Louis Hoffman is president of the Grey Forest Historical society located in Grey Forest. He and his wife, Freda Hoffman head the society and are dedicated to preserving the town.

Lets start off with your background, occupation, and how long have you lived here?
L.H:"I’m an airline pilot, and I’ve been here associated with Grey Forest since 1957, that’s when my parents bought the house that I currently live in. It was just a little cabin and as most of the places were out here. They were just rock cabins, and after I got out of college and went off in the navy, and when I came back, I started to build up on it and made it livable and lived since 1988."

How long were you in the Navy?
L.H:"11 1/2 Years Total"

Your family history in this town...when did they arrive and why?
L.H:"At First, It was just a getaway, like a second home kind of thing. there was no electricity or running water. We came to cook hot dogs, go swimming, hiking around, camping. I was 7 years old, I would terrorize the area with my B.B Gun, shoot birds, play cowboys and indians."

Technology didn't impact the city until later?
L.H:"I think the real impact of the city (San Antonio), is as it grew, and rather than it being a second home or way out in the country type of development. More people moving out here settling here full time and it went along."

The Call it a Scenic Loop Playground, a refuge from the bustling metropolian area of San Antonio, that is what it was for you and your family?
L.H:"Oh yes, a getaway for ourselves and everyone else, camp out, came to relax here. Back then, when you drove out from San Antonio to get here, you didn’t see, could go a long ways without passing other vehicles, there wasn’t anything like the traffic there is today."

It was primarily Rural?
L.H:"Correct, as a matter of fact, our cabin, it was so densely, that you could not see the house until when you went a top the driveway that led up to it, otherwise it was completely hidden."

For example, the Farmers Market is a community event that I witnessed, in what other ways is the community involved?
L.H:"First of all, just to back up, everything from here goes back to when it was originally called the Scenic Loop playground, and it was a development that started around 1928 by a man Named E.N Requa. He developed the area and sold the lots off, a few of the rock type houses that you see around here, the ones that really look old are the original rock houses and he mostly had them built of rock since rock was plentiful. There was very little lumber, and it was very expensive, so only used lumber in the roofs and the floors. So he had them built and he sold the little places to more affluent people in San Antonio who had the spare money to go ahead and have such a place, and that was around 1928 that went along with the Stock Market crash so things didn’t sell very well for him as he had hoped, and he then tried to sell the land as a development around 1934. The Scenic Loop Playground he setup into the deeps portions of land and what’s associated with the Playground club; the stuff he didn’t sell off he dedicated it to be used for recreational purposes. It wasn’t until 1960 that Grey Forest the city evolved from the Scenic Loop Playground into the SLPC, and everyone who owns land here is eligible to become a member of the club."

What’s the club’s purpose?
L.H:"Mostly to try to keep grounds to provide community service events such as the Farmers Market, they used the grounds for easter egg hunts in the spring, which the volunteer fire department sponsors. We have a 4th of July, we all act like fools (chuckle), and drive around in trailers decorated in red white and blue, it’s very rockwellian. We hold meetings for the scenic loop playground club, we have the clubhouse and if there’s events going on, such as concerns and informational type things such as developent, water issues, every thing that is confronting the northwest side of S.A right now and our community. We hold informational meetings of the clubs, all sorts of different community service type of events. And members can rent the clubhouse and different grounds to conduct special events for themselves."

Authority wise, who really runs the town, is it volunteer or elected?
L.H:"Well, there is but they are not paid positions except the city secretary and the police of course. The City council and mayor are all volunteers but are elected under the Texas municipal league. For the SLPC, I’m the president, and it’s an elected position. IT’s all volunteer work for people who donate their time to the city. We are needing a vice president, we currently have a treasurer, secretary, parks and wildlife director, a clubhouse director and a swimming pool director. We do the best we can with the little money we can get out of the membership and also the rentals of the clubhouse to provide these services for the community."

Concerning Race, what was the overall mix here, were there any racial issues here?
L.H:"I don’t think there was any racial incidents, because there wasn’t too much of a mix."

Did any of the wars affect the city?
L.H:"Well, the development came after World War I, but on WWII, I couldn’t tell you anything about it’s impact here. I have seen some old films where the training aircraft would fly over this area. I can tell you that the clubhouse was actually built out of old Ammunition boxes for the wood."

I heard Grey Forest is an artist’s haven. Are there a lot of artists living here?
L.H:"Yes, that’s another event I forgot to tell you about. In the fall, around mid october, there’s an artists meeting. They have a show here, I couldn’t tell you an exact number of the ones living here, I’d say more than 20. They organize a tour where people can see their studios and exhibit their work and sell some of them."

Concerning politics, how are most people here positioned here?
L.H:"Well, A small town is harder to get people to agree on issues than a bigger town." (chuckle)

Where do the kids go to school?
L.H:"Well, whatever O’Connor is. before the kids went all into Marshall all the way down Bandera road, But now they are building more schools. It’s mostly aligned with N.I.S.D. There’s also the elementary school in Helotes and it’s a fairly old school."

Is there anything I might have missed?
L.H:"Well, we just do our best to protect it for what is is, with the growth that is going all around us, it’s a challenge trying to protect. The only thing constant is change, and we are trying our best to adapt to change."

Will Grey Forest see more population growth?
L.H:"Well, for the most part it’s pretty landlocked, their might be annexation but I’m not involved in it. There is about 210 families in here but we are pretty maxed out on residents, and there’s not too much buildable land here."