Since Roy Bedichek's influential Adventures with a Texas Naturalist, no book has attempted to explore the uniqueness of Texas nature, or reflected the changes in the human landscape that have accelerated since Bedichek's time. Pride of Place updates Bedichek's discussion by acknowledging the increased urbanization and the loss of wildspace in today's state. It joins other recent collections of regional nature writing while demonstrating what makes Texas uniquely diverse. These fourteen essays are held together by the story of Texas pride, the sense that from West Texas to the Coastal Plains, we and the landscape are important and worthy of pride, if not downright bravado. This book addresses all the major regions of Texas. Beginning with Roy Bedichek's essay "Still Water," it includes Carol Cullar and Barbara "Barney" Nelson on the Rio Grande region of West Texas, John Graves's evocative "Kindred Spirits" on Central Texas, Joe Nick Patoski's celebration of Hill Country springs, Pete Gunter on the Piney Woods, David Taylor on North Texas, Gary Clark and Gerald Thurmond on the Coastal Plains, Ray Gonzales and Marian Haddad on El Paso, Stephen Harrigan and Wyman Meinzer on West Texas, and Naomi Shihab Nye on urban San Antonio. This anthology will …

This second volume of the Savage Frontier series focuses on two of the bloodiest years of fighting in the young Texas Republic, 1838 and 1839. By early 1838, the Texas Rangers were in danger of disappearing altogether. Stephen L. Moore shows how the major general of the new Texas Militia worked around legal constraints in order to keep mounted rangers in service. Expeditions against Indians during 1838 and 1839 were frequent, conducted by militiamen, rangers, cavalry, civilian volunteer groups and the new Frontier Regiment of the Texas Army. From the Surveyors' Fight to the Battle of Brushy Creek, each engagement is covered in new detail. The volume concludes with the Cherokee War of 1839, which saw the assembly of more Texas troops than had engaged the Mexican army at San Jacinto. Moore fully covers the failed peace negotiations, the role of the Texas Rangers in this campaign, and the last stand of heroic Chief Bowles. Through extensive use of primary military documents and first-person accounts, Moore provides a clear view of life as a frontier fighter in the Republic of Texas. The reader will find herein numerous and painstakingly recreated muster rolls, as well as a complete list of Texan …

From book jacket: “Mr. Guitar” Chet Atkins called Lenny Breau (1941-1984) “the greatest guitarist who ever walked the face of the earth.” Breau began playing the instrument at age seven, and went on to master many styles, especially jazz. Between 1968 and 1983 he made a series of recordings that are among the most influential guitar albums of the century. Breau’s astonishing virtuosity influenced countless performers, but unfortunately it came at the expense of his personal relationships. Despite Breau’s fascinating life story and his musical importance, no full-length biography has been published until now. Forbes-Roberts has interviewed more than 175 people and closely analyzed Breau’s recordings to reveal an enormously gifted man and the inner workings of his music. “Lenny Breau was, and will always be, a great treasure. We need him today more than ever.” —Mundell Lowe

John Thomas Biggers (1924–2001) was a major African American artist who inspired countless others through his teaching, murals, paintings, and drawings. After receiving conventional art training at Hampton Institute and Pennsylvania State, he had his personal and artistic breakthrough in 1957 when he spent six months in the newly independent country of Ghana. From this time forward, he integrated African abstract elements with his rural Southern images to create a personal iconography. His new approach made him famous, as his personal discovery of African heritage fit in well with the growing U.S. civil rights movement. He is best known for his murals at Hampton University, Winston-Salem University, and Texas Southern, but the drawings and lithographs that lie behind the murals have received scant attention—until now. Theisen interviewed Dr. Biggers during the last thirteen years of his life, and was welcomed into his studio innumerable times. Together, they selected representative works for this volume, some of which have not been previously published for a general audience. After his death in 2001, his widow continued to work closely with Theisen, resulting in a book that is intimate and informative for both the scholar and the student.

In 1982, a toxic waste facility opened in the Piney Woods in Winona, Texas. The residents were told that the company would plant fruit trees on the land left over from its ostensible salt-water injection well. Soon after the plant opened, however, residents started noticing huge orange clouds rising from the facility and an increase in rates of cancer and birth defects in both humans and animals. The company dismissed their concerns, and confusion about what chemicals it accepted made investigations difficult. Outraged by what she saw, Phyllis Glazer founded Mothers Organized to Stop Environmental Sins (MOSES) and worked tirelessly to publicize the problems in Winona. The story was featured in People , the Houston Chronicle magazine, and The Dallas Observer . The plant finally closed in 1998, citing the negative publicity generated by the group. This book originated in 1994 when Cromer-Campbell was asked by Phyllis Glazer to produce a photograph for a poster about the campaign. She was so touched by the people in the town that she set out to document their stories. Using a plastic Holga camera, she created hauntingly distorted images that are both works of art and testaments to the damage inflicted on the …

Post-Reconstruction Texas in the mid-1870s was still relatively primitive, with communities isolated from each other in a largely open-range environment. Cattlemen owned herds of cattle in numerous counties while brand laws remained local. Friction arose when the nonresident stockmen attempted to gather their cattle, and mavericking was common. Law enforcement at the local level could cope with handling local drunks, collecting taxes, and attending the courts when in session, but when an outrageous crime occurred, or depredations in a community were at a level that severely taxed or overwhelmed the local sheriff, there was seldom any other recourse except a vigilante movement. With such a fragile hold on civilization in these communities, it is not difficult to understand how a “blood feud” could occur. During 1874 the Hoo Doo War erupted in the Texas Hill Country of Mason County, and for the remainder of the century violence and fear ruled the region in a rising tide of hatred and revenge. It is widely considered the most bitter feud in Texas history. Traditionally the feud is said to have begun with the intention of protecting the families, property and livelihood of the largely agrarian settlers in Mason and Llano counties. The …

Did you know that Pre-Columbian Mexican cuisine was low in fat and high in fiber and vitamins? Based on corn, squash, tomatoes, beans, and lean meats, the everyday diet of the first Americans was remarkably close to the recommendations for healthy eating we hear about every day. Now for the first time, cooks can use the secrets of the Aztecs in today’s kitchen, thanks to Kris Rudolph’s thoroughly researched cookbook. And because cooks from both sides of the border will be eager to try these recipes, Rudolph presents the recipes and text in Spanish on facing pages. The book opens with a short introduction outlining the history of Mexican cooking, followed by an overview of healthy eating habits, a description of the most common ingredients, and a useful guide to planning for parties. The fifty recipes cover everything from appetizers to after-dinner refreshers and each includes the number of calories, amounts of total fat and saturated fat, grams of carbohydrates, and amount of fiber. Rudolph suggests low-fat and low-carbohydrate alternatives, as well as ways to vary the spiciness.

Mexican Protestantism was born in the encounter between Mexican Catholics and Anglo American Protestants, after the United States ventured into the Southwest and wrested territory from Mexico in the early nineteenth century. Sea la Luz tells the story of Mexican converts and the churches they developed through the records of Protestant missionaries. Juan Francisco Martinez traces Protestant mission work among the Spanish speaking of the Southwest throughout the nineteenth century. By 1900, about 150 Spanish-speaking Protestant churches with more than five thousand adult members existed in the region. They were rejected by their own people because they were Protestants, but Anglo American Protestants did not readily accept them either because they were Mexican. In spite of the pressures from both their own community and the larger society, they forged a new religious identity in the midst of conquest.

Originally published in 1979, Geraldine Ellis Watson’s Big Thicket Plant Ecology is now back in print. This updated edition explores the plant biology, ecology, geology, and environmental regions of the Big Thicket National Preserve. After decades of research on the Big Thicket, Watson concluded that the Big Thicket was unique for its biological diversity, due mainly to interactions of geology and climate. A visitor in the Big Thicket could look in four different directions from one spot and view scenes typical of the Appalachians, the Florida Everglades, a southwestern desert, or the pine barrens of the Carolinas. Watson covers the ecological and geological history of the Big Thicket and introduces its plant life, from longleaf pines and tupelo swamps to savannah wetlands and hardwood flats. “This is the work on the plant biology of the Big Thicket.”—Pete A.Y. Gunter, author of The Big Thicket

James M. Davis is a retired businessman who lives in Midland, Texas, with his wife of over six decades, Jean. He served on active duty in the U.S. Army Air Forces for more than two and a half years during World War II, and then in the Air Force reserves until 1961. David L. Snead, the editor, is an associate professor of history at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. He received his Ph.D. in history from the University of Virginia and is the author of The Gaither Committee, Eisenhower, and the Cold War and George E. Browne: An American Doughboy in World War I.

From the author of Through Animals’ Eyes come more true stories from the rare perspective of someone who not only cares for the animals she treats, but also has never wanted nor tried to tame or change them. Lynn Cuny founded Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation (WRR) in 1977 in her backyard in San Antonio. It has since grown to 187 acres and now rescues more than 7,000 animals annually and maintains an emergency hotline 365 days a year. Native animals are released back into the wild, and those non-native or severely injured animals that cannot be released become permanent Sanctuary residents. Through her stories, Lynn hopes to dispel the belief that animals do not reason, have emotions, or show compassion for each other. Lynn’s stories cover the humorous and the tragic, the surprising and the inevitable. The animals she describes range from the orphaned baby Rhesus monkey who found a new mother in an old monkey rescued from a lab, to the brave red-tailed hawk who was illegally shot, but healed to soar again. The stories will touch your heart and help you see “through animals’ eyes.” “These true accounts, as amazing as some of them are with their unlikely …

Interview with Carl Denmon, African-American alumnus of North Texas State University. The interview includes Denmon's personal experiences about childhood in Houston, Texas and undergraduate education at Wiley College. Additionally, Denmon discusses his employment as band director at Fred Moore High School in Denton, graduate studies in Music and Education at NTSU, his career with and retirement from Dallas County Community College, and his perceptions of changes in Denton and at North Texas over forty years.

Interview with Evaro Rosendo as part of the Arms Along the Border Oral History Project. The interview includes Rosendo's personal experiences over a lifetime in Redford, Texas. Rosendo speaks about the local folklore concerning the presence of U.S. armed forces and Border Patrol agents in the Big Bend region throughout the 20th century, as well as the shooting of Esequiel Hernandez, Jr.

Interview with Dennis Dunkins, African-American alumnus of North Texas State University. The interview includes Dunkins' personal experiences of childhood and education, enrolling in North Texas, majoring in Industrial Technology and his graduation in 1963, having a career with General Motors, as a business owner, and with Fort Worth ISD. Additionally, Dunkins speaks about off-campus life in "Shack Town" and support from black citizens of Denton, social life among African-American students and relations with white students and faculty, efforts to desegregate public facilities in Denton, and his summer jobs with Texas & Pacific Railroad Company. The interview includes a photograph of the University of North Texas Trailblazers in 2005.

Interview with Ruby Cole, resident of southeast Denton, as part of the Quakertown Oral History Project. The interview includes Cole's personal experiences about attending segregated schools in Denton, and living in a house moved from Quakertown. Cole also talks about her memories of educator Fred Moore, the folklore of Quakertown neighborhood and reasons for its disintegration, the efforts to create an African American museum in Denton, and Quakertown in the community's historical memory.

Interview with Ed Fendell, NASA communications engineer and assistant flight director, as part of the Skylab Oral History Project. The interview includes Fendell's personal experiences about childhood, serving in the Korean War-era Air Force, and joining NASA in 1963. Additionally, Fendell speaks about his communications work for Apollo, Skylab, the International Space Station, and Space Shuttle program missions, trouble-shooting for Skylab missions, lessons learned from the Skylab program, personnel issues at the Johnson Space Center, and turf battles between the Johnson Space Center and other NASA centers. The interview includes an appendix with a photograph and text of what the back of the photograph reads.

Interview with General T. R. Milton, retired U.S. Air Force general and former commander of Thirteenth Air Force. In the interview, Milton gives his opinions regarding various commanders, USAF traditions compared to those of other services, including discussions of uniforms and force cohesiveness, Air Force Chiefs of Staff, and Air Force execution of various Cold War policies. He also talks about his combat experience in the European Theater of World War II, gives his thoughts on command and leadership, and voices his concerns regarding the U.S. Air Force Academy, force organization, and command structure.

Interview with Debbie Denmon, local news media personality and third-generation descendant of residents of Quakertown, as part of the Quakertown Oral History Project. The interview includes Denmon's personal experiences about childhood and education in Denton, having a career in broadcast journalism, and reporting on local efforts to capture Quakertown history. Denmon also speaks about memories of her great-grandmother Othella Hill, great-grandfather "Dollar Bill" Hill, and grandmother Norvell Williams Reed.

Interview with Denton resident Cassandra F. Berry, UNT employee with a personal interest in the history of Quakertown, as part of the Quakertown Oral History Project. The interview includes Berry's personal experiences about working at UNT as the Associate Vice President for Equity and Diversity, as well as her service to the Denton African American Museum, which led to her interest in the history of Quakertown.

Interview with former North Texas State Teachers College student John Ed Balentine, longtime resident of Denton County, Texas. The interview includes Balentine's personal experiences about life on Denton farms, including descriptions of ranch work, wheat harvest, and entertainment options in Denton, education in Denton schools, dropping out of school to work for magnolia Oil Co. in Kermit, Texas, and being inducted into the U.S. Army. Additionally, Balentine speaks about his family's economic difficulties during the Great Depression, undergraduate studies at North Texas as an Industrial Arts major, descriptions of student social life, his World War II service in an anti-battalion, returning to Kermit, courting and marrying Jeanette Smith, and descriptions of historic Denton County photographs. The interview includes an appendix with photographs and Balentine's autobiography.

Interview with longtime resident of Cisco, Texas, Harriett Shelton Collins as part of the Eastland County African American Women Oral History Project. The interview includes Collins' personal experiences about education in Cisco's all-black, one-room Smithville Elementary School, her pregnancy and marriage to Bill Collins, working at the Boss Glove Factory, earning her GED, entering beauty school, and earning a degree as a Licensed Vocational Nurse. Additionally, Collins speaks about social life among blacks in Cisco, especially in church activities, her experiences with racial discrimination, the phenomenon of "passing" among blacks in Cisco and elsewhere, her experiences at "Negro Achievement Day" at the Texas State Fair in Dallas, and her children's experiences in public school during desegregation.

Interview with Margaret Hunt Davis, alumna of North Texas State University. The interview includes Davis' personal experiences about childhood in rural East Texas, making the decision to attend North Texas, campus life, graduating with a degree in library science, and having a career in Dallas public schools.

Interview with Jack Hill, former employee of the Texas Textile Mill, as part of the Texas Textile Mill Oral History Project. The interview includes Hill's personal experiences about his childhood, working at Wilson's Grocery Store and Cole's Groceries, enlisting in the Army Air Forces during World War II, and serving in the China-Burma-India Theater. Hill also discusses his family's experience in the Great Depression, his lay-off due to new child labor laws, the tornado of 1948, and his career in retail sales.

Interview with Wilhelmina R. Fitzgerald Delco, former member of the Texas House of Representatives (D-Austin). The interview includes Delco's personal experiences about childhood and education, marriage to Exalton A. Delco, Jr., being involved in community issues, running for the Austin Independent School District Board of Trustees, her 1974 election to the Texas House of Representatives seat representing Travis County, and serving as Speaker Pro Tem of the House. Additionally, Delco speaks about her family's involvement in Chicago politics, the difficulty of desegregating Austin schools in a manner that shared resources equitably with all groups, serving on the Committee on Public Education and Committee on Higher Education, being involved in the National Conference of State Legislatures, including efforts to encourage divestiture from apartheid-South Africa, as well as her involvement in efforts to reform the Texas higher education funding system and her commitment to education as her life's work.