Albert H. Herzstein, born March 5, 1907, into a Jewish immigrant family in Trinidad, Colorado, lived with his family in Clayton, New Mexico, and Denver, Colorado, before moving to Houston in 1925 to work for a small welding company. Ethel Ann Davis, born April 13, 1896, in Fulshear to a pioneer family, met Albert in Houston, and they married on September 17, 1927. Albert bought a one-third share in the welding company, which eventually grew into Big Three Industries, and advanced to Executive Vice President and Director before establishing Herzstein Investments, Inc., a subsidiary of the Albert and Ethel Herzstein Charitable Foundation established in 1965. Ethel's family had been instrumental in starting the First United Methodist Church in Fulshear, and after the couple achieved financial success, Ethel suggested in 1979 that they give a new sanctuary to the church in memory of their parents. That first gift, together with Albert's appreciation of the hardships of small communities, led them to create foundation grants for education, religion, support services for the underprivileged, and the arts. They remained married until Ethel's death on May 6th, 1983. Albert, who never finished high school, later received an honorary high school diploma from St. Pius High School and a doctorate from the University of St. Thomas. In 1993 he was named Philanthropist of the Year by the Columbus Foundation of Ohio, and he continued running the foundation and real estate business until his death at age 90 on March 16, 1997.