The Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2023 TSLAC Research Fellowship in Texas History: Cecilia N. Sanchez Hill, Angus McLeod, and Halee Robinson. The fellowship includes a $2,000 stipend and is awarded for the best research proposal utilizing the collections of the State Archives in Austin.
Hill is a PhD candidate at Texas Christian University and has conducted research at the State Archives for her dissertation project. The fellowship allows her to continue her inquiry into the history of educating Mexican American students in 20th century Texas, including new questions about the development of and approaches to teaching Mexican American students along with issues of their identity and social, economic and political mobility.
McLeod is a doctoral student working toward a joint degree in education and history at the University of Pennsylvania. He will continue his research at the State Archives to complete his dissertation in 2024. His project examines the origin and development of the school finance system in Texas between 1821-2016 and fills a gap in the historiography of education.
Please tell us about your research project, including what TSLAC collections you are using.
I am researching the Texas Women’s Meeting, which took place in June 1977 in Austin as part of the United Nations International Women’s Year initiative. This meeting was one of 56 state and territory meetings that served as a precursor to the 1977 National Women’s Conference in Houston. Because this was a federally funded event, the TSLAC holds all the records from the Texas IWY Coordinating Committee, which includes meeting minutes, correspondence, outreach materials, oral histories, press clippings, and video footage that reveal the behind-the-scenes struggles of planning this event.
What did you discover in the State Archives that was surprising or changed the direction of your research?
At this juncture in history, we hear a lot about the battle between anti-feminists and feminists over the Equal Rights Amendment and reproductive freedom, but the Texas IWY records add nuance to this story. Many groups, including Black women, Chicanas, and lesbians, were actively pushing their own concerns and working to make sure they were represented at the meeting. Often, this led to tensions with the official committee, which was struggling to “balance” the racial, religious, and economic diversity of the attendees. These challenges are important to recognize as we consider the multi-faceted nature of women as a group and the reality that there are “feminisms” rather than a singular “feminism.”
International Women’s Year press conference stage, November 10, 1975. Public relations committee files, 1978/032-7-Unmarked images-2, Texas International Women’s Year Coordinating Committee records. TSLAC.
Describe how your research will contribute to scholarship in your field or subject area.
International Women’s Year has received renewed attention in recent years as historians consider the event on a state, national, and global scale. However, Texas is a unique case study because it was the host state of the National Women’s Conference. If the Texas meeting fell apart, it did not bode well for the success of the national conference and organizers knew that. Texas is also interesting because we see the political dichotomy of the state in the 1970s. The Texas legislature ratified the Equal Rights Amendment just days after Congress passed it, and the state was at the center of the landmark Roe v. Wade Supreme Court case. However, Texas was also the home of a substantial conservative movement and the birthplace of the Women Who Want to be Women group that helped put together a “pro-family” counterrally at the Astrodome during the National Women’s Conference.
Additionally, the Texas State Meeting gives us a lens to view some of our more modern women politicians in the early days of their careers.
Future Texas Governor Ann Richards as well as future U.S. representatives Sylvia Garcia and Eddie Bernice Johnson all participated in the Texas meeting and the National Women’s Conference. My research looks at how these events shaped their politics moving forward. More broadly, this work centers women in politics and highlights their tremendous impact, both in office and at the grassroots level
Image: Ann Richards, 1977. Program committee files, 1978/032-15-Photograph album-13, Texas International Women’s Year Coordinating Committee records. TSLAC.
What was the most exciting item you accessed at TSLAC?
TSLAC is helping to digitize video footage of the first planning meeting for the Texas Women’s Meeting and I’m very excited to see that. Of course, there are written minutes of the meeting but those don’t convey the emotion or delivery of the heated debates these women engaged in about representation. This footage could provide additional context and serve as visual confirmation of some of the struggles these women wrote about in their personal letters.
Box of media from the archival collection the research fellow is using.
What tips can you provide for other researchers, when visiting the State Archives?
Bring a sweater, even in 100-degree heat! In all seriousness, though, contacting archivists before your visit to talk about the collection makes the in-person research process so much smoother. The TSLAC archivists are some of the most helpful people I’ve worked with and can point you in the right direction. Also, make sure to peruse the books in the suggested reading section of the library. They have some wonderful titles on Texas history that dig into all the quirks and complexities of the state.
Thank you Caitlyn Jones! Best of luck on your project.
For more information on the collection mentioned in this interview:
Texas International Women’s Year Coordinating Committee Records: An Inventory of International Women’s Year Coordinating Committee Records at the Texas State Archives:
Planning a visit to the State Archives in Austin? Check out the Before You Visit page from our reference staff. Contact reference for more information about research at the State Archives at ref@tsl.texas.gov or 512-463-5455.
The TSLAC Research Fellowship in Texas History is administered in partnership with TSHA and made possible by the generous support of the Texas Library and Archives Foundation.
The application must include the purpose of the proposed research, collections of interest, a description of the medium of the product of the research, a complete vita and why the fellowship is necessary to complete the project. The recipient of the fellowship may be asked to present the results of their research at a TSLAC event. The award will be announced at the TSHA’s annual meeting in El Paso in March 2023. Judges may withhold the award at their discretion.
Past Recipients 2022 Andrew Busch, Caitlyn Jones and Christopher Phillips 2021 Leroy Myers Jr., Marc A. Molina and Bobby Cervantes 2020 Sheena Lee Cox and Micaela Valadez 2019 Maggie Elmore and Deborah Liles
Please contact our reference staff at 512-463-5455 or ref@tsl.texas.gov for information about archival collections that may support your project. Some descriptive guides (finding aids) are available online on the Archives & Manuscripts webpage.
The recipients of the 2022 fellowships are Caitlyn Jones with “Texas Women and International Women’s Year,” Andrew Busch’s “High Tech Texas: Public Institutions, Regional Economic Development, and the Myth of Free Markets,” and Christopher Phillips with “Dissent and Disorder in the Southern Confederacy.” Caitlyn Jones is a graduate student at the University of Houston interested in the Texas International Women’s Year Coordinating Committee Records held at the State Archives. Jones will write a journal article that “analyzes the Texas Women’s Meeting through the lens of race and ethnicity” and may include the work as a chapter in her dissertation. Jones will also use her research to produce an essay as part of a digital humanities project at her institution about the National Women’s Conference, Sharing Stories from 1977. Jones’ research will raise awareness about this significant event and inform the academic community and the public about these key records at TSLAC.
Andrew Busch is an assistant professor at Coastal Carolina University wishing to conduct research at the State Archives as part of his forthcoming book project from University of Texas Press, High Tech Texas: Public Institutions, Regional Economic Development, and the Myth of the Free Market. Busch points to the collections in TSLAC’s holdings such as Texas Governor Mark White Records and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Records as being key to his research. The project offers potential insight into specific aspects of the history of the state in the twentieth century, including the history of technology, science and the political economy. Busch’s project represents a more current examination of recent Texas history and will help highlight collections used less often than others at TSLAC.
Christopher Phillips is a professor at the University of Cincinnati who has published extensively on Civil War topics and whose most recent book on the subject received numerous awards. While this era and the collections identified by Phillips are both quite popular with TSLAC researchers, Phillips has been looking at the diverse groups of dissenters and extracting interesting data from primary sources in a number of repositories, including TSLAC. Phillips’s work should offer new information about Texans and the Civil War.
“Each year, I am more impressed with the number of strong applications and the diversity of topics represented by the proposals,” said State Archivist, Jelain Chubb. “We are pleased to support projects that help students, the public and others form a greater understanding of the history of our state and the integral value of the primary sources.”
The Texas Library and Archives Foundation generously funds the fellowships each year. Those interested in submitting applications for the fellowship should check the TSHA listing in the fall when the next cycle begins. The 2022 TSLAC Research Fellowship in Texas History awards were announced Friday, February 25, at an awards luncheon at the TSHA annual meeting in Austin.
The Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) is now accepting applications for the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) Research Fellowship in Texas history. The fellowship includes a $2,000 stipend and is awarded for the best research proposal utilizing the collections of the State Archives in Austin.
The TSLAC Research fellowship in Texas history is administered in partnership with TSHA and made possible by the Friends of Libraries and Archives of Texas through a generous donation from the Edouard Foundation.
The application must include the purpose of the proposed research, collections of interest, a description of the medium of the product of the research, a complete vita and why the fellowship is necessary to complete the project. The recipient of the fellowship may be asked to present the results of their research at a TSLAC event. The award will be announced at the TSHA’s annual meeting in February 2022. Judges may withhold the award at their discretion.
The Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) is now accepting applications for the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) Research Fellowship in Texas history. The fellowship includes a $2,000 stipend and is awarded for the best research proposal utilizing the collections of the State Archives in Austin.
The TSLAC Research fellowship in Texas history is administered in partnership with TSHA and made possible by the Texas Library and Archives Foundation, Inc. through a generous donation from the Edouard Foundation.
The application must include the purpose of the proposed research, collections of interest, a description of the medium of the product of the research, a complete vita and why the fellowship is necessary to complete the project. The recipient of the fellowship may be asked to present the results of their research at a TSLAC event. The award will be announced at the TSHA’s annual meeting in March 2021. Judges may withhold the award at their discretion.
Individuals should submit an online application, including completing the application form, research proposal and a curriculum vita by Nov. 15, 2020. Only electronic copies submitted through the link above and received by the deadline will be considered.
Past Recipients 2020 Sheena Lee Cox and Micaela Valdez 2019 Maggie Elmore and Deborah Liles 2018 Edward Valentin Jr. and William S. Bush
Please direct questions about the application process to TSHA at amawards@tshaonline.org or call 512-471-2600.
The Texas State Historical Association administers the Texas State Library and Archives Commission Research Fellowship in Texas History.
The TSLAC Research Fellowship in Texas History is administered in partnership with TSHA and made possible by the Friends of Libraries and Archives of Texas through a generous donation from the Edouard Foundation.
Proposals must specify the purpose of the research project, collections of interest at the State Archives, a description of the end product of the research and a statement of need for funding.
In addition to the one to two page narrative, the application packet should include a complete vita. Fellowship recipients may be asked to present the results of their research at a future TSLAC event. The award will be announced at the TSHA’s annual meeting in February 2020.
Individuals should submit an entry form, four (4) copies of a vita and four (4) copies of the proposal to the TSHA office by Dec. 28, 2019. Applicants should address their entry forms to:
Texas State Library and Archives Commission Research Fellowship in Texas History Committee Texas State Historical Association 3001 Lake Austin Blvd., Ste. 3.116 Austin, TX 78703
The Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) is pleased to announce two recipients of the 2019 Research Fellowship in Texas History. The 2019 TSLAC Research fellows are Maggie Elmore for her project, “Claiming the Cross: How Latinos and the Catholic Church Reshaped America,” and Deborah Liles for “The Beefmasters: Confederate Contractors, Texas Cattlemen, and Civil War Trade.” First awarded in 2018, the fellowship supports scholars who require the use of State Archives collections and includes a $2,000 stipend.
TSLAC Research Fellow Maggie Elmore.
Maggie Elmore holds a doctorate from the University of California, Berkeley and is a postdoctoral research associate at the Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism at the University of Notre Dame. Elmore studies the Latino experience with social and political exclusion in the 20th century United States.
Deborah Liles, who obtained her doctorate from the University of North Texas, serves as an assistant professor at Tarleton State University where she is the W.K. Gordon Chair of Texas History. Her current research focuses on the livestock trade and slave ownership during the Civil War.
State Archivist Jelain Chubb coordinates the fellowship in conjunction with the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). “The number and quality of proposals we received this year was impressive,” said Chubb. “These projects highlight the range of materials the State Archives offers scholars and I look forward to reading their publications,” she said.
State Archivist Jelain Chubb and TSLAC Research Fellow Deborah Liles. The 2019 TSLAC Research Fellowships were announced March 1 at the Texas State Historical Association annual meeting in Corpus Christi.
The TSLAC Research fellowship in Texas
history is administered in partnership with TSHA and made possible by the
Friends of Libraries and Archives of Texas through a generous donation from the
Edouard Foundation. The awards were
announced March 1 at the TSHA annual meeting held in Corpus Christi, Texas.
TSLAC Research Fellow Edward Valentin Jr. conducts research in the State Archives reading room.
Texas State Library and Archives Research Fellow, Edward Valentin Jr. visited the State Archives to conduct research on his dissertation topic, “Black Regiments on America’s Imperial Frontier: Race, Citizenship, and Military Occupation.” Supported by the Friends of Libraries & Archives of Texas, the Texas State Historical Association administers the fellowship with the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) for the best proposals incorporating research at the State Archives. Valentin’s project explores the experience of black soldiers in Texas during the late 19th century, including their relationship with Texans.
Reference Archivist Richard Gilreath (left), Senior Reference Archivist Tonia Wood (center) and TSLAC Research Fellow Edward Valentin Jr. (right) in the State Archives Reading Room.
Currently a doctoral candidate at Rice University, Valentin has been awarded their Fondren Fellowship, History Graduate Fellowship, and a Southern Historical Association Fellowship with the Journal of Southern History. The TSLAC award provides funds to travel to Austin and conduct research at the State Archives. Valentin is investigating papers from the late 1800’s, including the records of the adjutant general, the papers of governors Richard Coke and Edmund J. Davis, and military records from Fort Stockton, Texas.
Reference Archivist Richard Gilreath and Senior Reference Archivist Tonia Wood assist TSLAC research fellow Edward Valentin Jr.
We look forward to reading the compelling scholarship Edward Valentin will no doubt produce from his research at the State Archives. The Texas State Historical Association is currently accepting proposals for the 2019 TSLAC fellowship award. Follow the link for more information: https://tshaonline.org/awards-and-fellowships/2422.
