My Blog

May 5, 2016

Bernardo de Gálvez Museum and Conference Center, Malaga

Hallelujah! They’re in the money! The mystery of the Spanish Deputation from Malaga, Southern Spain, is, at last, explained.  They came, they saw, and they didn’t have to conquer at all. They handed out very nice informational pamphlets,  and they didn’t come begging for money! The Province of Malaga, and a variety of other groups, […]

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May 3, 2016

Making History Fun

Once again, it is a pleasure to find that we do have inspirational students and teachers.   This past weekend, the Texas State Historical Association held its annual state-level competition for students from around the state. As part of National History Day, students compete on the local, regional, state and, finally, the national level by […]

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April 29, 2016

Of Pressures and Paralysis

  Have you ever had so much to do that you stare at the piles and do nothing? A blogger on writing recently commented on the many projects she had tackled. Blogs and guest blogs, articles and agent queries, outlines, edits, rewrites, chapters, and on and on. She sounded frantic. I wish I didn’t feel […]

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April 27, 2016

Inspirations from Ariana Baer

I hope this story of young Ariana will inspire everyone to help their young cousins, granddaughters, nieces and grandnieces to develop their talents and watch their potential grow. Watching a young woman learn new skills and develop her talents yields immense returns: pleasure, joy and lessons for a distant future. I had that opportunity several […]

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April 23, 2016

Running with the swells

Money is a strange thing. Some have it and don’t think about it. The rest of us scrabble for every dime. I am attending my second year as a Board Member for an organization that shall remain nameless. It’s been an eye-opener. Our organization has representatives from all over the state. Several of the new […]

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April 22, 2016

The Joy of Finding New Cousins

Last October I spoke at a Hispanic Genealogy Conference in Laredo. By chance, Juan Marinez, a resident of East Lansing, Michigan, also attended the conference. He heard me talk about the importance of Hispanic women and immediately thought of the Dia de las Mujeres program held annually by Michigan State University. He convinced the coordinator […]

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April 21, 2016

On Losing a Friend

Yesterday afternoon, just as I was walking into the Scholarship Banquet for our History students here at Sam Houston State University, I received the distressing but expected news that my dear friend and one-time colleague, Dr. Richard H. Payne, had passed away. We all leave different legacies behind us when we depart this earth, as […]

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April 19, 2016

On the Blessings of Teachers

I am thankful to be able to report that passionate, dedicated teachers abound across the state of Texas, and without doubt, the nation as well. And thank goodness for that. In the face of low salaries, inadequate funding and a society and government that has little interest in education, there are still teachers who are […]

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