~ West Texas Historical Association ~

Latest WTHA News
Welcome to the West Texas Historical Association Web page. Please feel free to browse our site and get to know us. Our executive and editorial offices are located at Texas Tech University.

Caption: Lou Rodenberger graciously accepts the honor of being named "Fellow" as Bruce Glasrud and Tai Kreidler look on. Click on the Image to view a larger version.

This year's meeting was held in Lubbock, Texas, from April 2-4, 2009.  Next year's meeting will be a joint meeting of the West Texas and East Texas Historical Associations in Fort Worth, Texas, on February 26-27, 2010.  Information on paper/session proposals can be found here.

WTHA's 2009 conference was featured in the May 28th issue of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Read the article. McCamey news also ran an article on April 23rd about the 2009 meeting.  The Abilene newspaper ran an article on author Bill Neal winning this year's Richardson Award.

Take our new poll What are your top ten Western movies of all time?  Here is your opportunity to vote for your favorites, whether they are old or new, well-known or obscure, serious or funny, historically correct or “guilty pleasure.”  The results will be announced at the upcoming annual conference in Fort Worth.  Click Here to take survey

Other News
A calendar of upcoming events [2009-2010 meetings, city celebrations, exhibits to visit, interesting places to check out, and links to related organizations and societies] has been added to the website.  Also included are links to other historical organizations and research centers.  If you have events you would like added to our calendar, please email us.

Upcoming events:

November 6, 2009 - the Museum of Texas Tech University will host "When Indians Play Indian: A Symposium" which will run from from 9:00 am until 4:30. Event schedule [word doc]

November 7, 2009 - the Texas Historical Commission's Red River War Battle Sites Symposium will be held at the Panhandle Plains Historical Museum and coincides with PPHM's exhibit "A Running Fight: The Red River War in Art." Link

November 8, 2009 - The W. K. Gordon Center for Industrial History of Texas will host a book signing for Bill Neal's latest book, "True Crime Stories: Texas Style" at 2:30 p.m. Call (254) 968-1885 for more information

November 19, 2009 - Historian Juliana Barr will give a lecture in the Museum of Texas Tech University's Auditorium and Sculpture Court at 6:30 p.m. The lecture is being held in conjunction with TTU's Annual American Indian Month celebration. Event flyer [PDF file]

January 9, 2010 - Daniel S. Kerr, recipient of one of the West Texas History Fellowships, will present "Sheepdogs and Barbed Wire: The Ecological Revolution of Grazing on the High Plains" in Panhandle Plains Historical Museum's Hazlewood Lecture Hall at 2:00 p.m. For more information, contact Andrea Porter at *806) 651-2235.

Call for Papers:

Proposal submissions for Center for Big Bend Studies can be submitted until October 9, 2009. Topics may cover aspects of the history, archaeology, or culture of the Big Bend and/or Chihuahua and Coahuila, Mexico.  More details can be found on the CBBS's website.

Proposal submissions for the Korean War Conference can be submitted until January 15, 2010. The conference will be held at Victoria College in Victoria, Texas, from June 24-26, 2010. Presentations on all aspects of the conflict will be considered.  Proposals must include a brief biography, a one-paragraph abstract, and the name, street address, and e-mail address of the presenter. Submissions should be sent to James M. Smallwood at jms8466@okstate.edu or by mail to 1413 S. Lindsay St., Gainesville, Texas 76240-5625.

Fellowships Available:

The Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library's Formby Research Fellowship makes available short-term fellowships of 1-3 months with a stipend of $2,000 per month. More information on how to apply is available here.

The West Texas History Fellowship Program offers two fellowships of $40,000 each to be awarded in April 2010. Fellowships are for a full academic year and a $5,000 publishing subvention will be provided to an academic press for each completed manuscript accepted for publication. To apply, go to here.

Other opportunities for students:

The Texas Historical Commission (THC) is seeking student applicants for its Preservation Fellows Program, which strives to increase the diversity of professionals working in the field of historic preservation. To apply, go here

New for Researchers:

This was sent to WTHA to pass along to researchers interested in Abilene history:

The Abilene Photograph Collection’s 10,000 plus black and white images are now available online.  Started by grants in 1981, copies were made of locally held photos which were indexed by staff and volunteers.  Drs. B. W. Aston and Fane Downs were primarily responsible for initiating the project and carrying it out.  Subjects are related to Abilene and this region and date from the late 19th century through the end of the twentieth century.  HSU’s Richardson Library houses the printed copies.  
     Also available digitally are the HSU Bronco yearbooks and the HSU bulletins/catalogs.  Go the HSU Library webpage and click “HSU Digital Archives”  on the center right of the page under “Help Resources”:  Link

News from the Membership
A Recent Publications and Presentations page has been added to spotlight WTHA members activities from 2006-2009.  In the Bookstore section, you can view a listing of, as well as order copies of, books published by our membership.

Congratulations to members featured in Print:

  • Dolores Mosser's children's book, "A Train Story," with illustrator Nathaniel P. Jensen
  • Fundraising continues to have a bronze statue in Elmer Kelton's honor [online article]
  • Garland H. Richards for being honored on September 20, 2009, by the West Texas Rehabilitation Center during its annual Round-Up for Rehab Supper [online article]
  • Stories from Robert Hinkle's career as a dialogue coach are available in a just published University of Oklahoma Press book, "Call Me Lucky: A Texan in Hollywood." [online article]
  • Charles D. Grear's recent publication, "True Texas," is a textbook that he and four other authors collaborated on covering the history of Texas. [book flyer]
  • The Garland and Lana Richards family is featured in an article titled "From Fort to Ranch: An Interesting Tale" [online article]

WTHA is sad to announce the passing of Elmer Kelton, one of the most noted writers of the southwest.  His passing was covered in the San Angelo Standard-Times article entitled "Area Mourns Loss of Kelton." [newspaper obituary]

WTHA would also like to send its condolences to the family of Dr. Fred Rathjen.  Following his passing away this weekend, his family requests that any memorials be made out to the Forman/Rathjen Scholarship at WTAMU. Donations can be made online at https://mercury.wtamu.edu/wtfoundation/ or by mail to WTAMU Foundation, WTAMU Box 60766, Canyon, Texas 79016 or by calling (806) 651-2070. [newspaper obituary; picture of Dr. Rathjen speaking at this year's TSHA meeting]

Honors, awards and achievements by our members:

  • Congratulations to Sylvia G. Mahoney for receiving the 2009 National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association Alumna of the Year buckle at this year's 2009 College National Finals in Casper, Wyoming.
  • Congratulations to Bruce Glasrud for receiving TSHA's Liz Carpenter Award for Best Scholarly Book on Texas Women's History. His book, Black Women in Texas History, was co-authored by Merline Pitre.
  • Ken Untiedt has received tenure at Stephen F. Austin and has been promotion to the rank of associate professor.
  • Angelo State University History professor Arnoldo De Léon was one of two to be named as the university's first recipients of the Texas Tech University System Chancellor's Council Distinguished Teaching Award and Chancellor's Council Distinguished Research Award. Last year, De Leon was named as a "Fellow" of the WTHA. [see photo to the right]

WTHA is sad to announce the passing of three of our members - Kenneth Jacobs, Lou Rodenberger, and Gerald Raun.  More information on these distinguished folks can be found on our Remembrances page.

Older news on WTHA members can be found here.

Picture This!

Click on the images to see a larger version.

Image 1:  Session presenters from Saturday morning's East Texas Historical Association 2007 annual Meeting sit down for dinner at the Clear Creek Restaurant. Pictured are Troy Ainsworth and colleague Christina, Jennifer Spurrier and her husband, Walter, and Neil Kreidler. Tai Kreidler is the photographer.

Image 2:  Dr. Robert Carr presents Elmer Kelton with a personalized parking sign.

Image 3:  Ashley Pettiet-Richey, Janet Neugebauer and Travis Roberts at the Center for Big Bend Studies annual meeting.

Image 4:  The gang enjoys dinner in Paisano, Texas.

Who Are We?

The West Texas Historical Association has always been an organization committed to people who are interested in the history of West Texas. Because of our open-membership policy our association has been filled by a healthy cross-section of lay and professional historians. These include teachers, students, business people, farmers, ranchers, and engineers who have contributed to the growth of the organization. In addition, our membership has had solid institutional support from colleges, universities, libraries, museums, county historical groups, and corporations throughout the region and across the nation.

Caption:  Midland meeting, 2000

Our Association is active. Each year we hold a conference in a West Texas city. We visit, present papers, and exchange ideas and information. We publish a selection of papers in our annual Yearbook. Also, twice a year, we put out a newsletter highlighting people, places, and events throughout West Texas. In addition, the Association works cooperatively with other historical groups such as the East Texas Historical Association and the Texas Oral History Association.

Caption:  Former president Darlene Bellinghausen presides over a session at the Midland meeting.

In addition, the WTHA promotes research and writing by giving cash awards. These include prizes for the best Year Book article, the best nonfiction and best fiction books on West Texas, and the best student article. The Association also provides research funds on a competitive basis.

Please take time to look us over. Contact us if you would like to attend our annual meeting, present a paper, preside over one of the sessions, and submit one of your articles or books for an award. If you are from West Texas, or if in your heart you are a West Texan, we encourage you to become a member. Our dues are inexpensive. Our journal is well-known, and highly regarded. Our membership is international. And, the hospitality is just right.

Tai Kreidler,  Executive Director
email: tai.kreidler@ttu.edu

 A Brief History
The West Texas Historical Association was organized in 1924 in Abilene at Simmons College (as Hardin-Simmons University was then called). In 1996 the WTHA moved its editorial offices to Lubbock and Texas Tech University, and in 1998 it moved its executive offices there as well. Since 1924 the association has held an annual meeting and published its Yearbook.

Throughout its long and distinguished history, the WTHA has encompassed a wide range of both professional and non-professional historians--from lawyers and physicians to ranchers, business people, and teachers. Although their interests vary, members share a common desire to preserve the rich history of the West Texas region for present and future generations.

Caption:  Exhibits and silent auction at the 2000 Midland meeting.

P.O. 41041
Texas Tech University
Lubbock, Texas

79409-1041
Ph. 806-742-9076 wthayb@ttu.edu


SUBMITTING ARTICLES

For those planning to submit articles to the Yearbook, the Style Sheet Presentation has been added to the website. You can view it either in PowerPoint or html format.  Also added is Dr. Carlson's presentation on Style Concerns.

UPDATES


FREEZE FRAME

Lewis Earl and friends.

At the Frontier Texas Museum, some members take a photo op by a buffalo sculpture. Pictured are H. Allen Anderson, Patricia Clark, ?, Robert Hall, Cheryl Lewis and Travis Roberts Jr.


Historians on the Road-  Tai Kreidler, unidentified friend, Clint Chambers, Bryan Edwards, Paul Carlson, Harry Bob Martin, Jack Becker, and Robert Carr on the top of Soldier Mound in Dickens City.  Click on the image to see a larger version.





This website, which is best viewed in Internet Explorer versions 6.0 or higher, was updated on 11-5-09.


PHOTOS FROM OUR MEMBERSHIP

A picturesque view of the bridge over White Woman Creek near Darrouzett, Texas, as captured by Bob Burton.

Colorful cactus plants thriving in Palo Duro Canyon is photographed by Robin Clark.

Who says there's no wildlife in suburbia? Holle Humphries shot this photo of a wild turkey on the garage roof of a neighbor's house in the Tech Terrace subdivision of Lubbock, Texas.