2010 West Texas Historical Association meeting

Thursday, February 25, 2010

WTHA Board meeting from 2:00-3:00 p.m. at the Marriot at Champions Circle, Trinity 2
ETHA Board meeting from 2:00-3:00 p.m. at the Marriot at Champions Circle, Trinity 3
Registration from 3:00-5:00 p.m. in the Prefunction area at the Marriot at Champions Circle
Silent Auction from 2:00-5:00 p.m. in the Sabine and San Antonio Rooms

Plenary Session: 4:00 – 5:30 p.m.

Session #1, Pecos Room - Whither Texas History? The State of Texas History and Its Future? Page Foshee, Austin, Moderator

Panelists: Gene Preuss, University of Houston-Downtown; Ty Cashion, Sam Houston State University; Jennifer Lawrence, Tarrant County College; Dan Jones, Texas A&M-Commerce

Welcome Reception from 5:30-7:00 p.m. at the Convention Center Terrace at the Marriot at Champions Circle. Sponsored by the East Texas Historical Association in honor of the West Texas Historical Association.

Friday's schedule, February 26, 2010

Presidential Breakfast at 7:00-8:00 a.m. in Trinity 3

Registration from 7:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. in the Prefunction area at the Marriot at Champions Circle

Silent Auction from 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. in the Sabine and San Antonio Rooms

8:00 a.m. – 9:15 a.m. Sessions

Session #2, Pecos Room - Texas Land, Water, and Sky: The History and Impact of Man’s Attempt to Harness and Use the Environment. Diane Warner, Southwest Collection, Texas Tech University, chair

1
The Legacy of the Mexia Oil Fields, Dixie Hoover, Confederate Reunion Grounds S. H. S., Mexia

2
The Interconnection of the Oil and Gas Industries and the Railroads, Leslie Meyer, The Petroleum Museum, Midland

3
Racing for the Sun: The Rise and Fall of the Crosbyton Solar Power Project, Lynn Whitfield, Southwest Collection, Texas Tech University

Session #3, San Marcos Room - United States Border Problems: 1846-1848, 1861-1865, and 1924-1928, Tai Kreidler, Southwest Collection, Texas Tech University, chair

1
James ‘Santiago’ Kirker: A No Show at the Battle of Temascalitos (Brazito) December 25, 1846: The Mexican Perspective, Harry P. Hewitt, Midwestern State University

2
The Devil’s Horsemen: Colonel James Duff’s Thirty-Third Texas Cavalry, C.S.A., Michael Collins, Midwestern State University

3
Calles and Morrow: The Breakfast Club and the Forging of a New Mexico, 1924-1928, Donald Booth, Midwestern State University

Session #4, BrazosRoom - Lubbock: from the New Deal and World War II to Buddy Holly and More, Garry L. Nall, Panhandle-Plains Historical Review, chair

1
Breaking Ground to Keep from Breaking Down: How the New Deal Kept the Texas Tech Campus Moving Forward in the 1930s, Sarah J. Barwinkel, Lubbock

2
Silent Wings over the South Plains, Jennifer Paxton, Texas Tech University

3
Down the Line: Buddy Holly and the Legacy of West Texas in the British Invasion, Richard Driver, Texas Tech University

9:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. Sessions

Session #5, Pecos Room - Social and Cultural Impact of the New Deal in Texas:  A Panel Discussion, George Cooper, Lone Star College, Moderator
Panelists: Keith Volanto, Collin College; Kathy Flynn, Executive Director, National New Deal Preservation Association; Light Cummins, Austin College; Victoria Cummins, Austin College; Bob Binkman, Texas Historical Commission; Lisa Jackson, Panhandle Plains Historical Museum

Session #6, San Marcos Room - Religious Leaders of Texas, Paul Sturdevant, Paris Junior College, Greenville, Chair

1
Charles Alexander: Searching for Saints and Sinners, Judy Falls, Cooper

2
Father Jean-Marie Odin: The First Catholic Bishop of Texas, Patrick Foley, Azle

3
Rabbi David Lefkowitz, June Guzman, Dallas

Session #7, Brazos Room - Texas Democratic Politics in the 1930s and 1940s, Donald Walker, Texas Tech University, Chair/Commentator

1
Governor Ross Sterling, Nancy Beck Young, University of Houston

2
James Allred Versus the Texas Regulars, L. Patrick Hughes, Austin Community College

3
W. Lee O’Daniel: Anti-New Dealer and Texas Regular, Charles Waite, University of Texas-Pan American

Session #8, Colorado Room - Democracy and Diversity in Colorado Walker County: A Digital Humanities Project at Sam Houston State University, Yvonne Davis Frear, Sam Houston State University, Chair/Commentator

1
From Secession to Segregation: Walker County, Texas, 1860-1900, Katherine Pierce, Sam Houston State University

2
Samuel Walker Houston and the African American Training School at Galilee, 1906-1930, Jeff Littlejohn, Sam Houston State University

3
Wendell Baker and the Civil Rights Movement in Huntsville, 1954-1969, Bernadette Pruitt, Sam Houston State University

Coffee break from 10:45-11:00 a.m.

11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Sessions

Session #9, Pecos Room - Texas Rangers: Real, Reel, and Media, Pat Parsons, Luling, chair

1
Real Rangers, Chuck Parsons, Luling

2
Reel Rangers, Bill O’Neal, Panola Community College

3
Bill McDonald and the Media Show, Harold Weiss, Leander

Session #10, San Marcos Room - A Sense of Place in West Texas Art, Rob Fink, Hardin-Simmons University, chair

1
A West Texas Poet Discusses Her Work, Sarah Casselberry, Abilene

2 A West Texas Artist Discusses Her Work, Mary Fink, Abilene

3
A West Texas Photographer Discusses His Work, Larry Fink, Hardin-Simmons University

Session #11, Brazos Room - Historical Vignettes of the North Texas Frontier, Charles A. Rodenberger, Baird, chair

1
The Indian Villagers of the Brazos River: Their Last Decade, 1849-1859, Earl Elam, Hillsboro

2
Fort Belknap: A Frontier Reminiscence, Judge Steve King, Fort Worth

3
Recollections of the Box Family Tragedy, Grady Box, Arlington

Session #12, Room TBA - The Past Prepares Us for the Future: Boy Scouting in West Texas, Anita Mills, Harbin Scout Museum, Dallas, chair

1
The Founding of Scouting in England and the United States, Robert Reitz, Harbin Scout Museum, Dallas

2
The First Scout Troops in West Texas, Frank T. Hilton, Webmaster for West Texas Scouting, Brownwood

3
The Continuing Relevance of Boy Scouting in West Texas, Patrick Welding, Circle Ten Boy Scout Council, Dallas

Lunch on your own from 12:15-1:15 p.m.

1:15 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Sessions

Session #13, San Marcos Room - Cattle Ranching and Agricultural Transformation in West Texas, J’Nell L. Pate, Azle, chair

1
From Cowboy to Cattleman: Samuel Burk Burnett and the 6666 Ranch, Damon Kennedy, Midland College

2
Cattle Ranching During the Great Depression of the 1930s, Jack Becker, Texas Tech University

3
Wind Wheels and Ledgers: Wind Energy Technology and Rangeland Income on the Southern Plains, Leland K. Turner, Texas Tech University

Session #14, Brazos Room - Threads of Archaeological Research in the Trans-Pecos, William A. Cloud, Center for Big Bend Studies, Sul Ross State University, chair

1
Victor J. Smith: Teacher, Archaeologist, Architect, and Human Dynamo, Melissa Kane, Center for Big Bend Studies, Sul Ross State University

2
Fine Arts and Unique Features: Pictographs and Petroglyphs of the Tablecloth Shelter, Reeda Peel, Center for Big Bend Studies, Sul Ross State University

3
A Historic Indian Cache from Pecos County, Richard W. Walter, Center for Big Bend Studies, Sul Ross State University

Session #15, Colorado Room - Lost and Found: Rediscovering Art Trails through West Texas, Christina Ainsworth, El Paso, chair

1
Train Magic Recaptured in the Arts: The Days When the Circus Came to Town by Rail, Delores Mosser, Slayton

2
Tracing Historic Tracks of Land, Space and Light Imprinted in the Visual Arts Trail of West Texas, Holle Humphries, Lubbock

3
Ghosts of the Past: Architectural Masterpieces Now Vanished from the Landscape of El Paso, Texas, Troy Ainsworth, El Paso

Session #16, Pecos Room - Religion in Texas, John Storey, Lamar University, chair

1
The West Texas Meetings of Mordecai Hamm, Jerry Hopkins, East Texas Baptist University

2
B. H. Carroll: His Life and Legacy, Joseph Early, Campbellsville University

3
Who Were the Crockett Baptist Pastors from 1900-1908?, Ron Ellison, Beaumont

2:45 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Sessions

Session #17, San Marcos Room - Phi Alpha Theta Sessions, Dana Cooper, Stephen F. Austin State University, Chair

1
On Our Own: East Texas Freedmen Towns and Economic Development, Nathan Copling, Stephen F. Austin State University

2
Tudor Style Homes of Tyler, Texas: A Study of Residential Development Resulting from the East Texas Oil Boom, Chris Elzen, Stephen F. Austin State University

3
The Borderlands of the Sabine During the Timber Wars of 1911-1913, Ryan Gullett, Stephen F. Austin State University

Session #18, Brazos Room - Byways, Broadway, and Booze: Three Character Studies from Across the Regional Map, Thomas Alexander, Texas Historical Commission, Chair

1
Panhandle Pyramids on the Road to Monte Ne: William Hope “Coin” Harvey and the Ozark Trails, Dan K. Utley, Texas State University-San Marcos

2
A Rare Surround of Magic and Wonderment: Margo Jones and American Regional Theater, Cynthia Beeman, Austin

3
The Story of Lynn Stephens, The Rum King of San Antonio, T. Lindsey Baker, Tarleton State University

Session #19, Colorado Room - Texas Speakers of the U. S. House of Representatives, Steven W. Short, Collin College, Chair

1
John Nance Garner, Patrick Cox, University of Texas

2
Sam Rayburn, Anthony Champagne, University of Texas-Dallas

3
James Wright, Jim Riddlesperger, Texas Christian University

Session #20, Pecos Room - Reconstruction and Violence in Texas, Charles Grear, Chair/Commentator

1
The Emergence of the Ku Klux Klan in Reconstruction Texas: A Bloody Ordeal, 1865-1972, James M. Smallwood, Gainesville

2
Gov. James Throckmorton and the Question of Frontier Violence in Reconstruction Texas, 1866-1867, Kenneth W. Howell, Prairie View A&M University

4:15 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Sessions

Session #21, San Marcos Room - Parks, Politics, and World War II, Gregg Fehr, Lubbock Christian University, chair

1
Debating the Farm Front: Gender and Racial Challenges in Agricultural Labor during World War II, Cecilia Gowdy-Wygant, Front Range Community College, Westminster Campus

2
Phebe Warner and Palo Duro Canyon State Park, June Steele, Lubbock ISD

3
'The Mountain by Night, The Valley by Day’: A West Texas P.O.W.’s Daring Escape during World War II, Rusty Hawkins, West Texas A & M University

Session #22, Brazos Room - The Big Bend, Southwestern Architect, and Comanches and Rock Art, Monte Monroe, Southwest Collection, Texas Tech University, chair

1
George Edward King: an English Architect in El Paso and Northern Mexico - Francisco Ochoa, Universidad Autonoma de Ciudad Juarez; Roy Brown, El Museo Historico de Ciudad Juarez; and Troy Ainsworth, Historic Preservation Officer, El Paso

2
Some Comanche Interpretations of Texas Indian Rock Art, Linda Pelon, McLennan Community College

3
Oriental Skullduggery in the Big Bend, Paul Wright, Sul Ross State University

Session #23, Colorado Room - Politics and Prohibition in West Texas, Mike Whitley, Lubbock Christian University, chair

1
Ernest Angelo, Jr., and the 96-0 Reagan Sweep of Texas, May 1, 1976, Billy Hathorn, Laredo Community College

2
When Bratwurst Met BBQ: West German Chancellors in LBJ’s Texas Hill Country, Matthew D. Tippins, Austin

3
High and Dry on the Llano Estacado: Religion, Morality, Alcohol on the High Plains, Stephen D. Bogener, West Texas A & M University

Session #24, Pecos Room - Thurber, Brick Workers, and Water Wells in the Panhandle, Maggie Elmore, Texas Tech University, chair

1
In the Comfort of Sunshine: Brick Plant Workers in a Coal Mining Town, Joe Grimshaw, Texas Christian University

2
‘7 o’clock and Pay-Day’: The Company Store Employees of Thurber, Texas, Gene Rhea Tucker, Texas Christian University

3
Should the Wells Run Dry: Creating the Groundwater Conservation District of Carson County, Stephanie S. Bowden, West Texas A & M University

Session #25 - Friday Night Banquet from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. in the Trinity Ballroom. James Smallwood, First Vice-President of the East Texas Historical Association, presiding. "A Texas Serenade and Sing-Along" evening program presented by "The Distinguished Band of Renown."

Saturday's schedule, April 4, 2009

Registration from 7:30 - 11:00 a.m. in the Prefunction area at the Marriot at Champions Circle

Silent Auction from 8:00 - 10:45 a.m. in the Sabine and San Antonio Rooms

Women's History Breakfast from 7:00-8:00 a.m. in Trinity 3

8:00 a.m. – 9:15 a.m. Sessions

Session #26, Pecos Room - Biography and Leadership in West Texas, Gene Preuss, University of Houston, Downtown, chair

1
F. Vandervoort: The Judge Who Wasn’t a Judge, Robin E. Clark, Mason

2
Dallas Scarborough: Attorney and Abilene Civic Leader, John B. Caraway, Cisco College/Abilene Christian University

3
Rick Bass: The Texas Stories, Diane Warner, Southwest Collection, Texas Tech University

Session #27, San Marcos Room - Universities, Communities, and World War II in West Texas, Vernon Williams, Abilene Christian University, chair

1
Lubbock and the Air Force Community during World War II and the Korean War, Jennifer Hoover, East Texas Baptist University

2
West Texas State Teachers College and World War II, Marty Kuhlman, West Texas A & M University

3
CPTP/TTU Pre-Flights Program and Lubbock’s Breedlove Airport and Dagley Field, John W. McCullough, Texas Tech University

Session #28, Brazos Room - Tracing Trails, Drought, and Water Laws in the Southwest, Suzanne Campbell, West Texas Collection, Angelo State University, presiding

1
Some New Mexico, West Texas, and Western Kansas Relationships: On the Trail of Casimiro Romero, Daniel S. Kerr, University of Kansas

2
Wishful Thinking: Attempts to Create Rainfall on the Southern Plains in the 1890s, Kevin Sweeney, Wayland Baptist University

3
The Rule of Capture: A History of Law and Water in West Texas, 1904-2004, Megan Benson, University of Oklahoma

Session #29, Colorado Room - Music in West Texas . . . and East Texas, Too, Kirk Bane, Blinn College, chair

1
The Music Never Died: How Buddy Holly Changed Music Forever, Dave Riser, Abilene

2
Oil Well Blues: African-American Oil Patch Songs, Joe W. Specht, Grady McWhiney Research Foundation, McMurry University

3
West Texas’ Unsung Hero: The Legendary Stardust Cowboy, Rob Weiner, Texas Tech University

9:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. Sessions

Session #30, Pecos Room - Reflections, Restructuring and Resources in Texas Medical History, Weldon Cannon, Temple College, Emeritus, chair

1
The Voices of Polio in Texas: Hot Packs, Warm Springs, and Cold Facts, Heather Green Wooten, History Consultants, Houston

2
Beside the Healing Waters: Rescuing Rollins Brook Community, Patricia Benoit, Temple Daily Telegram

3
Special Collections, My Favorite Things, Sarita Oertling, Truman G. Blocker History of Medicine Collections, Moody Medical Library, Galveston

Session #31, San Marcos Room - The Rise and Fall of the Tung Oil Industry in East Texas, Chris Elzen, Stephen F. Austin State University, chair
Panelists: Jeffrey B. Robb, Texas Women’s University, and Paul D. Travis, Texas Women’s University

Session #32, Brazos Room - Building Hope: Three New Deal Resettlement Communities, Ropesville, Dalworthington Gardens, and Sabine Farms: A Video Project of the People's History in Texas, Cynthia Beeman, Austin, Moderator
Panelists: Richard Croxdale, People’s History in Texas; Keith Volanto, Collin College; and Melissa Hield, People’s History in Texas

Session #33, Colorado Room - Timber and Textiles, Linda Hudson, Georgetown, Chair

1
Oh Papa: Part 1: Miriam and Carrie Lutcher, from Pennsylvania to East Texas, Ellen Rienstra, Nelda and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation, Beaumont

2
Oh Papa: Part 2: The Lutcher Daughters in the East Texas Timberlands, 1877-1900, Jo Ann Stiles, Lamar University (retired), Beaumont

3
The Textile Special: Mill Fever Rides the Rails Across Texas, May 1923, Deborah Kilgore, University of North Texas

11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Sessions

Session #34, Pecos Room - Sports in West Texas, Jorge Iber, Texas Tech University, chair

1 Weldon Bailey Chapman and the 1939 Lubbock High School "Cinderella Kids" Texas State Football Championship, Bill Tynan, Southwest Collection, Texas Tech University

2
Six Man Football, Leman Sanders, McMurry University

3
Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes it rains: Major League Baseball Comes to Abilene, Rob Fink, Hardin-Simmons University

Session #35, San Marcos Room - Rum and Racism in West Texas, Peggy Hardeman, Eastern New Mexico State University, chair

1 The Beginning of the African American Community in Amarillo, Jean Stuntz, West Texas A&M University

2 "The Smartest Move I Ever Made:" Wilbert Montgomery, Abilene Christian University, and the Fight Against Racism in West Texas, 1973-1976, Edward J. Robinson, Abilene Christian University

3 Nary a Drop: A Century of Prohibition in Lubbock, Texas, John J. Gaines, Texas Tech University

Session #36, Brazos Room - Comanches, Texas Rangers, and New Interpretations, Keith Owen, Lubbock Christian University, chair

1
When Texas Rangers Invaded Oklahoma: The 1858 Battle of Little Robe Creek, Harman Camp, San Antonio

2
Revisiting the Battle of Blanco Canyon thru the Mind and Eyes of a Professional Engineer, Sam Watts, Granbury

3
The Battle of Adobe Walls in Shaping the Image of Quanah Parker, Ashley Pettiet-Richey, University of Oklahoma

Session #37, Colorado Room - From New Deal Culture and Economics to Civil Rights Activists, H. Allan Anderson, Southwest Collection, Texas Tech University, chair

1
The Popular Culture Heritage of New Deal Muralists Peter Hurd and Tom Lea in West Texas, J. Tillapaugh, University of Texas-Permian Basin

2
Surviving the Great Depression in Comanche County, Texas, Don Holdridge, University of Texas-Permian Basin

3
God’s Valliant Few, Anthony Frost, University of Texas-Permian Basin

Presidential Luncheon from 12:30-2:00 p.m. "West Texas Women: Defining Freedom Beyond the Hundredth Meridian" presentation by Tiffany Fink, President of the West Texas Historical Association

Tour of Historic Fort Worth Stockyards.

Vans were provided for transportation to and from the Stock Yard area. The historic Fort Worth Stock Yards offered a number of attractions which are of interest to both the historian and the general visitor. Some of these available were:

The Stockyards Museum is located in the classic 1902 Livestock Exchange building in the heart of the Fort Worth Stockyards National Historic District. In 1989, the North Fort Worth Historical Society first opened the Stockyards Museum in a small space in the Livestock Exchange building to be able to share its historic archives with the public. From this modest beginning, the Stockyards Museum has now grown to host thousands of yearly visitors who come from all over the world. In addition, the Museum is a highly respected resource for writers, academics, historians, restoration specialists and genealogists in their research.

The Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame pays tribute to over 70 cowboys and cowgirls. The museum is located in Barn A, in what was once the horse and mule barns in the Stockyards. You’ll see six great exhibits, one of which is a children’s inter-active Exploratorium!

Also included in the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame are the Sterquell Wagon Collection and the John Justin Trail of Fame. The Sterquell is billed as “the world’s largest lifestyle wagon collection” and features more than 60 antique wagons, carriages and sleighs.

At 4 PM each day the Stockyard’s herd of Texas Longhorns is driven down the main street of the stock yards to the holding pens at the end of the street. A must see for the person interested in Longhorns and cattle drives. The Herd is accompanied by period trail riders.

The Saturday Night meal was held at Risckey’s BBQ at 6:30 p.m. in the Stock Yard area.

The Stock Yard’s Championship Rodeo began at 8 p.m. on Saturday and featured Bull Riding, Bareback Riding, Tie Down Roping, Team Roping, Barrel Racing & more.