A Guide to the Rosemary Kowalski Papers, 1924-2016

Biographical Sketch

Rosemary Hughes Kowalski was born in San Antonio, Texas onSeptember 27, 1924; she is the only child of Virginia Mergele Hughes and William Upton Hughes. As a child she took dance lessons and attended Blessed Sacrament Academy. She then attendedIncarnate Word High School and graduated in 1941. After graduation she began working as a comptrometer operator, and also worked atJoske’s department store. In 1945 she marriedHenry “Hank” Kowalski. They have two children: Mary Kowalski Carrington and Greg Kowalski.

Rosemary and Henry opened Uncle Ben’s Barbecue Restaurant on N. Zarzamora Street together in 1946. Rosemary had her first off-site catering event at St. Peter’s Prince of the Apostles Church in 1949, and officially opened a catering division named Ginna Rose in 1952. Most people in San Antonio simply referred to the company as “Uncle Ben’s Catering” in the early years, and in1961 the name officially changed to Catering by Rosemary. The business proved to be very successful during the1950’s and 1960’s, catering company picnics and various venues in San Antonio. In 1967, Catering by Rosemary began catering at the San Antonio Convention Center as a subcontractor of Sheridan Concessions. In 1968 the business was named the official caterer forHemisFair ’68, the World’s Fair held in San Antonio. In1972 the business won an exclusive catering contract for the San Antonio Convention Center, a contract that is still maintained as of this writing (2017).

By the early 1980’s the company had long outgrown the kitchen ofUncle Ben’s Barbecue and had expanded to encompass several other buildings. Catering by Rosemary had begun to offer services beyond cooking and serving food, such as supplying tables, chairs, and decorations for events. Extra kitchen, showroom, office, and storage space was necessary to make events in increasing number and size possible. As the business continued to grow, it moved to a larger space near St. Paul’s Square, where the business is headquartered today (2017).

In 1989, The RK Group was launched, and Rosemary’s son Greg was named President and CEO. The RK Group is a full service catering organization made up of multiple companies. In addition to preexisting catering and event planning and design services, Greg further diversified the company to include floral design, a specialized destination management company, a full-service nationwide meeting planning group, emergency management support, and a PR and marketing design component. In the 1990’s the company expanded beyond San Antonio, and began operating the Capitol Grill and Story of Texas Café, and providing catering services for theUniversity of Texas Etter-Harbin Alumni Center in Austin, TX. The company also opened offices in Phoenix, AZ in2008, and Houston, TX in 2011.

Throughout its history, the company has served Pope John Paul II, their Royal Highnesses Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles, U.S. Ambassador to England Henry Catto, numerous U.S. Presidents, and countless celebrities. Rosemary attributes her success to her long-established reputation for caring about fine details. Despite her success, she is known for her humility, dedication to service, positive outlook, and her courtesy and caring for others. Amongst her favorite sayings are “Say please and thank-you, always,” and “Attitude is everything.”

Rosemary retired from The RK Group in 1997, though she remains Chairman and CEO Emeritus. She is actively involved in the community and is well known for her philanthropic efforts in San Antonio’s cultural, arts, human service, religious, and educational organizations. She often attends events with her close friend (and former San Antonio Mayor) Lila Cockrell. Some of the many organizations with which she has been involved include Blessed Sacrament Academy, the San Antonio Area Foundation, theWarm Springs Foundation, and the Japan America Society of San Antonio; she has also supported projects by San Antonio artistJesse Trevino. Her numerous awards and honors include San Antonio Entrepeneur of the Year (1988), Grande Dame of Les Dames d’Escoffier International (2003), and induction into the Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame (1998) and the Texas Business Hall of Fame (2004).

Sources:

Biographical Information (Box 1, Folder 1)

“There’s Something About Rosemary” San Antonio Express-News, May 12, 2000. (Box 1, Folder 2)

“Catered by Rosemary Kowalski” by Elaine Dagen (Box 1, Folder 4)

“The RK Group History,” Accessed in June 2017 from http://www.therkgroup.com/about-us/history

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Scope and Content Note

The Rosemary Kowalski Papers span the years 1924-2016 and contain paper files, electronic records, audiovisual recordings, and photographs.

The collection is divided into seven series:

Personal records span 1924-2016 and include biographical information on Rosemary as well as family information, which is represented in correspondence, photographs, newspaper clippings, electronic records, and audiovisual recordings. Of note is a scrapbook from Rosemary’s childhood and school yearbooks fromBlessed Sacrament Academy and Incarnate Word High School. The Documentary subseries contains born-digital production files and a full-length DVD video of “The RK Legacy: A Tribute to Rosemary,” a documentary about Rosemary's life and the success of The RK Group, which aired on local San Antonio PBS station KLRN on March 29, 2016. The documentary can be viewed online (see Related Materials section of this guide for link). The subseries Birthdays mostly includes photographs from Rosemary’s birthday celebrations, which are often philanthropic events. The subseries VIP Letters is Rosemary’s personal correspondence file containing thank you notes and other letters from a wide variety of valued friends, clients, and business partners, including some high-profile figures.

The Annual Appointment Calendars span 1959-2013 and offer an in-depth insight into Rosemary’s early business operations as well as her transition into her role as a community figure. Earlier years feature notes on clients and menus for events, while later years feature more social and philanthropic functions. The calendars are comprehensive with the exceptions of 1968, 1970-1971, and 1997.

The Business series spans 1946-2014 and includes highlights from the history of Rosemary’s catering business, such as servingPope John Paul II, Barbara Bush, Henry Catto (at Winfield House), and Lyndon and Lady Bird Johnson. The series contains correspondence, photographs, administrative records, newspaper clippings, and electronic records. The Business Facility Photos subseries contains photos of the interior and exterior of The RK Group facility atSt. Paul’s Square. The Employees subseries mostly contains photographs of employees at company parties. A few employee head shots and paper files are also present. The Accounting Notebooks subseries contains handwritten financial records from Uncle Ben’s in the 1960’s. The Client Cards subseries is an alphabetical index card file of organizations and individuals served by the company from about1966-1981. The cards usually contain the date(s) the client was served as well as price per head, and occasionally contain notes on supplies necessary for service and menu items. The Catering Schedules subseries contains event-specific files from the1980’s with detailed itineraries of setup and breakdown, menus, staff, and supplies necessary for each event. The Catering Setup and Event Photos subseries (1962-2008) largely consists of electronic records (donor-scanned photographs and contact sheets), most of which are available to view online. Some photographic prints are also available. Photos depict various sites and events in the San Antonio area, mostly consisting of displays of food and decor. The Praise and Criticism subseries contain correspondence from clients dating from 1967-2011.

The Japan series spans the years 1989-2008 and documents Rosemary’s involvement with events and persons related to San Antonio’s sister city, Kumamoto. The series also documents Rosemary’s two trips toKumamoto. Although Rosemary once served as President of the Japan America Society of San Antonio, the series does not include material specifically related to her work in this role. The series mostly contains correspondence, promotional, and event planning materials; only a few photographs, newspaper clippings, and electronic records are present.

The Community Involvement series (1975-2016) showcases Rosemary’s philanthropic and social engagement with the greater San Antonio community, including the Rosemary Kowalski Endowment Fund, and her support of the work of artist Jesse Trevino (Santa Rosa Hospital Mural, Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center). The series contains correspondence, event planning materials, invitations, photographs, newspaper clippings, and electronic records.

The Awards and Honors series spans 1968-2016 and documents Rosemary’s numerous accomplishments throughout the course of her life. The series contains correspondence, invitations, photographs, certificates, newspaper clippings, electronic records, and audiovisual recordings. Of special note is information pertaining to Rosemary’s role as Grand Marshal of the Fiesta San Antonio Battle of Flowers Parade in2016, information regarding a San Antonio River Barge named in her honor, and a signed photo from Lady Bird Johnson (Box OM1).

The Assorted Electronic Media series contains removable electronic media (CDs and DVDs) dating from 2007-2014. DVDs and CDs listed elsewhere in the collection were arranged into relevant series based upon the donor-generated labels written on the media. The labels written on the media in the Assorted Electronic Media series did not give enough information for the processing archivist to make a series determination.

A Note Regarding Electronic Records: Many of the electronic records are scans of photographs and documents dating from approximately 1990to the early 2000’s, though a few images from Rosemary’s childhood and the earlier days of the business are present. These photographs and documents were scanned by RK Group staff from 2011-2013 and donated in electronic form to UTSA Special Collections in 2016, comprising 3.87 GB of content. Original folder titles have generally been retained. Other electronic records include removable electronic media (CDs and DVDs) and born-digital electronic records. The CDs and DVDs appear to largely contain photographs. Born-digital files in the collection are related to the creation of “The RK Legacy” KLRN public television documentary about Rosemary. The VHS and Betacam SP videocassettes in the collection were also digitized during the making of the documentary, prior to their donation to UTSA Special Collections. There are approximately 3.5 TB of files related to the documentary.

Selected material in this collection has been digitized and is available in our digital collections.

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

This collection is housed at UTSA's Main Campus and must be accessed via the John Peace Library Special Collections reading room. To request access, please use the Collections Request Form.

Electronic records not currently available online require archivist review prior to patron use.

VHS and Betacam SP tapes are closed for patron use. Digitized copies are available to view by appointment.

Use Restrictions

The researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.

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Related Material

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Separated Material

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Rosemary Kowalski Papers, MS 469, University of Texas at San Antonio Libraries Special Collections.

Acquisition Information

Materials donated by Rosemary Kowalski 2016-2017 (Acc. 2016-023, 2017-002, 2017-023).

Processing Information

Processed by Katie Rojas, Manuscripts Archivst, 2017.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

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