Robert A. Calvert
Encyclopedia
Robert Arnold Calvert, Jr., known as Bob Calvert (October 18, 1933–November 30, 2000), was a historian
and professor
at Texas A&M University
in College Station
, Texas
, best known for his standard textbook, The History of Texas, co-authored with Arnoldo De Leon and Gregg Cantrell.
Calvert was born in Stephenville
, the seat of Erath County
, located southeast of Abilene
, Texas. He attended Southern Methodist University
in Dallas
, Texas, and the University of North Texas
at Denton
prior to entering the United States Army
in 1954. He procured both his Bachelor of Arts
(1957) and Master of Arts
(1960) in history from North Texas. He taught history in the Denton public schools and at Nicholls State University
in Thibodaux
, Louisiana
. He taught at the University of North Texas, his alma mater, from 1967–1973, when he resigned to pursue his Ph.D.
at the University of Texas at Austin
, from which he graduated in 1975. He then joined the TAMU faculty, of which he had also been a member from 1965-1966. There he specialized in the history of Texas and the American South since 1877, with emphasis on the civil rights movement
. He also wrote textbooks on ethnic and labor history, 20th century Texas, and the Progressive movement in the South.
In 1970, Calvert co-authored with Donald E. Chipman and Randolph B. Campbell The Dallas Cowboys and the NFL, an inside study of the organization and financing of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys
, a vital cog of "an industry that occupies an important segment of American time and attention . . . a sophisticated industry that has worked out complex statistics to select the best thrower of a forward pass. . . . [and] has reformed television habits . . . "
In 1981, Calvert and Alwyn Barr
, a retired historian from Texas Tech University
in Lubbock
, co-authored Black Leaders: Texans for Their Times. In 1991, he co-authored with his friend and TAMU colleague, Walter L. Buenger
, the book entitled Texas Through Time: Evolving Interpretations. One of the chapters in Texas Through Time is oddly titled "The Shelf Life of Truth in Texas," also co-authored by Calvert and Buenger. In 1982, Calvert co-authored with his friend and TAMU colleague, Larry D. Hill, the article entitled "The University of Texas Extension Services and Progressivism" in the Southwestern Historical Quarterly.
Calvert spent years studying and chronicling the civil rights movement. By 1982, he had concluded that the movement had died because the American public grew skeptical that "the national government could play a positive role in erasing social and economic injustice," a view much at odds with his own liberal thinking in that regard.
In 1993, Calvert co-authored with Maury B. Forman, Cartooning Texas: One Hundred Years of Cartoon Art in the Lone Star State, which focuses on political cartoons.
Calvert was the coordinator of TAMU history graduate studies at the time of his death. He was a member of the TAMU Press faculty advisory committee and was the co-editor of the TAMU Southwestern Studies series. He was a contributor to the Handbook of Texas
, much of which is now on-line. He was a past president of the Texas State Historical Association
. He was a co-editor of Texas Vistas: Selections from the Southwestern Historical Quarterly, an anthology
of TSHA scholarly articles.
Calvert died at his home in College Station and was survived by his wife, Donna Hannah-Calvert.
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
and professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
at Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
in College Station
College Station, Texas
College Station is a city in Brazos County, Texas, situated in East Central Texas in the heart of the Brazos Valley. The city is located within the most populated region of Texas, near three of the 10 largest cities in the United States - Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, best known for his standard textbook, The History of Texas, co-authored with Arnoldo De Leon and Gregg Cantrell.
Calvert was born in Stephenville
Stephenville, Texas
Stephenville is a city in and the county seat of Erath County, Texas, United States. The population was 14,921 at the 2000 census. Founded in 1856, it is home to Tarleton State University. Stephenville is among several communities that calls itself the "Cowboy Capital of the...
, the seat of Erath County
Erath County, Texas
Erath County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 33,001. It is named for George Bernard Erath, an early surveyor and a soldier at the Battle of San Jacinto. The seat of the county is Stephenville....
, located southeast of Abilene
Abilene, Texas
Abilene is a city in Taylor and Jones counties in west central Texas. The population was 117,063 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Abilene Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2006 estimated population of 158,063. It is the county seat of Taylor County...
, Texas. He attended Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...
in Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, Texas, and the University of North Texas
University of North Texas
The University of North Texas is a public institution of higher education and research in Denton. Founded in 1890, UNT is part of the University of North Texas System. As of the fall of 2010, the University of North Texas, Denton campus, had a certified enrollment of 36,067...
at Denton
Denton, Texas
The city of Denton is the county seat of Denton County, Texas in the United States. Its population was 119,454 according to the 2010 U.S. Census, making it the eleventh largest city in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex...
prior to entering the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
in 1954. He procured both his Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
(1957) and Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
(1960) in history from North Texas. He taught history in the Denton public schools and at Nicholls State University
Nicholls State University
Nicholls State University, founded in 1948, is a public university located in Thibodaux, Louisiana, USA. Nicholls is part of the University of Louisiana System of universities. Originally called Francis T. Nicholls Junior College, the institution split from the Louisiana State University System in...
in Thibodaux
Thibodaux, Louisiana
Thibodaux is a small city in and the parish seat of Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, United States, along the banks of Bayou Lafourche in the northwestern part of the parish. The population was 14,431 at the 2000 census. Thibodaux is a principal city of the Houma–Bayou Cane–Thibodaux...
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. He taught at the University of North Texas, his alma mater, from 1967–1973, when he resigned to pursue his Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
at the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
, from which he graduated in 1975. He then joined the TAMU faculty, of which he had also been a member from 1965-1966. There he specialized in the history of Texas and the American South since 1877, with emphasis on the civil rights movement
Civil rights movement
The civil rights movement was a worldwide political movement for equality before the law occurring between approximately 1950 and 1980. In many situations it took the form of campaigns of civil resistance aimed at achieving change by nonviolent forms of resistance. In some situations it was...
. He also wrote textbooks on ethnic and labor history, 20th century Texas, and the Progressive movement in the South.
In 1970, Calvert co-authored with Donald E. Chipman and Randolph B. Campbell The Dallas Cowboys and the NFL, an inside study of the organization and financing of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
, a vital cog of "an industry that occupies an important segment of American time and attention . . . a sophisticated industry that has worked out complex statistics to select the best thrower of a forward pass. . . . [and] has reformed television habits . . . "
In 1981, Calvert and Alwyn Barr
Alwyn Barr
Chester Alwyn Barr is an American historian who specializes in African American studies, the American South, the American Civil War, and Reconstruction. He is a professor emeritus and former history department chairman at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas.-Works:Barr received his Ph.D...
, a retired historian from Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University, often referred to as Texas Tech or TTU, is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and originally known as Texas Technological College, it is the leading institution of the Texas Tech University System and has the...
in Lubbock
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
, co-authored Black Leaders: Texans for Their Times. In 1991, he co-authored with his friend and TAMU colleague, Walter L. Buenger
Walter L. Buenger
Walter Louis Buenger is an historian of Texas and the American South and, since 2003, the head of the department of history at Texas A&M University in College Station.-Background:...
, the book entitled Texas Through Time: Evolving Interpretations. One of the chapters in Texas Through Time is oddly titled "The Shelf Life of Truth in Texas," also co-authored by Calvert and Buenger. In 1982, Calvert co-authored with his friend and TAMU colleague, Larry D. Hill, the article entitled "The University of Texas Extension Services and Progressivism" in the Southwestern Historical Quarterly.
Calvert spent years studying and chronicling the civil rights movement. By 1982, he had concluded that the movement had died because the American public grew skeptical that "the national government could play a positive role in erasing social and economic injustice," a view much at odds with his own liberal thinking in that regard.
In 1993, Calvert co-authored with Maury B. Forman, Cartooning Texas: One Hundred Years of Cartoon Art in the Lone Star State, which focuses on political cartoons.
Calvert was the coordinator of TAMU history graduate studies at the time of his death. He was a member of the TAMU Press faculty advisory committee and was the co-editor of the TAMU Southwestern Studies series. He was a contributor to the Handbook of Texas
Handbook of Texas
The Handbook of Texas is a comprehensive encyclopedia of Texas geography, history, and historical persons published by the Texas State Historical Association .-History:...
, much of which is now on-line. He was a past president of the Texas State Historical Association
Texas State Historical Association
The Texas State Historical Association or abbreviated TSHA, is a non-profit educational organization, dedicated to documenting the rich and unique history of Texas. It was founded on March 2, 1897. As of November 2008, TSHA moved from Austin to the University of North Texas in Denton.The executive...
. He was a co-editor of Texas Vistas: Selections from the Southwestern Historical Quarterly, an anthology
Anthology
An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
of TSHA scholarly articles.
Calvert died at his home in College Station and was survived by his wife, Donna Hannah-Calvert.