These images are from our San Antonio Light Photograph Collection (MS 359), Zintgraff Studio Photograph Collection (MS 355), and General Photograph Collection (MS 362).  They document the preservation of regional architecture and the transformation of a neglected urban area into a vibrant craft and recreational center.  

Mayor Maury Maverick (right) gives novelist Thomas Mann and his wife a tour of the La Villita restoration project, February 1940. (MS 359: L-2357-A)

La Villita (to the left of St. John’s Lutheran Church) when it was a middle-class residential neighborhood, circa 1876. (MS 362: 082-0130)

Some of the debris left behind by former occupants of the La Villita houses, 1939. (MS 355: Z-1386-A-2)

National Youth Administration (NYA) workers form bricks for the plaza and walkways of La Villita, December 1939. (MS 359: L-2317-H)

Henry Salazar constructs a facsimile of an original window shutter in NYA arts and crafts shop, January 1940. (MS 359: L-2340-G)

One of the large oak trees brought in from the surrounding countryside, December 1939. (MS 355: Z-1386-A-6)

NYA workers construct kiln for ceramic studio. (MS 355: Z-1386-A-5)

Priscilla Camacho, in NYA ceramic studio at La Villita, March 1941. (MS 359: L-2690-A)

Oralia Flores (left) and Stella Toscano, NYA students, work on hooked rug in new weaving building at La Villita, September 1940. (MS 359: L-2690-A)

Bird’s-eye views of La Villita from the Smith-Young Tower (now Tower Life Building). Left photo (MS 359: L-2203-P) shows the area in July 1939, when the project was announced. Right photo (MS 359: L-2203-B), shows it in May 1941, after completion of the restoration of the historic structures. Construction continues on Boliver Hall (center), a new community building funded by the Carnegie Corporation.

Maury and Terrell Maverick dance at an event on the newly completed “Juarez Plaza” in La Villita, 1941. (MS 362: 096-0399)

Photograph of rock art in Panther Cave. MS 413 Zintgraff (Jim) Rock Art Collection. UTSA Libraries Special Collections.

Manuscript Collections:

New:

• MS 413 Zintgraff (Jim) Rock Art Collection, 6 boxes of photographs, negatives, slides, and transparencies taken by Jim Zintgraff of Native American rock art in the Lower Pecos region of Southwest Texas, Mexico, and New Mexico.
• MS 412 Caragonne (Alexander) papers, 7 linear feet of materials from this San Antonio-based architect who founded the firm Reyna/Caragonne Architects.  Includes drawings, sketches, slides, a copy of his work Texas Rangers, and an unpublished manuscript on teaching architecture.

Additions:

• MS 404 National Association for Bilingual Education records, 22 boxes of NABE records from 1977-2009 containing correspondence, administrative files, legislative lobbying materials, audio-visual materials, and materials relating to the administration of its conferences.
• MS 405 Chapa (Francisco A.) Family papers, .1 linear foot consisting of copy of Ernest Marks naturalization certificate, 1856; two news clippings; and two bumper stickers used to demonstrate against destruction of the Rivas house.

Rare Books: 15 titles [April Title List]

Highlights

• La Cocinera de Todo el Mundo… (1843-44), published by Juan Nepomuceno del Valle in Puebla, Mexico (2 volumes bound as 1).

The vast majority of 19th century Mexican cookbooks were published in Mexico City. However, this title, issued just 12 years after the very first cookbook published in Mexico, shows that not all culinary publications emerged from the capital.

As was usual for this time period, La Cocinera de Todo el Mundo orients itself towards Europe, advertising its inclusion of the best recipes at the least cost from the cuisines of Spain, France, Italy, and England, as well as the recipes of Mexico. Among its hundreds of recipes is the ubiquitous mole poblano and more than two dozen variations of salsa. Chapters on carving and alcoholic drinks are also included, as well as a discussion of seasonal foods, organized month-by-month. Tomatoes are particularly recommended for January, while March is the time for garlic. This seasonal guide is especially interesting because the cookbook was published in Puebla, rather than Mexico City, suggesting that the recommendations may be specific to the geography and agriculture of its region of origin.

Digital Content:

• Texas Folklife Festival
• Mario Marcel Salas
• San Antonio Chapter of Links
• Sterling Houston
• Gebhardt Mexican Foods Wining Ways with Hot Dogs Commercial

On the local front, there are a variety of materials found within UTSA Special Collections that document Jewish life in San Antonio, including oral histories, photographic materials and manuscript collections.

Ben Adler, owner of Adler Food Market at 2002 Broadway, 1933, MS 359

Oral Histories:

The Institute of Texan Culture’s extensive oral history collection contains several interviews with Jewish Texans, including  Tillye Hahn Adler.  Ms. Adler was born in San Antonio in 1894 as the daughter of a Jewish immigrant who peddled goods on foot for years before opening San Antonio’s finest grocery and delicatessen.  In the interview, Adler tells of her life in the food business. She married groceryman Benjamin Adler and the couple took over her parents’ business and continued catering to the most socially prominent San Antonio families of the early 1900s.

Exterior of Temple Beth-El, San Antonio, Texas, circa 1877, MS 362

Photographs:

The 4 primary photograph collections include over a 150 images documenting Jews and Jewish life in Texas.  Quite of a few of the images concern San Antonio’s  Temple Beth-El, which was founded in 1874 and is one of the oldest synagogues in South Texas.  The digital repository includes several images of the Temple, as well as portraits of 19th century temple presidents and rabbis from 1897-1976.

The Councillor newsletter cover, December 1955, MS 50

Manuscript Collections:

From collecting efforts that were part of Archives for Research on Women and Gender project in the 1990s, Special Collections maintains several manuscript collections that document Jewish women’s organizations, including:

• Bella Glasberg Papers regarding San Antonio Jewish women’s organizations, 1936-1972 - Bella Glasberg was an active member of several Jewish women’s organizations in San Antonio.
• National Council of Jewish Women, San Antonio Section, Records, 1907-2006 - dedicated in the spirit of Judaism to furthering human welfare in the Jewish and general communities on a local, national and international level.
• San Antonio Chapter of Hadassah Records, 1921-2011 - a non-profit Zionist organization supporting the improvement of health services in the Jewish homeland of Israel.
• Esther Vexler Papers, 1950-2008 - Esther Vexler did volunteer work with Jewish charities and was the first female president of the Jewish Federation of San Antonio.

Carmela Rodriguez intern files, Amistad Sin Frontera mural in Del Rio, Texas, 1993

Carmela Rodriguez intern files, Untitled mural at Holly St. power plant, San Antonio, Texas, 1993

The research conducted by interns eventually became the basis for content in many of the Institute’s productions, publications, exhibits, educational activities and audiovisuals. For example, Tim Davis, Dan Gelo, and Michael Stone’s research aided the Institute of Texan Cultures’ reconstruction of a turn of the century adobe house on the Institute’s grounds. Other notable intern projects included field studies of Vietnamese refugees in Texas, Tejano and Conjunto music in South Texas, Hill Country dance halls, and Trinidadian culture in Houston.

Shari Powell intern files, Crider, Texas rodeo, 1984

Shari Powell intern files, Crider Cafe, Crider, Texas, 1984

The Student Intern Research Collection includes 11 linear feet of memoranda, personal and administrative correspondence, oral history recordings and transcripts, research files, research reports and photographic materials pertaining to independent student research conducted for the Institute of Texan Cultures from 1983-1992.

A finding aid for the collection  is now available on line.

Juggling Names poem, February 4, 1980, Naomi Shihab Nye Papers, MS 159

Naomi Shihab Nye

Nye has has published writings for children, the young adult novel Habibi and several collections of original poetry, including Different Ways to Pray, 19 Varieties of Gazelle: Poems of the Middle East,  A Maze Me: Poems for Girls (originally titled Sweet Sifter in Time) and Honeybee. Some of her poetry compilations include I Feel A Little Jumpy Around You: Paired Poems by Men & Women, The Tree is Older Than You Are, and Is This Forever, Or What?: Poems & Paintings from Texas.

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Draft of “Working the Stone” page 13 with edits, Bryce Milligan Papers, MS 169

Bryce Milligan

Milligan is the author of five collections of poetry: Daysleepers & Other Poems , Litany Sung at Hell’s Gate , From Inside the Tree , Working the Stone ), Alms for Oblivion andLost and Certain of It ). Milligan is also the author of four historical novels and short story collections for young adults, including With the Wind, Kevin Dolan , which received the Texas Library Association’s “Lone Star Book for Young Adults” award.

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“Valentine’s Day” with edits, Bárbara Renaud González Papers, MS 321

Bárbara Renaud González

Bárbara Renaud González is a free-lance writer, journalist and activist. Her book, Golondrina, Why Did You Leave Me? was published in 2009 making her the first Chicana author to be published by UT Press. Since 1997, González has focused on her writing, which includes journalism, essays, investigative articles, opinions, poetry and fiction.

The Calendar, May 21 1982

Published beginning in 1982, the Calendar served as the communication conduit for the San Antonio Gay Alliance (SAGA), established by Michael Stevens, former UTSA professor turned gay activist. The publication began its six-year run as a diminutive bi-weekly periodical that fit easily into the back pocket on pair of jeans. That came in handy as the Calendar’s “Community Directory” listed local queer businesses and organizations and advertisements for  gay and lesbian bars  pointed the way to the city’s thriving queer social scene. Short articles and editorials covered news and events of interest to gays and lesbians. As the 80s marched on and  AIDS  gripped San Antonio’s LGBTQ community, the disease, its casualties, and attempts to mitigate the destruction it wreaked, dominated the pages of the Calendar. Sadly, AIDS decimated SAGA’s board, taking the lives of eight board members including Stevens and ending  publication of the Calendar. [1]

Between the years of 1988 and 1991, several queer pubs were available in local bars, clubs, and businesses: Bar Talk (San Antonio Tavern Guild), River City Empty Closet, and Out in San Antonio were born to keep San Antonio’s queer community informed and entertained. Most were short-lived, sometimes lasting only a few months.

The Marquise, July 1995

In 1992 The Marquise cranked out its first volume and began connecting San Antonio’s queer residents to the rest of the LGBTQ world. The publication covered news stories from coast to coast and often featured headlines from abroad in its “International News Roundup.” Local happenings were reported by Gene Elder, contributing writer and Archivist at the Happy Foundation Archives. The Marquise tackled issues important to the city’s LGBTQ community: gay marriage, lesbians and gays in the military, hate crimes, queer parenting, AIDS, and anti-gay legislation. While the Marquise did carry advertisements for local gay and lesbian bars, activism and serious news stories supplanted tales of  drag divas and bar features so popular in local publications during the 1980s.

The Marquise ceased publishing in 1997 and once again, local queer serials came in fits and spurts, a trend that continued through the early 2000s. One of the  periodicals briefly seen on shelves around the city was  San Antonio Community News. It’s approach was local and regional, showcasing news and events around San Antonio and throughout Texas.

San Antonio Community News, December 1999

While UTSA’s Digital GLBTQ Publications collection features primarily San Antonio periodicals, issues of queer serials from elsewhere are also represented. Several issues of One magazine, the nation’s first homosexual publication, are housed at the Happy Foundation Archives and are part of the UTSA’s Digital collection.

One, July 1955

Ongoing digitization of  GLBTQ materials will facilitate wider access to these collections than has previously been available. Donations of records and papers from local and regional LGBTQ organizations and individuals, such as Lollie Johnson, the Rainbow Garden Club, San Antonio Lesbian Gay Assembly, and the Texas Lesbian Conference,  augment UTSA Special Collections digital holdings of LGBTQ publications and offer research opportunities for scholars, students, and members of the community.

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[1] Toby Johnson, “Michael Steve[n]s & Patrick Kerr and San Antonio’s Gay Community in the early 1980s” [http://tobyjohnson.com/michaelstevens.html], accessed April 17, 2013.

[2] One: the Homosexual Magazine, Volume III, No. 7 (July 1995), 2.

Farm Homes In-Doors and Out-Doors (1882) by E. H. Leland. UTSA Libraries Special Collections.

Manuscript Collections:

New:

• MS 409 Petri (Lucie) papers, .5 linear feet of scrapbooks containing photographs, WOSL materials, and newsclippings
• MS 408 Rogers (Charles) photograph collection, 4 inches of photographic prints and slides
• MS 407 Duggan (Margaret) papers, 1 box of WOSL materials, photographs, and newsclippings

Additions:

• MS 108 National Coalition of 100 Black Women San Antonio Chapter records, 1 box of Reports, programs and administrative records; 4.38 GB (65 files) electronic records
• MS 022 Women’s Overseas Service League records, 1 envelope of             materials from the Omaha Unit
• MS 127 HemisFair Memorabilia and Memories Collection, 3 inches of photographs, newspaper clippings and ephemera from HemisFair ’68 donated by Ann Nelson

University Archives:

Additions:

• UA 07.  UTSA. College of Business Records, 1 box of minutes and agendas of the University Assembly; Council on Graduate Education Minutes; 1991 graduation list.

Rare Books: 11 titles [March Title List]

Highlights

UTSA Special Collections holds several dozen books of houseplans documenting home design from about 1880 to 1945, with the bulk of materials from 1900-1930. Many of these later materials are actual catalogs, from which readers could order blueprints and even ready-packaged building materials, but as illustrated by two of this month’s acquisitions, architect-authors in the 1880s still placed a great deal of emphasis on personally consulting and architect to make specific plans to fit clients’ needs.

• Cottages : or hints on economical building, containing twenty-four plates of medium and low cost houses, contributed by different New York architects  (1884), compiled and edited by Arnold William Brunner.
• Farm homes : in-doors and out-doors (1882) by E.H. Leland.

Arnold Brunner draws a medical comparison in the first chapter of Cottages, writing, “It is by no means claimed that the drawings here given are sufficient for constructing the houses…Sensible people, when they are ill, consult a physician and not an apothecary; and when they wish to plan a house, they take the advice of an architect and not a builder”(8)  Although he emphasizes economy, Brunner is clearly writing for a wealthy class of Americans who can afford “country houses,” and desire libraries, billiard rooms, and indoor plumbing.  Despite saying that it is for homeowners “to say what they want; and how it is to be done, is the architect’s province”(9) Brunner provides a quite of bit of information in a small space on both large decisions such as selecting a site and building material, and small considerations such as the proper way to hang a door and the proper dimensions of certain pipes necessary for indoor toilets. The many pages of advertisements  for books on architecture, drainage, and interior design, which might suggest that Cottages‘ target audience might have included provincial architects as well as their clients.

Writing two years earlier, E.H. Leland doesn’t even include drawings of house layouts or exterior prospects. Farm Homes, in fact, is less a book about designing farm houses than about establishing an ideally arranged and managed farm household, with chapters on interior furnishings, the butter and cheese making, flower and vegetable gardens, and even one on the “Rearing and Training of Children.”  Like Brunner, Leland clearly expects his readers to consult an architect, or at least a carpenter, but he also strongly encourages householders, and especially women, to involve themselves in the design, saying that women, “they, who live so constantly within doors, should have a controlling voice in all interior arrangements” because “they will be naturally more thoughtful…of all details pertaining to comfort, and the easier carrying on of household routine…the one best place for the pantry-window, or the extra door that saves so many steps for tired feet”(12).

 In early 1948, the Fiesta Association announced that a new parade would be added to the list of Fiesta events.  The addition was made in response to numerous requests from people who remembered the popular illuminated automobile parades held during Fiesta in 1911 and 1924.  Reynolds Andricks, parade chairman, found participants among various civic and social organizations, commercial establishments, and the military.  The parade would be called simply “Illuminated Night Parade” and serve as the Fiesta grand finale.  Over 100,000 spectators came that evening, insuring that it would be held again the following year.   With a growing list of participants, the Fiesta Association announced in 1951 that the night parade would have a new name:  Fiesta Flambeau.   

 These photographs are from The San Antonio Light Photograph Collection (MS 359).  They were taken on April 24, 1948 by Light staff photographer Robert Jean Osborne.  Special Collections also houses the San Antonio Light staff photographs of Fiesta Flambeau each subsequent year through 1992.

ROTC cadets carry torch sparklers to light the way for marchers. (MS 359: L-3560-B-1)

Joske’s of Texas float featuring a helicopter pilot roping a Texas steer. (MS 359: L-3560-C-1)

Decorated convertibles going west on E. Houston Street. (MS 359: L-3560-D-3)

Painting and Decorating Contractors of America float. (MS 359: L-3560-C-3)

Ferd Staffel Feed Company float. (MS 359: L-3560-C-5)

Army and Air Force float with costumed soldiers representing the fighting men of 1776, 1836, and 1948. (MS 359: L-3560-C-6)

Boysville entry with a miniature storm-tossed galleon. (MS 359: L-3560-C-4)

Former U.S. Representative Charlie Gonzalez at Tuesday’s event

This past Tuesday UTSA’s College of Public Policy’s presented a lecture by former Congressman Charles A. Gonzalez as part of their Dean’s Lecture Series.  The lecture was be followed by a reception cosponsored by the College of Public Policy and the UTSA Libraries, during which Mr. Gonzalez was honored for the donation of his congressional papers to UTSA Libraries Special Collections.

Mark Shelstad, Head of Special Collections and Charlie Gonzalez

The Charles (Charlie) A. Gonzalez Papers document Gonzalez’s career in the United States Congress from 1998-2012. The bulk of the collection, which measures 32 linear feet, consists of correspondence, reports, legislation and project files. The  are currently available for research at the Special Collections HemisFair Park reading room and requests to view the material can be made via our collections access request form.

For additional information, see the UTSA Libraries official announcement.

Bert Etta Davis performing with Don Albert looking on, 1980, MS 362

Bert Etta Davis started a jazz band at her high school in San Antonio.  Upon entering Prairie View A&M, she began playing for the all-male Prairie View Collegians.  Over the next few years, as the male members of the band were drafted a new all-female group was formed, the Prairie View Co-Eds, with Davis as the star soloist.  The Co-Eds officially disbanded in 1946, although a sextet, including Davis, continued performing under the name for several years. When Ernestine “Tiny” Davis took over, the band toured 14 countries as the Tiny Davis’ Hell-Divers. When Davis eventually left the combo it was to be a featured soloist in the Dinah Washington road show.

Interview with Bert Etta Davis, June 11, 1980

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Don Albert with his trumpet, MS 362

After playing with brass bands in New Orleans in the 1920s, Albert Dominique came to San Antonio from New Orleans in 1927 to play trumpet in the Troy Floyd band under the stage name Don Albert.  After a few years, and with financing from a friend, he started his own territory band. By 1932 Albert had transitioned primarily to manager and rarely played with the band.

Don Albert playing his trumpet into the KONO radio microphone, 19##, MS 362

Albert later opened the Keyhole Club, which was the first integrated nightclub in Texas, and brought in national jazz acts. Additional images related to Don Albert and his Key Hole Club can be found in our digital repository.

• Interview with Don Albert, January 15-18, 1980
• Interview with Don Albert, February 1-8, 1980

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Happy Jazz Band greeting Louis Armstrong at the San Antonio International Airport, December 1965, MS 362

The Happy Jazz Band was formed in 1962 by Jim Cullum, Sr., a clairnetist, along with his son Jim Cullum, Jr., who had taught himself to play the cornet while in high school. The pair also secured investors in 1963 to open The Landing, a  jazz club on the San Antonio Riverwalk.  After Cullum, Sr.’s passing in 1973, Cullum, Jr. assumed leadership of the band and changed the name to The Jim Cullum Jazz Band. Since 1989, performances from The Landing have been broadcast weekly on public radio as Riverwalk Jazz.

Several interviews were conducted with members of the Happy Jazz Band and the Jim Cullum Jazz Band:

• Interview with Jim Cullum, Jr.,  June 11, 1980
• Interview with Jim Cullum, Jr.,  August 12, 1986
• Interview with Mike Pittsley and Howard Elkins, July 17, 1980
• Interview with John Sheridan, June 9, 1980
• Interview with Allan Vache, June 10, 1980
• Interview with Jack Wyatt, June 11, 1980 

Notes and Sources:

• A complete list of the jazz-related oral history interviews conducted by Sterlin Holmesly can be found in the UTSA digital repository or by browsing the ITC Oral History Collection finding aid.
• Holmesly, Sterlin, “Texas Jazz Veterans: A Collection of Oral Histories” (2006). Journal of Texas Music History.

  https://digital.library.txstate.edu/handle/10877/2744

• Tucker, Sherrie. Swing Shift: “All-Girl” Bands of the 1940s, Duke University Press, 2000.
• Riverwalk Jazz Collection is available online from Stanford University Libraries Archive of Recorded Sound.