EDITH C. BUTLER HOUSTON ENGLISH 1881-1981 Edith C. Butler Houston-English was born October 7, 1881 to Lettia Parsons Butler and Jonh Butler in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Edith English's father was a member of the famed 9th Calvary stationed at Fort Union near Las Vegas, New Mexico. Edith English's grandfather owned a hotel and her grandmother was a well-known nurse. Edith English married Fred Houston and moved to Lajunta, Colorado. She and her husband had three surviving children and within seven years, she became a widow. Having to support herself and her children, she started a catering business in Albuquerque. It was said she brought class and elegance to the frontier. Her specialty was traditional New Orleans cuisine, which was modified for the mountains and desert climate of New Mexico. John Lewis, Edith English's orphaned grandson, became a musical prodigy after graduating from the University of New Mexico. John Lewis became famous for organizing the modern Jazz quartet. John Lewis's ten-member band filled the living room of the english's home for many practices. Mrs. English not only advised the wealthy on correct social behavior, she also demanded it from her children and the children who visited her home. One visitor was Ralph Bunche, who attended the Lew Wallace School formerly known as the Fourth Ward School from 1914 to 1917. The Bicentennial Celebration in 1976 done by the NAACP honored Edith English for the impact she had on Albuquerque and New Mexico. She was the oldest African American in New Mexico at that time. Edith English died May 20th, 1981. | 
