Meet Kelly Daugherty of Galveston

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelly Daugherty.

Hi Kelly , so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Our Founder – Albert Brown was born and raised in Houston, Texas. Al started surfing at Surfside in 1965 at the age of seven. Being an avid surfboard collector for over 35 years and acquiring Texas coast memorabilia for more than ten years gave him the desire for a surf museum in Galveston.

In January 2020, Al and a few other passionate Texas surfers wanted a museum located in Galveston, the birthplace of surfing in Texas. They worked tirelessly on the idea until sufficient interest was generated and enough funds were raised to move forward.

In January 2023 an Executive Board was formed for the Texas Surf Museum, located in Galveston, Texas. A lease was secured on a building in the historic downtown district. The Texas Surf Museum was approved by the IRS as a designated 501(c)(3) organization in late April 2023.
The interior of the building has undergone many upgrades to make it a suitable space for a quality museum. With the help from our generous supporters, business sponsors and thousands of volunteer hours, the Texas Surf Museum has become an inviting place where visitors can learn about the history of surfing in general and the unique surf culture in Texas.

Al proudly served as President of the Executive Board until the museum opened to the public mid-February 2025, when he passed the President title to Kelly Daugherty who had served on the original board as Secretary. Now Al, serves as the historian and curator on the Texas Surf Museum’s Advisory Board.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Opening the museum was not a smooth process. Originally, we were going to be a sister museum affiliated with the surf museum located in Corpus Christi. The initial momentum to get started nearly came to a stop because of the pandemic. However, Al persisted in his grassroots efforts holding a fundraiser in October of 2022 that help to regain the momentum. Then, the museum in Corpus Christi decided to close at the end of 2022. So, an Executive Board was formed for the new museum in Galveston and we filed for our own 501(c)(3) non-profit status and secured a lease on a historic building. The building needed a lot of work. First the landlord had to clean out the space and do repairs before we gained access to begin our work to transform the space into a museum. All of our work was done by volunteers and we hit many roadblocks along the way but we didn’t let that stop us.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Al’s professional background is in construction and set building for stage productions. Kelly has a background in business and is an artist as a hobby. Together we are a great team. Al worked on building things to transform the space and Kelly came behind him to paint and clean everything. Kelly also used her business skills to formulate procedures for the executive board to follow, build a website and establish a business sponsorship program. Both Al & Kelly have a passion for surfing and we are proud of the surf culture in Texas. We are fortunate to have a strong executive board and amazing volunteers that have been instrumental in our success. We are extremely proud of the museum, where surf enthusiasts come to reflect on the joy of surfing and the curious come to learn about the sport. Both get to learn about the uniqueness of the Texas Gulf Coast surfing scene, past and present.

What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Never give up on your dream and perseverance pays off, sometimes you just have to be patient.

Pricing:

• Adults $10
• Seniors $8
• Military/Vets & Teachers/Students $6
• Children 13 – 17 $4
• Children under 12 Free

Contact Info:

• Website: https://surfmuseumtx.carrd.co/
• Instagram: surfmuseumtx
• Facebook: The Texas Surf Museum

Image Credits
The headshot of Kelly was taken with her phone by a friend at an event. The photos of the museum were taken by Kelly Daugherty. The photo of Albert Brown is his property but I don’t know the photographer. The photo of Kelly Daugherty surfing at Bob Hall Pier was taken by a Corpus Christi Caller Times staff photographer named David Wallace.