During the Great Depression, for the first time in its history, the federal government provided relief to the unemployed and destitute through myriad New Deal agencies. This dissertation examines how "general relief" (direct or "make-work") from federal programs—primarily the Emergency Relief and Construction Act (ERCA) and Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA)—was acquired and administered by the government of Texas through state administrative agencies. These agencies included the Chambers of Commerce (1932-1933), Unofficial Texas Relief Commission (1933), Texas Rehabilitation and Relief Commission (1933), Official Texas Relief Commission (1933-1934), Texas Relief Commission Division of the State Board of Control (1934), and the Department of Public Welfare (1939). Overall, the effective administration of general relief in the Lone Star State was undermined by a political ideology that persisted from, and was embodied by, the "Redeemer" Constitution of 1876.

Aerial equirectangular panoramic photograph of the San Jacinto Monument at the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site in La Porte, Texas. View is from the southeast above the marker noting the place where Houston was injured.

A statue or Sam Houston entitled, 'A Tribute to Courage' on the northbound side of I-45 in Huntsville, TX.

A statue or Sam Houston entitled, 'A Tribute to Courage' on the northbound side of I-45 in Huntsville, TX.

A statue or Sam Houston entitled, 'A Tribute to Courage' on the northbound side of I-45 in Huntsville, TX.

Aerial view of the swamplands covering the site of Spindletop in Beaumont, TX as seen from above Spindletop Park located off of West Port Arthur Road/Spur 93.

Aerial photograph of the Reflecting Pool and San Jacinto Monument at the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site in La Porte, Texas.

Aerial photograph of the San Jacinto Monument at the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site in La Porte, Texas. View is from the southeast above Santa Anna's camp.

Aerial photograph of the San Jacinto Monument at the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site in La Porte, Texas. View is from the southeast above the marker noting the place where Houston was injured. The reflecting pool and Battleship Texas are visible in the distance.

Aerial photograph of the San Jacinto Monument, Reflecting Pool, and Battleship Texas at the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site in La Porte, Texas.

Aerial photograph of the San Jacinto Monument, Reflecting Pool, and Battleship Texas at the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site in La Porte, Texas.

A statue or Sam Houston entitled, 'A Tribute to Courage' on the northbound side of I-45 in Huntsville, TX. Video footage is silent.

Aerial view of the swamplands covering the site of Spindletop in Beaumont, TX as seen from above Spindletop Park located off of West Port Arthur Road/Spur 93. Video footage is silent.

B-roll aerial footage of the grounds, and chapel interior of Presidio La Bahia, located in Goliad, TX. Video is silent.

Photograph a granite marker at the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site with the Monument rising in the background. Marker reads: "No 17 Almonte captured and greatest carnage of battle occurred."

The Texas High Plains produces the most substantial amount of cotton in Texas. The region is a semi-arid area with limited precipitation, and it is, therefore, susceptible to climate change. Cotton production in the Texas High Plains is mostly dependent on irrigation to increase yield. The overall goal of this research was to study the interrelationships between climate change and cotton yield using correlation analysis and also to study how climate has changed in the region using trend analysis. A three-decade data (1987-2017) was analyzed to establish the relationship between climate change and cotton and also to determine how climate has changed in the area over the last 30 years. The research used precipitation and temperature data to assess climate change.The results of this research showed that annual mean temperature has lesser impacts on cotton yield, and the correlation between annual precipitation and cotton yield is insignificant. It also found out that high rates of temperature at the boll opening stage of cotton growth results in decreased cotton yield and that at the boll development and boll opening stages, precipitation is needed. Again, the research indicated that, on average, there had been a significant increase in temperature, but precipitation trends …

Elevated view of the B.R. Brigham Monument, located on the grounds of the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site in La Porte, Texas.

Aerial photographs of the Battleship Texas, docked in La Porte, Texas.

Aerial photographs of the Battleship Texas, docked in La Porte, Texas.

Aerial photographs of the Battleship Texas, docked in La Porte, Texas.

Aerial footage of the Battleship Texas, docked in Site in La Porte, Texas. Video footage is silent.

This is the story of Victor Rodriguez, star track athlete and San Antonio educator. From his earliest days in South Texas in the 1940s he broke many barriers. As a football player and track star he set records and won trophies at Edna High School, at Victoria College, and at North Texas State College. At each stage of his education, he often found himself the only Mexican American in his group. He developed his sports prowess from nine years of early morning running to the church in Edna, to ring the bell before Mass. He earned the first Hispanic scholarships as an athlete at both Victoria Junior College and North Texas State College. After graduating in 1955, he began a career in the San Antonio School District, ultimately retiring in 1994 after twelve years as Superintendent of the District. As a pioneer Mexican American educator in San Antonio, he brought dignity and respect to the people of the Westside, where he remains a role model today.

The Dallas-Fort Worth International (DFW) Airport is located in a densely urbanized area with one of the fastest-growing populations in the U.S.A. The airport property includes a large tract of "protected" riparian forest that is unique to the urban surroundings. This dissertation explores variables that influence the benthic macroinvertebrate community structure found in urbanized prairie streams that were initially assessed by the University of North Texas (UNT) Benthic Ecology Lab during four, non-consecutive biomonitoring studies (2004, 2005, 2008, and 2014) funded by the DFW Airport. Additionally, land use analysis was performed using 5-meter resolution satellite imagery and eCognition to characterize the imperviousness of the study area watersheds at multiple scales. Overall, flow conditions and imperviousness at the watershed scale explained the most variability in the benthic stream community. Chironomidae taxa made up 20-50% of stream communities and outperformed all other taxa groups in discriminating between sites of similar flows and urban impairments. This finding highlights the need for genus level identifications of the chironomid family, especially as the dominant taxa in urban prairie streams. Over the course of these biomonitoring survey events, normal flow conditions and flows associated with supra-seasonal drought were experienced. Prevailing drought conditions of 2014 did not …

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