THRAB Announces 2025 Archival Awards                              

       

The Texas Historical Records Advisory Board (THRAB) is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2025 Archival Awards. THRAB has named former Vice-President for Digital Media Production at NBC5/KXAS Television Brian Hocker as the recipient of the Advocacy for Archives Award. The David B. Gracy II Award for Distinguished Archival Service has been awarded to John H. Slate of the Dallas Municipal Archives.

The Advocacy for Archives Award acknowledges an individual or organization that has made significant contributions to ensure the preservation and availability of the historical record of Texas. Brian Hocker was instrumental in helping to preserve the extensive media collection of the first television news station in Texas (NBC/5/KXAS-formerly, WBAP-TV) and ensuring the historic footage would be made available to the public. Hocker identified the University of North Texas (UNT) as a partner in this endeavor and coordinated with the University Libraries’ Special Collections to archive and digitize decades worth of footage of events in the North Texas area. He went on to serve on the UNT Libraries Advocacy Board after retirement from NBC5 and engages with various community and business groups to promote the archive.

THRAB has awarded John H. Slate the 2025 David B. Gracy II Award for Distinguished Archival Service. The award recognizes an individual or organization that has provided outstanding leadership, service and/or contributions to the archival profession in Texas. Slate began his professional career in archives in Austin and San Antonio and has served as archivist for the City of Dallas since 2000. In his current role, Slate has led by example and raised awareness about the relevance of municipal archives. The book he co-authored, Managing Local Government Archives, has become a key resource. Slate has contributed to the profession through service on committees and leadership in organizations at every level, including as a Fellow of the Society of American Archivists (SAA), the highest honor offered by that group. Slate has presented and written on archival subjects throughout the years and has generously mentored many others in the field.

THRAB congratulates the 2025 archival award recipients and will present each of the awards during Texas Archives Month in October.

 

Past Recipients:

David B. Gracy II Distinguished Archival Service Award
This award recognizes an individual, archival institution, education program, or nonprofit/government organization that has provided outstanding leadership, service or contribution to the archives profession in Texas.

2024

Ciaran B. Trace, School of Information, University of Texas at Austin 

2023

Monte L. Monroe, Texas State Historian and Archivist, Southwest Collection at Texas Tech University

2022

Society of Southwest Archivists 

2020

David B. Gracy II

Archival Award of Excellence
This award recognizes significant achievements in preserving and improving access to historical records in any format by a Texas archival institution and individual achievements.

2024

Individual: Krishna Shenoy, Botanical Research Institute of Fort Worth

Institution: The Wittliff Collections, Texas State University

2023

Individual: Robert Weaver, Manuscript Archivist, Southwest Collection at Texas Tech University

Institution: William J. Hill Texas Artisans and Artists Archive (Houston)

2022

Institution: Harry Ransom Center, University of Texas at Austin

2021

Individual: Kaitlyn Price, Registrar, Dallas Historical Society

2020

Individual: Travis Williams, Archivist and Special Collections Librarian, St. Edwards University

Institution: Texas Archive of the Moving Image (TAMI) 

2019

Institution: C.L. Sonnichsen Special Collections, University of Texas at El Paso 

Individual: Brenda Lincke Fisseler, Lavaca County Archives

2018

Institution: Special Collections, University Libraries , University of North Texas 

2017

2016

Advocacy for Archives Award
This award acknowledges an individual or organization that has made significant contributions to ensure the preservation and availability of the historical record of Texas.

2022

Texas Archival Resources Online (TARO)

2021

Melleta Bell, Senior Archivist (retired), Archives of the Big Bend, Sul Ross University

2020

Hogg Foundation for Mental Health