In 1985, the Board of the Taiwanese Association of America Houston Chapter designated Grace Liau, a board member at the time, to plan the establishment of a school for the growing number of children in the Taiwanese community. Under her able leadership and the hard work of a committee of eighteen members, the Taiwanese School of Languages and Culture was founded and opened for class in the summer of 1985. The school was referred to initially as Tai Yu (Taiwanese language) School and since 1989 it has been fondly called the Taiwanese School.

In the beginning, classes were held on Saturdays in the local schools that we leased. The curriculum included Taiwanese languages and culture, and Chinese with supplemental classes on English and Mathematics. In the first six years, the school had to relocate as many as three times. To build our own school facility became an import goal. A committee, mandated by the school board, consisting of Grace Liau, Felicia Chuang, Cheryle Lu, M.C. Liau and George Lin was formed under the leadership of then Taiwanese School principal, George Lin to pursuit this goal and to lay a perpetual foundation for our educational enterprise. As a result of the committee’s efforts, the Taiwanese Heritage Society of Houston (THSH) was chartered in 1988 and the Taiwanese School became an integral part of the THSH to continue the mission of promoting the Taiwanese culture and heritage.

THSH was granted non-profit, tax-exempt status in 1991. The Taiwanese School’s need to have its own facility added urgency and momentum to the growing movement to build a community center long advocated by Dr. Ya Yen Lee. The first fundraising event of the THSH the following January garnered wide spread and generous support from the Taiwanese community. The spectacular success of the event brought into reality the Houston Taiwanese Community Center. It has since been a facility the Taiwanese in Houston proudly call our own, and the permanent home for the Taiwanese School.

Established to support the Taiwanese School, the THSH has developed into the largest Taiwanese public service organization in Houston. The Taiwanese School continues its original purpose of educating the second generation Taiwanese Americans. While the Taiwanese School is an organizational unit of THSH, the school board governs its own programs and operations.

In the years since we settled in the Taiwanese Community Center, the hard work and dedication of school board members and countless volunteers have brought many innovations to the school. Computers and a Web server have streamlined school operations and the keeping of student records.

Chinese textbooks have been revised. Taiwanese textbooks have been written and compiled. Teachers in Taiwanese language are developed and trained. Taiwanese culture is now taught through activity programs. The Taiwanese Youth Society provides students leadership training and teaches the value of Volunteerism through practical experience. The summer school provides working opportunity to Taiwanese School alumni who are now in college. Young children from Taiwan are attracted to the summer school for its perfect environment to learn English and the American way of life. Parents who volunteer in the school have set great service models for the students.

On this joyful occasion for the 20^th anniversary celebration of the Taiwanese School, we remember all the friends and colleagues, new and old, who walked this path with us, the hardship we went through together, the selfless dedication of the volunteers, and the precious friendship formed through the Years. We have written a proud chapter of the Taiwanese American history. We can take time to savor the fruit of our work.

自一九七○年代開始，移居休士頓的台灣同鄉人數急速增加。為吾鄉子弟開辦一所台灣語言、文化的週末學校，已經形成同鄉的共識。有鑑於此，休士頓台灣同鄉會理事會於一九八五年，委任熱心教育的同鄉籌組「創校委員會」，同時推薦郭珠貞女士擔任召集人。委員會正式把學校命名為「台灣語文學校」。

學校初創期租用公立小學教室上課。六年內搬三次家，嚐盡寄人籬下之苦。「擁有自己的校舍」在當時遂成為委員會重要的工作指標。台灣語文學校除了開辦台語、中文、英語、數學諸種課程之外，還介紹台灣鄉土傳統文化。為了達到台灣語言、文化的傳承，並使同鄉捐款更趨方便之目的，郭珠貞、沈郁芳、謝清實、林秋成和廖明徵等校務委員組成工作小組，於一九八九年成立「休士頓台灣人傳統基金會」。「基金會」明文確定台灣語文學校為其主要部門之一。

基金會於一九九一年取得美國國稅局的免稅資格，募款購校舍的作業更易進行。在此期間休城台灣同鄉萌生了「擁有自己會館」的願景，同鄉會也在籌募建款基金。在台灣學校創辦過程中，熱心推動且慷慨經援、曾經說過「手袂掰起來作伙打拚，錢不夠嘸免驚」的李雅彥教授，對籌建台灣會館亦不遺餘力。他再度出錢出力，同時號召有志一同的鄉友熱烈投入建館的行列。同鄉們本著「台灣人民的血汗錢留台灣，海外移民自立救濟」疼愛台灣原鄉的熱情，慷慨解囊全力支援，募款水到渠成，成績斐然。

一九九二年以「台灣人傳統基金會」的名義，購買原已破敗的托兒所並大力整修，才有了今天的「台灣人活動中心」。台灣語文學校終於有了自己的校舍；休城台灣同鄉也實現了擁有「台灣會館」的願望。原以台灣語文學校為基礎拓展而成的「台灣人傳統基金會」，至今已發展成休城台灣人最大的公益機構。台灣語文學校致力於第二代台美青少年教育，組織上是基金會的部門之一，作業上由校務委員會督導校務、教務和文化活動。

多年來經由義工、家長、教師與校務委員的努力，學校已完成中文教材的編寫、學生資料電腦化、成績報告網路化、文化教育生活化等計劃。編製台語教材，培訓台語教師也從不間斷地進行。台青社（Taiwanese Youth Society）的創立開拓培養青少年的領導能力與團隊精神的園地。暑期夏令營讓長大離校的學生回歸指導在校生，他們不但學以致用更能學習回饋，可謂一舉兩得。夏令營同時也提供從台灣來此渡假的小朋友學習英文的機會。義工、家長參與工作，樹立服務人群的榜樣。

要怎麼收穫就怎麼栽。欣逢台灣語文學校二十周年慶，緬懷創校之步履艱辛、義工之無私奉獻、友情之山高水長，更期待台美人歷史之綿延流傳。當年的篳路藍縷、辛勤耕耘，如今呈現出美麗的成果。感今思昔，謹此為記。