George Bush Intercontinental Airport’s Terminal E will now be renamed “Sheila Jackson Lee Terminal E” in honor of the late congresswoman. Lee represented the 18th Congressional District till her loss of life in November 2024.
The Houston Metropolis Council voted unanimously to rename the terminal after the legendary congresswoman.
Lee’s daughter Erica Lee Carter, who additionally represented the 18th Congressional District briefly after Lee’s loss of life, thanked Mayor John Whitmire for his help within the course of and Councilmembers Edward Pollard and Tiffany Thomas for taking the renaming initiative. Lee Carter additionally recounted her mom’s achievements in bringing in funding and advocacy for the airport.
We aren’t simply affixing a reputation to a constructing, we’re telling the world that Sheila Jackson Lee mattered to Houston, and that her legacy lives on boldly, visibly and completely.
Erica Lee Carter
“She knew that our airport was not only a transit hub of commerce, but it surely linked us to our world pals, like our sister cities,” Lee Carter mentioned. “We aren’t simply affixing a reputation to a constructing, we’re telling the world that Sheila Jackson Lee mattered to Houston, and that her legacy lives on boldly, visibly and completely.”
In December 2024, the Houston Metropolis Council voted to provoke the terminal’s renaming. Public audio system mentioned Lee’s advocacy for her constituents and her function in securing $125 million value of federal funding for the Houston Airport System. They prolonged their help behind this determination.
As a result of administrative processes, which embrace public feedback, the council waited to rename the terminal when the proposal was first launched. Following this, it obtained greater than 2,000 feedback, with 80% voicing help for renaming the terminal, based on the agenda merchandise.
Houston has a historical past of honoring political leaders who served the town. Terminal C is known as after Houston’s former Mayor Lewis Wesley Cutrer and Terminal D after former U.S. Rep. Mickey Leland.
Lee’s members of the family keep in mind her legacy
Lee’s husband, Elwyn Lee, reminisced about her ardour for the airport.
“She turned a fierce advocate for the airport and different transformation wants of this metropolis, which she did love,” he mentioned. “She fiercely and successfully (introduced) hundreds of thousands for the airport and different building wants.”
Jason Lee, Lee’s son, recalled his private relationship together with his mom.
“I’m actually gonna have a tall process attempting to clarify who my mom was,” he mentioned. “It might be simpler for me to clarify who she was to me, however I’ve to essentially work to clarify all she meant to everybody else. With the dignity of this terminal being named after her, it makes that lots simpler. That honor will itself clarify to some extent who she was and what she meant.”
Councilmembers weigh in
Mayor Professional Tem and Metropolis Councilmember Martha Castex-Tatum known as Lee a “hero” and a proper ceremony—the subsequent step within the renaming course of.
“Houston won’t ever be the identical with out Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, however we’ll proceed to work day-after-day to make it a spot that she may very well be pleased with and we are able to all be pleased with,” Castex-Tatum mentioned.
Explaining the decision course of beneath Proposition A, which allowed him to convey the Terminal E renaming initiative ahead, Councilmember Edward Pollard mentioned it obtained eight signatures—the utmost variety of signatures allowed.
“For this explicit decision, everybody mentioned sure instantly,” Pollard mentioned. “That could be a testomony to who Congresswoman Sheila Jackson was. Regardless when you agree with all the things she ever did or mentioned, you recognize that she was an impactful one who was extraordinarily obsessed with her neighborhood and her metropolis, and was an iconic determine.”
Councilwoman Carolyn Evans-Shabazz, who represents District D, which is positioned inside the 18th Congressional District, recalled her shut partnership with Lee and known as the choice to rename the terminals a “no-brainer.”
