Fred Cooper, a fellow presenter who has a new book which features several eight-minute classroom plays for Texas history. |
The week's first
conference was held on Monday and Tuesday, August 7 and 8, at the Region 10
Education Service Center in Richardson. Region 10 co-sponsored the conference,
which covered the period Prehistory to 1835. More than 100 teachers signed up
for the conference, and Charles Nugent assembled presenters for more than 30
breakout sessions and addresses to the assembled group.
I was asked to lead off
the conference with a keynote address I called, "Dios y Tejas: The Spanish
in Texas." My program was scheduled from 8:30 to 10:00 on Monday morning,
and I brought a number of props. I drove to Richardson from Carthage on Sunday
afternoon, and I went to the Region 10 Education Center, because Charles Nugent
had arranged for the facility to be opened that evening for those of us who
needed an early setup opportunity. On Monday morning I arrived about eight
o'clock and, already prepared, I had time to meet with the teachers as they
entered the room. I found out what schools they were from and how long they had
been teaching.
I was delighted with the
topic I was assigned. At the start of every semester at Panola College I
lectured at length about the Spanish in Texas. For three-fifths of recorded
Texas history, from the early 1500s to the early 1800s, principal control of
Texas was in the hands of Spain. The largest battle ever fought on Texas soil -
the Battle of Medina - was won by a Spanish army. From conquistadores to
Franciscan missionaries, from longhorn cattle to hard-riding vaqueros, from
Catholicism to the Spanish language, the Spanish made an indelible imprint on
the rich history and culture - and future - of the Lone Star State.
I drove home after my
talk, because I had only two days to prepare for my next conference, in Austin
at the Lorenzo de Zavalla Texas State Archives and Library Building. Every time
I approach the stately structure I take time to read the bold inscription on
the front of the building. From the first Texas State Constitution:
State Archives Building |
I also enjoy entering
the building in the shadow of the statue of Texas icon Sam Houston, clad in his
Masonic regalia.
On several occasions in
the past I had researched at the State Archives, but I had never presented a
program there. On the second floor is an education suite which accommodated our
group. I was scheduled to speak at one o'clock, and I arrived in time to share
a box lunch which Charles Nugent had arranged. A grant from Humanities Texas
supported this one-day conference, which was co-sponsored by the TSHA, the
General Land Office of Texas, the Texas State Archives and Library, and the
Texas Capitol Visitor Center.
Left to Right: Buck Cole, General Land Office; Kyle Schlafey, Texas Capitol Visitors Center; Charles Nugent, TSHA |
My topic was "The
Texas Revolution," always an exciting subject to share with teachers and
students. I brought poster/diagrams, coonskin caps, and Bowie knives, and I
managed to squeeze the subject into one hour - barely. I wished the teachers
well during the coming school year, and for the second time in three days I
headed toward Carthage.
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