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From freshman beanies to legislative documents, the history of The University of Texas at El Paso is preserved at Heritage House, a small white bungalow at the corner of Kerbey and Randolph near the Union.
This campus historical repository is open from 10 a.m. to noon Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Group visits at other times may be scheduled by calling The Alumni Relations Office at 747-8600, or by leaving a message at Heritage House, 747-5700.
Changing displays are scheduled during the year, with one focusing on the Golden Grads each Homecoming. Also current is a display about the University 1966 NCAA Basketball Championship Team that includes photographs, newspaper clippings, a letter jacket, and a video of the game. Young Coach  Don Haskins started a lineup of all Black players breaking the color line in college basketball, which formed the theme of the recent "Glory Road" movie, for which there is also a display. In 1966, Haskins was the first in NCAA basketball championship history to start five black players, defeating all-white University of Kentucky 72-65.
In 1997, Haskins was enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and in 2005, he was commemorated with Texas Western’s 1966 team on a Wheaties cereal box. In 2006, “Glory Road” the film about TWC's 1966 team debuted. The Texas Western NCAA championship team was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007. Memorabilia of all these events are on display in the Heritage House. Haskins died of congestive heart failure September 7, 2008, at the age of 78.
A display about the mining engineering drawing equipment used in the early years of the school is also on exhibit. One entire interior wall of the Heritage House is devoted to the decade timeline of various memorabilia items and photographs dating from 1913 to the current time.
Heritage House was built in 1921 by the first dean of the school, Stephen H. Worrell, and his wife, Kathleen, who suggested the Bhutanese architectural style for campus. After several years as a home for administrators, it was used for other purposes until President Diana Natalicio designated it as Heritage House in 1994.
Heritage House is staffed by volunteers from the UTEP Heritage Commission, whose members are current and retired faculty, staff, and alumni of the University. |
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