Cynthia Woods Mitchell

Galatas helped plan The Woodlands with them.

He said it was a rare opportunity to meet Cynthia Woods Mitchell and work with her.

"She was very prominent in a number of activities and led the way, particularly in the arts," he said. "I thought of her as a

personal friend, and she was very helpful to me along the way. I have a great respect for her."

Galatas said Woods Mitchell possessed a long held view that performing arts events in The Woodlands would be good for the community. While considering a golf course development, Galatas and Dave Brown, who was in charge of planning, examined a piece of land that would lend itself well to stadium seating along the green.

Knowing Mitchell's desire for a strong arts community in The Woodlands, the pair wondered what would happen if there was a stage instead of the green and presented the idea to the Mitchells.

Initially, the Mitchells thought the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion would be a $1 million project, but it turned out to be $10 million, Galatas said.

"They personally donated $5 million to the Houston

Symphony to make [the pavilion] its summer home," he said.

Bruce Tough, chairman of The Woodlands Township board, said he thinks of Mitchell and her husband as a team.

From the naming of The Woodlands to the creation of an arts culture to the amenities that have evolved in the community, the Mitchells had their hand in it all, he said.

"All of the concepts from the pedestrian passway to the community living in the forest, all passed through her or were developed by her," Tough said.

He said her passion for family and faith contributed to the development of recreation areas as well as the community being home to many churches.

"[The Mitchells] created the perfect master-planned community where you can live, work, raise families — all in a close-knit area with a hometown feel," Tough said.

Cynthia Woods Mitchell passed away in 2009.