Axe ’Em, Jacks!
NACOGDOCHES, Texas — Stephen F. Austin State University’s Stone Fort Museum has named Rick Still and the late Frances A. Shofner as the 2023 Cum Concilio Club Heritage Preservation Award recipients.
The museum's biennial heritage preservation award was established in honor of the Cum Concilio Club's dedication to the preservation of Nacogdoches' cultural and historical landscape. The award recognizes a group or individual who has made significant contributions to the preservation of East Texas’ history and Nacogdoches' heritage.
“This year’s recipients have dedicated a lifetime of preserving and sharing our great cultural history,” said Carolyn Spears, director of the Stone Fort Museum. “The importance of preserving history is as much about memory as it is about a building, painting or place. Preserving history is about holding on to the stories that inform our understanding and place in the world.”
Rick Still
Among his many accomplishments, Still was selected predominantly for his work in developing the Charles Bright Visitor Center exhibits located in downtown Nacogdoches. A lifetime collector of Nacogdoches County material culture, Still has shared his passion for history with the community. Along with contributing to multiple exhibits in the visitor center, his passion also led to contributions to other Nacogdoches venues, including the Stone Fort Museum exhibit, “El Camino Real de los Tejas and Building Nacogdoches: 1716-2016.” Still’s contributions have reached thousands of residents and heritage tourists.
Still also served as a board member on the Nacogdoches Convention and Visitors Bureau and has been a fierce supporter of tourism in Nacogdoches.
Frances A. Shofner
Until her death in 2017, Shofner devoted her life to safeguarding Nacogdoches’ place in history and will be remembered for contributions to preserving her hometown. She is regarded for her role as a leader in multiple projects and organizations dedicated to enhancing the public’s understanding of preserving heritage and cultivating Nacogdoches history.
A Nacogdoches native, Shofner served as a board member for the Friends of Historic Nacogdoches and directly contributed to the preservation and development of the Lanana and Banita Creek walking trails, the Christmas Tour of Homes, the Living History of Oak Grove Cemetery, and the Heritage Walk Statue Project. She also held instrumental roles in the Nacogdoches Junior Forum, Cum Concilio Club, City Federations of Women’s Clubs and the Oak Grove Cemetery Restoration Project.
ABOUT STEPHEN F. AUSTIN STATE UNIVERSITY
Stephen F. Austin State University, the newest member of The University of Texas System, began a century ago as a teachers’ college in Texas’ oldest town, Nacogdoches. Today, it has grown into a regional institution comprising six colleges — business, education, fine arts, forestry and agriculture, liberal and applied arts, and sciences and mathematics. Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, SFA enrolls approximately 11,000 students while providing the academic breadth of a state university with the personalized attention of a private school. The main campus encompasses 421 acres that include 37 academic facilities, nine residence halls, and 68 acres of recreational trails that wind through its six gardens. The university offers more than 80 bachelor’s degrees, more than 40 master’s degrees and four doctoral degrees covering more than 120 areas of study. Learn more by visiting the SFA website.