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his trove was offered to The Menil Collection. Their selections included furnishings from the collector's Montrose bungalow that were in turn installed in Menil bungalows used by visiting artists and scholars. Inman Gallery, home to Lassiter's artist friend David Aylsworth, collaborated with Lassiter's estate, organizing a well-received exhibition with a silent auction component 18 months after his death. "A Collection of Friends: Selections from the William F. Lassiter Estate" raised significant funds that benefited The Menil Collection and Lassiter's alma mater, St. Thomas. Gallerist Kerry Inman says, "We were honored to present an exhibition of much of his collection in the summer of 2020 — yes, that summer. I took great pleasure in installing the work at the gallery, always thinking about what Bill might suggest. Because it was the summer of the pandemic, we were open only by appointment, but each person visiting had a wonderful story about Bill and a great reason for selecting the work they chose. So, the show was a true testament to Bill as a friend and as a collector." Another friend, Alison de Lima Greene, the Isabel Brown Wilson Curator of Modern & Contemporary Art at the MFAH, says, "Ah, Bill Lassiter … What a beacon he was for so many of us in Houston. Together with his life partner, Edward Mayo, he set an example for us all on how to live gracefully and graciously, spiked with just the right soupçon of wit, just like the driest of martinis with the perfect lemon twist." Perhaps his longest friendship, dating back to 1984, was with gallerist Hiram Butler. "Bill never missed an exhibition in my gallery," Butler says. "He bought all the time, but he had a price limit. I don't think he ever spent more than a thousand dollars. He was frequently the first to purchase work by a young artist. And what a thrill it was for the artist. When Bill bought their work, the artist was always invited to have dinner with him, Mr. Mayo, and guests to hang it. Eventually everything couldn't be hung at the same time. So Bill rotated his collection every spring and every fall. At the same time of the art rotation in the spring, he'd put white canvas slipcovers on the furniture and grass mats on the floor. In the fall rotation, the slipcovers would come off the furniture, and rugs would replace the grass mats. If the weather was good, drinks before dinner would be had in the garden, not in the library. Bill's house was astonishing. It was a simple bungalow filled with interesting furniture, rugs, objects, and art. The mix was terrific. There was a stuffed owl in the library because Mr. Mayo went to Rice. In the cubbyholes of his rolltop desk was a collection of exquisite demitasse cups. I can't say that Bill collected a particular kind of art. It seemed as if everything he had was unlike anything else he had, yet it was beautiful together." Read more tales of Bill Lassiter at papercitymag.com. Houston artist Sarah Fisher's portrait of Bill Lassiter, Delighted, 2019. Living room as art gallery including, from left, a canvas by Robin Utterback; one of Julian Schnabel's first paintings, Miss USA 1955, circa 1970; and a Richard Kline sculpture. A sitting area with canvases by Rachel Hecker, Guy Johnson, and John Peters (Mark Flood); works on paper by Robin Utterback and Marco Villegas; and a Russell Prince sculpture. 53