This blog post was written by History Ph.D. candidate Emma Fenske. This is the final post covering former Secretary of Agriculture Ezra Taft Benson, his speeches, the Christian Right, and American agriculture politics from 1958-1961. While it might stand out that a leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had such a public religious and pro-America platform…
(Texas) A Historical Journey: Decades of the NCJW at The Texas Collection
This post was written by Grace Collins, Summer 2024 Texas Collection Intern Nestled along Bosque Boulevard in Waco, Texas, stands a grand Victorian house on 2900 Bosque, a prominent landmark in the city’s history. This stately home, built in 1926, has been the clubhouse of the Texas Federation of Women’s Clubs since 1953. Over the decades, various clubs have called…
(A&SCRC) 100 Years of “On the Trail” and “The Wind”: A Look Back at Dorothy Scarborough’s 1925 Works
This post was written by Elizabeth Rivera, Laura Semrau, Bethany Stewart, & Heidi Uhey 1925 proved to be a monumental year for Dorothy Scarborough (1878-1935), marking the publication of two distinct and influential works: her best-remembered novel, The Wind, and her first book-length contribution to folkloric studies, On the Trail of Negro Folksongs. Emily Dorothy Scarborough was the daughter of…
(Texas) Bessie Munson’s “Bless the Cook” Cookbook
This post was written by Grace Collins, a summer 2024 intern at The Texas Collection The Texas Collection is home to an impressive assortment of over five thousand cookbooks, including several rare and notable volumes. During my internship at the Texas Collection, I had the unique opportunity to work closely with these rare cookbooks, including the remarkable Bless the Cook…
“With God’s Help, Let Us Build a Prosperous, Expanding, and Free Agriculture:” American Agriculture Politics from 1958-1961 (Part 2)
This blog post was written by History Ph.D. candidate Emma Fenske. It will be featured in three parts covering former Secretary of Agriculture Ezra Taft Benson, his speeches, the Christian Right, and American agriculture politics from 1958-1961. The Communist Threat Ezra Taft Benson was given approval for his position as Secretary of Agriculture by Church president David O. McKay and…
“Sweet is the work, my God, my King” – A 2025 Update on the Hymnals Digital Collection
This post was written by Jon Snyder, Ph.D., Access Services Coordinator in the Arts & Special Collections Research Center Hymnals and hymnbooks have been intricately tied to the tradition of church music since the early days of the printing press. At Baylor University, the Arts & Special Collections Research Center has assembled an extensive collection of over 1,600 distinct hymnals,…
“With God’s Help, Let Us Build a Prosperous, Expanding, and Free Agriculture:” American Agriculture Politics from 1958-1961 (Part 1)
This blog post was written by History Ph.D. candidate Emma Fenske. It will be featured in three parts covering former Secretary of Agriculture Ezra Taft Benson, his speeches, the Christian Right, and American agriculture politics from 1958-1961. Within the Baylor Collections of Political Materials, housed at the W. R. Poage Library, the Hyde H. Murray papers feature three boxes of…
(BCPM) Picture it: Texas 1973 … Lane Denton and Television Censorship in the Lone Star State
This blog post was written by graduate assistant Aaron Ramos, a master’s student in the History Department. We are excited to announce that the Lane Denton papers are currently in processing! This collection will be of interest to students and scholars of the 1970s. Denton, an alumnus of Baylor University, witnessed many significant events as he represented McLennan County in…
(BCPM) Waco’s War on Poverty: The Political Responses of a Community
This blog post was composed by former graduate assistant Emma Fenske, a Ph.D. student in the History Department. On January 8, 1964, Lyndon B. Johnson announced a program that would become known as the War on Poverty. In his presidential address to Congress, Johnson highlighted that poverty was a significant problem within the United States, one that need to be…
(A&SCRC) Baylor’s Florence Nightingale Letters: How the School of Nursing Came to Hold A Piece of the Legacy of “the Lady with the Lamp” – And How You Can View Them Online
The nursing profession’s ties to Baylor date to 1909, when a diploma program was established at what is now known as the Baylor University Medical Center. Over the past century-plus, nursing education has been an integral part of the Baylor story, through decades of partnership with the Waco campus, the BUMC, and the present-day Louise Herrington School of Nursing in…