[PAA-Discuss] update on the Loes

[Theresa Keefe]

This from Houston.Indymedia.org
Key part of Houston's Peace History Burns
by chickpea Friday December 30, 2005 at 05:14 PM

Part of our local history of peace activism went up in flames when 1844 
Kipling suffered a 6-alarm fire on December 23rd.

The house was home to Lee and Hardy Loe, their four daughters, numerous 
pets, and several guests over the years. Since they moved there in 
1967, the Loe's played a key role in Houston's anti-war movements.

The fire began on the front deck of the 2 story pink house while the 
Loe's were out of town visiting family. No official report on the cause 
of the fire has been released, but it seems southwesterly winds blew 
the fire into a back bedroom. Houston firefighters put out the blaze 
before it burned onto the bottom floor. A 27 year old nephew and his 
wife who were in the house at the time escaped unharmed, as did two 
cats. Neighboring houses and a garage apartment were unscathed.

A week after the fire, family members continue to sift through the 
damage, and set aside salvageable parts of Houston's peace history. 
Several damp t-shirts with the Women's International League for Peace 
and Freedom logo hang from an uncharred portion of the back porch. A 
salvage company set aside an oversized poster for the No Nukes movie. 
Workers also helped save a books about Che Guevara and the Zapatistas. 
One worker showed Lee his undershirt – a red tshirt bearing Che's 
image. Firefighters also contributed to the salvage effort, even as the 
house burned down around them. Lee says they took down pictures from 
the walls, put them next to her computer on a table, and covered them 
with plastic to prevent smoke and water damage. At some point, they 
moved Hardy's guitar out of harms way. Lost to the fire are numerous 
books, videos, family photographs and paintings, and several short 
stories Lee wrote for a creative writing class.

A helpful member of the Winlow Place Civic Club brought by notepads for 
the Loe's to document the damage. Daughters and grand daughters 
traveled from Austin, North Carolina and New Jersey to help out. After 
everything is moved to a warehouse, the sorting begins in earnest, and 
could take a month to finish.

Lee and Hardy, both 76 years old, are focusing on completing the first 
of what will likely be many phases of recovery from the fire. A friend 
is helping gather linens and kitchen utensils for their apartment. Lee 
says they haven't moved in 38 years, so they're still unsure of what it 
will take to get comfortable. In the long term, they're considering 
moving and buying an new house in Austin, or staying here to rebuild. 
If they choose the later, they hope to build a green home that's 
compatable with the neighborhood.

The fire's emotional impact continues to unfold. Hardy jokes that its 
more inconvienent than devestating. He surmises they'd have been 
unlikely to build a green home if this opportunity hadn't presented 
itself. Lee notes her success using citrus detergent to rid clothes of 
their smokey odor.

A key part of Lee's contribution to the local peace community continues 
uninterupted. Her co-editors just finished the January edition of the 
Houston Peace Newspaper. Stacks can be picked up for distribution from 
the bench near the garage apartment behind 1844 Kipling. Go by to get 
your copies before dusk because the electricity is out.

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