Monday, March 4, 2019




Vicki Cummins, Gabriela Gonzalez, and Light Cummins
The Texas State Historical Association held its annual meeting in Corpus Christi last week from February 28th until March 2nd. Both Vicki and I attended the meeting, which proved a busy one for both of us. Vicki served as a member of the Women’s History Luncheon planning committee.  That event featured a presentation by Professor Nancy Baker of Sam Houston State University dealing with the career of pioneering Texas attorney Hermine Tobolowsky.  The luncheon also featured the awarding of the Liz Carpenter Award for the best book dealing with the history of Texas women. This year’s winner was Professor Gabriela Gonzalez of the University of Texas at San Antonio for his fine book Redeeming La Raza: Transborder Modernity, Race, Respectability, and Rights, published by the Oxford University Press. As chair of the selection for that committee, it was my pleasure to present that award to Professor Gonzalez. My new book, To the Vast and Beautiful Land, made its debut in the book exhibits at the Texas A&M University Press exhibition. 
Signing my book for Mike Collins
I greatly enjoyed signing copies of my book for those who purchased a copy. An additional highlight of the meeting came for me when Fran Vick and I served as the auctioneers at the Saturday evening banquet.  

Fran Vick and Light Cummins


We auctioned about a dozen items as a fund-raising activity for the association. Fran and I found it a very enjoyable time, and I very much enjoyed working with her. Finally, on Saturday morning, I served as a commentator in a session dealing the monuments and markers of the Texas Centennial of 1936. The Texas Historical Commission served as a sponsor of this session, which included a full report on the application made by the TCH for national register status. The papers were: Monuments from Hell to Breakfast: Commemorative Planning for 1936 Texas Centennial, Bonnie Tipton Wilson, Texas Historical Commission; Not Even Good for Sparrows to Roost On: Centennial Property Types and Inscription Analysis, Gregory Smith, Texas Historical Commission. Lila Rakoczy of the TCH presided at the session. It drew a large group, many of whom participated in an engaging question and answer session thereafter.