Janice Rubin, renowned photographer impacted by Harvey, donates collection to UH

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A famed photojournalist just gave the University of Houston the gift of a lifetime.

Janice Rubin donated 15,000 pieces to the UH Libraries Special Collections. The images date back to 1976, showcasing iconic Houston leaders and ordinary life.

Rubin told Eyewitness News she wants the community to remember the people who helped build the Bayou City.

Rubin said she planned to make this donation for some time. Hurricane Harvey flooded her home and destroyed about 20 percent of her collection, so she fast-tracked the project.

"We all live with uncertainty. We all live with uncertainty," said Rubin. "Harvey really brought that home. I thought my work was safe. I thought that my life's work that I've been working on since 1976 was safe in my house. It wasn't. Harvey washed away a big chunk of it."

UH hopes to eventually put the images in an online database.

Until then, "The Janice Rubin Photographs" collection is available for viewing in the Special Collections Reading Room on the second floor of the M.D. Anderson Library at the UH campus.

The Special Collections Reading Room is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and on Saturdays during the fall and spring semesters from noon to 4 p.m.

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