East Texas Historical Association

Member News

Dr. James V. Reese, 75, of Nacogdoches, Texas died Wednesday, March 17, 2010, while recovering from cancer surgery. James was born Dec. 23, 1934 in Itasca, Texas, son of James Ottie and Sally Mauvleen Reese. James, his parents, and sister Sally Sue moved to Pasadena, Texas, in 1943. He attended Pasadena High School, graduating in 1953, then attended Rice University where he completed a B.A. in History in 1957. He married Shirley Joel Martin, of Houston, Texas, on May 31, 1958, and they moved to Austin where James completed a M.A. in History at The University of Texas at Austin in 1961, and a PhD in History in 1964. James and Shirley moved to Lubbock, Texas, in 1962 where James worked as a professor of history at Texas Tech University until 1977. James also served as Associate Dean of the Graduate School at Texas Tech from 1972 – 1976 and Director of the Museum at Texas Tech from 1976 – 1977. James and family moved to Nacogdoches, Texas in 1977 where James served as Dean of Liberal Arts at Stephen F. Austin State University from 1977 – 1985 and Vice-President for Academic Affairs from 1985 – 1992. Afterward, he taught history until his retirement in 2003. James was active in the Texas State Historical Association, East Texas Historical Association [for which he was Past President and a Fellow], National Academic Deans Council, and was appointed to the Sam Houston Sesquicentennial Commission by Governor Ann Richards. An active liberal Democrat for all his adult life, James supported the ACLU, Southern Poverty Law Center, and many similar groups. [taken from The Daily Sentinel , Nacogdoches, Texas, page 2A, Sunday, March 21, 2010]
The Texas Left: The Radical Roots of Lone Star Liberalism from Texas A&M University Press is now available. Edited by David O'Donald Cullen and East Texas Historical Association member Kyle G. Wilkison, The Texas Left includes articles by several East Texas Historical Association members: “ ‘The Right to Work, to Stave, to Die': The Forgotten Radical Heritage of Texas,” by David O'Donald Cullen and Kyle G. Wilkison; “ ‘A Host of Sturdy Patriots': The Texas Populists” by Gregg Cantrell; “Texas…Unions…Time: Unions in Texas from the Time of the Republic through the Great War, 1838 – 1919” by George Norris Green; “Confronting White Supremacy: The African American Left in Texas, 1874 – 1974” by Bruce A. Glasrud and Gregg Andrews; “A Modern Liberal Tradition in Texas?” by Patrick Cox.
Why Texans fought in the Civil War? By Charles David Grear is now available from Texas A&M University Press.
The Great Southwest Railroad Strike and Free Labor by Theresa A. Case is now available from Texas A&M University Press.
East Texas Historical Association / West Texas Historical Association Spring Meeting 2010: The East Texas Historical Association and the West Texas Historical Association met in a joint spring meeting at the DFW Marriott at Champion's Circle Hotel in Fort Worth, Texas from February 25 – 27. Both associations held Board of Directors meetings on Thursday afternoon followed by an opening panel discussion titled “Whither Texas History?: The State of Texas History and Its Future.” That evening, the East Texas Historical Association hosted a welcome reception. Friday morning began with the Presidential Breakfast followed by a variety of sessions such as “Religious Leaders of Texas,” “Texas Rangers: Real, Reel, and Media,” and “Texas Speakers of the U.S. House of Representatives.” The evening ended with a banquet presided over by Dr. James Smallwood, First Vice-President of the East Texas Historical Association. The program was “A Texas Serenade and Sing-Along” led by “The Distinguished Band of Renown.” Saturday morning began with the Women's History Breakfast followed by a variety of sessions such as “Tracing Trails, Drought and Water Laws in the Southwest,” “The Rise and Fall of the Tung Oil Industry in East Texas,” and “Sports in West Texas.” The Presidential Luncheon featured the Presidential Address by West Texas Historical Association President Dr. Tiffany Fink, “West Texas Women.” Some members stayed Saturday afternoon and evening to enjoy a tour of the Fort Worth Stockyards, dinner at Risckey's Bar-B-Que, and a rodeo.
In recent weeks, The History Center in Diboll has hosted tours and programs for a number of groups including the Trinity County Historical Commission, The Lufkin Senior Kiwanis Club, the Diboll Garden Club, and 3 kindergarten classes from Lufkin's Garrett Primary. Topics covered included local history, preservation tips, World War II, gardening with native plants, and transportation in East Texas. In addition to speaking to these onsite groups, Center staff made presentations to a variety of group meetings. The director spoke to the Tyler County Heritage Society in Woodville, the Lufkin Evening Lions Club, and the Daughters of the American Revolution, while the archivist spoke to the Friends of the Angelina County Historical Commission about their oral history project.
The History Center in Diboll plans to continue to explore the topics of segregation and integration, particularly in Diboll, with its ongoing Oral History project that focuses on the racial integration of Diboll Independent School District in the 1960's. Center staff and members of the Diboll Historical Society have already begun interviewing community members and will continue meeting with former students, teachers, administrators, school board members, and other members of the community in order to preserve their memories of this important part of Diboll's history.