Texas History Minute

It was a rundown series of old buildings in the bustling downtown of a growing city Its use had long been forgotten by many residents and once-storied importance largely discounted by an impatient populace racing to build a modern city. By the early 1900s, the Alamo was about to fall once again, this time to the ravages of neglect and the drive for urban development One determined Texan, Clara Driscoll, led a group of women to preserve the Alamo site for all time

Clara Driscoll was born at Copano Bay in Refugio County in 1881. Her grandfather, an Irish immigrant, had come to Texas and fought at the Battle of San Jacinto in 1836 He later served as a county judge for Refugio County Her father had built a successful ranch in nearby Nueces County and had expanded into real estate and banking She attended boarding schools in New York and France and ultimately learned to speak four languages She settled in San Antonio in 1898 and spoke out against how badly the Alamo had fallen into disrepair

Once on the outskirts of San Antonio in the quiet countryside, steady growth and expansion of the city soon saw the old mission surrounded by a growing metropolis At the time of the Texas Revolution, San Antonio was only a small community of perhaps a couple thousand people

By 1910, the population had surged past 96,600 residents, nearly doubling since 1900 The Roman Catholic Church sold the Alamo chapel site to the state in 1883, but other portions remained in private hands The fiftiethanniversary commemoration of the battle in 1886, however, was almost ignored by residents As a result, the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, an organization made up of descendants of veterans of the Texas Revolution, was founded in 1892 with the aim of preserving the Alamo.

By 1903, Adina de Zavala, a writer and granddaughter of Lorenzo de Zavala, the first vice-president of the Republic of Texas, convinced Driscoll to aid in the cause The owners of the long barracks, once a convent, hoped to sell the site to developers and allowed the crumbling structure to be overrun with billboards The DRT attempted to purchase the building, but the asking price was $75,000 (more than $2 million in 2018 dollars) Determined not to let the Alamo fall to developers, Driscoll put up most of the asking price herself in January 1905 The state legislature, impressed with their efforts, compensated the DRT and enacted legislation to put the site into their care

However, an argument erupted between Zavala and Driscoll over the fate of the Long Barracks. Driscoll offered to tear down the dilapidated building as part of the DRT’s reconstruction efforts, but Zavala argued that it was an original part of the building and a vital part of Alamo history Gov Oscar B Colquitt sided with Zavala and asked it be restored The case went to court, with the judge stating the DRT had ownership

Instead of being completely demolished, the second floor was removed instead and rebuilt the walls of the first floor between 1913 and 1916 By 1921, the DRT added a concrete roof to the chapel to replace the old, wooden roof and installed electrical lighting In 1931, Driscoll put up another $70,000 of her own money (more than $1 1 million in 2018 dollars) to help the state legislature buy more of the land surrounding the Alamo site

In the meantime, Driscoll also embarked on a modest writing career, penning the novels The Girl of La Gloria in 1905 and In the Shadow of the Alamo in 1906 She married Hal Sevier in 1906, who founded what became the Austin American-Statesman and later became the U S Ambassador to Chile

In 1936, Driscoll was named vicechair of the Texas Centennial Exposition executive board, overseeing the commemorations of the one hundredth anniversary of Texas independence As president of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, she made sure the Alamo received special attention for its role in the events of 1836 In the years following, the Alamo story continued to spread, and the site became the most popular tourist spot in San Antonio It became a National Historic Landmark in 1960

After her divorce in 1937, she spent most of her last years in Corpus Christi, managing her family’s real estate and ranching interests She had the Hotel Robert Driscoll built in 1942, named after her late brother She continued to giver generously to causes across the state Driscoll lived in a suite in the hotel until her death in 1945 at age 64. Upon her death, she was given the rare honor of having her boy lie in state at the Alamo chapel, the shrine she worked so tirelessly to preserve

Even in death, she was able to open another chapter in Texas History Driscoll left the bulk of her family’s fortune to help the children of others She directed funds from her estate to establish a children’s hospital in Corpus Christi Driscoll Children’s Hospital opened in Corpus Christi in 1953 To date, it is the only children’s hospital in South Texas and has since expanded to include clinics across the Rio Grande Valley

Texoma Patriots to meet

today, and we will discover why our founding documents were not created on a whim but that they are reliable and relevant today

Hall is a national speaker and consultant on the Constitution, founder of Liberty First University, former Russian linguist for the US Army, and former prosecutor for the State of Florida. She now travels the country teaching the foundational principles of Liberty and our Constitutional Republic Hall is the author of six books on the Constitution and Bill of Rights, she also has an internationally popular radio show, and her books and classes have been featured on C-SPAN TV. Recently she appeared on Fox & Friends Hall can be found at wwwKrisAnneHall com You will want to attend and bring your children and grandchildren Her books and DVDs will be for sale

Texoma Hot Jobs

Job Title FAB QUALITY MANAGER workintexas.com Posting ID

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Hall’s talk on The History of the Constitution covers 700 years and five documents that preceded the

The Texoma Patriots ask you to come early and eat before the meeting Jim Smith's tasty barbecue buffet will open at 5 pm

This position requires a Bachelor's degree, and a minimum of 3 years of related experience

This position requires a High School diploma or equivalent, and a minimum of 1 year of related experience

Howe Elementary Teacher of the Month

Jessica Doty is a senior at Tarleton State University from Howe, Texas, majoring in biology with a business minor She is a two-year TTM where she served in the capacity of Duck Camp and New Student Registration Staff Doty is a member of Alpha Omicron Pi and she has served on the Alpha Omicron Pi Cabinet as property manager She is the Tarleton Wesley Pastoral Intern as well as the Communications Coordinator on the Tarleton Wesley’s leadership team She is a member of Tarleton’s Honors College Doty said her favorite tradition is Silver Taps She said, “I think it is so unique to see everything come full circle from convocation to the humbling ceremony of Silver Taps

It is special to hold someone’s flame and think that one day, someone will hold my Tarleton flame and lay it to rest ” She said her favorite thing about Tarleton is the “emphasis on student growth and success ” She said, “Tarleton has given me countless opportunities that I would not have received at other universities to grow and learn, while at the same time blessing me with my best friends that have become family This university is more than just a place you go to take classes and get a degree, it has become home ” - texannews net

Joyce Thurman

I am proud to work with a team full of diligent workers My family and I have lived in Howe for twenty-one years, and have 2 children at Howe High School. I have been working for Howe ISD going on 11 years and looking forward to many more in the future. I am honored to work and live in a small town with a BIG HEART!

Can I furnish an apartment for $300?

Hi Taylor - I’m moving into my first apartment and I have an issue - the apartment is unfurnished and I have about $300 to spend on furniture Am I sleeping and sitting on the floor or do I have some options here? -

Lark

Hey Lark - That’s not a lot of money to furnish an apartment, but I have faith you’ll pull it off You might have to adjust your expectations, but here are a few ways to make it all work

1 Air mattress Sleeping on an air mattress used to be a real struggle, but manufacturers have upped their game significantly If you find the right sale, you can get a comfortable queen-sized mattress for around $50 to $100 I know that’s almost a third of your budget, but I think a bed is the first thing you need to take care of If you have nice chairs or a beautiful TV stand but you don’t sleep well at night, you’re not really living your best life With a decent air mattress and some extra blankets for padding, you’ll hardly notice that you don’t have a normal bed

2 Thrift shop for dishware If you’re saving money, living on your own, and likely not doing much nesting, go to the thrift store for your plates and glasses You can walk out with ton of stuff that will cost you $10 total, and you might even find a set of dishware that makes it look like you didn’t buy anything used

Living with children

Even if you end up ha mismatched things, th be part of the charm o kitchen

3 Ask about sale day furniture Most secon stores end up drastica prices on furniture fro time because they nee inventory and make m p Sometimes everything will be half off for an entire weekend and that’s when you should try to buy everything Time it right and you’ll have matching dining room chairs that cost $20 or $30 total You might not get a gorgeous couch, but you could land something that’s clean and comfortable for less than $100

4 Build a table You don’t have to be the world’s greatest handyman to get a plank of wood to stay on four posts This is something you can either put together using pieces of older tables or items from friends’ garages, or you can go to the hardware store and buy a top piece and four smaller boards Sand down the surface, add a nice finish, and you’ve got a table that might even impress your guests

There are plenty of other items you’ll need, but start with the necessities and then continue putting your apartment together over time Getting a new place furnished isn’t so important that you should put the rest of your life on hold Good luck, Lark!

Taylor Kovar - Family Man Wealth Manager Author Speaker Serial Entrepreneur Travel Lover. Chick-Fil-A

Fanatic. Kovar is the CEO and founder of Kovar Capital Management LLC of Lufkin, Texas

Children Claim

As the current school year kicked off, I began hearing the same-old, same-old report from teachers and principals: children who have never lied At least, that is what the parents of said

When one of these highly-evolved kids is accused of misbehaving at school, his parents ask him for his side of the story, his take on what really happened And sure enough, the child’s story does not match the teacher’s report The teacher, for example, swears she saw the accused deliberately trip another child during recess The trip resulted in facial injuries and two broken teeth The accused claims he only stuck his foot out because he thought his $450 sneakers were untied and that the victim just happened to be running by at the time

The accused’s parents go to the school and say something along these lines: “Our child is very upset that he’s been blamed for something he did not and would never do He’s been crying since he got home from school yesterday We believe him because he’s never lied to us, so we’re keeping him out of school until he gets an apology from Mrs Machiavelli ”

Ultimately, the dastardly Mrs Machiavelli apologizes and is summarily transferred to Death Valley Elementary School Oh, I failed to mention that during the conference in question the child’s parents dropped the term “our lawyer,” which never fails to correct the thinking of principals, superintendents, heads of schools, and school board members

Lest the reader think I am engaging in hyperbole, the above story was related to me by the principal of a school in Southern California Granted, the teacher in our tale is not related to an infamous Italian prince, nor was she transferred to a

school in Death Valley

Furthermore, the accused’s sneakers cost a mere $425. Everything else came straight from said principal’s mouth

The question becomes: What causes otherwise rational adults, having heard the report of a person who has dedicated her life to the betterment of the lives of children, to ask a child for his side of said story?

The myth of parenting determinism, that’s what

Parenting determinism is the notion, relentlessly promoted by mental health professionals, that every action on the part of a child can be linked to an action on the part of or something about his parents Parenting determinism explains the “My Child is an Honor Student” bumper sticker It also explains “My child has never lied ”

Parenting determinism had not yet clouded parental thinking when I was a child So, when a teacher accused me of misbehavior, my parents believed the teacher Anything I said in my defense was wrong, a lie End of story That no one took my explanation with more than a grain of salt, if that, was, I felt, grossly unfair I thought it was unfair even when I was lying, which was close to one hundred percent of the time

I did not know it at the time, but I was greatly blessed to have parents I was unable to con I can only imagine what my life would have been like otherwise Parenting does not produce the person, but the child is father to the man

Family psychologist John Rosemond: johnrosemond com, parentguru.com.

John Rosemond has worked with families, children, and parents since 1971 in the field of family psychology In 1971, John earned his masters in psychology from Western Illinois University and was elected to the Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society