Teachers Change Things

Two Texas teachers are spotlighted on this short list of teachers who drastically changed the world

 

Lyndon Johnson

Lyndon B. Johnson: Lyndon B. Johnson was often harshly criticized for his handling of the Vietnam War as President of the United States, but before he even made it to Washington, LBJ was a teacher in South Texas. Johnson attended the Southwest Texas State Teachers College and served as principal at a Mexican-American school during a brief break from college. After graduating, Johnson taught at Pearsall High School in Pearsall, TX, and led his debate team to to win the district championship when he taught at Sam Houston High School in Houston.

 and

Melvin Tolson

Melvin B. Tolson: Melvin B. Tolson has been named the poet laureate of Liberia, and was a scholar of the Harlem Renaissance, but many people today recognize him as the character played by Denzel Washington in the 2007 film Great Debaters. That movie portrays Tolson's life when he was a speech and English teacher at Wiley College in Marshall, TX. Tolson challenged his students to break with convention and led them to the national debate championship at Harvard. His group organized the first debate team at Wiley College and were some of the first black students to compete against white students in the same championships. 

 

Read more at http://www.teachingtips.com/blog/2008/07/02/25-teachers-who-drastically-changed-the-world/

Old Yeller - theater

"Old Yeller"

 

Waco Performing Arts Co.

http://www.wacoperformingarts.org/

Fred Gipson's classic book is back on the stage for youngsters.  The courage and loyalty of an 1860's young boy and his dog are tested.  They pass.  March 27-28, 2008

Freedom Train - theater

"Freedom Train" -

http://www.expresstheatre.com/

 

Express Children's Theatre – Houston - Feb 28, 2008 to Mar 10, 2008

A family's journey to freedom going south along the Texas Underground Railroad through Texas into Mexico. A story of bravery and determination.

Ten Cows to Texas - Peggy Mercer, Bill Crews

Ten Cows to Texas. By Peggy Mercer and illus by Bill Crews. Brooklyn: Handprint Books, 2005. Ages 4-7. http://www.handprintbooks.com

The 10 lovelies (count them) from Lonesome Cow, Georgia are out to win a beauty contest in El Paso. The leader Mimi manages to "acquire" a truck and they're off on a road trip. They dodge deer, get pursued by the police, join a parade, eat in Mississippi, avoid alligators in Louisiana, and highball it across Texas despite the police, bluebonnet distractions, a thunderstorm, and other hurdles. Mimi does get the tiara!

Portal to Texas History Awarded

Portal to Texas History receives NEH honor
Posted by: Mellina Stucky

The National Endowment for the Humanities has selected UNT's Portal to Texas History as one of the best online resources for education in the humanities and is linking to the portal from its EDSITEment web site, which is designed to help teachers, students and parents find high-quality material in the humanities online. The portal is one of about 60 sites chosen for inclusion from more than 200 sites nominated last year.

"The portal staff is thrilled about receiving this honor," says Dreanna Belden, the libraries' coordinator for grants and development who works primarily with digital projects. "This recognition speaks directly to the high quality of lesson plans being created by the portal team."

Read more about it at http://inhouse.unt.edu/index.cfm?CommentID=2811

Bonita - Kathleen Duey

Duey, Kathleen.
Bonita.
Spirit of the Cimarron Series. New York: Dutton Children’s Books; DreamWorks, c2002. 117 p.; ISBN 0-525-46711-4 $15.99; paperback (Puffin) ISBN 0142401730 $4.99.
No reading level available

Shots fired at the Alamo cause Bonita, a mare, to take part in an animal version of the Runaway Scrape. This book is the fourth in a series inspired by the DreamWorks film Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron. The teacher might guide the animal-loving reader to find out why Bonita had to run from the Alamo. [Courtesy: Lucie Olson’s The Alamo and the Texas Revolution, An Annotated Bibliography. DRT Alamo Library, 2004.]
Other Notes
Level: grade 4-6 - Excerpt from Amazon
http://www.kathleenduey.com/
http://us.penguingroup.com/ Penguin cites a dozen young girl and horse stories by Duey, but in July 2008, Bonita was not cited there.

Brystone's Closed

Brystone Children’s Books Closed in Fort Worth

Brystone Books’s closed last summer (2007). This landmark, family owned/operated store did not own their property and when the lease came up, the family chose that time to bring a tradition to its convenient last page.

“Those Harper Women,” as some called them, were Mother Marianne and Daughters Dana and Adrienne, are still folks of note in Fort Worth, but now as “remember wheners.” The store lasted sixteen years, since 1991. Marianne was doing okay, but just wanted to retire despite fond memories, and the daughters knew the business and it would have floated, but without Marianne there on a daily basis, the heartbeat would have been different.

Brystone Books joins a rare collection of other children’s stores now superannuated – Toad Hall in Austin, Jeremy’s in Houston, and Tree House Readers in Kingswood.

For your kids books, besides Borders and Barnes & Nobles, some independent stores still linger – San Antonio’s Red Balloon and Weslaco’s Storybook Garden and some adult bookstore have thoughtfully enlarged the youngsters’ section – Book People, Blue Willow, and Brazos Bookstore.

Ambush at Mustang Canyon - MIke Kearby

Ambush at Mustang Canyon.

By Mike Kearby.

Austin: Trail’s End Books, 2007. pbk 196 pages. ISBN 0-9788422-0-0 / 978-0-9788422-0-8.
http://www.mikekearby.com/
Kearby, former English teacher concludes this third and last installment of the Free Anderson / Parks Scott story as he continues the friendship of the former Civil War soldiers, Free Parks, the ex-slave, and Parks Scott, his white friend, on the West Texas and Panhandle plains. It’s 1874 and Free continues his vocation as a mustanger with his family, but here Free and Parks get entangled in the Kiowa, Comanche, and Cheyenne Indians’ struggle to keep their lands and their buffalo, with the admixture of Billy Dixon, Mexican hunters and the U.S. Army. The fast-paced novel continues the harsh reality of the times, while splicing in loyalty, family ties, and sensitivity of folks of different origins.

The plot focuses around the famous Battle of Adobe Walls, virtually the last major violent settler-Native American encounter in Texas. While many readers will not think of it, the trilogy is also an excellent selection for teenage or YA readers. Kearby’s earlier works have attracted attention and have been picked up by Dorchester / Leisure Books for 2008!

The trilogy would be good in school libraries.

Best Houston Sports - Jose de Jesus Ortiz

The Best Houston Sports Arguments:

The 100 most controversial, debatable questions for die-hard sports fans.

By Jose de Jesus Ortiz. Naperville, Ill: Source Books, 2007. pbk, author portrait, index
ISBN: 9781402210891 http://www.sourcebooks.com/

Here's a volume that should attract school library users, at least in Houston.

On the assumption that Houstonians talk about local sports, this will settle and start countless important points for questions such as:
What was the most magical performance in Houston sports history? What should we do with the Astrodome? What was the biggest post-season homerun? What was the worst move by a general manager? Who are the top 5 basketball players? What really happened at the 1979 Cotton Bowl? What was UH’s best year? All rather simple things.

HISD School Libraries

Houston Chronicle Questions Condition of
School Libraries

The Houston Chronicle recently, in latter 2007, displayed plain common sense and leadership on our children's education as squarely based on the quality their school libraries. WTM readers realize that the appeals of school librarians have long been lost in the winds to “other matters” and the pursuit of technology. The Chronicle supports their efforts.

The November 25, 2007 article by Jennifer Radcliffe, “HISD's library shelves are lacking:
Report says collections are too small or old, and many schools have none at all” made the front page and above the fold. By simply letting the facts and experts tell the story, she exposed the stunning reality that HISD and other area Districts are sharply below standards on the number and age of books available in our students' libraries, the availability of professionally educated staff (sometimes no staff at all), and, surprise of surprises, no libraries at all in some schools.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/metro/5326658.html

Only days later four letters to the Editor were printed, all clearly advocating improvement. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/outlook/5334132.html

The next week, another letter writer, the dependable Marvin Rich, former Commissoner of the Texas State Library & Archives, revealed the state's separate legislative culpability in undermining our libraries with the loss of the TIF. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/outlook/5349106.html

In its boldest stance, the Chronicle also ran its own December 3rd Editorial, at the top, “Non-elective: School libraries are the essential bedrock of a good education,” remarking in further detail on the necessity of such a simple component of the educational experience. In fact, the Chronicle noted that the availability of a well stocked library was SECOND!!!!! only to socioeconomic factors in determining the success of the students on the usual tests - that's SECOND! over other considerations. Good libraries in schools are that important. That’s where the mind takes responsibility for exploration. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/5346247.html

If we wish to destroy the next generation or its self-worth, it's easy, take away their books - if not, give them good libraries.

Yes, it all takes money. But the real problem is the folks who feel they’re beyond accountability when the schools’ budgets are determined. If you wish to make a difference, get a-hold of a principal and don’t let them shuck you off by the “it’s somebody else’s responsibility” reflex, if it is, they should want to take you to that next person, if they’re worth your tax-paid salary.

Update: In June 2008 the new budget is "supposed" to have addressed these issues. Time and implementation will tell. - WH

Juan Seguin - Robert Hollmann

Juan Seguin. By Robert Hollmann.

Durban House, 2007. Frontier Legends Series. Paperback, 112 pages. ISBN 1-9300754-95-7 http://www.durbanhouse.com/

This Hollmann, http://www.lonestarlegends.org/., volume follows his Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie. Seguin was indeed one of the essential people in his time. Unlike his previous time-trunk and friendly dog companion, Hollmann uses a more direct device – a life-long friend of Seguin to provide the framework of the biography. And as a childish extra, Hollmannn injects the juvenile competitiveness for racing as a recurring option. The reader is introduced to Seguin’s family, long established in Texas, and within pages finds Seguin meeting Stephen Austin and a line of colonial notables important to the Texas Revolution. Seguin and his associates are concerned about Santa Anna’s aggressive manner and throw in with the developing stronger democratic tradition of the times, unlike the Seguin family’s support of the counter-revolution against Las Casas in 1811. Bowie becomes one of the favorites because of his ties to San Antonio and his marriage into the Veramendi family. Seguin commands the scouts looking for Santa Anna’s arrival. Eventually, his men become a part of the Alamo garrison, but he is detailed specifically as messenger to Sam Houston and is ultimately spared from the Alamo soldiery’s bloodbath. But Seguin continues on to become an officer at the Battle of San Jacinto after convincing Houston that his Tejano troops have earned the right to battle. After the battle, Houston asks Seguin to superintend the burial of the Alamo defenders. The volume ends there without reference to his government service thereafter or the later tragedy of Seguin’s demise partly due to prejudice. Seguin died in 1890.

Summer Book - Sarah Gish

The Summer Book, 2008:

A guide to Houston Day Camps and Classes for Kids and Teens.

Houston: Gish Creative, 2008. 165 pages, paperback, spiral bound. A few ads $12.95 ISBN 0-9728507-5-9 http://www.thesummerbook.com/ http://www.gishcreative.com/ sarah@gishcreative.com

The 2008 edition is actually in a yellow cover.

Gish does it again, as she's dependable to do. Summer is here. All the better reasons for Houstonians packing children to get this volume now, planning is the only thing that saves you from summerkiditis. Most of the book is an alphabetically arranged, annotated directory (including costs) of about 200 institutions / organizations with programs of care and enrichment for the summer of 2007. It is appended with two useful indexes. One is by the calendar, i.e., what camps / classes occur what week. The other index is by category: art, educational, full day, other, religious, free camps/classes (only 6), special needs, sports, and teens. Another list is “Drop-ins,” “ organizations that offer drop-in or at-home activities for kids.”

In 2108, our children’s children’s children will notice the options they once had. One wonders what 2108 will hold for our children. In Marshall of the 1950’s, we had summer school for the slow and the fast, Scout camp, church camp, Little League and Mormon softball, horse classes, and that mysterious girls’ camp near Jefferson; otherwise we ran free – in the Woods, the Vines, the Pits, up and down the Hills, at the Pond, in the Branch, at the Park – doing things not always reportable to grown ups. Get on the mailing list for next year and civilize your wild one.

Ride the Desperate Trail - Mike Kearby

Ride the Desperate Trail.

By Mike Kearby.

Austin: Trail’s End Books, 2007. pbk 192 pages, map ISBN 978-0-09788422-7-7 http://www.mikekearby.com/

Freeman Anderson and Parks Scott are back after their introduction in The Road to a Hanging, and Lou Halsell Rodenberger describes this second of a Western trilogy as “believable…. With deft characterization and historical accuracy.” This time the despicable Tig Hardy captures Clara, now Free’s wife, and the rescue is off and running. Clean writing and sharp characterization move the reader along. Clara emerges as a full partner, inventive and persistent, as Free and Scott battle the elements and fight their way through desperados, the desert, the mountains, back through El Paso, and finally make peace in the Big Bend winter retreat of the Apaches. It’s rather pleasant that Free is relieved of venting his anger in violence when Tig meets his demise by other hands as “No man escapes his own times.”

Good reading for Young Adults.

Texas War of Independence - Alan Huffnes

The Texas War of Independence, 1835-1836:

From Outbreak to the Alamo to San Jacinto.

By Alan C. Huffines.

Oxford, England and New York: Osprey Publishing / Random House, 2005. Maps, photos and illus, bibliog., index.
Paperback; 96 pages; ISBN: 9781841765228, US Price: $14.95, UK Price: £9.99, Canadian Price: $21.00
http://www.alanchuffines.com/ http://www.ospreypublishing.com/ http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/

Huffines has studied, served in the military, written Blood of Noble Men: The Alamo Siege and Battle and articles, and consulted on the recent Alamo movie, the one with Dennis and Billy Bob. Here he provides a summary of the Revolution. The volume is loaded with graphics. Huffines begins with Hidalgo Revolution of 1810 but places the 1836 revolt in context: Texas was never really Spanish, only claimed and sparsely settled; it was still the northern Protestants against the southern Catholics; it’s England and Spain. But leaving all that behind he continues noting the troubled Mexican stability and nascent democratic principles until Santa Anna effects his dictatorship. The author makes a readable narrative of the usual story, but two things also stand out. One is the inserted chapter on Col. Juan Almonte, son of revolutionary Morelos, the 1834 inspector, and Santa Anna’s Chief of Staff; it’s good to drop into a bit of relative depth on the Mexican side. The other is the abundance and quality of illustrations, often large and in color; and they may take up half the space, leaving the remaining 50 pages a brisk read.

The summary could also serve as supplementary reading for 7th graders.

Blue Bell Ice Cream - Dorothy McLeod

Blue Bell Ice Cream:

A Century at the Little Creamery in Brenham, Texas 1907–2007,

by Dorothy McLeod MacInerney. College Station: TAMU Press, 2007. ISBN 978-1-58544-594-3 (1-58544-594-0), cloth, $19.95, 10 1/2x10 1/2. 152 pp., 90 photos (color and b&w). 28 drawings, 2 paintings, 1 map, 3 line art. 2 charts. http://www.tamu.edu/upress/

This is history youngsters will love.

MacInerney, used her academic tools to spoon her way through Blue Bell’s archives, and you’ll find her serving delicious. Now a hundred years old, the "Little Creamery in Brenham" is the unofficial ice cream of Texas. Here you’ll find the stories of the people, ideas, the technology, and, yes, the famous Jersey cows. The German heritage Kruze family has moo’ed their way into the top echelons of national sales and for good reason. You’ll enjoy the volume on Texas culinary history, social and cultural life, and keen business instincts to boot. I enjoyed buckets of Tin Roof and Southern Blackberry Cobbler while reading, but you may differ.

Jim Bowie - Robert Hollmann

Jim Bowie. By Robert E. Hollmann.

Dallas: Durban House Publishing, 2006. Frontier Legends Series. 115 pp. pbk ISBN 1-930754-81-7 $9.95 http://www.durbanhouse.com/

Odessan Hollmann, http://www.lonestarlegends.org/bio.aspx, follows up his Davy Crockett with this very readable biography of equally famous Texas adventures of Jim Bowie. The device to introduce the young reader to Bowie is Bowie’s own dog, Gator, named so for a gator fight. Years after Bowie has died at the Alamo, Gator reminiscences for his young pups about his life with the frontiersman. The text moves right along, from a dog’s point of view. Hollmann again brings his young readers to a personal level of the subject, this time Bowie, by Gator’s inclusion of personal matters including Bowie’s first meeting with and the later loss of his wife, Ursula Veramendi, daughter of the former governor of Coahuila y Tejas. From the origin of the keen edged Bowie knife on to the fall of the Alamo, Gator and Bowie, the narrative clips along with little underbrush to slow down the young reader. There are glancing encounters with Austin, Houston, Milam, Travis, Neill, and others as. Hollmann does introduce youngsters to Bowie’s part in the Battle of Nacogdoches in 1832, but the story line thereafter is mainly the Revolution. Bowie’s relationship with Crockett is emphasized.
OHOT: http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/BB/fbo45.html

Teaching Texas History - DeBoe, TSHA

Teaching Texas History: An All-Level Resource Guide,

2nd Revised Edition. By David C. De Boe. Austin: Texas State Historical Association, 1996. ISBN 0-87611-091-X. 8 1/2 x 11 in., vii + 153 pp. Paper, $15.95 TSHA Member's price, $12.76 http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/publications/books/teaching.html

This plain looking, gray, spiral bound volume plainly ought to be in about every public library system and college library of a general nature in Texas, to say nothing of the public schools, even though it is 10 years old. Now that’s a big statement, but the volume is simply packed with Texana sources for the youngsters and teaching material for the adults. TSHA in its usual fine commitment to public education has recently arranged the printing a few more copies courtesy of the Houston Chronicle, so quit piddling around and get a copy. Its official focus is on history and geography, but it really goes further.

Aside from the many formats addressed from atlases to periodicals to posters to Spanish language material to videos and more, DeBoe made sure that Barbara Immroth, editor of Texas in Children’s Books, 1986, assisted in compiling the “Juvenile Books” section (pages 87 to120) which includes fiction. All total, there may be 500 annotated titles through the volume. Yes, the 2-pager on internet resources, which is little more than a recommendation to the still good Armadillo Gopher, is in retrospect demonstrates just what has happened in the last decade. Acquiring and using this volume can invigorate yourself or your collection and provide an excellent baseline for collecting. While some of the purchase prices may be out of date, much of the free material may still be.

The reign of successful juvenile Texana can rise from this volume’s paper planes.

Road to a Hanging - Mike Kearby

The Road to a Hanging.

By Mike Kearby.

Austin: Trail’s End Books, 2007. pkb. 188 p. $18.00. ISBN 978-0-9788422-6-0 http://www.mikekearby.com/

Elmer Kelton and James Ward Lee have Kearby in their sights and have fired off comments confirming Kearby’s work is an action packed Western. And it is. Kearby, a Mineral Wells native, former school teacher, and holder of irrigation patents, turned to writing and his Texas legacy is clear and he stakes out a fresh path. Freedom Anderson, the principal character, escapes his 1860s slavery as the Civil War rages, joins the Union Army, and, after action at Palmetto and the war’s end, finds his way back to Texas but old racial habits of another war veteran place him on the road to a handing. Freedom finds himself captured by the hatred of the sheriff, subject to false allegations. Parks Scott, Freedom’s pal, hears the news. But will it be too late? Pick up the book and find yourself moving at a fast clip to find out. It’s good reading. Good values, loyalty, hard work, and daring to boot. The volume is marketed as a YA novel is some quarters, and it is fit for the public school set. (Thanks to publicist Stephanie Barko for the copy.) Good for Young Adult reading.

Know Your Rights!

answers to Texans' everyday legal questions

7th edition. By Richard M. Alderman. Lanham, Md: Taylor Trade / Rowman & Littlefield, 2006. pbk ISBN: 1-58979-263-7978-1-58979-263-0 $17.95 http://www.rlpgtrade.com/

Inject his volume among some students and it'll circulate. This will get discussions going!

Alderman, UH Law Center faculty member and “The People’s Lawyer” for whom q.v. http://www.law.uh.edu/faculty/main.asp?PID=1 , is a years-long feature on Houston TV, answering legal questions from viewers. He’s articulate and knowledgeable. This popular volume is worth having and reading by those unblessed by a powdered wig. The book is chaptered into 17 parts of your life. His Q & A technique with normal language cuts to the practical hearts with competent text. Sample questions include: What is pfishing? What happens if the photographer dies? Can my creditor take my IRA? Can my employer search my locker? How long do I have to wait? Do I have to wear a funny uniform? Is my neighbor responsible? How do I collect? What is community property? Fortunately Alderman adds context to the maybe hundreds of questions which he usually answers in less than a page. Sample wills and probate forms are added at the back. Alderman gives us again a useful volume to protect yourself, your family, and your property. Could be an excellent gift to a young, non-law school graduate. But enjoy reading it first. A good volume to learn rights and responsibilities.

Dept Public Safety Chronology

Chronology of Texas Department and Its Predecessors

http://www.dot.state.tx.us/about_us/present_2001.htm

Demonstrate to your students how far back such techicalities go.

Davy Crockett - Robert Hollmann

Davy Crockett. By Robert Hollmann.

Dallas: Durban House, 2005. paperback 143 pages
http://durbanhouse.com/
http://www.lonestarlegends.org/
whiskeyblue@sbcglobal.net

Robert Hollmann is a West Texan, now an Odesaa barrister who teaches now and then at UT-PB; he has had seven novels published and written a play, “The Last Ball,” and was selected Best West Texas Author for 2005 in a poll conducted by The Odessa American and Hastings Book Store. Hollman uses an interesting device to present his fictionalized, but factual, biography of the Texas icon. Three youngsters, with a school lesson to be accomplished, visit the Alamo, find themselves locked in a closet where the “ghost” of Crockett appears through a magic time tunnel. The kids agree to go back with him where they’ll witness his life from an invisible status to all but the frontiersman who carries on a conversation.
The story continues in the Tennessee woods at Crockett’s homestead where his wife Polly soon dies. The children sense not just the death as a fact but also as empathetic companions, and points to where Hollmann finds some of the success of the book - the children become emotional partners of the character. Crockett acknowledges to them that he has become captured by his public legend that is different from his own real life. The author then proceeds episodically to take Crockett, and the kids, on to Washington and elsewhere, and finally to Texas and the Alamo.
As the Mexican assault troops are breaking down the doors literally, Crockett sends the children home – certainly a good thing to do, leaving the readers to wonder “how did Davy die.”

Poet Laureate Larry Thomas

Larry D. Thomas

2008 Texas State Poet Laureate
http://www.larrydthomas.com/

Could your students read and "imitate" Thomas' work.

Thomas’ webpage reads: “Larry D. Thomas, born and reared in West Texas, has resided in Houston since 1967. He moved from West Texas to Houston at the age of twenty to complete his college education, and graduated from the University of Houston in 1970 with a BA degree in English literature. In 1998, he retired from a career in adult criminal justice, the last fifteen years of which he served as a branch director for the Harris County Adult Probation Department (Houston). Since his retirement, he has been employed as a full-time poet.
Mr. Thomas started writing poetry seriously in the early 1970’s during his four-year tour of duty in the U. S. Navy. He spent his entire tour in Norfolk, Virginia, serving as a correctional counselor in the Navy prison. Immediately after his stint in the Navy, he secured employment with the Harris County Adult Probation Department where he rose from the rank of probation officer first to unit supervisor and ultimately to branch director, the position he maintained until his retirement in 1998. He wrote consistently on weekends during his thirty-one year career in social service and adult criminal justice, and was quite successful during that period of time in placing his poems in numerous respected national literary journals. His first collection of poetry, The Lighthouse Keeper, was published by Timberline Press in late 2000, approximately three years after his retirement, and was selected by the Small Press Review as a “pick-of-the-issue” (May/June 2001). He has since that time published four additional collections of poems which have received several prestigious prizes and awards.”
The Lighthouse Keeper (Timberline Press, 2001)

Amazing Grace (Texas Review Press, 2001)
The Woodlanders (Pecan Grove Press, 2002)
Where Skulls Speak Wind (Texas Review Press, 2004)
Stark Beauty (Timberline Press, 2005)

Music History

The Texas Heritage Music Foundation

http://www.texasheritagemusic.org/

Alternative history can drift into music for your students outside the traditonal history corral.

“The Texas Heritage Music Foundation was established in July 1987 to preserve and perpetuate the traditions of Texas music, to examine the background of Texas music, to trace influences and patterns in Texas music and to document the role Texas music has played in society, and to provide free educational programming to the Texas community.”

Environmental History

TSHA Conference Programs About Environmental History

http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/about/meeting/2007-program.pdf

If your students are not motivated by traditional Texas history. The TSHA demonstrates that new options are very possible.

The recent Annual Meeting of the Texas State Historical Association provides evidence of and impetus toward the social movement to re-attachment ourselves to the earth. The industrial, transportation, and information revolutions that have disconnected us from history’s natural focus on a “sense of place” have contributed to humanity’s alienation from its bedrock environment. Several programs at the conference demonstrate that our re-attachment is entering a more formal stage. Some of those programs were:

“Texas Environmental History: A Roundtable Discussion”
“ ‘Blowin’ in the Wind’: Wind Power History in Texas”
“A Blend of Science, Art, and Culture: The Maps of the Texas General Land Office”
“Texas State Parks and Renewed Focus on the Contributions of the 1930’s America: Preserving and Interpreting the Civilian Conservation Corps”
“The Politics of Disaster: A Roundtable Discussion on Oral History and the Politics of Blame” [Regarding Hurricanes Katrina and Rita]
“Lone Star Landscapes: Texans and Their Environment in History”
“Confronting Twenty-First-Century Environmental Realities in Texas”
“Environmental History of Houston and the Gulf Coast”

Daughters of the Republic Naylor Award

The Daughters Republic of Texas

June Franklin Naylor Award for Best Book for Children on Texas

for 2006 received 15 nominations

Miriam "Ma" Ferguson by Judy Alter
A Brave Boy & A Good Soldier by Mary Margaret Amberson
Tales of the Texas Mermaid: "The Boot" by Mary Borgia
Journey to the Alamo by Melodie A. Cuate
The Buffalo Soldier by Sherry Garland
Sam Houston, Texas Hero by Susan R. Gregson
Dark Water Rising by Marian Hale
What's so great about . . . Sam Houston by Susan Sales Harkins and William H. Harkins
Henry B. Gonzalez, Congressman of the People by Brenda Haugen
The Lady in the Blue Cloak: Legends from the Texas Missions by Eric A. Kimmel
Hurricane Katrina by Barb Palser
What's so great about . . . Davy Crockett by Russell Robert
Sophie's War by Janice Shefelman
Women of the Confederacy by Barbara A. Somervell
Bridget "Biddy" Mason, From Slave to Businesswoman by Jean Kinney Williams

The 2006 committee includes Dr. Barbara Immroth, School of Information, University of Texas at Austin, chairman; Dr. Viki Ash, Coordinator of Children's Services, San Antonio Public Library, and Linda Plevak, Library Director, Bulverde/Spring Branch Public Library. Announcement of top 5 in May. http://www.drtl.org/

Journey to San Jacinto - Melodie Cuate

Journey to San Jacinto.

By Melodie A. Cuate.

Lubbock: Texas Tech University Press, 2007. 04/2007. 160 pages. 1 photo, 21 b/w illustrations, 1 map ISBN 0896726029 $17.95 cloth (Mr. Barrington's Mysterious Trunk Series). http://www.ttup.ttu.edu/

For those who’ve already opened the trunk on Cuate’s Alamo, you’re in for another treat on San Jacinto. Mr. Barrington can’t come to teach so his substitute is his niece. It doesn’t take long before Miss Barrington and the youngsters Hannah, Nick, and Jackie find themselves time transported again back to 1836. Cuate employs a good plot twist as the girls land in hands of Sam Houston’s supporter Juan Seguin and Nick falls into the Mexican Army and is impressed into their forces. Their parallel stories along the roads to San Jacinto lure the readers onward to the final battle where Nick is almost killed by Deaf Smith before the boy can explain his Mexican uniform. Thereafter, it’s a hunt for the magical truck and pocket watch. After a tricky re-entry to modern times, the crew finds that Miss Barrington’s 1836 Uncle David was pulled back with them. What’ll they do with Uncle David!

Sons of the Republic Awards

SONS OF THE REPUBLIC OF TEXAS AWARDS AND SCHOLARSHIPS

http://www.srttexas.org/awards.html

“The Sons of the Republic of Texas sponsor two awards and a scholarship contest intended to promote the study and preservation of Texas history. New Texas Eagle Scouts can receive an award for their accomplishment.”
Summerfield G. Roberts Award - $2,500 http://www.srttexas.org/sumfield.html
Presidio La Bahia Award - $2,000 http://www.srttexas.org/labahia.html
Texas History High School Essay Contest - $6,000 http://www.srttexas.org/essay.html
Eagle Scout Certificate http://www.srttexas.org/eg_sct.html
Additional Texas History Essay Contest Description - $6,000

Susan Pena Favorites: Songs

Susan Peña’s Favorites: Songs in Spanish and English,
[musical CD]. Lyrics and Letra by the Peña-Govea family and guests. San Francisco: http://www.cdbaby.com , 2005. $14.00.

As a child in Marshall, I learned to sing “Un elefante,” go with my father to the “Tamale Man’s Stand” to get supper, and go with my mother to visit the Tejana who had the most wonderful garden. While teaching school in Raymondville, Texas in the 1970’s I was deeply immersed in Tejano culture, the folks, the food, the language, and the music.
This music brings back those days. Susan Peña has family strung from California to the Texas Valley. The dozen bilingual songs and music are a comfortable mix and your body moves easily in rhythm. You’ll hear guitar, trumpet, accordion, mandolin, and other instruments. We have folk classics and original work, e.g., “Elena la ballena,” “Comin’ ‘Round the Mountain,” “The Green Grass Grows All Around,” and “De Colores.” Dancing instructions come in the lyrics booklet with “La Raspa.” Dancing instructions are part of the song in “Las Chiapanecas.” It is an interesting mixture of works for children and adults. The Peña-Goveas perform in public venues of California, and now they perform in my own living room.
http://www.miguelgovea.com susannpena@sbcglobal.net

Rosenwald Schools

Rosenwald Schools in Texas & A New Museum

An old school building in East Columbia, Texas is now being converted to a museum in West Columbia to celebrate its former life as one of the Rosenwald Schools. Paul Homeyer, Senior Associate at the Houston office of the architectural firm Genslor, can tell you about their architectural work on the Columbia structure before it was moved to the new location. Many or most of them were built according to template specifications. The early 20th century program was sponsored by Julius Rosenwald; he put the “Ro” in Sears & Roebuck fame. These schools served the African American community across the South in the early part of the 20th century with grants to educate the descendants of slaves. In 2002 the National Trust for Historic Preservation placed the schools on their “most endangered list.” Some remain.

Numerous Rosenwald Schools were established in Texas. Anna Mod, Adjunct Professor, Community Development in the School of Architecture at Prairie View A&M University, recalls that a school was once sited on the campus of Prairie View, and she notes a conference in Austin in 2005 on the 300 Rosenwald Schools in Texas. Records of a physical survey of about 50 sites may reside in Austin.

You may wish to pursue the topic.
The Texas Historical Commission’s atlas of historical markers was searched for “Rosenwald” (http://atlas.thc.state.tx.us/index.asp) and 18 associated records came forth, some as State subject, building, and cemetery listings, and some mentioned as part of the National Register listings.
Antioch Cemetery – in Midway
Antioch Church of Christ – in Midway
Cedar Branch Community School – in Grapeland
Center Point School – in Pittsburg
Germany (community) – in Germany
Lockhart Vocational High School – in Lockhart
Marian Anderson High School – in Madisonville
Pine Grove School – near Jacksonville
Pleasant Hill School – in Linden
Powell Point School – in Kendleton
Rosenwald School - in Kennard
Shiloh School, Site of – in Longview
Sweet Home Vocational and Agricultural School – in Seguin
Thomas, O.J., High School – in Cameron
Union Lee Baptist Church – in the Manor vicinity
Washington, Booker T., School – in Bonham
Wilkins, Alice O., School – in Port Lavaca

The Handbook of Texas Online found the word “Rosenwald” 15 times at http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/index.html
BETTS CHAPEL, TX (Lee County)
BROWN, INA CORINNE (as a Rosenwald fellow)
CENTER POINT, TX (Camp County)
DOAK SPRINGS, TX (Lee County)
GERMANY, TX (Houston County)
GLOBE HILL, TX (Lee County)
HOUSTON, SAMUEL WALKER (his school as a recipient of Rosenwald support)
JACKSON, CHARLES EMERSON (as a Rosenwald teacher)
KING, WILLIS JEFFERSON (as a Rosenwald Fellow)
LANIER, RALPHAEL O'HARA (as a Rosenwald Fellow)
MOUNT GILLION, TX (Shelby County)
MOUNT HAVEN, TX (Cherokee County)
SANCHEZ, GEORGE ISIDORE (as a researcher)
SAND FLAT, TX (Rains County)
SWEET HOME, TX (Lee County)

The Southwestern Historical Quarterly makes this reference in 1945, vol. 48, no. 2, in the notes on “Contributors:” http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/publications/journals/shq/online/index.html
“Arthur Link, "The Wilson Movement in Texas, 1910-1912," is at present a Julius Rosenwald research fellow at Columbia University and may be addressed at 522 International House, 500 Riverside Drive, New York, New York. Mr. Link taught history at North Carolina State College, Raleigh, in 1943 and 1944. During the past summer he taught in the department of history of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he has completed the requirements for the Ph.D. degree in history.”

At Prairie View A&M University, the John B. Coleman Library’s online catalog http://www.tamu.edu/pvamu/library/ shows some interesting entries, especially the catalog’s “see also” references to connections outside the institution to museums and other elsewhere. Also at PVA&M School of Architecture is the Texas Institute for the Preservation of History and Culture http://www.pvamu.edu/pages/582.asp established by the 70th Legislature in 1999 who’s mission is “to collect, preserve, study, and make available research information, records, documents, artifacts, and other items relating to Texas history and culture. The Institute places special emphasis on collecting, preserving, and studying the role and contributions of African Americans in Texas history and culture. This is an important mission because the documents, artifacts, and resources collected by the Institute will serve as the primary source materials for research on the black experience in Texas.”

Other resources that may prove useful are:
The recent volume: The Rosenwald Schools of the American South / by Mary S. Hoffschwelle and foreword by John David Smith. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2006.
There are over a dozen theses related to Julius Rosenwald in the ProQuest database, but none obviously Texan. Some theses on the topic may not have been provided to ProQuest.
The Rosenwald Initiative http://www.rosenwaldschools.com/index.html “For assistance with Rosenwald Schools in Texas contact: Southwest Office / National Trust for Historic Preservation / 500 Main Street, Suite 1030 /Fort Worth, TX 76102. PHONE: 817-332-4398 / FAX: 817-332-4512 / EMAIL: SWRO@nthp.org

Toy Soldiers

The Toy Soldier & Old Tin Soldier Shoppe
http://www.oldtinsoldiershoppe.com/
Drop in here and you’ll find figures and dioramas from the Revolution to Lonesome Dove.
This Houston shop focuses on Old Europe.

History Teaching Awards

[WTM emailed the TCTA about Texas history teaching awards. Kelli Weedon replied helpfully.]
Mr. Howard,

Thank you for contacting Texas Classroom Teachers Association with regard to your question about a History Awards program that recognizes History teachers. The following information was found at the Texas Council for Humanities website along with other Texas Teacher award programs you might be interested in. You will find the link to that website below. The Linden Heck Howell Award for Outstanding Teaching of Texas History was established in memory of Ms. Howell, former chair of the Humanities Texas Board of Directors, as a lasting tribute to her service to the organization and her commitment to the study of Texas history. The winning teacher receives a $1,000 cash award, with $500 payable to his or her school for the purchase of instructional materials. Please direct questions regarding the Outstanding Teacher Awards program to Humanities Texas staff at 512.440.1991 or awards@humanitiestexas.org.

Here is the Texas Council for Humanities website address: http://humanitiestexas.org/awards/t_awards.htm

I was also able to find another resource; The Texas State Historical Association also has an awards program available to History teachers in the state of Texas. They too have a variety of different awards all in relation to history. Among the TSHA AWARDS of interest to educators are the Mary Jon and J. P. Bryan Leadership in Education Award, which honors outstanding history teachers, and the David C. DeBoe Memorial Awards, which recognize a Junior Historian sponsor, a Texas History Day teacher, and a Webb Society sponsor. Here is the Texas State Historical Association’s website address: http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/education/teachers.html

We hope you find this information helpful.
Kelli Weedon, Legislative Assistant

Teresa's Journey - Josephine and Jo Harper

Teresa's Journey.

By Josephine Harper and Jo Harper. Lubbock: Texas Tech University Press, 2006. viii, 162 pages. 28 illustrations, ISBN 089672591X $17.95 paper. Includes a “Pronunciation Guide to Nahuatl (Aztec) Words,” chapter notes to elucidate cultural points, and a bibliography. For young adults. http://www.ttup.ttu.edu/

Maybe you met Delfino in the earlier novel, Delfino’s Journey. Teresa is Delfino’s sister, and she must reunite with the earlier immigrants to the U.S. Teresa is now a 19-year-old widowed mother on a journey from “a safe nest,” a mountain paradise outside Mexico City through Texas to Houston. Their journey is hard. First there’s the erupting volcano, then there’s the strange fortune teller who tells her when danger comes to “Follow the caged quetzal,” and then there’s a menacing, murdering gang. She makes friends along the way. Family reunion follows, but then little Antonio is kidnapped. Full of action and character development models.

Both Josephine and Jo have written good books before, Prairie Dog Pioneers by Josephine and Olly Jolly, Rodeo Clown by the duo. - WH

Border - Cleatus Rattan

The Border.

By Cleatus Rattan. Huntsville: Texas Review Press, dist. By TAMU Consortium, 2006. ISBN 1-881515-47-8 paper $12.00, 5 1/2x8 1/2. 80 pages. Poetry. http://www.shsu.edu/~www_trp/

Rattan, a former marine, taught at Cisco Community College and ranched nearby while these poems were collected. He won awards for his previous work, including being Texas’ Poet Laureate, and this volume won the 2002 Texas Review Poetry Prize. Rattan writes of what is important – family life, the teaching life, and the hardscrabble life west of Fort Worth. When folks visited him there “their hands reach for the dog’s head. / They see sheep, / mesquite, scrub oak, the smile / on my face, and the stars meandering to nowhere.” When Aunt Mary came she told “about how young Jeffrey took / her for rides on these same ranch roads / in his 1937 Ford every Sunday / and how he had wanted her to marry him, but he was killed / in the war.”

And Rattan has had his incalculable quandaries, “Is virtue your faith? And me, is love my sin? / Because I love and cannot help myself, / Must I conclude the fault is deep within / My genes? Or can I blame some capricious elf?” But he clarifies entrancedly to the winsome woman wearing his ring “Your lulling music, dance / give me power / to fend off dragon fire, / protect our poem bower.” If you’re looking for them moment when mortality and grace meet in the saddling of a horse, turn to page 63. Cleatus will give you a boost. A shot in the arm for junior American literature class. - WH

Blood and Memory - Robert Benson

Blood and Memory.

By Robert Benson. Huntsville: Texas Review Press, 2006 ISBN 978-1-881515-90-6 in black cloth $24.95 and 1-881515-91-5 paper $18.95 5 1/2x8 1/2. 168 pp. http://www.shsu.edu/~www_trp/ Distributed by the TAMU Consortium.

This childhood memoir of the author and his father sets in a Louisiana that is easily replicable in Deep East Texas. If you’ve played barefooted in the yard as a child, reacted to snakes, tromped the woods, saw your brother decapitated, been sent away, or lived within a flow of family secrets and love, you’ll find Benson’s recollections a rewarding, redemptive read. It moves quickly. Benson, a successful English professor and writer, taught for a while at the University of Dallas but has spent most of his time elsewhere. Some of these stories first appeared in literary journals, including Sewanee Review. Benson has closely inspected Cormac McCarthy’s work, and there is an interesting affinity between McCarthy and Benson.
The honesty and plain style of Benson feel like an intimate conversation over a gingham covered kitchen table. The anecdotal telling with salient details takes you to places of mystery, childish delight and pride, horror, superstition, mortality, and meditation. Blood and Memory has a better bite than the Willie Morris (another fine Southern interloper) volume Good Old Boy. Compelling reading. Could be good to entire the reluctant high schooler to read. - WH

National Center for Children's Illustrated Literature - Abilene

National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature
Celebrates 10th Anniversary and Hosts Art Auction as Fundraiser
By Janis Test, Abilene Public Library, Information Services Manager

The National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature (NCCIL) turns 10-years old in February 2007. What started as an idea generated from a book written by William Joyce called Santa Calls “about kids living in Abilene, Texas” has grown into a national phenomenon.
The NCCIL started out as a quaint and entrepreneurial idea. We are proud that it has grown in the way that it has. It has firmly established itself as a treasure in the world of children’s illustrated literature -- both here in Abilene and nationally,” said Gary McCaleb, former mayor of Abilene and NCCIL board member.
To celebrate this landmark event, the NCCIL is hosting a black tie gala on February 3 in Abilene plus is hosting an art auction of original works from the various illustrators who have exhibited there over the years. Sue McKeon, Executive Director said “This art auction is a unique way to showcase the incredible array of talent the NCCIL has exhibited in its 10- year history. And, it’s a great way for us to raise funds through the sale of the pieces. It’s also quite an opportunity for someone to actually own a piece of work from these beloved artists.”
NCCIL is working with cMarket, “a Boston-based firm who specializes in hosting online auctions for non-profit organizations.” We are so thrilled to be able to tap into the expertise of the cMarket team. Their experience in doing this has helped us open up our auction opportunity
outside the Abilene community,” McKeon reported. The NCCIL art auction will be live online from January 18, 2007 through February 24, 2007 at www.nccil.cmarket.com. All funds raised will be used to support the NCCIL’s work moving forward. The National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature enhances visual and verbal literacy by celebrating the best original art published in children’s literature. It is located in downtown Abilene as part of the cultural arts community in West Texas.
The NCCIL (read Nickel) has hosted a wide ranging list of artists and styles over the past 10 years, both in their small permanent collection and in their nationally traveling exhibits, which spend most of their lives on the road. Some Texas links include the work “Alamosaurus” by Bernard Most in the museum’s permanent collection, a watercolor painting of longhorns by Ted Lewin in the auction, and a retired exhibit titled “Journeys” featuring illustrations by Abilene native Diane Stanley. And of course, "Childhood's Great Adventure," a bronze statue by Rick Jackson, celebrates the story of three fictional Abilene children featured in the book Santa Calls, by William Joyce.
For more information: Contact:
NCCIL - Suzanne McKeon, Executive Director / 102 Cedar Street Abilene, TX 79606
Email: smckeon@nccil.org Ph: 325.437.5486 Fax: 325. 673.0085 Website: http://www.nccil.org/

For Quizzers

The recent (2007) release of a preliminary glance at the new, official U.S. immigration quiz prompts one to remember that the Texas State Historical Association’s web site includes a list of online quizzes at http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/quiz/archive.html. The quizzes, usually 10 questions each, are prepared in collaboration with the Handbook of Texas Online. The dates the quizzes were presented and the topics are below.March 2000 -- General Texas History Topics, July 2001 -- Texas Rivers Quiz, September 2001 -- Traveling Through Texas Towns, December 2001 -- Texas Sports History, March 2002 -- A Return to the "Texas History Movies", June 2002 -- Presidents and Governors, October 2002 -- Texas Greats, January 2003 -- The Great Texas Quiz, Part II, March 2003 -- A Quick Pass Through El Paso History, November 2003 -- Texas Colleges and Universities, December 2004 -- World War II, February 2005 -- The History of Fort Worth, July 2005 -- Texas and the Civil War, November 2005 -- Indians of Texas, March 2006 -- The History of Austin

El Mosquito in My Kitchen - Don Sanders

El Mosquito in My Kitchen.

[musical CD]. Music and lyrics mostly by Don Sanders. Produced by Robbie Parrish & Andy Bradley, recorded at Sugar Hill Studios (Houston). $15.00. http://www.donsanders.net/ djsanders@mindspring.com order through Don or through http://cdbaby.com/cd/donsanders

Don Sanders first got my attention before he started hanging around with a pretty librarian. There he was - performing at a book store, at a festival, and library functions. This was after he had been on the Texas music circuit for quite a while; running with the likes of Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, and Lyle Lovett and serving on the Kerrville Folk Festival Board. In the 1980’s he turned toward more theatrical venues – schools, theaters, festivals, etc. He emerged as a combined storyteller and folksinger. He was easy and pleasant to enjoy then live, and Sanders’ new mixed lingual CD for children, families, and educators is a toe-tapper and shoulder-roller.
He has others mixing in with guitar, harmonica, drum and block percussion, banjo, jaw harp, and trumpet, with some synthesizing. I may have heard xylophonic sounds.
Of the 14 songs, some are fun (El Mosquito) and others express consolation and support in the parent child relationship. Some are Sanders’ adaptations to older Mexican folk melodies with verses of his own composition. Several songs celebrate the simpler building blocks of childhood – a rainbow, the kitchen, planting a seed, cooperation, ponies, puppies, new shoes, and an adult favorite, naptime. Others allude to cultural heritage – Los Padres de San Francisco and Cowboy Bob.
The CD’s accompanying booklet enables parents to learn the words better to sing along. The six Spanish lyrics are there interpreted. The disk carries an added bonus as a pdf file – tips for children’s activities for each song. Can you make the cow sound “nyo,” buzz like a mosquito, simulate pulling weeds, and count your fingers? Evidently by my experience, Cowboy Don’s work also is excellent song and music to listen to while preparing supper. - WH