Texas Folklore Society to celebrate 100th anniversary
March 3, 2009
The Texas Folklore Society will celebrate 100 years of collecting, preserving and sharing folklore at its annual meeting April 9-11 at Hotel Fredonia in Nacogdoches.
The 93rd annual meeting of the society will include a "hootenanny," guided bus tour of Nacogdoches, banquet, business meeting, presentations by folklorists and special events commemorating the 100th anniversary.
As the third-oldest academic organization in Texas, the TFS is dedicated to preserving and presenting the legends, customs, beliefs, superstitions, songs and crafts of Texas and the Southwest. This lore has been recorded in 65 full-length books of the Publications of the Texas Folklore Society series. The society also has sponsored or encouraged the publication of 35 additional books, all of which have been provided to the membership.
The TFS began at the University of Texas in 1909 under the leadership of Leonidas Payne and John Avery Lomax. In 1971, the society moved its headquarters to Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches.
Some of the nation's leading folklorists have presented papers at annual meetings, held leadership positions and had their works published by the society. Prominent members include J. Frank Dobie, Walter Prescott Webb, Dorothy Scarborough, Harry Ransom, J. Mason Brewer, Mody Boatright, C. L. Sonnichsen, James Ward Lee, Joyce Gibson Roach, Elmer Kelton and F. E. Abernethy.
For more information on the TFS and its upcoming meeting, visit www.texasfolkloresociety.org, or call Ken Untiedt or Janet Simonds at (936) 468-4407.