The Texas Historian, Volume 37, Number 2, November 1976 Page: 18
30 p. : ill. ; 25 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
U~
Easter morning in the early 1930's, Anna re-
turned home to find a beautician inspector sit-
ting on her porch. He informed her that she
could no longer do residential work as an indi-
vidual but could only work from a shop. Anna
replied, "We poor people can't have any-
thing." Pointing to a vacant lot in front of
where they were standing, she continued: "You
see that lot? Anna is going to build her a shop
and it is going to be one of the best in Hous-
ton." In 1936 Anna opened her shop at 3411
Nalle Street which she called "Anna's Institu-
tion of Health and Beauty."
As with all of her undertakings, Anna tried
to make her shop the best. She installed an
electric cabinet sweatbox, a Turkish bath, as
well as special massage tables. The masseurs
who worked in her shop were trained by Carl-
ton Pullium, a graduate of the Howard Uni-
versity Medical School in Washington, D.C.
Electing not to practice medicine, Pullium be-
gan working as a masseur in the basement of
the Rice Hotel.
While Anna was busy working in her shop,
Dupree worked as a porter in the River Oaks
Country Club, where he later became theclub's locker manager. Working -as a team, the
Duprees saved most of Clarence's tips and
lived on his meager salary. Anna later recalled,
"We went without many of the necessities of
life in order to save money." Little by little the
Duprees invested in real estate, and in 1929
they opened the Pastime Theater on McKinney
Street. In 1939 they built the El Dorado Cen-
ter at Dowling and Elgin Streets, where the
main attraction was the ballroom which Anna
named "The Home of Happy Feet." It be-
came a "showcase for the great black enter-
tainers of the era and was the launching pad
for many show-biz careers." The Duprees also
held many events in the ballroom to raise
funds for their charitable projects.
Anna and her husband decided that their
"first charitable project would be an orphan-
age for Negro children." Between 1920 and
1940 Anna saved $20,000 which she donated
to the Negro Child Center. This donation was
Class of Negro beautician students standing on
steps of library in Houston's Fourth Ward area
in 1913. Anna Dupree is in third row, second
from left.M
WA
J
dk
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Texas State Historical Association. The Texas Historian, Volume 37, Number 2, November 1976, periodical, November 1976; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth391307/m1/20/: accessed June 13, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.