General Admission: $200 per attendee • Educator/Student Admission: $150 per attendee
Ticket includes full access to the two-day conference and seating at the Texas Trailblazers Awards Luncheon.
The Conference on Texas: Origin Stories and the Texas Trailblazers Award Luncheon is presented by the Elizabeth Huth Coates Charitable Foundation.
The Texas Trailblazers Award Luncheon will honor the esteemed Steves Family for legacy family history and philanthropy. The Steves family is iconic in the history of San Antonio, having established Steves & Sons, Inc. 150 years ago, providing the underpinning lumber and welcoming doors in most major buildings in the city, including the Witte Museum. Today, the family thrives in many business arenas and are influential in politics and philanthropy throughout the city. The family has been involved with the Witte for generations, most recently with Edward Steves as a Trustee and currently as a member of the Witte’s Collection Committee.
We are pleased to announce keynote speaker Catherine Nixon Cooke, who will discuss methods on how to research the origin stories of individuals, families and businesses, based on the work she has accomplished as an award-winning author.
Registration at 11:30 a.m. Program begins at noon.
General Luncheon Ticket: $120 per attendee • Educator/Student Luncheon Ticket: $100 per attendee.
Location: Memorial Auditorium
Join presenters and guests for coffee and pastries before the day begins.
Location: Memorial Auditorium
Speaker: Marise McDermott, President and CEO, Witte Museum
Location: Memorial Auditorium
Francis Galan, Professor of History, Texas A&M University San Antonio: Angelique, Indigenous Scout of Los Adaes
Phil King, Castroville Historical Society: Henri Castro and the Ferdinand Louis Huth Family of Castroville
Facilitator: Gretchen Stieren O’Gorman, Coates Energy Trust
Location: Memorial Auditorium
Frank de la Teja, Former State Historian: Erasmo Seguín and the Paradox of Loyalty
Jack Hebdon, Jr., Guenther Family Historian: The Flour King: C. H. Guenther and Family
Facilitator: Francis Galan, Professor of History, Texas A&M University San Antonio
Location: Mays Family Center
Honoring the Steves Family
Speaker: Catherine Nixon Cooke, Historian and Author
Special Introduction: Marise McDermott, President and CEO, Witte Museum
Location: Memorial Auditorium
Kathleen Glasscock Tomasovic, Family Historian: The Glasscocks – From Circus Artistry to Oil Industry
Moderated by: Bob and Patty Hayes, Philanthropists
Location: Memorial Auditorium
Ramón Vásquez, Executive Director of American Indians in Texas at the Spanish Colonial Missions: The Descendants Walk Among Us
Ronald W. Davis, II, Curator of American History, Witte Museum: Hector Bazy and the Silence of the Archives
Facilitator: Marise McDermott, President and CEO, Witte Museum, and Aaronetta Pierce, Civic Leader and Trustee of the Witte Museum
Location: Memorial Auditorium
Ricardo Romo, Historian, and Fidencio Duran, Artist: A Visual Story of Us
Location: Russell Hill Rogers Art Gallery
Curatorial Talk by Marise McDermott in the Ewing Halsell Hall, Robert J. and Helen C. Kleberg South Texas Heritage Center.
Location: Memorial Auditorium Hallway
Join presenters and guests for coffee and pastries before the day begins.
Location: Memorial Auditorium
Amy Porter, Professor of History, Texas A&M University San Antonio: Families in the Aftermath of the 1813 Battle of Medina
Christina Villarreal, Professor of History, University of Texas at El Paso: The Bigmouth of East Texas and the Unnamed Mother
Facilitator: Cecilia Ballí, Journalist
Location: Memorial Auditorium
Lionel Sosa, Artist: The Stories Art Can Tell
Facilitator: Marise McDermott, President and CEO, and Justin Muñoz, Vice President of Development, Witte Museum
All levels include:
Interested in sponsoring the Conference on Texas or the Texas Trailblazers Awards Luncheon? Please contact Justin Muñoz, Vice President of Development, at JustinMunoz@WitteMuseum.org or 210.357.1894.
Pioneer | $5,500
(1) Second tier table placement with preferred seating for (10)
(10) complimentary tickets to the Conference on Texas
Explorer| $3,500
(1) Third tier table placement with preferred seating for (10)
(10) complimentary tickets to the Conference on Texas
Naturalist| $2,500
(1) Fourth tier table placement with preferred seating for (10)
(10) complimentary tickets to the Conference on Texas
As in the past few years, your health and wellness are top priorities. Our intention is to host an in-person event but will make adjustments as necessary closer to the event. Regardless, we know you’ll enjoy the fascinating content and camaraderie of this year’s Conference.
For questions, please contact Justin Muñoz, Vice President of Development, at JustinMunoz@WitteMuseum.org or 210.357.1894.
On Tuesday, May 17, the Boxed Luncheon sponsored by Wells Fargo Advisors and Wells Fargo featuring David J. Schmidly is rescheduled as Breakfast starting at 8:00 on Tuesday, May 17. The Texas Natural History – Century of Change Program will begin at 8:30 am. The rest of the conference (panels at 9:30 and 10:45 a.m.) will continue as planned through 11:45 a.m. on Tuesday to accommodate those who would like to attend the celebration of life for Mrs. Groves.
Registration for the Texas Trailblazers Luncheon will be in the Feik Family Orientation Pavilion of the Mays Family Center on Monday, May 16 from 11:30-12:30 p.m. For the rest of the conference, registration will take place in the H-E-B Lantern at the Witte’s main entrance. Registration for Tuesday, May 17 begins at 8 a.m.
Valet: Complimentary valet parking is available along Gunn Drive during the Texas Trailblazers Luncheon on Monday, May 16th.
Self-parking is available in the Brackenridge Park Parking Garage.
We look forward to seeing you at the 5th Annual Conference on Texas: Changing Landscapes.
Please share this information with your guests!
If you have questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact Heather Welder Russo, Chief of Advancement, at 210-357-1851 or HeatherRusso@WitteMuseum.org.
WITTE MUSEUM and all related brands are ® & ™ the Witte Museum.
© 2023 The Witte Museum, San Antonio, Texas
The Witte Museum
Nature, Science & Culture
3801 Broadway
San Antonio, Texas 78209
Phone: 210.357.1900
Contact the Witte Museum