Donor Spotlight: Ed McMahon

Proud Texan and native Houstonian, Ed McMahon, is a staunch supporter of The Bryan Museum and one of its strongest advocates. He joined The Bryan Museum’s Board of Directors at its inception in January 2019 and gave the Museum one of its largest gifts for education programming which has allowed thousands of youth to experience the history of Texas and the American West in a meaningful and relevant way. Ed is an Old 300 lifetime member of the Museum who continues to consistently and creatively give of his time and fortune. He most recently provided funding for a video encapsulating the Museum and its mission and vision that will help raise awareness and expand the Museum’s outreach and audience.

Ed owns Ed McMahon Interests, which builds and develops residential and commercial properties as well as equine centers. He has been actively involved in Houston philanthropy for more than 50 years. Having volunteered for The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo for half a century, he has served for many years as one of the show’s Executive Directors. Ed has helped raise millions of dollars for the Rodeo Scholarship Fund, which provides financial aid to students for college expenses. His additional charity work includes working with Citizens for Animal Protection and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, as well as serving as president of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation, for which he was awarded Board Member of the Decade. Ed has served as a director of the Western Art Museum in Kerrville, TX, and is an associate of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. He co-founded “Men of Distinction,” benefiting Texas Children’s Hospital, and is an honorary board member of the Baylor Research Advocates for Student Scientists. In 1986, Ed co-founded the “American Art Classic,” which has since donated auction funds in excess of 1 million dollars to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and the Edna Gladney Center in Fort Worth. He also co-chaired the Western Heritage Sale, which raised funds for student art scholarships located at the Museum of Western Art in Kerrville.

Ed continues a long family tradition of philanthropy. His father, Don, started the Diamond M Drilling Company in 1965 and founded the Don McMahon Research Foundation in 1975. His mother was a pioneer in her own right as one of only two women in her graduating class of South Texas College of Law who passed the bar in 1936.

The Donald E. McMahon Foundation, now under Ed’s direction, was established to fund medical research and various medical and educational programs. Ed states “Education is paramount in making this world a better place. It serves the population in so many ways.”

We, at The Bryan Museum, couldn’t agree more and hope that Ed’s story inspires you to join us on this wonderful journey of preserving, and promoting our dynamic shared history that has so much to teach us all!