Author: Cynthia Franco

AA-CUL(DeGolyer)

Diplomats in DeGolyer Library

Post author By Cynthia Franco
Post date May 1, 2023

Agreement on trade relations between Vietnam and the United States, July 24, 1999

Ambassadors and members of the Foreign Service represent United States interests abroad, implement foreign policy, and maintain peaceful relationships with other countries. The DeGolyer Library has a few collections from United States diplomats who served in Latin America. The earliest manuscript is not from an American, rather it is a diary from Spanish Minister to Mexico, Angel Calderon de la Barca. His 1839-1842 journal entries describe Mexico a few years after the country declared independence from Spain. Much of the diary is written in shorthand. The text was translated in 2012 and published by the William P. Clements Center for Southwest Studies.

Cone Johnson was a Texas solicitor for the United States Department of State from 1914-1918, and legal advisor to Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan, during Woodrow Wilson’s administration. His personal papers include a series devoted to his work for the State Department, with drafts, correspondence, and publications. Here is a draft of a convention between the United States and Haiti, with a note from President Woodrow Wilson:

President Woodrow Wilson letter to Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan, 1914

Richard Rubottom served as Assistant Secretary of State, Inter-American Affairs from 1956-1960 before serving as Ambassador to Argentina from 1960-1961. His papers contain correspondence, government publications, and materials from his career in the Foreign Service, focused mainly on Latin American countries. After retiring from the Foreign Service, Rubottom became an administrator and professor at SMU. He continued to be an advisor on world affairs for decades.

Richard W. Fisher was assistant to the United States Secretary of the Treasury (1977-1979), Deputy United States Trade Representative (1997-2001), and President and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas (2005-2015). His papers include accounts of G7 Summit meetings, private meetings with heads of state, and memoranda for Secretary Blumenthal in the Carter administration.

For assistance with these and other collections, please contact degolyer@smu.edu.

Sources:

Angel Calderon de la Barca diary, Vault A1988.1509c

Cone Johnson papers, MSS 19, https://txarchives.org/smu/finding_aids/00144.xml

Richard Rubottom papers, MSS 89, https://txarchives.org/smu/finding_aids/00139.xml

Richard W. Fisher papers, A2021.0010, https://txarchives.org/smu/finding_aids/00054.xml

Tags Manuscripts, Recent Acquisitions

DeGolyer Library Special Collections

Texas League opening day

Post author By Cynthia Franco
Post date April 5, 2023

Martin Perez (Frisco Rough Riders, 2010) and Corey Seager (Tulsa Drillers, 2015)

April 6 is opening day for the Texas League, the minor league baseball organization that includes teams from Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, and Tennessee. The Frisco Rough Riders are celebrating their 20^th anniversary this year, and over the years these notable players have moved up to the Texas Rangers: Elvis Andrus, Josey Gallo, Craig Gentry, Ian Kinsler, Nomar Mazara, Rougned Odor, Jurickson Profar, Justin Smoak, C.J. Wilson, and Mark Teixeira. Current Texas Rangers who previously played in the Texas League include Martin Perez, Corey Seager, Will Smith, and Jake Odorizzi.

Former Texas League president, Tom Kayser, gave his collection on the league’s history to the DeGolyer Library in 2021. Newsletters created by the Texas League from 1969-2001 were recently added to our digital collection, and above is an issue from 30 years ago. The league debuted an updated logo and announced student intern Kurt Daniels in charge of the newsletter (now editor of Dallas Cowboys Star Magazine). Other 1993 newsletters included a profile of Tulsa Drillers athletic trainer and therapist Donna Papangellin, information about league parks, statistics, pitcher of the week, player of the week, game recaps, and general league news.

Here are some Fort Worth Cats and Dallas Eagles baseball programs from 70 years ago, and a Frisco Rough Riders program from 20 years ago.

The Texas League collection contains baseball cards, research files, publications, photographs, and administrative records. A finding aid to the collection is available and researchers are welcome to visit the library to view the collection and related books. Please contact degolyer@smu.edu for assistance in DeGolyer Library.

Sources:

Tom Kayser collection on the Texas League, MSS 175, https://txarchives.org/smu/finding_aids/00396.xml

Texas League newsletters

Tags Manuscripts, Texana

DeGolyer Library Special Collections

Tender Mercies 40th anniversary

Post author By Cynthia Franco
Post date March 16, 2023

Tender Mercies was released in American theaters forty years ago this month. The story of a troubled Texas country singer on the verge of a comeback who must choose between his career and new family was nominated for multiple Academy Awards. Although the film did not win the Academy Award for Best Picture, Horton Foote won the award for Best Original Screenplay, and Robert Duvall won the award for Best Actor in 1984. This production was the fourth time that Robert Duvall appeared in a film by Texas dramatist Horton Foote. Duvall’s costars include Tess Harper, Ellen Barkin, Betty Buckley, Lenny von Dohlen, and Wilford Brimley. Filming occurred in the North Texas towns of Waxahachie, Arlington, and Palmer in 1981.

Horton Foote with director Bruce Beresford, 1981

For three decades Robert Duvall appeared in films written by Horton Foote: To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), The Chase (1966), Tomorrow (1972), Tender Mercies (1983), and Convicts (1991). Horton Foote’s extensive personal archive includes materials from his plays, television films, motion picture films, unpublished manuscripts, and personal correspondence. Below is a letter from American author, Reynolds Price, and Foote’s response:

Tender Mercies cast photo with humorous captions by the crew

Please contact degolyer@smu.edu for questions about the Horton Foote papers in DeGolyer Library.

Sources:

Horton Foote papers, MSS 88
Horton Foote digital collection

Tags Manuscripts, Texana

DeGolyer Library Special Collections

Texas League: we knew them when…

Post author By Cynthia Franco
Post date November 1, 2022

Baseball fans have waited all season to see who will battle for the World Series championship. The formidable Houston Astros swept the Yankees and now they are looking to beat the wildcard Philadelphia Phillies. Many of these players began their career in the minor leagues around the country, including the Texas League. Three players from the Houston Astros played for the Corpus Christi Hooks: Jose Altuve, Lance McCullers Jr., and Aledmys Diaz. Diaz also previously played for the Springfield Cardinals. Many baseball players in the minor leagues do not always move up to play in the major leagues. They sometimes have entirely different careers, like Kurt Russell. He played for the El Paso Sun Kings in 1973 before returning to his acting career.

The Texas League was founded in 1888 by John J. McCloskey, and throughout its history the league has organized minor league baseball in Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, and Tennessee. In 2022 the current teams are:

Amarillo Sod Poodles
Arkansas Travelers
Corpus Christi Hooks
Frisco Rough Riders
Midland RockHounds
Northwest Arkansas Naturals
San Antonio Missions
Springfield Cardinals
Tulsa Drillers
Wichita Wind Surge

The Frisco Rough Riders are the 2022 Texas League champions. Their first time to win the league title was in 2004, just one year after the team was founded in Frisco, Texas.

Former Texas League president, Tom Kayser, wrote a history of the league in 2005. After he retired, Kayser gave his collection on the league’s history to the DeGolyer Library in 2021. A finding aid to the collection is available at https://txarchives.org/smu/finding_aids/00396.xml. The collection mostly contains statistics and research notes, but there are also baseball cards, photographs, programs, scrapbooks, and scorecards. Researchers are welcome to visit the library to view the collection and related books. Please contact degolyer@smu.edu for assistance in DeGolyer Library.

Sources:

Tom Kayser collection on the Texas League, MSS 175, https://txarchives.org/smu/finding_aids/00396.xml

Kayser, Tom. Baseball in the lone star state: the Texas League’s greatest hits. San Antonio: Trinity University Press, 2005. GV875.T36 K39 2005

Tags Manuscripts, Recent Acquisitions, Texana

DeGolyer Library Special Collections

Chili Cookoff

Post author By Cynthia Franco
Post date October 20, 2022

October and early November is chili cookoff season. The first cookoff took place at the State Fair of Texas in October 1952, where Mrs. F.G. Ventura was declared the winner. That same year one of the most essential books on chili was published. Joe E. Cooper’s With or Without Beans includes a recipe from E.L. DeGolyer, which was also published in Jane Trahey’s Neiman-Marcus cookbook, A Taste of Texas, in 1949. Below is a letter from Stanley Marcus requesting a recipe for the 1949 book, as well as DeGolyer’s recipe for chile con carne.

Stanley Marcus letter to E.L. DeGolyer Sr., 1948

Another cookoff was organized in Terlingua, Texas in 1967 by Frank X. Tolbert, Wick Fowler and Carroll Shelby. The annual event continues every first weekend in November. Tolbert was a journalist for Dallas Morning News, owner of a Dallas restaurant in the 1970s, and the author of A Bowl of Red. Today his family operates Tolbert’s Restaurant and Chili Parlor in Grapevine, Texas that features his Bowl of Red.

Gebhardt Chili Powder Company’s chili con carne recipe, 1949

For more books and archival collections about chili and cookbooks, please contact degolyer@smu.edu for assistance in DeGolyer Library.

Sources:

Everette Lee DeGolyer Sr. papers, MSS 60, Box 22, Folder 2374

Alter, Judy. Texas is chili country: a brief history with recipes. Lubbock, Texas: Texas Tech University Press, 2015. TX693.A448 2015

Cooper, Joe E. With or without beans; being a compendium to perpetuate the internationally-famous bowl of chili (Texas style) which occupies such an important place in modern civilization. Dallas: W.S. Henson, 1952. TX633.C69 1952

Gebhardt Chili Powder Company. Mexican cookery for American homes. San Antonio, Texas: Gebhardt Chili Powder Company, 1949. Pamphlet TX716.M4 M49 1949

Tolbert, Frank X. A bowl of red. Garden City, New York: Doubleday, 1972. TX633.T64 1972

Trahey, Jane. A taste of Texas. New York: Random House, 1949. TX715.T766

Tags Books, Manuscripts, Texana

DeGolyer Library Special Collections

Miniature books

Post author By Cynthia Franco
Post date August 12, 2022

Summer is a good time for library housekeeping projects due to the short downtime between busy semester schedules. In August the Broadside File Box location and Miniature books were rehoused in uniform boxes and relocated to another part of the library. At the DeGolyer Library, miniature books are 10 cm and smaller. Early miniatures were bibles, Victorian etiquette books for girls, and juvenile literature.

Miniature book, On Human Rights by Carlos Fuentes

Many of the miniatures in DeGolyer Library are from Stanley Marcus’ personal library, and were published by his Somesuch Press from the 1970s-1999. Bibliophiles appreciate the craftsmanship of these tiny volumes.

One miniature has a penny on the front cover, and the second miniature’s cover is a dollar bill

Symbol of America : an American Indian liberty was signed by the printer, Susan Acker.

For more information about the miniature book collection, please contact degolyer@smu.edu for assistance in DeGolyer Library.

Sources:

Fuentes, Carlos, and Friedensreich Hundertwasser. On Human Rights : a Speech. Somesuch Press, 1984. From the collection of Stanley Marcus, former owner. Gift of Linda Marcus, 2003. Miniature Z232.S6887 F84 1984

Goforth, Joy. Symbol of America : an American Indian Liberty. Somesuch Press, 1986. From the collection of Stanley Marcus, former owner. Gift of Linda Marcus, 2003. Miniature Z232.S6887 G64 1986

Schuster, Steve. What It’s Worth, and That’s Not Much. Quoin Press, 1978. Miniature HG357 .S35

Weber, Francis J. Up 65 Years to Larchmont. Bela Blau, 1970. Miniature Z473.D3 W42

Tags Books, Miniatures

DeGolyer Library Special Collections

The Virginian: 120th anniversary of a cowboy classic

Post author By Cynthia Franco
Post date July 13, 2022

Fans of American western culture are celebrating the 162nd birthday of author Owen Wister on July 14th. In 1902 Wister published The Virginian: a horseman of the plains, which is considered the basis for the modern western novel and film genres.

The Virginian is the story of an unnamed ranch hand in Wyoming called “The Virginian” who works his way up to foreman, courts a school teacher, wins a shootout against his enemy, and lives a long and happy life with his wife in the West. DeGolyer Library’s copy includes a letter from Owen Wister on the front pastedown presumably addressed to his publisher, and includes a postscript about “Mr. Clemons.”

Owen Wister letter to Mr. Davidson, October 22, 1901

This iconic novel has been adapted for film, stage, and a television show that aired from 1962-1970. There have been five film adaptations of The Virginian, and below is the screenplay from the 1929 film starred Gary Cooper, Walter Huston, and Mary Brian.

Following the success of The Virginian, Wister continued to write novels, short stories, and a book about his friendship with Theodore Roosevelt. DeGolyer Library has over 80 editions and impressions of The Virginian, an indication of its enduring popularity, 1902-2002.

The Virginian, Armed Forces edition, 1945

Former SMU professor Darwin Payne wrote a biography of Owen Wister in 1985 that was published by the SMU Press. For more books and archival collections about the American West, please contact degolyer@smu.edu for assistance in DeGolyer Library.

Owen Wister, chronicler of the West, gentleman of the East by Darwin Payne (1985)

Sources:

Collection of western film scripts, MSS 76

Payne, Darwin. Owen Wister, chronicler of the West, gentleman of the East. Dallas: Southern Methodist University Press, 1985.

Wister, Owen. The Virginian: a horseman of the plains. New York: Macmillan, 1902.

Wister, Owen. The Virginian. New York: Grosset and Dunlap, 1945. 8th printing.

Wister, Owen. The Virginian. New York: Editions for the Armed Forces, 1945.

Wister, Owen. The Virginian: a horseman of the plains. Cody, Wyoming : McCracken Research Library, Buffalo Bill Historical Center, 2002. 100th anniversary edition.

Tags Books, Manuscripts

DeGolyer Library Special Collections

Navy Veterans in DeGolyer Library Collections

Post author By Cynthia Franco
Post date November 9, 2021

America honors military veterans every year on November 11. The day was first observed as “Armistice Day” in 1919 by President Wilson, and in 1954 the federal holiday became known as Veterans Day to honor veterans of all wars. Manuscript and photograph collections of American military veterans can be found in DeGolyer Library, and below are two examples.

BLACKIE SHERROD (1919-2016) was a renowned Dallas sportswriter who served in the Navy during World War II in the Pacific Theater. Sherrod wrote for Our Navy under the name “Black Sherrod” from 1944-1947. The magazine’s editor wrote to him early in his writing career “you’ve got a hell of a lot of ability for an amateur and you certainly ought to spend the rest of your free and waking moments developing your talents. In brief—I think you can write.”

William Grady Proctor (1924-2003) served in the Navy during World War II and the Korean War. Here is a letter written by William to his wife Jean in Colma, California describing his duties on board the USS Hank. Proctor writes that his day as Boatswain’s mate third class is filled with refueling and repairing boats. The letter is dated May 2, 1951, when the USS Hank was 65 miles from shore at the 39th parallel.

Ship newsletters and daily agendas are also included in Proctor’s collection. For more correspondence between William and Jean from 1944-1951, visit the DeGolyer Library.

Please contact degolyer@smu.edu for questions about archival collections in DeGolyer Library.

Sources:

Blackie Sherrod papers, MSS 0109

William Grady Proctor and Jean Castillo Proctor correspondence and other material, A2002.0035

Tags Manuscripts

DeGolyer Library Special Collections

135 years of the State Fair of Texas

Post author By Cynthia Franco
Post date September 20, 2021

The State Fair of Texas begins its 135^th year this week in Dallas. In 1886 it was originally called the Dallas State Fair and Exposition, and by 1905 the annual event at Fair Park became the State Fair of Texas. The pandemic did not allow a full fair experience in 2020, but it wasn’t the first time Texans missed their annual celebration. The fair was cancelled in 1918 and 1942-1945 due to war, and in 1935 to prepare for the Texas Centennial exposition in 1936. This year promises to bring back exhibits, entertainment, college football, and great food.

DeGolyer Library has books, photographs, and manuscript collections relating to the State Fair of Texas. Our large cookbook collection includes annual cookbooks of winning recipes:

Memorabilia can be found in the George W. Cook Dallas/Texas manuscripts and artifacts collection. Here is a sample of the opening day pins, employee and guest badges, and programs:

State Fair of Texas programs

Dozens of tickets from the George W. Cook Dallas/Texas manuscripts and artifacts collection have been digitized. Photographs and postcards related to Fair Park are also available in the George W. Cook Dallas/Texas Image Collection. Photographer Lynn Lennon documented the State Fair in the 1980s and her work is available in our digital collection.

[Swing ride, State Fair of Texas], Lynn Lennon photographs, Ag2002.1405

Please contact degolyer@smu.edu for questions about State Fair of Texas materials in DeGolyer Library.

Sources:

George W. Cook Dallas/Texas manuscripts and artifacts, MSS 123. Finding aid available at https://legacy.lib.utexas.edu/taro/smu/00307/smu-00307.html

George W. Cook Dallas/Texas image collection, Ag2014.0011. Finding aid available at https://legacy.lib.utexas.edu/taro/smu/00306/smu-00306.html

Lynn Lennon photographs, Ag2002.1405. Digital Collection. Finding aid available at http://legacy.lib.utexas.edu/taro/smu/00375/smu-00375.html

State Fair of Texas prize winning recipes. Dallas, 1974. Gift of Jiaan Powers, 2009. TX715.P433 1974

State Fair of Texas prize winning recipes. Dallas, 1986. Gift of George Anne Myers, 2006. TX715.P433 1986

State Fair of Texas prize winning recipes. Dallas, 1993. Gift of George Anne Myers, 2006. TX715.P433 1993

Tags Manuscripts, Photography, Texana

DeGolyer Library Special Collections

HemisFair ’68

Post author By Cynthia Franco
Post date July 19, 2021

San Antonio was host to the World’s Fair from April to October in 1968, which was also the city’s 250^th anniversary. Formal planning for this international event began in 1962, and the theme was “the confluence of civilizations in the Americas.” Major corporations, organizations and twenty governments participated in providing entertainment and information pavilions near downtown San Antonio. Some structures from HemisFair ’68 are still standing today, such as the Women’s Pavilion and Tower of the Americas.

Hemisfair '68 IBM photograph — IBM pavilion promotional photograph

“Sketching a design on the face of a television-like computer display terminal is a young visitor to IBM’s Durango pavilion at HemisFair ’68. The terminal is linked electronically to a computer a few feet away. The computer, an IBM System/360 Model 30, will translate the girls’ picture into mathematical formulas and then use the information to control the operations of a Jacquard loom. The loom will weave a three inch square swatch of fabric containing the design. The girl, whose mother looks on at the loom in the background, will be given the fabric she designed.”

The Frank Duane Rosengren collection of HemisFair materials includes photographs and promotional materials for various vendor pavilions. A promotional film featuring Governor John Connally was recently added to DeGolyer Library’s digital collection.

Please contact degolyer@smu.edu for questions about this collection in DeGolyer Library.

Tags Manuscripts, Texana