West Texas Historical Association
Encyclopedia
The West Texas Historical Association is an organization of both academics and laypersons dedicated to the preservation and dissemination of the total history
of West Texas
, defined geographically as all Texas
counties and portions of counties located west of Interstate 35
.
, Texas
, the seat of Nolan County, and a son of the historian
and former Baylor University
president William Carey Crane, first proposed establishment of the association to emphasize studies unique to the large geographic region. On April 19, 1924, the association was chartered at the Taylor County
Courthouse
in Abilene
, Texas. Six Abilene residents were also involved in the founding of the association: Rupert N. Richardson
, later president of Baptist
-affiliated Hardin-Simmons University
from 1943–1953; William Curry Holden
, then of Methodist-affiliated McMurry University
and later first president of the Museum of Texas Tech University
in Lubbock
; L.G. Kennamer of Abilene Christian University
, a Church of Christ
institution, and J.M. Radford, Laura J.D. Scarborough, and B.E. Glammery. Other strong supporters of the movement included James W. Hunt and Jefferson D. Sandefer, then the presidents of McMurry and Hardin-Simmons (at the time Simmons College), respectively. From the original 24 members, the organization grew in 60 years to nearly 400, including 127 libraries. In addition to president R.C. Crane, the original officers included Rupert Richardson, secretary, and Laura Scarborough, treasurer. In 1929, the association received a 50-year charter of incorporation from the state.
On April 18, 1925, the association held its first annual meeting in Cisco
in Eastland County
, located east of Abilene. Thereafter, it published the first volume of the West Texas Historical Association Year Book. Only eighty pages, the publication included three scholarly articles and reprints of several historical documents.
, the original topics of Indians
, military matters, and pioneer settlers have expanded over the years to include additional studies: contemporary politics, education, ethnic minorities, women, transportation, the environment. music, entertainment, and architectural structures.
The WTHA Year Book contains a book-review section, an index, and the auditor’s annual report. In 2004, Ashley Armes, a history professor at Wayland Baptist University
in Plainview
, Texas, won the "Outstanding Student Paper Award" for her article on the 1978 open contest for the United States House of Representatives
to select a successor to long-term Democrat
George Mahon. The two major party contenders were future U.S. President George W. Bush
of Midland
, the Republican
nominee, and then Democrat State Senator Kent Hance
of Dimmitt
and now the chancellor of Texas Tech. Hance handed Bush his only defeat in five times on general election
ballots. The article is entitled "Kent Hance, George W. Bush, and West Texas' 1978 Congressional Election."
In addition to the Year Book, the WTHA publishes The Cyclone, a newsletter issued in February and August, currently edited by James T. "Jim" Matthews of San Antonio
.
The organization had been particularly associated with Hardin-Simmons, where twenty-two of the annual meetings were held during the early years of the organization. In 1998, with the retirement of B W Aston
, a historian at Hardin-Simmons from the position of WTHA executive director, the association relocated to Texas Tech and became integral to the Southwest Collection there. Annual meetings are usually held in Lubbock once every two or three years. Gatherings have also been held in Midland, Odessa
, Monahans
, Brady
, Weatherford
in Parker County
west of Fort Worth
, and Alpine
, home of Sul Ross University. R.C. Crane served as the first president of the organization for twenty-four years, but in 1975, a term limit of one-year was placed on the president. Past presidents have included businessman and West Texas historians Travis Roberts of Sanderson
in Terrell County
and Clayton W. Williams, Sr.
, of Fort Stockton
, father of the 1990 Republican gubernatorial nominee, Clayton W. Williams, Jr.
The 2010 conclave held in Fort Worth February 25–27, was a rare joint meeting with the East Texas Historical Association
, based in Nacogdoches
. The 2009 meeting was held at the Radisson Hotel in Lubbock; attendants were given a tour of Ransom Canyon
and the Harvey House in Slaton
. In the spring of 2008, the association met on the campus of West Texas A&M University
in Canyon
and tours there included the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum
and the Palo Duro Canyon
.
The current executive director of the association is Tai D. Kriedler, co-director of the Southwest Collection at Texas Tech University who holds a Ph.D.
from Texas Tech.
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
of West Texas
West Texas
West Texas is a vernacular term applied to a region in the southwestern quadrant of the United States that primarily encompasses the arid and semi-arid lands in the western portion of the state of Texas....
, defined geographically as all 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...
counties and portions of counties located west of Interstate 35
Interstate 35
Interstate 35 is a north–south Interstate Highway in the central United States. I-35 stretches from Laredo, Texas, on the U.S.-Mexico border to Duluth, Minnesota, at Minnesota Highway 61 and 26th Avenue East. Many interstates used to have splits or spurs indicated with suffixed letters , but I-35...
.
Formation of the WTHA
Royston Campbell Crane, an attorney from SweetwaterSweetwater, Texas
Sweetwater is the county seat of Nolan County, Texas, United States. The population was 11,415 at the 2000 census.-History:Sweetwater received a U.S. post office in 1879. The Texas and Pacific Railway started service in 1881, with the first train arriving on March 12 of that year, beginning...
, 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...
, the seat of Nolan County, and a son of the historian
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 former Baylor University
Baylor University
Baylor University is a private, Christian university located in Waco, Texas. Founded in 1845, Baylor is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.-History:...
president William Carey Crane, first proposed establishment of the association to emphasize studies unique to the large geographic region. On April 19, 1924, the association was chartered at the Taylor County
Taylor County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 126,555 people, 47,274 households, and 32,524 families residing in the county. The population density was 138 people per square mile . There were 52,056 housing units at an average density of 57 per square mile...
Courthouse
Courthouse
A courthouse is a building that is home to a local court of law and often the regional county government as well, although this is not the case in some larger cities. The term is common in North America. In most other English speaking countries, buildings which house courts of law are simply...
in 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. Six Abilene residents were also involved in the founding of the association: Rupert N. Richardson
Rupert N. Richardson
Rupert Norval Richardson, Sr. , was an American historian and a former president of Baptist-affiliated Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas...
, later president of Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
-affiliated Hardin-Simmons University
Hardin-Simmons University
Hardin–Simmons University is a private Baptist university located in Abilene, Texas, United States.-History:Hardin–Simmons University was founded as Abilene Baptist College in 1891 by the Sweetwater Baptist Association and a group of cattlemen and pastors who sought to bring Christian higher...
from 1943–1953; William Curry Holden
William Curry Holden
William Curry Holden , also known as Curry Holden, was an historian and archaeologist. In 1937, he became the first director of the Museum of Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. During his tenure, the museum gained regional and state recognition for excellence...
, then of Methodist-affiliated McMurry University
McMurry University
McMurry University, founded in 1923, is a private co-educational university in Abilene, Texas. It is a liberal arts school offering forty-one majors in the fields of fine arts, humanities, social and natural sciences, education, business, and religion, and nine pre-professional programs, including...
and later first president of the Museum of Texas Tech University
Museum of Texas Tech University
The Museum of Texas Tech University is part of Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. It is made up of the main museum building, the Moody Planetarium, the Natural Science Research Laboratory, the research and educational elements of the Lubbock Lake Landmark, and the Val Verde County research...
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...
; L.G. Kennamer of Abilene Christian University
Abilene Christian University
Abilene Christian University is a private university located in Abilene, Texas, affiliated with Churches of Christ. ACU was founded in 1906, as Childers Classical Institute...
, a Church of Christ
Church of Christ
Churches of Christ are autonomous Christian congregations associated with one another through common beliefs and practices. They seek to base doctrine and practice on the Bible alone, and seek to be New Testament congregations as originally established by the authority of Christ. Historically,...
institution, and J.M. Radford, Laura J.D. Scarborough, and B.E. Glammery. Other strong supporters of the movement included James W. Hunt and Jefferson D. Sandefer, then the presidents of McMurry and Hardin-Simmons (at the time Simmons College), respectively. From the original 24 members, the organization grew in 60 years to nearly 400, including 127 libraries. In addition to president R.C. Crane, the original officers included Rupert Richardson, secretary, and Laura Scarborough, treasurer. In 1929, the association received a 50-year charter of incorporation from the state.
On April 18, 1925, the association held its first annual meeting in Cisco
Cisco, Texas
Cisco is a city in Eastland County, Texas, United States. The population was 3,851 at the 2000 census.-History:Conrad Hilton started the Hilton Hotel chain with a single hotel bought in Cisco. Hilton came to Cisco to buy a bank, but the bank cost too much; so he purchased the Mobley Hotel in 1919...
in Eastland County
Eastland County, Texas
*Carbon*Cisco*Desdemona, a ghost town*Eastland*Gorman*Mangum*Olden*Ranger*Rising Star*Romney-See also:*National Register of Historic Places listings in Eastland County, Texas*Santa Claus Bank Robbery-External links:** at the University of Texas*...
, located east of Abilene. Thereafter, it published the first volume of the West Texas Historical Association Year Book. Only eighty pages, the publication included three scholarly articles and reprints of several historical documents.
Later years
By 1983, by the time of the 59th Year Book, total published items had increased to 502 scholarly or semi-scholarly articles, 90 memoirs or recollections, and 51 miscellaneous items. including approximately 30 under the title "History in West Texas." As explained the historian Ernest WallaceErnest Wallace
Ernest Wallace was an historian of Texas, the American West and the southern Great Plains, who was affiliated with Texas Tech University in Lubbock.-Historical works:...
, the original topics of Indians
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
, military matters, and pioneer settlers have expanded over the years to include additional studies: contemporary politics, education, ethnic minorities, women, transportation, the environment. music, entertainment, and architectural structures.
The WTHA Year Book contains a book-review section, an index, and the auditor’s annual report. In 2004, Ashley Armes, a history professor at Wayland Baptist University
Wayland Baptist University
Wayland Baptist University is private, coeducational Baptist university based in Plainview, Texas, U.S.A. Wayland Baptist has a total of fourteen campuses in four additional Texas cities, five other states, and the country of Kenya. On August 31, 1908, the university was chartered by the state of...
in Plainview
Plainview, Texas
Plainview is a city in and the county seat of Hale County, Texas, United States. The population was 22,336 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Plainview is located at ....
, Texas, won the "Outstanding Student Paper Award" for her article on the 1978 open contest for the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
to select a successor to long-term Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
George Mahon. The two major party contenders were future U.S. President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
of Midland
Midland, Texas
Midland is a city in and the county seat of Midland County, Texas, United States, on the Southern Plains of the state's western area. A small portion of the city extends into Martin County. As of 2010, the population of Midland was 111,147. It is the principal city of the Midland, Texas...
, the Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
nominee, and then Democrat State Senator Kent Hance
Kent Hance
Kent "The Hancellor" Ronald Hance is a lobbyist and lawyer who was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from West Texas, having served from 1979 to 1985...
of Dimmitt
Dimmitt, Texas
Dimmitt is a city in Castro County, Texas, United States. The population was 4,375 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Castro County. It is located on the old Ozark Trail, a road system from St. Louis, Missouri, to El Paso, Texas...
and now the chancellor of Texas Tech. Hance handed Bush his only defeat in five times on general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
ballots. The article is entitled "Kent Hance, George W. Bush, and West Texas' 1978 Congressional Election."
In addition to the Year Book, the WTHA publishes The Cyclone, a newsletter issued in February and August, currently edited by James T. "Jim" Matthews of San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
.
The organization had been particularly associated with Hardin-Simmons, where twenty-two of the annual meetings were held during the early years of the organization. In 1998, with the retirement of B W Aston
B W Aston
B W Aston was an American historian whose career embraced local and regional history as well as Latin American studies. From 1967-2001, he was a faculty member at Baptist-affiliated Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas.Aston was born in Fort Worth to Ernest Roy Aston and Mural Aston...
, a historian at Hardin-Simmons from the position of WTHA executive director, the association relocated to Texas Tech and became integral to the Southwest Collection there. Annual meetings are usually held in Lubbock once every two or three years. Gatherings have also been held in Midland, Odessa
Odessa, Texas
Odessa is a city in and the county seat of Ector County, Texas, United States. It is located primarily in Ector County, although a small portion of the city extends into Midland County. Odessa's population was 99,940 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Odessa, Texas Metropolitan...
, Monahans
Monahans, Texas
Monahans is a city in and the county seat of Ward County, Texas, United States. A very small portion of the city extends into Winkler County. The population was 6,821 at the 2000 census.-History:...
, Brady
Brady, Texas
Brady is a city in McCulloch County, Texas, United States. Brady refers to itself as "The Heart of Texas", as it is the closest city to the geographical center of the state. The population was 5,523 at the 2000 census...
, Weatherford
Weatherford, Texas
Weatherford is a city in Parker County, Texas, United States, and a western suburb of Fort Worth. The population was 19,000 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Parker County and is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.-Geography:...
in Parker County
Parker County, Texas
As of the census of 2003, there were 98,495 people, 31,131 households, and 24,313 families residing in the county. The population density was 98 people per square mile . There were 34,084 housing units at an average density of 38 per square mile...
west of Fort Worth
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
, and Alpine
Alpine, Texas
Alpine is a city in and the county seat of Brewster County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,786 people at the 2000 census, and had increased to 5,905 by 2010.-History:...
, home of Sul Ross University. R.C. Crane served as the first president of the organization for twenty-four years, but in 1975, a term limit of one-year was placed on the president. Past presidents have included businessman and West Texas historians Travis Roberts of Sanderson
Sanderson, Texas
Sanderson is a census-designated place in and the county seat of Terrell County, Texas, United States. The population was 861 at the 2000 census. Sanderson was created in 1882 as a part of neighboring Pecos County...
in Terrell County
Terrell County, Texas
Terrell County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. It is one of the nine counties that comprise the Trans-Pecos region of West Texas. In 2000, its population was 1,081. Its county seat is Sanderson. The county was named for Alexander W. Terrell, a Texas state senator...
and Clayton W. Williams, Sr.
Clayton W. Williams, Sr.
Clayton Wheat Williams, Sr. , was an engineer, a geologist, an oilman, a World War I military officer, a rancher, a county commissioner and civic leader, an historian, and a philanthropist from Fort Stockton, Texas....
, of Fort Stockton
Fort Stockton, Texas
Fort Stockton is a city in Pecos County, Texas, United States. The population was 7,846 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Pecos County.-Geography:Fort Stockton is located at ....
, father of the 1990 Republican gubernatorial nominee, Clayton W. Williams, Jr.
Clayton Williams
Clayton Wheat "Claytie" Williams, Jr. , a businessman from Midland, Texas, was the unsuccessful Republican gubernatorial nominee in 1990 against the Democratic State Treasurer Ann Richards even though Williams initially led in opinion polls by twenty points.-Biographical information:An independent...
The 2010 conclave held in Fort Worth February 25–27, was a rare joint meeting with the East Texas Historical Association
East Texas Historical Association
The East Texas Historical Association is an organization of professional historians and interested laypersons dedicated to the preservation of the overall history of East Texas, generally defined as that portion of the state east of Interstate 35. The association was founded in 1962 after a long...
, based in Nacogdoches
Nacogdoches, Texas
Nacogdoches is a city in Nacogdoches County, Texas, in the United States. The 2010 census recorded the city's population to be 32,996. It is the county seat of Nacogdoches County and is situated in East Texas. Nacogdoches is a sister city of Natchitoches, Louisiana.Nacogdoches is the home of...
. The 2009 meeting was held at the Radisson Hotel in Lubbock; attendants were given a tour of Ransom Canyon
Ransom Canyon, Texas
Ransom Canyon is a town in Lubbock County of West Texas, United States. The population was 1,011 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Lubbock Metropolitan Statistical Area....
and the Harvey House in Slaton
Slaton, Texas
Slaton is a city in Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,109 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Lubbock Metropolitan Statistical Area.Slaton is named for Lubbock rancher and banker O.L. Slaton, Sr...
. In the spring of 2008, the association met on the campus of West Texas A&M University
West Texas A&M University
West Texas A&M University , part of the Texas A&M University System, is a public university located in Canyon, Texas, a small city south of Amarillo. West Texas A&M opened on September 20, 1910...
in Canyon
Canyon, Texas
Canyon is a city in Randall County, Texas, United States. The population was 12,875 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Randall County. It is the home of West Texas A&M University and Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum. Palo Duro Canyon State Park is some twelve miles east of Canyon...
and tours there included the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum
Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum
Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum is a history museum on the campus of West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas, U.S.A., a small city south of Amarillo. The museum's contents are owned and controlled by the Panhandle-Plains Historical Society, while West Texas A&M University and the Texas A&M...
and the Palo Duro Canyon
Palo Duro Canyon
Palo Duro Canyon is a canyon system of the Caprock Escarpment located in the Texas Panhandle near the city of Amarillo, Texas, United States. As the second largest canyon in the United States, it is roughly long and has an average width of , but reaches a width of at places. Its depth is around...
.
The current executive director of the association is Tai D. Kriedler, co-director of the Southwest Collection at Texas Tech University who holds a 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...
from Texas Tech.
Other notable members, officers, contributors
- Thomas E. Alexander, professional historian on the Texas Historical Commission
- H. Allen Anderson, archivist and specialist on West Texas ranching; author of pending history of Texas Tech University
- Paul Howard CarlsonPaul H. CarlsonPaul Howard Carlson , an historian of Texas, the American West, and Native Americans, is a professor emeritus at Texas Tech University in Lubbock....
, professor emeritus at Texas Tech; specialist on the American West, WTHA fellow, and former editor of the Year Book - Robert T. "Ty" Cashion, associate professor at Sam Houston State UniversitySam Houston State UniversitySam Houston State University was founded in 1879 and is the third oldest public institution of higher learning in the State of Texas. It is located in Huntsville, Texas. It is one of the oldest purpose-built institutions for the instruction of teachers west of the Mississippi River and the first...
in HuntsvilleHuntsville, TexasHuntsville is a city in and the county seat of Walker County, Texas, United States. The population was 35,508 at the 2010 census. It is the center of the Huntsville micropolitan area....
, former WTHA book review editor, and keynote speaker at 2009 association meeting; president of the East Texas Historical Association from 2002–2003 - Arnoldo De Leon, graduate of Texas Christian UniversityTexas Christian UniversityTexas Christian University is a private, coeducational university located in Fort Worth, Texas, United States and founded in 1873. TCU is affiliated with, but not governed by, the Disciples of Christ...
, professor at Angelo State UniversityAngelo State UniversityAngelo State University is a public, coeducational, doctoral level degree-granting university located in San Angelo, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1928 as San Angelo College. It gained University status and awarded its first baccalaureate degrees in 1967 and graduate degrees in 1969, the...
in San AngeloSan Angelo, TexasSan Angelo is a city in the state of Texas. Located in West Central Texas it is the county seat of Tom Green County. As of 2010 according to the United States Census Bureau, the city had a total population of 93,200...
, specialist in Mexican AmericanMexican AmericanMexican Americans are Americans of Mexican descent. As of July 2009, Mexican Americans make up 10.3% of the United States' population with over 31,689,000 Americans listed as of Mexican ancestry. Mexican Americans comprise 66% of all Hispanics and Latinos in the United States...
history, and 2008 WTHA fellow - Kenneth Davis, historian, member of the Texas Folklore SocietyTexas Folklore SocietyThe Texas Folklore Society is a non-profit organization formed in 1909. John Avery Lomax and Leonidas Warren Payne, Jr., conceived the idea for the Society and served as its first officers....
, and 2010-2011 WTHA fellow - J. Frank DobieJ. Frank DobieJames Frank Dobie was an American folklorist, writer, and newspaper columnist best known for many books depicting the richness and traditions of life in rural Texas during the days of the open range...
(1888–1964), "Progenitor of the Mustang", Vol. 26 - Tiffany Haggard Fink, Hardin-Simmons University historian in Abilene and WTHA president, 2009–2010
- Joe B. Frantz, "Prospecting in Western History", Vol. 40
- J. Evetts HaleyJ. Evetts HaleyJames Evetts Haley, Sr., usually known as J. Evetts Haley , was a Texas-born political activist and historian who wrote multiple works on the American West, including an enduring biography of legendary cattleman Charles Goodnight...
(1901–1995), best known of the West Texas historians; contributed “Grass Fires of the Southern Plains" (Year Book Vol. 5, 1929) - Kenneth Roy Jacobs (1933–2009), professor emeritus, of Hardin-Simmons University, editor of the WTHA Year Book, 1985–1998
- Elmer KeltonElmer KeltonElmer Stephen Kelton was an American journalist and writer, known particularly for his Western novels.-Biography:...
, (1926–2009), novelist of the American West; "Converting History into Fiction", Vol. 48 - Martin Herman Kuhlman, author of forthcoming History of West Texas A&M University
- Herbert H. LangHerbert H. LangHerbert Howard Lang was an historian of the American West who spent nearly all of his academic career at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas....
(1921–2006), Texas A&M UniversityTexas A&M UniversityTexas 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...
American West professor, "Fort Worth's Role in the Origins of the HeliumHeliumHelium is the chemical element with atomic number 2 and an atomic weight of 4.002602, which is represented by the symbol He. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, inert, monatomic gas that heads the noble gas group in the periodic table...
Industry", Vol. 47, p. 127 - Monte Monroe, Southwest Collection archivist and current editor of the WTHA Year Book
- Garry L. Nall, retired West Texas A&M University professor and active agricultural historian, past WTHA fellow
- Bill Neal (born ca. 1936), former attorney in Abilene who won the Richardson Book Award for Getting Away with Murder on the Texas Frontier: Notorious Killings & Celebrated Trials (2006)
- Bill O'NealBill O'NealJohn William O'Neal, known as Bill O'Neal , is an American author who has written some thirty books and more than three hundred articles and book reviews on the American West, including gunfighters, lawmen, and ghost towns; Country music, with emphasis on Texas artists; baseball, such as his study...
, western author and professor at Panola CollegePanola CollegePanola College is a community college located in Carthage, Texas. The name derives from Panola County, Texas, of which Carthage is the county seat.As defined by the Texas Legislature, the official service area of Panola College is the following:...
in CarthageCarthage, TexasCarthage is a city in Panola County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,664 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Panola County, and is situated in East Texas near the Louisiana state line.-Geography:...
, Texas - Keith Owen, professor at Lubbock Christian UniversityLubbock Christian UniversityLubbock Christian University is a private Christian university associated with the Churches of Christ located in Lubbock, Texas, in the United States. It was established in 1957. A fall 2011 count showed 2,038 students enrolled at Lubbock Christian University, of which 422 are graduate students...
and former WTHA president, 2010–2011 - Lou Halsell RodenbergerLou Halsell RodenbergerMolcie Lou Halsell Rodenberger was a Texas author, educator, professor, and journalist.-Early years:Rodenberger was born in the rural Eastland County, Texas, community of Okra to educators, Austin Carl Halsell and the former Mabel Falls...
(1926–2009), WTHA fellow; "West Texas Pioneer Women: The Wilder, Stronger Breed", Vol. 77 - Jean A. StuntzJean A. StuntzJean Allison Stuntz is a professor at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas, where she specializes in women's studies and the history of Texas, the Spanish Borderlands, and the American West. She holds the rank of associate professor...
, West Texas A&M University professor; WTHA book review editor - Walter Prescott WebbWalter Prescott WebbWalter Prescott Webb was a 20th century U.S. historian and author noted for his groundbreaking historical work on the American West. As president of the Texas State Historical Association, he launched the project that produced the Handbook of Texas...
(1888–1963), "Land and Life of the Great Plains", Vol. 4