Happy Foundation Research Archive

In December of 2023, the Board of the Happy Foundation and owners of the Bonham Exchange donated the Happy Foundation Archives to UTSA Special Collections. Named for business entrepreneur and developer Arthur “Hap” Veltman and compiled by local artist/activist, Gene Elder, the archive is comprised of over 600 linear feet of research materials. It is the largest repository documenting San Antonio and South Texas’ LGBTQ+ history and includes organizational records, oral histories, publications, and hundreds of subject files, as well as Hap Veltman’s papers documenting the commercial development of the San Antonio River Walk, Blue Star Arts Complex, and the preservation of several historic structures in downtown San Antonio. Work is underway to bring the archive to its permanent home at UTSA. Your support will help make this unique collection available to researchers, students, and the community at large.