HomeMy WebLinkAboutEX Postcard 08_19_09email
August 4, 2009 Dear Friends of History, There is an organization working its way through Texas documenting and studying sacred places. It’s a long story about how I became involved with
this interesting group of folks but I will save that for a later date. What is most interesting to me is the definition of a sacred place and what makes something or someplace sacred
to an individual. The obvious sacred places would be churches, temples or synagogues. However, the Partners for Sacred Places are not only documenting the buildings, but the history,
as well. They are also studying the impact of sacred places and how they help sustain a community. www.sacredplaces.org As a child in 1958, the Hillel Foundation Building on Jersey (now
George Bush Drive) captivated my interest in the summer time. On a sunny day at noon, a shadow image of a Star of David is projected onto the front of the building. I wonder how many
folks who have lived here all their lives never noticed this. Another sacred place from my childhood is a grouping of trees on Dexter at the beginning of Billy Goats Park (now Brison
Park). The trees are thick and surrounded by bushes but if you crawl through it all, there is a small clearing where two tree trunks have grown together. That “tree sofa” was a sacred
place to me over 50 years ago. This month, our Exploring History Lunch Lecture Series focuses on a very traditional and historic sacred place in Bryan, the St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church
and the restoration of its stained glass windows. I hope you will come to hear Dr. Sylvia Grider, professor emerita at Texas A&M University in the Department of Anthropology. Grider
specializes in teaching
folklore and material culture. She headed up the Bonfire Memorabilia Project after the Bonfire collapse. Grider publishes mostly about material culture topics, especially spontaneous
shrines and roadside memorials. As archivist at St. Andrew’s she is currently keeping tabs on the restoration of the two stained glass windows that were vandalized in March. The City
of College Station Heritage Programs office, the Historic Preservation Committee, and the Senior Advisory Committee present the: Exploring History Lunch Lecture Series "When is a window
more than just a window?”" with Dr. Sylvia Grider Wednesday, August 19, 2009 11:30 a.m. -1:00 p.m. College Station Conference Center, Room #127 1300 George Bush Drive, College Station,
Texas A simple lunch is served for $5.00 per person. Reservations are required. R.s.v.p. to Anne Boykin by Monday, August 17. aboykin@cstx.gov or 979.764.3491. Parking is limited, please
car pool if you can. Or, plan to meet your friends at City Hall and ride together to the Conference Center. Remember that the west entrance to the Conference Center is "step free" and
easier for those who need assistance. EXPLORING HISTORY LUNCH LECTURE SERIES September 16 -"History of Messina Hof Winery" with the Bonarrigos October 21 -"History of Medicine in the
Brazos Valley" with Dr. James F. Cooper November 18 -"History of Bryan Air Base" with Kerry Chandler No luncheon in December Remember to watch replays of the lectures on CSTV-19 at 4
a.m. and 4:00 p.m. every day! OTHER HISTORY EVENTS & DATES TO NOTE Ongoing exhibit at Brazos Valley Museum – “The Caddo” Ongoing exhibit at the Bush Library – “Beyond the Moon: NASA’s
Continuing Mission Exhibit” Friday, August 7 – El Camino Real de los Tejas Planning Committee meeting, CS Conference Center, 1:30 p.m. Saturday, August 15 – Deadline to submit names
for 2009 for the Brazos Valley Veterans Memorial Wall of Honor; www.bvvm.org See attached form. BRAZOS COUNTY HISTORY OF NOTE Aug. 10, 1888 – AllenFarm name was changed to Alligator
Farm. On Oct. 29, the name was changed back to AllenFarm. Aug. 30, 1900 – IG&N Railroad reached Bryan. Aug. 25, 1914 -William Bennett Bizzell is appointed as president. During his tenure
he will publicly express his support for coeducation. Except for the summer sessions, previous to and during his tenure only the daughters and relatives of faculty and staff could attend,
and then only
as unofficial, non degree seeking students. Bizzell argues that the policy should be expanded to all women who seek admission to the college because of specific advantages offered in
the institution that are not available in other state supported institutions. In 1925, his last year in office, 30 women are in attendance and one would receive a degree. Aug. 25, 1925
-Mary Evelyn Crawford, sister of Charles W. Crawford, head of the mechanical engineering department, is awarded an official degree in Liberal Arts (English). She had attended the Texas
College of Industrial Arts (later Texas Women's University) and the University of Texas in addition to A&M. Her studies at A&M began in 1921. The degree is not awarded at the regular
commencement. Crawford later recalled that she got an unexpected "call from the registrar's secretary. She told me to come over to her apartment to get my diploma. I was so glad to hear
that I did get a diploma I would have crawled over to that apartment." Aug. 1, 1958 – Townshire Shopping Center opens in Bryan. (Current location of TOPS Printing.) Aug. 23, 1963 – The
Texas State Legislature changes the name of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas to Texas A & M University. STAY COOL! And spend some time on the Project HOLD website at
http://HOLD.cstx.gov. Anne Anne Boykin Heritage Programs Coordinator Parks and Recreation Department College Station Conference Center, Room 107 1300 George Bush Drive College Station,
Texas 77840 aboykin@cstx.gov 979.764.3491 City of College Station Home of Texas A&M University ®