A conference just for #Hispanicwomen ? In Michigan? Not Texas or California or New Mexico? Inspiring and, to my mind, wonderful! Hispanics are a growing force in the United States. It is not surprising that universities around the country are taking an interest in their Hispanic populations. Although there is still a significant drop-out […]
The massive statue of Sam Houston on Interstate 45 just south of Huntsville is known by everyone who drives by. His sculptor deserves to be better known. The joy of living in a small town is that even the most famous artists-in-residence are as pleasant and approachable as your favorite uncle. David Adickes, the […]
City folk and country folk are two entirely different kinds of people. We live out in the woods, seven miles north of the small town of Huntsville, population 30,000+ depending on whether you count the college students and the criminals. This is, after all, the prison capital of Texas where we have more prison units […]
My presentation for the Gálvez Symposium dealt with Bernardo de Gálvez’ leadership and the lessons he learned from his victories and defeats. I believe the same concepts can be applied to the young men who played for the National Men’s Basketball Championship last night. What lessons can we, and they, take away from the thrilling, […]
Saturday’s Gálvez Symposium was a tremendous learning experience. Dr. Moramay Lopez-Alonso and Dr. Gonzalo Quintero Saravia both emphasized the impact of the Enlightenment on Bernardo de Gálvez and the people of the time. As Viceroy of New Spain, Bernardo de Gálvez was considered by the Creole elite of the city to be a threat to […]
Don’t you just love it when a plan comes together? The terms “Smashing success” “Beyond our wildest dreams” “Better than we could have hoped for” are just a few of the heady feelings the Granaderos y Damas de Gálvez of Houston are experiencing this morning. The Rice Symposium went off – we can now definitely […]
Over the last three months, our Granaderos y Damas have been planning our Symposium in honor of Bernardo de Gálvez. For our Keynote speaker, we had hoped to secure the services of a scholar named Dr. Thomas E. Chávez. He is the author of a book titled Spain and the Independence of the United States, a […]
And once again, Bernardo de Gálvez offers us insights on learning from past mistakes. One wishes our current would-be-leaders might learn to do the same. Yesterday, we talked about Bernardo’s victories over the Apache and the British. He had also had numerous defeats. He had learned about the terrible feeling of a crushing rout during […]
Only success in adversity makes a real leader. In September of 1770, Bernardo de Gálvez stood on the banks of the Pecos River with 125 of his soldiers. Low on food, almost out of supplies, they staggered with exhaustion. Even their horses, the ones they rode, heavy laden with armor and spears, and the […]
Change is always difficult for a society. As we look forward to the upcoming Presidential elections, we all wonder what the future will bring. The only thing we know for sure is that there will be change. Are people’s attitudes and opinions going to change with the arrival […]