THF is pleased to announce that the second biennial Michael C. Duda Preservation Awards will take place on April 30th at the San Antonio Botanical Garden. This event and the awards honor the memory of architect and former Texas Historical Foundation Board Member Michael C. Duda, who passed away in 2019.

Focusing on impactful preservation, the awards recognize organizations that have a sustained track record of work to save historic places in Texas. THF will recognize the best of the best of those efforts by awarding the top four organizations with awards of $100,000, $30,000, $20,000, and $10,000 to be applied towards the completion of their architectural preservation projects.

In 2024, four organizations received recognition at the inaugural Michael C. Duda Preservation Awards for their outstanding commitment to historic preservation over a sustained period. The winners included the Friends of Wheelock School House in Wheelock, the Flower Hill Center in Austin, the Chisholm Trail Heritage Museum in Cuero, and the Rutherford B. H. Yates Museum in Houston.

The impact of the awards on the four organizations above has been substantial. Friends of the Wheelock School House Vice-President Rena Frank stated that the award "validated years of community effort and affirmed that the history we are working to preserve matters—not only to us, but to the greater story of Texas."

Sponsorships and tickets for the 2026 event are now available.

Dr Pepper Museum received a grant to restore and improve accessibility to the 1906 Artesian Manufacturing & Bottling Company building. The project represents the final steps in a multi-year restoration effort, and includes meticulous reconstruction of plaster facade elements and repair of original wooden windows and doors.

Norma Schreiner’s memoir, "Eight Miles from the Front Gate: My Life on the Y.O. Ranch with Charles Schreiner III," is a romp through Texas history, ranching lore, and the antics and accomplishments of the late Texas Historical Foundation board member herself. Sometimes self-styled as Norma Inman Cude Schreiner Schmelling (“after marrying her third or fourth husband, depending on how you counted them”), Norma described her story as a cross between Gone with the Wind and Giant, with a touch of Citizen Kane. That description fits.

Through the prism of her years as Mrs. Charles Schreiner III, Norma’s life unfolds as if she were destined from childhood to become chatelaine of the legendary Y.O. Ranch in the Texas Hill Country. Along the way, she guides the reader...

THF Director Juan Uribe has published Echoes of El Paso Del Río Del Norte, a book rooted in one of the earliest surviving documentary records of life along the Río del Norte under Spanish rule. The project began in 1999 when Uribe acquired a collection of approximately 350 original 18th-century manuscripts in El Paso. Recognizing their significance, Uribe donated the entire collection to the University of Texas at El Paso Library’s Special Collections Department for preservation and study. Approximately one-third of the documents were translated and form the foundation of the book, revealing daily life through wills, land claims, inventories, and petitions. Together, these records illuminate early community, cultural coexistence, and the origins of property rights in the El Paso region. The book release is scheduled for February 2026, and will include a presentation on February 13th at the El Paso Museum of History.

David Preziosi
Texas Historical Foundation President & CEO

Jesús F. “Frank” de la Teja
Professor Emeritus of History, Texas State University

Donald S. Frazier
Texas Center at Schreiner University

The Texas Historical Foundation is proud to see its leadership well represented at the Texas State Historical Association’s Annual Meeting this March, a premier gathering for everyone passionate about Texas history. THF President & CEO David Preziosi and Directors Frank de la Teja and Don Frazier will take part in engaging sessions throughout the conference, sharing their expertise on topics ranging from urban history and education to borderlands culture and sporting traditions. Our members may also recognize former THF Directors Carol Lipscomb and Ken Wise among the distinguished participants. These appearances highlight THF’s ongoing commitment to scholarship, preservation, and thoughtful conversation about Texas’s past and future. Full session details and schedules are available on the TSHA website.

Felicia Foster, Port Aransas

Kent & Vicki Newsom, Dallas

Amy Hammons, Austin

Center Point Historical Alliance, Pearlans
Coastal Watch Association, Ingleside
Friends of the Aldredge House, Dallas
Jefferson Historical Museum
Larry McMurty Literary Center, Archer City
Longview Public Library
McMurry University, Abilene
National Medal of Honor Museum, Arlington
National WASP WWII Museum, Sweetwater
North Texas Masonic Historical Museum & Library Foundation, Plano
Red River Valley Museum, Vernon
Tarrant County College, Hurst
Dickinson Music Enrichment Center
See all Institution-level Partners

The Lewis and Dilworth Family Fund
Lewis Fisher
James Harkins
Michael & Carol Marchant
James & Jessica Minmier
Dean Peyton
Harold Prasatik
Dale Sellers
Elizabeth & Jerry Susser
Cynthia Toles
Lane Transou
Shannon Wilson Callewart