Houston Conchology Society
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The Houston Conchology Society is a non-profit organization for individuals interested in studying and collecting seashells.  Education, Conchology, Malacology and related fields are promoted by the Society.

The Society holds regular meetings on the third Sunday of September, October, November, January, February and April.  There are seasonal events and a yearly shell auction scheduled in other months.  The membership year extends from June 1 through May 31.

Meetings are located at Immanuel Lutheran Church, 306 E. 15th Street unless changed for special occasions.  Those occasions will be announced in The Epitonium.

 

Annual membership dues: Family $20; Single $15; Junior (under 18) $6.

 Make checks payable to Houston Conchology Society and send to the address on the form.

Membership Form for 2024-2025 is available now.

VISITORS WELCOME!!!

 


The Epitonium is published prior to each meeting August through May and is an official publication of the Houston Conchology Society.  Items of interest concerning shells and shelling are welcome for publication.  Credit will be given to contributors when known unless anonymity is requested.

Permission is granted for reprinting articles, provided credit is given to The Epitonium, the writer, and the Houston Conchology Society and a copy of the reprint is sent to the editor of the newsletter.

Editor:  Lucy Clampit, E-mail:  lclampit@comcast.net

 NOTICE:  The Epitonium (HCS's newsletter) will no longer be published online.  A PDF copy will be e-mailed to members of HCS and interested organizations (effective October 14,2024).

 




Announcements and Calendar


CLICK HERE for a copy of the Texas Jamboree registration form.
Click on the form name for a PDF copy of the desired Seashell Searchers Shell Show forms:
COVER LETTER - RULES - CATAGORIES - APPLICATION - APPLICATION         (NON_SCIENTIFIC) -  TROPHY LIST


October 17-19 - Texas Jamboree & SSS Shell Show at Lake Jackson Civic Center.
   
(Forms available above)
November 17 - HCS Meeting
December ? - HCS Christmas Party
January 19, 2025 - HCS Meeting
February 16,2025 - HCS Meeting
March 15, 2025 - HCS Auction
April 20, 2025 - HCS Meeting
May ?, 2025 - HCS Banquet

July 7-12, 2025 - COA Convention in Corpus Christi, Texas



History

In 1958 a few Houston shellers met as a study group. The first organizational meeting was in May of 1959. Meetings were in members’ homes about three times a year. By 1964 they had become the Conchology Group of the Houston Outdoor Nature Club. In September of that year they were meeting nine times a year at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, and the first newsletter was published. After several monthly issues, the newsletter became the Texas Conchologist and contained both general club information and scientific articles. In January, 1969, members voted to withdraw from the Outdoor Nature Club and become the Houston Conchology Society, Inc. The HCS adopted Epitonium angulatum (Say, 1830) as its official seashell in 1978 (featured on the Society's logo), and the Texas Conchologist became a quarterly scientific publication. The Texas Conchologist ceased publication in December, 2004. A general newsletter (now titled The Epitonium) was initiated to inform members about meetings, field trips, etc. and was published prior to each meeting. In 1991 the club voted to award a five-hundred dollar grant to a deserving malacology student. This "one time" grant became the annual Dr. Harold W. Harry Memorial Award in 1995. This grant is now funded by HCS and is known as the Houston Conchology Society Grant. In the fall of 1999 HCS members established the Constance E. Boone Grants to Malacology. 1994 saw the HCS hosting the 60th annual meeting of the American Malacological Union (now American Malacological Society). A second national convention was hosted by HCS when the Conchologists of America held the 2000 convention in Houston. In May 2003 HCS hosted the Texas Shellers' Jamboree.

Officers for 2024-2025
President:  David Green
Vice President:  Tina Petway
Treasurer:  Angie Haneiko
Recording Secretary:  Lisa Alderman
Corresponding Secretary:  Jerry Clampit

Last updated 10/14/2024