Sixty years after Captain Gary L. Herod heroically maneuvered his crashing plane away from homes near Brays Bayou, the Brays Bayou Association is working to relocate a memorial closer to the crash site at the intersection of N. Braeswood Blvd. and Mullins Drive.

The Houston Parks Board is also planning to extend the Brays Bayou trail to include a segment along the north part of the Bayou, between Chimney Rock Road and Hillcroft Ave. The extension will allow residents to continue walking along the trail while they learn about a local hero.

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Its nice for him to be recognized again for what happened back then, said Cynthia Lichtman, Herods daughter who was only 3 years old when Herod was killed. I think that people need heroes more these days, even though he probably wouldnt look at himself as being a hero himself. He was pretty modest that way.

Herod was a Texas Air National Guard pilot who, on March 15, 1961, took off from Ellington Field southeast of Houston in his T-33 jet trainer. Shortly after takeoff, Herod experienced engine failure.

According to the story, Herod could have ejected safely but the plane would have crashed into the homes near Meyerland. Instead, he stayed with the plane to guide it toward a vacant field on the banks of Brays Bayou. He initially attempted to turn his plane around and return to Ellington Field or another airport and radioed air traffic control that he was going to bail out. But when the controllers asked for confirmation, he replied, not yet. Those were his last words before the crashed.

Herod was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, a Hero Tree was dedicated in his honor on Memorial Day in 1961 in Meyerland Plaza and Gary L. Herod Elementary School was named after him.

We still have some people that were around in the community when this happened, said Charles Goforth, a real estate agent and President of the Brays Bayou Association. It was something specific for our community. And what he did more than likely saved many lives in the greater Meyerland area.

In 2018, Goforth was one of the first residents to notice the Hero Trees health in Meyerland Plaza was in decline. Although the trees removal was a significant loss for the community, the planned memorial along Brays Bayou could be a permanent reminder of Herods heroism.

According to Trent Rondot, the Houston Parks Boards Conservation and Maintenance Director, the Board was already planning on extending the trail along the northside of the Bayou. Installing Herods memorial is a bonus that allows them to connect with the community.

Its always great to use these public spaces as a way to honor people that have made a sacrifice or payed a price to help the community, said Rondot. So for us, this was a space that was very visible, theres a lot of trail use in the area, and its just fitting that that kind of Memorial be placed in an area where the general public has an opportunity to read and learn the history.

To install the memorial, the BBA is hosting a fundraiser for $50,000. That money will be included with the Parks Board contribution of $150,000. Although the fundraising campaign is in its soft launch phase, Goforth, with the help of Herods family, hopes to have a full launch soon.

For more information on how to donate, go to https://houstonparksboard.org/about/captain-herod-memorial-plaza.

ryan.nickerson@hcnonline.com

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Brays Bayou association plans new memorial for hero pilot that sacrificed life to save Meyerland residents - Houston Chronicle