Category: UNCATEGORIZED

With various proposals for the new Alamo Master Plan in the news today, we look back to an earlier time when there were similar efforts to redesign the area around the Alamo.  The idea for a park adjacent to the Alamo chapel received serious attention when the Alamo Mission Chapter of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas and the San Antonio Conservation Society presented the idea to the mayor and city commissioners in 1925.  Among the leaders was Clara Driscoll Sevier, who had provided money to preserve the Alamo Long Barrack over 20 years earlier.  Mrs. Sevier, chairman of the Alamo Park Commission, again advanced considerable money toward purchase of the property immediately south of the Alamo for what would become part of the Alamo State Park, now called the Alamo Gardens.  The long process of bringing the park to fruition is chronicled in numerous articles in the San…

Today in history, Amelia Earhart, who became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic, arrived in San Antonio on February 26, 1936.  After her arrival, she was taken to the Alamo where under the voices of a church choir singing “The Eyes of Texas”, she was presented with the six flags of Texas.  The next day she lectured at the Thomas Jefferson High School on, “Flying for Fun.”  The following images taken from the San Antonio Light Collection shows Amelia Earhart attending the welcoming ceremony at the Alamo.

(MS 359: L-0914-D)

(MS 359: L-0914-C)

(MS 359: L-0914-B)

(MS 359: L-0914-I)

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By J. Tomney, FDR Presidential Library volunteer

The sons and daughters of thousands of American families heeded the call to serve their country during World War II. The four sons of America’s First Family were counted among those that served with distinction and honor for the duration of the war. The Roosevelt boys – Jimmy, Elliott, Franklin, Jr., and John — all joined the U.S. armed forces and served overseas, each one having very different service experiences. Jimmy, FDR, Jr. and John followed the family tradition of naval service. Elliott soared with the Army Air Forces. Just like other wartime GI’s, they were away from family and in harm’s way. Just like other wartime GI’s, their parents worried about their safety. These are their stories.

James Roosevelt: Gung-Ho Marine Raider

Being the oldest of FDR’s sons, Jimmy Roosevelt entered military service first, receiving a commission as a Marine Lieutenant Colonel…

As I was preparing for this blog post, I reviewed some materials in the Mario Marcel Salas papers on the history of the MLK Day March in San Antonio. One of the items I came across stated, “Know Why You Are Marching.” This made me think about the broad cross section of materials housed in Special Collections with images depicting many marches over the years. These photographs capture the reasons we march in a way that mere words never could. I share them today in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who inspired us all to march for a more equitable, just, and peaceful world.

Mario Marcel Salas leading San Antonio’s MLK Day March, undated, Mario Marcel Salas Papers, MS 142

Cesar Chavez marching in San Antonio during the Grape Boycott, Jaime Martinez scrapbook, MS 490

AIDS quilt Names Project, Washington D.C., 1987, Happy Foundation Archives Collection, MS 394

Blog post by Paige Hayhurst, rare books student assistant.

To celebrate the holidays and New Year, I thought I would attempt to make a traditional holiday recipe according to the queen of Mexican cookbooks, Josefina Velázquez de León. Josefina began her career as a chef and teacher after taking culinary classes in Mexico City. She started by submitting recipes to magazines and eventually founded her own cooking school and publishing house, Ediciones Josefina Velázquez de León.

Over the course of her life, she published nearly 140 titles, over 130 of which can be found in Special Collections’ 1800 volume Mexican Cookbook Collection. For this occasion, I chose a recipe for buñuelos de molde out of her 1946 cookbook Especialidades para Navidad, Fin de Año y día de Reyes Mexico, D.F.: Academia de Cocina, 1946. [TX739.2.C45 V45 1946]

Josefina’s recipe (number 59–Buñuelos de Molde) is a traditional one that calls…

As we are on the cusp of the holiday season, I thought our readers might enjoy indulging in a little nostalgia. Earlier this year, Special Collections received a donation of Joske’s materials collected by Wendell Potter, the department store’s Display Director. The collection contains many photographs of events held by Joske’s including seasonal fashion shows and in-store promotional events.

Fall Fashion models, 1955

Wendell Potter’s display expertise is undeniable when one looks at the photos of merchandising at the downtown store. His talent and direction were most evident in his holiday creations. In the late 1950s, during the holiday shopping season Joske’s Santa took up residence in the Fairyland Castle designed by Potter.[1]

In 1960, Potter took his design skills to new levels with the creation of the much loved Fantasy Land-a Christmas wonderland situated on the 4th floor of Joske’s.

Wendell Potter with the Fantasy Land train, 1960

A…

Shortly after purchasing the San Antonio Light in 1924, Hearst newspapers hired Jack Specht to be their first full-time staff photographer for the daily paper. Specht used a Graflex camera with 4×5 inch glass negatives to capture the image. The negatives were ordered from photographic supply companies. Since the camera was bulky and the glass negatives somewhat expensive, Specht often took only one photograph to accompany most news stories. Specht and the other staff photographers processed approximately 23,500 glass plates before switching to film negatives in 1936. The Hearst Corporation donated the glass negatives to our collection in 1979.

Specht established a routine that was followed by subsequent photographers. The photographer returned from the assignment and immediately developed and fixed the glass plate in chemical solutions. Once the plate was dry, he wrote the names of the subjects in graphite in the margins on the emulsion side—a procedure that often…

RuPaul’s ladies have nothing on these Drag Divas of the fabulous 90s! The hair, the nails, the gowns that shimmer!!!

Miss Corpus Christi America pageant, 1994 and undated

Female impersonators from across the state of Texas flocked to these pageants to secure a place among the royalty of the Miss Gay Texas America pageant circuit which was and is the oldest and largest pageant for female impersonators in the state. After winning at the local level, contestants went on to compete at the state level. Judging by the expression on this lovely lady’s face, snagging a crown was a big deal!

Miss Nueces County pageant, undated

The Miss Corpus Christi America pageant and related pageants were put on by Texas Crown Productions owned by Rudy Cardona and his partner, Victor Lopez. This past fall,  Victor donated the photographs to UTSA Special Collections. All photographs have been digitized and can be…