History of the Court

 



In The Beginning...

The Alamo Empire began as a Barony of the Royal, Sovereign and Imperial Court of the Texas Riviera Empire of Corpus Christi, Texas. During the third reign of the Texas Riviera Empire in late 1989, Empress III Chablis Lee Love named Gene Brake as the Baron de San Antonio. Gene as the first head of state of the new Barony, named Marissa Marlowe as the first Baroness.

During the planning for Coronation IV in Corpus Christi, Empress I Jackie O'Dare, Empress II Tanya Robyrts and Empress III Chablis Lee Love discussed the success of the Baron and Baroness and first suggested they were ready to become a Court. Chablis telephoned Gene Brake and posed the suggestion to him over the phone. After discussing the plan with Baroness Marissa Marlowe the two decided to take on the challenge.

After much successful work throughout San Antonio, Gene Brake and Marissa Marlowe were announced as Regent Emperor and Empress of the new Imperial Court of San Antonio at Coronation IV in Corpus Christi in September of 1990. They were crowned by Empress Chablis Lee Love of Corpus Christi and Emperor David Alwell of Houston.

Gene and Marissa returned home to San Antonio and began the task of organizing the Court. They first decided on the name, the Royal, Sovereign and Imperial Court of the Alamo Empire. Public meetings were announced and new members signed up. Investiture for the Regency Reign of the new Court was held on October 20, 1990 at Ab's Westernaire where the new Court invested over 50 members with titles. The event was witnessed by representatives of the Courts of Houston, Corpus Christi, Dallas, Ft. Worth, Denver and Anchorage.

Shortly thereafter, Regent Empress Marissa resigned. With her departure, the founder of the Texas Riviera Empire in Corpus Christi, Jackie O'Dare moved to San Antonio to assist with the planning of Coronation I. She helped teach the new court members what the Court System was all about and introduced them to many new and friendly people from across the State of Texas and United States. The new court members learned rapidly and soon were off and running on their own.

This young and eager group of dedicated court members, went about the planning of Coronation I. Regent Emperor Gene Brake stepped down with a theme of "A Salute to Imperial Russia, The Return of the Monarchs" on May 29, 1992. The gala event was attended by representatives of the Imperial Courts of Anchorage, Corpus Christi, Dallas, Denver, Ft. Worth, Houston, and San Diego. One of the Emcees for the evening was none other than Nicole the Great of San Diego, and she was there to crown Emperor I Gene Brake and Empress I Jackie O' Dare.

Reign I...

Once again just when things were again off and running, the newly crowned Empress I Jackie O'Dare had a family emergency that required her to move out of the Empire for the remainder of the reign. Emperor I Gene Brake, luckily had some dedicated court members to rely on. During Reign I many great things were accomplished for the San Antonio community, including raising funds for the San Antonio AIDS Foundation and the Women's AIDS Task Force. The Court also had some birthing pains as two Baronies were named, one in Austin headed by Baron Doug Toman and Baroness Rona Bare-It and one in Waco/Temple headed by Baron Richard Tracy and Baroness Carma Sue Snow.

Reign II...

Coronation II, "A Salute to French Decadence" was held on June 12, 1993. Again the event enjoyed great attendance and ended with the crowning of Empress II Ericka Raye, as the sole monarch of the Alamo Empire. During Reign II, the court strengthened its ties within the community and raised much need funds for many groups including the San Antonio AIDS Foundation, the Women's AIDS Task Force, the AIDS Resource Center and the NAMES Project. The Baronies from Austin and Waco/Temple were also released to form their own courts with the full blessing of the Alamo Empire.

Reign III...

Coronation III, "Moonlight and Roses... One Enchanted Evening" was held on June 11, 1994. The glittering evening saw a much greater attendance by the local community and culminated in the crowning of Empress III Hott Tamale and Emperor III Adam West.

Due to family concerns the elected Emperor III resigned and Charlie Saul was appointed Regent Emperor III. The health of the Empress began to fail, which limited her ability to travel, but it never stopped her from serving her community which she so dearly loved. She was able to attend the 30th Anniversary Coronation for San Francisco which also marked the first walk for the Alamo Empire at our mother courts Coronation. One of the biggest highlights for the court during this reign was receiving approval of our 501c3 status from the IRS.

Reign IV...

Coronation IV, "Somewhere in the Night... A Black and White Leather Fantasy" on April 7, 1995, saw the largest crowd ever attend a San Antonio Coronation. A standing room only crowd cheered on Hott Tamale as she stepped down. The end of the evening brought about the crowning of Empress IV, Shirley Harwood. Empress IV Shirley Harwood, although elected as a sole monarch, she selected Adam Garza as her Regent Emperor IV. The couple enjoyed unprecedented fundraising success as they broke all court records for funds raised during a single reign.

Reign V...

Coronation V, "Regale' V, A Republic of Texas Ball" on March 22, 1996 ended with the crowning of Emperor V Harry Jackman and Empress V Desiree Houston.

Reign VI...

Coronation VI, "Far Away Wonders... Let Us Take You There" on April 12, 1997, celebrated the reign year with a stepping down with amazing rituals and productions as the monarchs took us on a ride from Polynesia, to Great Britain and then back to Imperial China. From hula dancers to 30 foot dragons it was a feast for the eyes. The grand finale of the evening was the crowning of Emperor VI, Gene Brake and Empress VI, Shirley Harwood. Empress Shirley was removed 10 months into the reign for just cause. To fill the vacancy on the throne the Reigning Emperor Gene Brake asked the Board to elevate Princess Royale Kristie Anastasia Pe'Vey, to the title of Regent Empress VI. The Board agreed and the vacancy was filled. During the same reign, Harry Jackman lost his title of Emperor V due to his attempt at forming a rebel court.

Although there were some problems experienced at the onset of the reign, it proved to be a pivotal reign as many links were regained throughout the gay community and the membership experienced a tremendous boom.

Reign VII...

Coronation VII, "The Bright Lights of Broadway" on June 27, 1998, at the Menger Hotel, culminated in the crowning of Emperor VII, Adam Garza, the Emperor Del Sol, and Empress VII, Kristie Anastasia Pe'Vey, the Diva Diamond Swan Empress. The two experienced much success throughout the entire community and forged the court into new areas and experiences that brought the activities of the reign into the San Antonio spotlight. The monarchs experienced tremendous support from their line of succession and made friends across the United States as both traveled extensively. This reign was also successful in continuing the growth of its membership base.

Reign VIII...

Coronation VIII, "A Gala at the Taj Mahal: An evening of Mystique, Seduction and Intrigue" resulted in the crowning of Emperor VIII, Nathan Javine, The Amethyst Jeweled Teddy Bear Emperor, and Empress VIII, Kandace Antionette Pe'Vey, the Emerald Jeweled Jaguar Empress. This reign proved to be a great success in its "Continuation of Excellence" which was the mission of Reign VIII. They continued to build links throughout the city and enhance the membership base with quality persons that offered many talents and gifts to the organization. The monarchs also traveled extensively throughout the United States and made friends wherever they visited. They created very strong working relationships with bar owners and spearheaded many successful fundraisers for such agencies such as Providence Children's Home, the Gay and Lesbian Community Center and Hope Action Care.

Reign IX...

Coronation IX "Carnaval 2000: A Brazilian Odyssey" culminated in the crowning of Emperor IX, Christopher Hoffman, The Ethereal Golden Griffin Emperor, and Empress IX, Wanda Carlysle Bouvier, The Over the Hill but Still Good Lookin' Champagne Empress. Under the leadership of their majesties, the Court was able to raise tremendous amounts of money for a wide variety of agencies throughout the city. The level of support for the monarchs from the membership base was very visible and together they continued to travel across the country and represent San Antonio. Their professionalism, gentility and seasoned experience helped model for the membership successful fund raising efforts. Agencies that benefited from their success were Providence Children's Home, The Gay and Lesbian Community Center, Hope Action Care and the Alamo Womens' Breast Cancer Foundation.

Reign X...

On July 5, 2001, Coronation X, "Viva Fiesta! A San Antonio Tradition" ended with the crowning of Emperor X, Lee R. "Mac-A-Licious" McLeod, The Ebony Onxy Stallion Emperor of Midnight Pleasures and Fantasies, and Empress X, Kristie Anastasia Pe'Vey, The Double Down "Gimme a Double, On the Double, and Don't Gimme any Trouble" Diva Swan Empress. This coronation was special in many ways. First, the new monarchs were elected under a new format two months prior to coronation. Second, the election was opened to the community and not just to attendees at coronation. The Theme of Reign X was "The Reign of Midnight Fantasies and Double Dosage". The monarchs, as with prior reigns, traveled extensively across the country and within the state of Texas fostering new and nurturing prior relationships with their sister courts. 

The monarchs worked tirelessly at home improving and continuing relationships with the organizations, individuals and bars that had been fostered during Reign IX. Because of these efforts, Reign X witnessed a significant growth in the membership. The high visibility and professionalism of the members resulted in many successful fundraisers for the community and grateful organizations. Agencies that benefited from the fundraising success were Hope Action Care, The Gay & Lesbian Community Center, Beat AIDS, Jennifer's Camp, and the Alamo Women's Breast Cancer Foundation.

Reign XI...

On July 6, 2002, Coronation XI, "An Imperial Version of the Divine Comedy; From Inferno to Paradise with Dante" climaxed with the talents and crowning Emperor XI, Jon "Z" Zamarripa, The Silver Moon and Mystical Keeper of Erotic Dreams. Coronation XI was a spectacular from beginning to end, drawing members of the International Court System from across the country. With this being the second year of the Alamo Empire's election process, Reign XI hit the ground running. Reign XI was like a Broadway show, with a lot of hard work behind the scenes, then producing stunning visibility. Emperor Jon Z. was absolutely the hardest working monarch of the circuit.

Emperor Jon continued building the relationship of the Alamo Empire with the San Antonio community, steering the focus towards the awareness of the health crisis and conditions of our gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, and transgendered family. Reign XI showcased the compassion and the commitment of the membership and it's supporters. Beneficiaries of Reign XI's dedication were BEAT Inc., Hope Action Care, The Gay & Lesbian Community Center, and the Alamo Women's Breast Cancer Foundation.

Reign XII...

On July 5, 2003, Coronation XII, “A Speakeasy Under the Silver Moon: Where Gangsters, Flappers & Sinful Jazz clash with Carry Nation” made it’s last call announcement with the crowning of Emperor XII Ken “BIG” Johnson, “The Platinum Constellation, 14kt Cobalt Diamond Monkey, Lord of the Garden of Freedom and Passion”, and Empress XII Keana Lord … PeVey, “The High Priestess Onyx Siamese of the 13th Moon, Provider of Primal Fear and Latina Fantasies”. Let’s just say that the joint was jumping . This Coronation, from set design to award worthy performances was the kick off that ushered in X-2 The Empire Re-Loaded. Reign XII’s goal was to get back to basic fundraising and illuminate the Alamo Empire’s hardworking dedication to it’s community throughout the Int’l Court System.

Ken and Keana worked as a team, allowing each other to do what they did Best. Emperor Ken focused on new ideas to move the court forward and Empress Keana commanded attention with her flawless performances. The Reign of the Ghetto as Keana and Ken coined it, proved that TRUST, (The Reign United Stands Together), conquers all obstacles. Beneficiaries of Reign XII were BEAT, Inc., The Diversity Center, and the Community Clinic. With addition donations to Jennifer’s Camp and Skyward Bound Ranch.

 


Don't forget to book
your room now for

Coronation XIV
June 30 - July 2, 2006

 




Photo's courtesy of CuteFoxSA


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