Roy Davis Holt was born in 1897 in Santa Anna, Texas. As a boy, he listened to stories about the early days of Texas from travelers who stopped at his home. These stories, told by Texas Rangers, Indian fighters, traders, and ranchers, fueled his interest in history.
After graduating from Trinity University with a bachelor's degree in history and economics, he attended the University of Texas, doing graduate work. While there, he was taught by Drs. Eugene Barker, Charles Ramsdell, and Walter Prescott Webb. Fellow students included future Texas historians J. Evetts Haley and William C. Holden.
After graduating from the University of Texas with a master's degree in history, Holt embarked on a career in public education. He taught history at Santa Anna and Brady, eventually becoming the high school principal. Holt also served as school superintendent in Eldorado and in Sanderson. In addition, he taught history in Killeen, and history and economics at the Mary Hardin-Baylor College extension at Fort Hood.
In addition to his teaching career, Mr. Holt was also a writer. He wrote several articles for such publications as
The collection consists mainly of printed materials and scrapbook files of Roy Davis Holt, Sr. The news clipping files have a variety of topics on the history of Texas and the West. There are some correspondence and research materials. The oversized materials of images, newspapers, and S. J. Stouts' illustrations are in the second box.
The collection is organized into the following Series: Correspondence, Research Material, Printed material, and Scrapbook Material.
The subject headings used by the Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library are derived from the Library of Congress and/or locally developed.
Collection Accession #(s):
Gift, 2001
Open for research
Abel Ramirez, August 2001
Roy Davis Holt Papers, 1937-1996 and undated, Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas