Nina J. Cullinan

Nina J. Cullinan (1899February 22, 1983) was an art patron and a civic leader in Houston.

Early life
Nina J. Cullinan was born in Washington, Pennsylvania in 1899. Her parents were Lucy Halm Cullinan and Joseph Cullinan, a founder of Magnolia Petroleum Company and the Texas Company. Her family, which included her four siblings, moved to Beaumont, Texas in 1902, though she attended school in Houston.

Civic life
Cullinan's civic participation began in Houston not long after graduating from Ogontz College in Pennsylvania. She was a founding member of the three Houston non-profits: the Contemporary Arts Museum, the Society for the Performing Arts, and the Houston Ballet. She served on the boards of numerous other non-profit organizations in Texas.

In 1953, Cullinan donated $250,000 to the Houston Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) in the name of her parents. The funds were used to build an annex for displaying visiting art exhibits. MFA hired Ludwig Mies van der Rohe to design Cullinan Hall, which opened in 1958.

Death
Cullinan died in Houston on February 22, 1983.