past news on WTHA members

Below are past news snippets on WTHA members.

2007:

Cameron L. Saffell, curator of agriculture at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum in Las Cruces, received his Ph.D. from Iowa State University in December 2007.

Clifton and Shirley Caldwell have been named as inaugural recipients of the Humanities Texas Award in the December 2007 e-newsletter.

A Midland Reporter-Telegram article entitled "Will the Mallet Ranch Become an Outdoor Center" discussed Christena Stephens efforts to help preserve the Mallet Ranch.

Paul Carlson recently gave a brown bag presentation on his latest book, "Slavery to Integration: Black Americans in West Texas," at the Abilene Public Library.

A Midland Reporter-Telegram article entitled "Will the Mallet Ranch Become an Outdoor Center" discusses Christena Stephens efforts to help preserve the Mallet Ranch.

H. Allen Anderson has been appointed to the position of University Historian for a three-year project to write the history of Texas Tech University.

Lou Rodenberger received the Stirrup Award for Best Article in The Roundup publication by the Western Writers of America for her article entitled, "Tom Lea, Novelist: The Eyes of an Artist, the Ears of a Writer."

Starting in August, Rob C. Fink will be serving as a Visiting Assistant Professor of History at McMurry University.

Several members moved up in rank at their university positions. At Hardin-Simmons University, Tiffany Fink was granted tenure. At Texas Tech University, Freedonia Paschall was promoted to Archivist, while her co-worker, Monte Monroe, received tenure and was promoted to the rank of Associate Archivist.

Once again, WTHA held a session at the annual meeting for the Center for Big Bend Studies on November 9th. Tom Crum served as chair. Troy Ainsworth presented "Civic Cathedrals on the High Plains, in the Trans-Pecos, and on the Edwards Plateau," Bruce Glasrud presented "Bibliophiling West Texas African American History," and Paul Carlson presented "The Ozark Trails and Early Highways in West Texas."

We would like to extend our condolences to the family of Mrs. Barbara Neal Ledbetter on her passing. Barbara wrote a lot on Texas topics and had submitted several articles to the Yearbook over the years. More information on her career can be found here.

Congratulations to Bill Neal, winner of the 2007 Book of the Year by the National Association for Outlaw and Lawman History, for his latest publication, "Getting Away with Murder on the Texas Frontier."

Troy Ainsworth, El Paso's new historic preservation officer, was recently featured in an El Paso Times article.

Leland Turner, a Visiting Lecturer in History at Angelo State University, will be traveling abroad to Australia as a Fulbright Scholar.

Professor emeritus of history, Dr. Frederick W. Rathjen was named a Fellow by the Texas State Historical Association at its 2007 meeting.

Longtime supporter Alvin G. Davis was honored at the "Masked Rider Transfer of Reins" ceremony on April 20, 2007.

Ty Cashion, Associate Professor of History at Sam Houston State University, has been elected to membership in the Texas Institute of Letters.

Gene Preuss is recipient of a one month Formby Research Fellowship at the Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library at Texas Tech University. His research will focus on Lauro F. Cavazos and Hispanic education. He has also been nominated to serve on the Oral History Association Council.

2006:

Paul Carlson, Life Director of the Association, was the featured speaker at a dinner hosted by the Board Members of the Texas Historical Foundation, in Lubbock, Texas, on Friday October 20, 2006. Author of the recently published "The Plains Indians" (Texas A&M Press), Carlson regaled the group with historical perspectives and vignettes. Carlson is the Director of the Texas Tech Center for the Southwest and Professor of History at Texas Tech University.

Freedonia Paschall became a Certified Archivist after passing the Certified Archivist Exam in Washington, D. C.

Paul Wright, a WTHA board member, was interviewed in the Houston Chronicle for an article entitled, "Influx of Hispanics skirts rural counties As cattle, oil industries decline, so does population" [August 26, 2006]. "Pecos looks like a neutron bomb has hit it," said Paul Wright, a rural demographer at Sul Ross State University in nearby Alpine. "It wipes out the population, but the buildings are still standing."