For Texans Too

At the Alamo I meet almost as many people from Texas as from elsewhere.  At first I was puzzled, as I would be should I meet a significant number of New York residents at the Statue of Liberty.  Then I began to notice that, many times, I was meeting the whole family.

Finally, the mystery was solved when someone explained that Texas public school students get a heavy dose of Texas history in the fourth grade and again in the seventh.  Obviously, a by-product of this instruction is a trip to the Alamo for mom, dad, and all the siblings.

As the San Antonio River bubbles forth from the Blue Hole on the campus of the University of the Incarnate Word, year after year a steady stream of visitors to the Alamo is flowing from the Texas public education system.

The future of the Alamo as a tourist destination now seems bright, as we end a period of over one-hundred years of ownership by the Daughters of the Republic of Texas (DRT) and begin a period of ownership by the State of Texas.

Fortunately, the Alamo will still be managed by the DRT, whose caring and knowledgeable members provide a broad range of services to the people of Texas, free of charge, and often without public recognition.

Therefore, may I say thank you from all of us to our fourth and seventh grade teachers who include a word or two about the fine work of the DRT, in their Texas history lesson plan.