Austin, capitol of the great state of Texas, invites every Texan to visit and tour the many museums and the capital building itself to learn of its history.
First, a visit to the new Bob Bullock State History Museum, recently completed. The museum is named for Bob Bullock, attorney general, now deceased, who worked hard to get the museum. A real history buff, he proded the Legislature for its building.
In front of the building stands a gigantic bronze star, weighing 10 tons, which calls attention to the façade of rosy stone and marble, at the corner of Congress Avenue and Martin Luther King Boulevard. The $80 million museum encompasses three floors. The insignia of the five countries that once held the reins of government are here: Spain, Mexico, France, the Republic of Texas, and the United States.
High above the foyer one notes the figure of Liberty which once topped the dome of the capital. Since it was weathered by time, it was replaced by one of more enduring material. The features of the Liberty are much exaggerated as they were meant to be viewed from afar.
The figures of Sam Houston, victor at the battle of San Jacinto near Houston, and Stephen F. Austin, first governor of Texas, ornament the foyer. Austin was once one of the empresarios, hired by Mexico to bring in settlers. He was also imprisoned in Mexico City for a number of months. At intervals there is a group of three dimensional characters to provide a knowledge of how this group lived, such as the Indian tipi, the Spanish cavalier on horseback, and the cattle ranchers.
There are innumerable portraits of people who contributed to the history in warfare and in diplomacy. Framed and glass covered documents are on exhibit for those who can spend the time to read.
There are 700 articles, 17 media stations, and 34,000 square feet of exhibit.
The third floor contains the story of business and industry, timber, cotton, rice, oil rigs, steel, sports, music, space exploration, the military.
Other amenities are a café, a gift shop, and two theaters. One of these, the IMAX theater where I saw a film on Mexico, is marvelous. The IMAX theater has an 85-foot wide screen. Forty-four speakers deliver six-channel wraparound IMAX Digital Sound. Seeing the film on Mexico makes one feel that it is all real.
One little item that impressed: a Bible which save the life of Sam Houston, Jr., in the Civil War at the Battle of Shiloh. A bullet lodged in the thick Bible, at the 70th Psalm: "O God, Thou art my help and my deliverer."
A tour of the capitol of Texas should be on the itinerary of every Texan. There the pink marble building stands as if with outstretched arms, topped by a magnificent dome, a few inches taller than the dome in Washington.
Uniformed guards welcome you and even inspect your bag, since the terror scare. The original capital was in Houston, but Lamar moved it to Austin, a more central location.
At the visitors' center, one joins a tour of about eight during which a guide takes one around and lectures about the various rooms, statues, and paintings.
The building of pink marble from the Marble Falls region has very wide and high doorways faced with shining walnut and above wide carved lintels. Glass in doors and windows is beveled.
The Senate Chamber occupies the right wing of the building. Here the 50 senators occupy desks, to vote; yes they lift one finger. Visitors must stand behind a rope. Around the walls are the portraits of the former governors, such as Ma Furguson. Somewhere, too, there is one of Barbara Jordan, the first black woman to serve as a senator.
The House of Representatives is situated in the left wing. Both chambers are carpeted in a rich green. Here visitors may sit in the gallery. Members may vote by pressing a button. To accommodate the disabled, there is a chair lift that takes one up or down to get into these meeting rooms.
The Senate and the House are in session only 140 days on odd numbered years. They will meet in 2003.
From the main building we walk into the addition, which is built in harmony with the original.
The ceiling of glass in the central circular area permits one to view the dome and its figure of Liberty. This statue of Liberty is new. The original statue of Liberty made of zinc was deteriorating. The removal and the erection of the new statue were done with the use of helicopters.
The guide assigned to me a student at the University of Texas, pushed my wheel chair to Congress Avenue, and waited for my taxi. What a wonderful tour!

Notes from home

Emelia García sees A&M graduation
Emelia R. García, retired teacher and ranch owner, reports on her family. She had gone with her son Eddie to Corpus Christi and then to Texas A&M to attend the graduation of Clarisa García, who got her M.A. in marketing and a B.A. in accounting. Emilio García also attended, as well as other family members. They enjoyed a dinner after the ceremonies. Emelia praised her daughter-in-law Berta García highly. Emelia is an avid reader of LareDOS.
Veronica Writes
From lovely Veronica Castillion comes a missive about Laredo schools. Formal ribbon cutting for the new Santa Maria Elementary School and the Farias School was set for October. Veronica reports that their campuses are already in operation, spacious quarters filled with the latest in instructional technology.
She reported the loss of Margaret Peterson, for years the principle at Santa Maria.
Since I inquired about the recipients of the Elizabeth Sorrell Scholarships, she reported that $600 had been awarded to Grizelda Castillo, for Creative Writing; to Robert Ruiz, for Print; and to Sergio Davila, for Broadcast. Diana Pentacost is counselor for the Vidal M. Treviño School of Communications, which they attend.

Chelo Novoa visits Dallas
From Chelo Haynes Novoa comes a warm message of friendship. She had just returned from Dallas where she visited her son Javier, his wife Tonja, and their two sons. "Their home in Murphy is a showplace consisting of formal living room and dining room, two dens, four bedrooms, and an entertainment room upstairs. A terrace overlooks a golf course." So nice it is to hear from people who in the fullness of life have had successful children.

Mildred Reyna Writes
Mae Mudd Dills Leyendecker passed away in Austin recently and a number of old friends of her daughter, Mary Frances, gathered for a memorial service. The home of Chris Kazen Attal was the gathering place for about eight friends, who included Evelyn Goldberg and Mary Claude Reyna.
Mildred also reported on the death of Bernardo Ballesteros, who had been her student at Central School and then at Laredo Junior College. Ballesteros worked for General Motors and managed their plant in Saltillo. Then he went to Michigan, where he managed the Cadillac Plant.
Mildred celebrated her 93rd birthday on September 18 with a full social schedule, including dinners, the Martha Washington Society, and the Retired Teachers.

Pan American
Round Table members attended a Pan American meeting in Brownsville. Olga Verduzco, Sheila Glassford, Ian Poole, and Clarissa Chapa had a marvelous time there.
From Nuevo Laredo Tamaulipas comes an invitation to the Tamaulipas Festival during which the opera Lucia de Lammermoor will be presented, directed by the Italian master, Guido de Maria. Soloists from the Bolshoi Ballet will perform.
María Gloria Resendez and Lucia García, president, are planning a two week program at the Casa de Cultura.

Amando Villareal shares
N.Y. Trip
"Here came D. and A. in a $100,000 Mercedes, bought the week before, arriving at the airport to greet us, carrying our bags, so we decrepit ancients would not strain our backs.
"We drove north about 30 miles through verdant woodlands. Where does Newark keep its three million inhabitants? Behind these thin strips of trees that gird the freeways. We came into an opening that revealed a large lagoon with wild waterfowl floating on it. Overlooking the lagoon on the side of the hill was an enormous mansion worthy of a Saudi sheik, a sports or entertainment star, or even an Enron executive. Turns out that both the lagoon and the mansion belonged to A. Built basically of tan and pink marble, imported from Galicia, Spain. It has below street level a YMCA-sized indoor swimming pool, heated in winter and cooled in summer, and a four car garage, plus dressing rooms, a utility room, and tool room. On the second floor and third floor levels five bedrooms, insulated from each other, equipped with huge built-in closets, writing desks, TVs. The master bedroom has canopied beds, soaking pool and sauna, and a large walking area. The entertainment areas are large enough to accommodate a band and seat the Knights of the Round Table. Terraces at all three levels overlooking the lagoon, and its surrounding landscape rivals the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. The Taj Majal sounds more reasonable.
"Not a caterer on sight but that Sunday there was the dinner table offering lobster, clams, squid, smoked oysters, grilled filet mignon, chicken, pork, lamb, different salads, fine wines, both white and red, plus many kinds of soft drinks and 12 species of desserts. Except for Elsa and me, the guests, about 30 of them, were from Spain or the Newark Spanish colony.
"We spent nine hours on Tony Sanchez' boat (not the Laredo Sanchez). Tony has a large house on the shores of a lake and has a tiny island connected to his house by a small causeway. We went into the harbor of New York and sailed near Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty, Governor's Island. We went near Battery Park, then up for a closer look at the site of the Twin Towers of 9-11 fame.
"In regards to the Twin Towers, I expected to see more. I saw only the top of a flag pole, which I was told was in the middle of a hole once covered with seven stories of debris. There is nothing to see from the river.
"We came back and headed up the east side of Manhattan Island, cruising north to its end and then south on the Hudson River to the New Jersery side, ending up at a boat slip under the huge George Washington Bridge."
Ruth Fierros enjoyed a trip to Austin to attend the wedding of her granddaughter on September 7. Aurora Alexander and Esperanza Echevarria honored Ruth at a small luncheon at Pelican's Wharf on September 13.