07/20/2026
JACKIE HARTEL TO SHARE THE HISTORY OF THE VALLEY PLAYERS
WITH HISTORICAL COMMISSION
The Liberty County Historical Commission will meet Monday, July 20th, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. in the A. J. “Jack” Hartel Building, 318 San Jacinto Street, Liberty, Texas. There will be a short business meeting before introducing the guest speaker for the evening, Jackie Hartel Smith, well-known educator and key member of The Valley Players, our treasured community theater in Liberty.
The Valley Players was co-founded in 1953, by Kalita Humphreys Burson and husband, Joe Burson. Kalita, a native of Galveston, was involved in the Galveston Little Theater and the Dallas Theater. Joe Burson was an actor and director. Both had been involved in productions on Broadway. The Burson’s relocated to Liberty in 1951 after marrying to be closer to Kalita’s mother, Mrs. Geraldine Humphreys, living in her ancestral home on Sam Houston Street. A small group of like-minded volunteers gathered to form a community theater which was named The Valley Players. The group began production even though they did not have a permanent home. The group moved wherever they could find an available building to stage their productions. In the early years, many plays were presented at the Sam Houston Elementary auditorium, which was incredibly old and had the disadvantage of not having restrooms backstage! Challenges did not dampen the spirit of this group, and they performed many shows, creating sets and dismantling after each production. They also performed at Liberty High School, city hall and other makeshift venues including an old building on Main Street with no stage and an abandoned poultry and rabbit barn at the fairgrounds.
Unfortunately, the Burson’s did not live to see the full success of The Valley Players. Just one year after the group formed Joe and Kalita were killed in a small plane crash near Lenhartsville, Pa., while in route to New York. Kalita was just 38 years old. The theater group continued to grow and entertain the community.
The construction of the current theater in the Humphreys Cultural Center was made possible by Kalita’s Mother, Mrs. Geraldine Davis Humphreys. Before her death, Mrs. Humphreys left portions of her estate to Theater Under the Stars (TUTS) in Houston and the creation of the cultural center in Liberty. Today, the center houses both a library and The Valley Players theater, their permanent home. The cultural center was named in honor of Geraldine Davis Humphreys’ legacy and stands on the land once known as “Seven Pines,” the family home. Thanks to the efforts of Burson’s, Mrs. Humphreys and resolute members of the community, the theater continues to be a cultural cornerstone in Liberty and the county, entertaining audiences and preserving a rich history of local performing arts.
