Highlighting the work that Public History students at Texas State University engage in at the Wittliff.
Longtime Texas writer Mike Cox, author of more than 40 nonfiction books, has donated his extensive Texana research files to the Texas State University’s Wittliff Collections. Amassed over sixty years, the material consists of 1,000-plus file folders that cover numerous aspects of Texas people, places, folklore and history. The files also include notes, correspondence and …
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We were saddened to hear of the passing of Al Dressen on July 22, 2023. We remember Al not only for being an accomplished musician, but also for his establishment of the Texas Western Swing Hall of Fame Archive at The Wittliff in 1994. Al’s commitment to Western Swing and the celebration of the music, …
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By Katie Salzmann The Wittliff celebrates all forms of storytelling from the region, and we collect, preserve, and provide contextualization for important cultural objects. Within the archive of noted New Mexico historian Marc Simmons are several kachina dolls gifted to Marc from members of the Hopi tribe. This past semester, we hosted an internship that …
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Collections at Texas State University. The groundbreaking archive captures the faces and dignity of work of a bygone way of life. A recent interview event at The Wittliff celebrated and honored the photographer and coastal region rancher who documented them — Louise O’Connor. The photographs are large scale, colorful and vibrant, dominating the gallery in …
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Polka Dot Slim. Pork Chops. Babe Stovall. Re-Pete. They are the nicknames of African American street performers who worked the New Orleans’ French Quarter in the early and mid-1960s. One of them is likely Jerry Jeff Walker’s “Mr. Bojangles.” The true identity has remained mysterious. Was it really about an old man Walker met in …
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In 1950 the Wimberley, Texas artist James Buchanan “Buck” Winn was commissioned by the Pearl Brewery in San Antonio to paint The History of Ranching, a massive mural to adorn the walls of the Corral, the brewery’s oval-shaped hospitality room. At 280 feet, the mural was considered the longest in the world, depicting the story …
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By Wittliff student worker, Eric Robertson-Gordon. Growing up, my childhood was filled with movies. My father would often show me and my sister movies that he remembered loving when he was a child. My dad was a cinephile and it percolated down to me and my sister as young children. Throughout those years, he would …
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The Digital Preservation Coalition cites November 7th as World Digital Preservation Day. It is just another day here at The Wittliff Collections, but I thought it would be a good opportunity to share with you some of our ongoing digital preservation work. You may be familiar with some of The Wittliff materials that are available …
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By Wittliff student worker, Jessica Henriquez. Jane Sumner, an award-winning film journalist for The Dallas Morning News, has interviewed directors, producers, writers, book authors, and the former Governor of Texas, Ann Richards. Through the years, she’s kept her roughly-recorded microcassettes and has now donated them along with her archive of article drafts, awards, and interview …
Continue reading "Processing Jane Sumner’s audio archives opened up a fascinating world to me."
In 2013, Susan Toomey Frost donated her collection of Mexican Border Town postcards representing 22 Mexican cities and towns along the 1,969-mile border between the U.S. and Mexico. The collection consists of 3,857 images, including real photo postcards and printed postcards. Many are identified by photographer, including such notable names as W.H. Horne and Robert …
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