Southwestern Collection

George P. Garrison's letter of February 15, 1897, to Gov. Oran Roberts, asking for Roberts's endorsement and inviting him to attend the March 2 organizational meeting ofwhat became the Texas State Historical Association . Courtesy ofOran MiIo Roberts Papers, i8i^-i8çy, DI 02581, a, b, Center forAmerican History, University ofTexas at Austin. The first issue of the Quarterly of the Texas State Hutorical Association, now the Southwestern Hutorical Quarterly, was published inJuly 1 897,just months after the establishment of the TSHA on March 2 of that year. The state of Texas wasjust halfa century old; the city ofAustin, going back to the days ofthe Republic, was a little older—a few years past its half-century; and the University ofTexas, where Garrison was "the history professor," was not yet fourteen years old. The opening chapter ofAt the Heart ofTexas: 100 Years ofthe Texas State Hutorical Association, i8çy—içpy, now available from the TSHA, traces earlier attempts to organize historical societies in Texas. Several factors ultimately proved to be decisive in the success ofthe Association: the wisdom of linking the organization with the University of Texas, the inclusion oflay historians, and the continued insistence on high academic standards. And, from the beginning, the TSHA has established a tradition for publishing in the Quarterly—in addition to the Anglo story—stories of the Indians, the Spanish, the French, and much more. According to At the Heart of Texas author Rick McCaslin, "It may be that the Association survived where its predecessors had not because Garrison, who was as much as Progressive historian as any ofhis contemporaries, understood the value of inclusiveness." This issue marks the beginning ofVolume 1 1 1 ofthe Southwestern Historical Quarterly. As we honor our past and look toward the future of the TSHA, those of us in the Quarterly offices take pride in the fact that we have access to shelf upon shelf of the entire run of the Quarterly, from 1897 to the present—notjust a record of Texas history, but Texas history itself, with many volumes yet to be written. Southwestern CoiUcäon 74Southwestern Historical QuarterlyJuly On May 7, 2007, University ofTexas president William PowersJr., in a letter to the Texas State Historical Association, wrote: "The University recognizes the many contributions the TSHA has made to Texas history and to our State. Of course, both TSHA and the University have evolved in our relationship to a need for clarity and modernization in the context of our respective missions and resources." And, "We have carefully considered our mission in light of the relationship with the TSHA. We have concluded that there are significant differences in the goals of the two institutions that make continuing the current relationship not in our mutual interests." A letter was sent out to our membership informing it of this decision. Below is a note from our president, Frank de la Teja, with further information, to keep you posted. We will continue to use this space to keep you up to date as things develop. I would like to thank all the members, particularly on the Board ofDirectors , who have stepped forward to lend a hand in our efforts to meet the challenge oftransitioning from our current relationship with the University ofTexas at Austin. As I mentioned in my letter to the membership a few weeks back, this is a time of opportunity. Since no opportunity is without risk or difficult choices, it is important to make sure that we take our time to deliberate and make well-considered decisions. Over the next few months, the Board of Directors and I will be exploring our options and attempting to find creative ways of carrying out the association's activities in a new environment. New relationships with institutions of higher education and other organizations will certainly be a part of that new operational environment. There will also be some new faces, as new staff members come on board to take on responsibility for work previously done by University of Texas staff. I wish to thank and offer our best wishes to those U.T. employees who collaborated with us in the association as they take on new assignments. In...