Dan K. Utley – författare

Cotton farming was the only way of life that many Texans knew from the days of Austin's Colony up until World War II. For those who worked the land, it was a dawn-till-dark, "can see to can't," process that required not only a wide range of specialized skills but also a willingness to gamble on forces often beyond a farmer's control-weather, insects, plant diseases, and the cotton market.This unique book offers an insider's view of Texas cotton farming in the late 1920s. Drawing on the memories of farmers and their descendants, many of whom are quoted here, the authors trace a year in the life of south central Texas cotton farms. From breaking ground to planting, cultivating, and harvesting, they describe the typical tasks of farm families-as well as their houses, food, and clothing; the farm animals they depended on; their communities; and the holidays, activities, and observances that offered the farmers respite from hard work.Although cotton farming still goes on in Texas, the lifeways described here have nearly vanished as the state has become highly urbanized. Thus, this book preserves a fascinating record of an important part of Texas' rural heritage.

The Presidents Speak: Addresses from the Leadership of the East Texas Historical Association, 2000–2016 includes thirteen of the original sixteen presidential addresses, with some modifications, documentation, and enhancements for publication purposes. One additional paper represents a contemporaneous article the editors chose to include in lieu of the presidential address, which is no longer available. The Presidents Speak will serve as a call for the long-term systematic preservation and publication of ETHA presidential addresses as a means of bequeathing a more complete record of associational scholarship and leadership insights to future generations.

Markers is an exploration of friendship and personal journeys by two public historians who first met in 1979 as overseers of the Official Texas Historical Marker Program of the Texas Historical Commission. The “markers” they write about in this collection of reflective poetry speak to perceptions of place, memorable characters, life-changing encounters, quiet times, and shared perspectives of the past. These are the abiding landmarks of two friends who, after only three years as colleagues, traveled seemingly divergent professional paths that nevertheless crossed many times through the years, always in meaningful ways. Herein are some of the many stories they have shared along the way.

Historian Archie P. McDonald (1935–2012) retired in 2008 as director of the East Texas Historical Association and editor of the East Texas Historical Journal after thirty-seven years of service. A beloved professor and author of numerous books, he charted the course of the ETHA and served as leader of several organizations. He was an inspiration to countless students, colleagues, and others who share a common appreciation for Lone Star history. Dan K. Utley sat down with McDonald on several occasions to capture and preserve his experiences for posterity.The resulting memoir not only serves to trace McDonald’s life and career but also reveals much about the maturation of a scholarly organization and its journal. McDonald was an evangelist for the study of history who believed in an open tent. This book is a valentine to both the memory of Archie McDonald and the association he served, as well as an important contribution to the historiography of Texas, USA.

Thomas E. Alexander was among 20,000 military service personnel ordered into the Strategic Air Command, formed in 1946 as US military and political leaders began to understand the growing nuclear threat posed by Stalin's USSR. Alexander served for a number of years in this elite force, designed as a primary deterrent to Soviet military ambitions.In this gripping memoir, Alexander describes what it was like to occupy a 'mole hole' beside a SAC runway, ready to go from full sleep to taxiing for takeoff within seven minutes of the sounding of the klaxon. He shares the experience of sitting on the couch with his family and watching President Kennedy's announcement of the discovery of Soviet missiles in Cuba, realizing that within hours he would be airborne. He tells what it was like to be at a New Year's Eve party on the base, only to hear the announcement that his unit had just been activated. Less than twenty-four hours later, he was in Greenland.In SAC Time: Navigating the Strategic Air Command, Alexander presents 'an honest and reflective account of the impact the Cold War had on individuals who were then on the front lines of defense - like it or not.' Coauthor Dan Utley says of Alexander's narrative, 'The story of an ordinary individual in extraordinary times has value. . . . These are stories Tom Alexander has waited much of his life to share with others, but they are as rich as the day they occurred.'

When a Chickamauga Battlefield ranger was asked where to find the Texas monument, his quick reply was “Go to where the fighting was fiercest.” While that spontaneous response accurately underscored the legendary battlefield zeal of the Texas forces in virtually every major Civil War battle, it likely did little to answer the visitor’s question.In this book, the authors will inform visitors to many Civil War battlefields about the heroic role played by the Texans at key sites and why the State of Texas has, over the years, seen fit to officially commemorate the valor of the hard-fighting men of Texas with impressive monuments.With the sesquicentennial observance of America’s Civil War already underway, however, Texas has chosen to pay little attention to Texans’ contribution to the Confederate cause. Regardless of the scant official recognition being afforded this seminal event, the facts remain that there was a Civil War and that Texans were very often at the hot center of its battles—“Where the fighting was the fiercest.”Students of American history, as well as visitors and those planning to visit the eighteen battlefield monuments described in this book, will learn how Texas forces fared in the fighting. Time must never be allowed to erase the memories of those sacrifices and those battle-bloodied accomplishments on the field of honor. This book will ensure that present and future generations will always remember the monumental significance of the story of Texas in the Civil War.