At the Heart of Texas

"History like that of Texas is rare...Is it not discreditable to the people of Texas, that they should leave the collection of material for the history of the State to the great endowed Northern libraries?...Let Texas arouse herself for very shame, and begin at once the discharge of her filial duty." So wrote George Pierce Garrison in the first issue of the "Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association", published in July 1897, just months after the establishment of the organization. Earlier attempts to organize historical societies in Texas, traced in the opening chapter, illuminate the factors that came ultimately to be decisive in the success of the Association: the wisdom in linking the organization with the University of Texas, the inclusion of lay historians, and the continued insistence on high academic standards. And, from the beginning, the Association has established a tradition for publishing in the Quarterly, in addition to the Anglo story, the stories of the Indians, the Spanish, and the French. The text is organized in chronological chapters by the tenures of the seven directors, George Garrison to Ron Tyler. Within the larger framework of the directors, the programs, and the publications, Richard McCaslin gives shape to the unique interaction of forces - university, political, and the academic/lay membership - that has accorded the Association a character and suppleness that continues to ensure its long endurance. For those who have long been members of the Association, there is nostalgic delight in hearing again those long-ago voices of Eugene Barker, Walter Webb, Bailey Carroll, Joe Frantz, and Tuffly Ellis and new appreciation for how much thought, energy, and commitment have gone into the guidance and stability of this organization.

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