East Texas Historical Association to mark 50th anniversary at fall meeting

NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The East Texas Historical Association, headquartered on the campus of Stephen F. Austin University, will hold its annual fall meeting Sept. 27-29 at Hotel Fredonia in Nacogdoches.

The gathering will mark the 50th anniversary of the founding of the association in 1962, and a number of special events are planned. The program will feature more than 100 historians making presentations on historical subjects of interest to East Texans.

Among the planned session topics are: "African-American Dallas Fifty Years Ago," "East Texas Women's History," "Tracking the Texas Rangers - 19th Century," "The Neches: East Texas' Wild and Scenic River" and "The Texas Right: The Radical Roots of Texas Conservatism." There also will be a reception on Friday evening honoring past presidents of the association and a "birthday party" on Saturday highlighting the association's special relationship with its host institution, SFA.

A plated banquet on Friday evening will feature an address by association President Cynthia Beeman titled "The Evolution of Memory in a Small Texas Town: Janis Joplin and Port Arthur." During the Saturday luncheon, the association will toast all its members, and SFA president Baker Pattillo will blow out the birthday candles. 

The East Texas Historical Association was founded on the SFA campus in 1962 and is dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of East Texas' historical heritage. The association actively encourages the preservation of historical buildings, and its primary publication, "The East Texas Historical Journal," strives to publish and make known the rich history with which this section of Texas is endowed.

For additional information concerning the meeting or the association, call (936) 468-2407 or e-mail at sosebeem@sfasu.edu.