Annual Membership Meeting Scheduled

Plan to attend the Brazos Heritage Society’s Annual Membership Meeting on Saturday, February 22, 2014, at 2:00 PM at the Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History, Brazos Center, 3232 Briarcrest Drive, Bryan, Texas.

At the commencement of the meeting we are fortunate to have a special presentation by Randy Haynes, a Project Planner with the City of Bryan and a former officer with the Brazos Heritage Society, who will speak about “Preservation Partners.”

In addition, during this meeting we will hear reports on the activities of the Society.  Finally, we will elect new officers of the Society for the following year. 

If you are interested in serving in any capacity, please come to the meeting.  If you have any questions about serving as an officer, please feel free to call me at 979-822-1273 or email me at dan.beto@gmail.com.

Following the meeting refreshments will be served.  Please come to the meeting, learn about the importance of preserving our heritage, and enjoy the fellowship of other members.  Feel free to ask friends who are not members to attend.

I look forward to seeing you on February 22.

                                                                                                Dan Beto, President 

New Exhibit at the Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History

From January 30 to May 3, 2014, the Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History, in cooperation with the Monitor Center at the Mariners’ Museum of Newport News, Virginia, will host the special exhibit “Monitor & Virginia: Ironclads at War.”

Captivating artifacts, models, art, and photographs will tell the stories of breakthroughs in ironclad ship design, the sailors who manned them, and the famous naval battle between the USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia.

On Thursday, January 30, 2014, at 6:00 PM, there will be an opening presentation by Dr. Wayne Smith, Professor at Texas A&M University, followed by a reception and gallery viewing.

Plan to attend this informative and educational event.

Additional information about the Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History may be found at the following link: www.brazosvalleymuseum.org.

And to learn more about the Monitor Center at the Mariners’ Museum of Newport News, visit: http://www.marinersmuseum.org/uss-monitor-center/uss-monitor-center.

Texas Insights

The Texas State Historical Association, in cooperation with its partners, offers Texas Insights, an electronic newsletter designed to share opportunities for Texas teachers and students while promoting effective instructional practices.

The January 2014 (Vol. IV, Issue 3) edition of this electronic publication may be read by going to: http://www.teachingtexas.org/enewsletter/January2014.

To access previous issues of Texas Insights, go to the following link: http://www.teachingtexas.org/enewsletter.

For more information about the Teaching Texas program, visit: http://www.teachingtexas.org/.

Dorothy Van Riper, Rest in Peace

We were saddened to learn that longtime Brazos Heritage Society member and supporter Dorothy Van Riper unexpectedly passed away on January 2, 2014.  Her obituary on the Callaway-Jones Funeral Home website reads as follows:

Dorothy Van Riper, 83, of Bryan, passed away Thursday January 2, 2014.  Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Monday, January 6, 2014, at Callaway-Jones Funeral Home in Bryan. Funeral services are set for 10 a.m. Tuesday, January 7, at First Presbyterian Church in Bryan.

Dorothy was born July 10, 1930, in Atlanta, Georgia, to Roy and Anne Dodd.  She has been an active member of the Bryan College Station community.  Dorothy taught many years and retired as a professor at Texas A&M University.  She was an active member in the First Presbyterian Church in Bryan, and she enjoyed the opera, fine arts, and traveling the world.

She was preceded in death by her son Michael Samuelson, and her parents.

Survivors include her husband, Dr. Paul Van Riper, of Bryan; grandson, Justin Samuelson, of Colorado; great grandchildren, Natalie, Dillon, and Addison Samuelson; and by Cody and Jessica Hassell.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent in her memory to the Bubba Moore Memorial Group at 100 West Brookside, Bryan, TX 77801, or to First Presbyterian Church at 1100 Carter Creek Pkwy, Bryan, TX 77802.

Dorothy and her husband were active members of the Brazos Heritage Society and over the years generously contributed to the financial wellbeing of the organization.  She will be remembered for her delightfully engaging personality and her many civic contributions.

Our deepest sympathies are extended to Paul and the other members of her family.

                                                                                                Dan Beto, President

New Texas Ranger Hall of Fame Newsletter

The January 2014 issue of the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame Newsletter is now available online. 

This informative publication may be accessed by going to the following link: http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?ca=cea74f4b-34a4-4d96-960e-877494025e13&c=a49bf330-3379-11e3-b74a-d4ae52986b44.

Wildflower Wire Online

The January 2014 issue of Wildflower Wire, the monthly e-newsletter for members and friends of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin, Texas, is now available.  

This publication includes upcoming events, Center news, and membership specials.

To access this newsletter, visit the following link: http://hosted.verticalresponse.com/225122/fb784e8a9a/606000257/549c00d3f0/.

Electronic Newsletter Receives Many Visitors

At year end 2013 Heritage Brazos, the Brazos Heritage Society’s electronic newsletter, had been visited a total of 14,929 times since it was created in May 2011.

People living in the following countries, listed in alphabetical order, have visited our blog: Albania, Algeria, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belarus, Benin, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cote d’Ivoire, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Finland, France, Gabon, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Namibia, Netherlands, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sir Lanka, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, Togo, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America, Venezuela, and Vietnam.

The top ten countries visiting our electronic newsletter are as follows: United States of America (11,262); Russia (674); China (352); Germany (277); France (188); United Kingdom (119); Poland (102); Malaysia (86); Canada (78); and Ukraine (57).