Southwestern Collection

The editors of the Southwestern Historical Quarterly and the Texas State Historical Association would like to thank the nearly 700 attendees who came to our 116th Annual Meeting, which was held March 1-3, 2012, at the Omni Houston Hotel in Houston.

Attendees had several options for special events, including our first-ever Thursday night Keynote Address on March 1, when Darlene Clark Hine, a pioneering scholar of African American history and Professor of History at Northwestern University, spoke on "Rights of Citizenship: Black Texans and the White Primary Cases" at Texas Southern University. Outgoing TSHA President Merline Pitre continued on the theme of Houston and the civil rights movement with her speech at the Presidential Banquet, "Texas and the Master Civil Rights Narrative: A Case Study of Black Females in Houston." The Presidential Reception was held at Torch Energy, where guests had the chance to tour the Torch Collection, which may be the largest Texana collection in existence. Texana collectors likely enjoyed the Silent and Live Auctions as well. The Live Auction was hosted by Heritage Auction Galleries. Attendees could also participate in three tours of Houston on Saturday, March 3. In the following page of the Southwestern Collection, we will list our new officers, board members, fellows, and awards and fellowships winners announced at the meeting.

We are grateful to the many book exhibitors who came, among whom there were many familiar faces. Special thanks also go to our generous Annual Meeting Sponsors, the Program Committee, and the Local Arrangements Committee, which consisted of Paul G. Bell Jr., Stephen C. Cook, Barbara Eaves, Larry Ketchersid, Joseph A. Pratt, John L. Nau II, Mary L. Kelley Scheer, and Cecil E. "Eddie" Weller Jr. The 117th Meeting of the Texas State Historical Association will take place February 28-March 2, 2013, at the Renaissance Worthington Hotel in Fort Worth. Please visit http://www.tshaonline.org/annual-meeting for more details as they become available.

Facing page: The cover for the 116th Annual Meeting of the Texas State Historical Association, which was held March 1-3, 2012, in Houston.

New President

Dr. Watson Arnold earned an MD from the University of Texas-Southwestern Medical School in Dallas and a PhD in history from Texas Christian University. A sixth-generation Texan, Arnold grew up in Waco, and he continues to oversee the family farm and ranch. He now resides in Fort Worth, where he is a retired pediatric surgeon from Cook's Children's Hospital. He teaches the history of medicine part-time at several colleges: The University of North Texas Medical Branch in Fort Worth, Texas Tech Health Science Center in Lubbock, and TCU. Currently, he is the vice president of the Historic Waco Foundation and on the Board of Directors for the Fort Worth Library. His article "The Mule: The Worker That 'Can't Get No Respect'" appeared in the July 2008 issue of the Southwestern Historical Quarterly.

New Second Vice President

John L. Nau III is president and chief executive officer of Silver Eagle Distributors, L.P., the nation's largest distributor of Anheuser-Busch products. Silver Eagle employs more 1,100 workers who serve sixteen counties in Texas through operations in Houston, San Antonio, Conroe, Cypress, and Rosenberg. Silver Eagle also distributes Grupo Modelo beers, a broad selection of microbrews and craft beers, and several non-alcohol beverages and waters. Nau's commitment to service is apparent through a broad spectrum of participation in civic, community, and philanthropic organizations in Houston and throughout the country. He serves as a board member of the following organizations: Discovery Green Conservancy, National Park Foundation, Friends of the Texas Historical Commission, San Antonio River Foundation, and the National Western Art Foundation of The Briscoe Western Art Museum. Nau is a graduate of the University of Virginia, where he earned a BA in history. He and his wife, Bobbie, reside in Houston.

New Board Members

A seventh generation Texan, Mary Margaret McAllen Amberson was raised on a South Texas cattle ranch that has belonged to her family since 1790. She has written the history of the region viewed...