebrates noted Irish bartender and Civil War hero Major Dick Dowling. Allen Parkway was named in honor of real estate speculators John Kirby Allen and brother Agustus Chapman Allen. And Stella Link ran parallel to a railroad line linking Bellaire to Stella, Texas.

Why is Westheimer Road so named? Born in Germany in 1831, Michael Louis Westheimer immigrated to Houston in 1859. As an adroit entrepreneur, Westheimer owned a flourmill and sold hay area-wide. He operated a livery stable on the corner of Milam and Congress, and is credited with laying the first streetcar tracks downtown.

Westheimer lived frugally with his wife Bettie and 16 children on a 640-acre farm where Lamar High School now sits. Eight of the children were their own, three were orphans, and the other five were nephews recently arrived from Germany. Westheimer died around 1906. His descendants include the celebrated author of Von Ryan’s Express, David Westheimer.

Michael is remembered for his kindness and generosity. Being fluent in seven languages, he often provided translation assistance at the hospital and bank. Since Houston had no public education facilities at that time, he built a school on his farm, secured a teacher, and welcomed neighboring children to attend without charge. The path of crushed shells that led to the school became known as “the road to Westheimer’s place.’

As an act of generosity, Westheimer donated a portion of his land to Harris County to develop a major road to Columbus and Sealy. It was named Westheimer Road (FM 1093), and stretches from near downtown Houston through Fulshear and Simonton and terminates in Wallis.

In addition to his extensive community involvement, Westheimer served as an officer and trustee in Congregation Beth Israel, the oldest continually active synagogue in Texas. He understood the Biblical admonition in Deuteronomy 15:10 ESV, “You shall give to the Lord freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to Him, because for this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake.”

May the life of Westheimer serve as a good example to each of us.

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