Dr. Lawrence Gelman is an anesthesiologist in McAllen Texas.

An article I recently read stated that the first stained glass window he purchased was to install in his home. That was over 30 years ago. It wasn’t long before he was being contacted by churches and dealers across the USA to inform him of pieces that were available.

Sometimes the windows were from churches set to be demolished. For some churches, it was a matter of needing to raise funds in order to remain viable and to be able to continue to help the poor in their parishes.

The article went on to state that, over the years, Dr Gelman’s collection grew to a point where he was running out of storage. His wife suggested to him that there was no point in collecting these pieces and then keeping them in storage. She convinced her husband that their beauty should be shared with others. This is where the idea originated for the stained glass museum.

In addition to the stained glass windows, there are antique altars, organs, mosaics, and plaster works. With the architecture of the building, and the consistent theme of the how the windows are framed, these pieces look like the Gelman Stained Glass Museum has been their home since the beginning of time.

“Often, the story of an artifact’s journey is more remarkable than the object itself.”

Mackenzie Finklea