Friendswood Schools Museum creator and volunteer Cheryl Bouillion will be adding something special to the museum soon. It will be her name along with three others who are being honored as the 2023 Distinguished Alumni at a special banquet in their honor October 5, 2023 at Golfcrest Country Club in Pearland.
Cheryl Hatcher Bouillion is a 1962 graduate of Friendswood High School where she was named Valedictorian of her class. Her life journey would start with space and work its way back to Friendswood ISD where she currently keeps memories alive.
In 1963 she began working at NASA with engineers and astronauts. She traveled to the USSR to provide support to the working groups for the joint venture into space, the Apollo-Soyuz Tests Project. She also traveled with the NASA’s Benefits of Space exhibit throughout the United States.
She returned to college at age 52 while still working at NASA and graduated in 1998 magna cum laude with a BA in Political Science from the University of Houston. The degree enabled her to obtain a professional program analyst position at NASA and when she retired in 2012 she had 33 years of Civilian-Army, Civilian-Air Force and NASA service.
Locally, Bouillon has served on the City Parks and Recreation Committee, the Friendswood Historical Society. the Friendswood Alumni Association and the Galveston County Historical Commission.
She assisted former historian and author Joycina Baker with her book Friendswood: A Settlement of Friendly Folks and volunteered with the Friends Church Centennial Celebration.
She was also part of the nonpartisan organization of local residents who went to Washington, DC to promote the House Concurrent Resolution 215 recognizing the Creator’s role in setting up the nation’s government.
Commemorating Friendswood history is important to her and she pursued and obtained a commemorative plaque for Friendswood’s first brick school on Spreading Oaks. The site built in 1939 later became part of Friendswood Junior High and currently is home to the Friendswood Schools Museum.
“In 2014 assisting to develop a museum in the original building has been the biggest project I have ever undertaken,” Bouillion said. “With the talents and efforts of 12 other dedicated and talented volunteers, the Friendswood Schools Museum opened ceremoniously in October 2016. Its docents have welcomed over 2,500 visitors and its displays continue to grow and improve.”
Bouillion and her husband Beau have two sons, Jeremy and Blake and two grandchildren, Karissa and Henry. A third will arrive this fall.
The other three alumni being honored at the Distinguished Alumni Banquet include Dan Gattis, William Gillespie and Tony Hopkins.
The event is under the direction of the Friendswood High School Alumni Association. To become a sponsor, or to purchase a table or single tickets, visit friendswoodalumni.org.
