LENTZ, SALLIE STARR MCGEE (1896-1962). Sallie Lentz, a founder of the Harrison County Historical Society, was born on November 2, 1896, the great-granddaughter of James Harper Starr and the daughter of Harry W. and Sallie (Starr) McGee. She married J. Fred Lentz in 1923; the couple had two children. Together they built a substantial library and collected artifacts such as items from Indian cultures and early Texas currency, stamps, and bonds. Mrs. Lentz wrote and spoke publicly about East Texas history. Harrison County was among the first counties in Texas to support the Texas State Historical Survey Committee (see TEXAS HISTORICAL COMMISSION). In 1956 county judge Paul Warren appointed Sallie Lentz to set up a local committee for the development of historical resources; this committee became the Harrison County Historical Commission. In 1959 Mrs. Lentz helped organize the Harrison County Historical Society and was its first president. She was also a charter member of the East Texas Historical Association. She died on June 1, 1962, in Marshall, and shortly thereafter a memorial fund in her name was established to further the study of East Texas history.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: East Texas Historical Journal July 1963. Vertical Files, Barker Texas History Center, University of Texas at Austin.
