Southwestern Collection

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• Southwestern Collection

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Bronze statue of Mirabeau B. Lamar in front of the Fort Bend County courthouse in Richmond, created by Sidney B. Waugh for the Texas Centennial in 1936. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

TSHA

It is not too early to register for the 129th Annual Meeting and reserve your hotel room! We will gather from February 26 to March 1, 2025, at the Royal Sonesta Houston Galleria in Houston, Texas. Arrangements are being made for 150 speakers in more than forty sessions, as well as eight banquets and receptions, offsite tours, and several special engagements. Since 2025 is the 160th anniversary of Juneteenth, we will have a session on this significant event featuring Opal Lee. Known as the 'Grandmother of Juneteenth,' she will speak of her activism that was pivotal in establishing Juneteenth as a federal holiday. Lee's reflections on her commitment to community should inspire and educate everyone. Joining her will be renowned historians Samuel Collins III and Ed Cotham. Rooms are now available at special rates for conference attendees. For more information, or to register for the meeting, go to https://am.tsha.events/

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The TSHA applauds the achievements of Texas students who participated in the National History Day (NHD) contest held at the University of Maryland from June 9–13, 2024. These remarkable young historians, 74 in number, showcased their passion for history, demonstrated their skills in research and presentation, and represented Texas with distinction. Texas History Day (THD) students from various cities across Texas advanced through school, regional, and state contests to earn the opportunity to compete at NHD. Amid a total of approximately 2,900 students from all fifty states, international schools, and U.S. territories, the students from Texas shone brightly, impressing judges with their historical analyses and engaging presentations on "Turning Points in History."

The TSHA congratulates the following Texas students for their remarkable achievements at the NHD contest:

National 2nd Place:

• Tori White, Nimitz High School (Houston), "Red Light! Gladys West & the Global Positioning System," Senior Individual Performance.

National 4th Place:

• Aliya Ajani, Ambika Nair, Seleste Banks, and Smrithi Guddeti, The Honor Roll

• School (Sugar Land), "Invention of the Smallpox Vaccine: The Birth of Mass Vaccination," Junior Group Website.

• Nora Gillum, Dripping Springs Middle School (Dripping Springs), "Poisoned Pills: How the 1982 Tylenol Scare Became a Turning Point in Consumer Safety," Junior Individual Website.

• Felicity Fok and Zeviel Pineda, Veteran's Memorial Early College High School (Brownsville), "Exposed Wire Leads to Fire: How One Telegram Ignited America's Rise to Power," Senior Group Exhibit. [End Page 86]

National 5th Place:

• Annali Ramirez, Gabriel Ramirez, Jonathan Lewis, and Yashvir Singh Gill, E.F. Green Middle School (Houston), "From Sea to Shining Sea: The Transcontinental Railroad Redefines the Face of a Nation," Junior Group Exhibit.

• Grant Gillum, Dripping Springs High School (Dripping Springs), "Fueling Victory: How the Inch Pipelines Became a Turning Point in World War II," Senior Individual Website.

National 7th Place:

• Dalinda Hernandez, Stillman Middle School (Brownsville), "The Discovery of the Double Helix: A Turning Point in Understanding the Structure of Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA)," Junior Individual Performance.

National 8th Place:

• Lilith Shue, Young Women's Leadership Academy (San Antonio), "The Digitalization of Filmmaking: A Turning Point in Modern Storytelling," Junior Individual Website.

National 9th Place:

• Austin Thomas and Brycen Gardiner, Baytown Jr. High (Baytown), "The Box That Changed the World," Junior Group Exhibit.

Irish or Irish-American Special Award:

• Annali Ramirez, Gabriel Ramirez, Jonathan Lewis, and Yashvir Singh Gill, E.F. Green Middle School (Houston), "From Sea to Shining Sea: The Transcontinental Railroad Redefines the Face of a Nation," Junior Group Exhibit.

Junior Outstanding Entry from Texas:

• Mia Espinosa and Theodore Espinosa, Stell Middle School (Brownsville), "The Creation of the Hydrogen Bomb: A Threatening Existence for Humanity," Junior Group Website.

Senior Outstanding Entry from Texas:

• Shrivam Tripathi, Swathi Paramehwar, and Siya Tripathi, Plano East Sr. High (Plano), "Operation Mincemeat: Saving Lives from Beyond the Grave," Senior Group Documentary.

The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History displayed 58 exhibits on June 12, one from each affiliate. Texas was represented by Rece Barlow's Junior Individual Exhibit, "Through the Eyes of Nimitz- The Battle...