Maxfield Autograph and Memorabilia Collection Donated to the Center
The Jim and Marjorie Maxfield Autograph and Memorabilia Collection has been generously donated to the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History at The University of Texas at Austin. The collection, which took years to amass and was formerly exhibited in Houston, consists of more than a hundred autographed pieces of memorabilia from noted national figures and Houstonians.
“The Maxfields have given us a rich resource of historic papers and artifacts,” said Don Carleton, executive director of the Briscoe Center. “I am confident that many items will be used in future exhibits here at the center.”
The Maxfield Collection contains signed memorabilia by politicians, media celebrities, socialites, athletes, and more. Collection items include a thank you note from President George H. W. Bush; astronaut James A. Lovell’s Apollo 13 command module reproduction; a 1997 news teleprompter script from CBS News anchor Dan Rather; Olympic gold medalist Mary Lou Retton’s gymnast slippers; and a Sporting News cover featuring the University of Texas’s Heisman Trophy winner Earl Campbell.
Jim Maxfield, owner of Tanglewood Pharmacy in Houston, began collecting autographed memorabilia after former Treasury Secretary James A. Baker came into his store in 1998.
“He walked up to the counter and made a purchase, paying with a banknote embossed with his signature as secretary of the treasury. I asked him if he would sign it, and he did,” recalls Maxfield. “I was energized thereafter to gather signed artifacts not just from national figures, but from important Houstonians as well.”
The collection grew over time and was displayed at Maxfield’s pharmacy as an exhibit titled You Are What You Write On until he and his wife retired, and then donated it to the Briscoe Center.
