The Institute of Texan Cultures Oral History Collection originated from a regional meeting of the Texas Historical Commission held in Bandera, TX in 1973 calling for the creation of an oral history program to document the history of San Antonio and Bexar County. Two years later under the auspices of the state’s 1976 Bicentennial Committee, the Bicentennial Oral History Committee was formed. The oral history program gained the support of the Bexar County Historical Commission and secured $2,000 in initial funding. With the support of the commissioners, the program reached an agreement with the University of Texas at San Antonio to use the lower level of the Institute of Texan Cultures. Two Sony tape recorders were also donated to the project by Joe G. Carinhas, President of the Longhorn Specialty Company.
Bicentennial Oral History Committee members included Glory Felder as Chairwoman, Betty Orth as Vice Chairwoman, Esther MacMillan, Mary Ester Hernandez, Clyde Ellis, Ann Maria Watson, Lasca Fortassain, Mrs. Douglas F. Dupre, Mrs. Robert R. Ferguson, Lupe Young, Charles Myler, Ruth White, Mrs. Bill Buerkle, Sid Langhart, and Jo Hestand. Carmela Leal, Ella Stumpf, and Don Freidkin served the committee as advisors. The Bicentennial Oral History Program conducted interviews with individuals who had made significant contributions to the development of San Antonio and Bexar County. Committee members such as Esther MacMillan participated actively in the program and conducted many of interviews. At the close of the Bicentennial the taped interviews and transcriptions were to be maintained by Bexar County Historical Commission.
The Bexar County Historical Commission sponsored the program for two years following the Bicentennial until it was transferred to the Institute of Texan Cultures. Esther MacMillan assisted with moving the program to the ITC and served as its first unpaid director. In the late 1970s the scope of the program was expanded to include series in Texas history such as Sterling Holmesly's interviews with San Antonio jazz musicians conducted during the spring and summer of 1980; San Antonio’s military history collected by James Sweeney between 1983 and 1985; Small Town Texas series made up of interviews conducted by ITC staff in the late 1980s; and interviews with performers who participated at the Texas Folklife Festival during the 1980s and 1990s.
Also included in the collection are a series of oral history interviews conducted in 1979 by Thomas K. Walls with Japanese Texans in preparation for his book
After Esther MacMillan passed away in the 1990s, volunteers continued to manage and conduct interviews until 2007, when an ITC staff member, J. Rhett Rushing, was appointed to supervise the program and to revitalize the effort of recording and preserving oral histories. The ITC Oral History Program continues to collect and transcribe interviews that are used in support of museum exhibits.
The Institute of Texan Cultures Oral History Collection consists of 939 interviews conducted since 1967 and document a broad range of activities related to life in Texas. Oral history interviews are available on cassette tapes, CDs, and in digital format, and a significant number of interviews also include typed transcriptions.
The oral histories are divided into 19 series arranged alphabetically by interviewee. Series include: “Bad” History (8 interviews), Civil Rights (38 interviews), Football (14 interviews), General (129 interviews), Immigration (13 interviews), Institute of Texan Cultures (13 interviews), Japanese Americans (37 interviews), Jazz (30 interviews), Mexican Revolution (4 interviews), Military (93 interviews), Native Americans (3 interviews), Photography (4 interviews), Ranching (20 interviews), San Antonio (190 interviews), School Days (3 interviews), Small Town Texas (152 interviews), State Capitol Stonemasons (5 interviews), Texas Folklife Festival (146 interviews), and Texas Toys (2 interviews). The Small Town Texas series includes interviews conducted in Alpine, Bosque, Brackettville, Chappell Hill, Comfort, Conroe, Fashing, Killeen, La Grange, Marshall, Mason, Menard, Nacogdoches, Nederland, Old Bracken, Paducah, Palestine, Pampa, Pearsall, Port Lavaca, Raymondville, Salado, San Marcos, Serbin, Shiner, Somerset, Utopia, Walnut Springs, Weimar, Wichita Falls, and Woodville, TX. In addition, the Texas Folklife Festival Series is further subdivided into Crafts, Foods, Storytellers, Music, Ethnic and cultural groups, and individual recollections of participants and volunteers of the festival.
The collection documents a range of topics related to Texas history including the civil rights movement, the internment of Japanese Americans in Crystal City, Texas during World War II, San Antonio’s political and urban development, and military aviation.
Some oral histories may be restricted from the public. See archivist for more information.
The researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.
Encoded by Sean Heyliger, University Archivist.
[Identification of item], University of Texas at San Antonio: Institute of Texan Cultures: Oral History Collection, UA 15.01, University of Texas at San Antonio Libraries Special Collections.