Saturday, August
16, 2008
at Texas A&M University-Commerce
Commerce, Texas
Photos courtesy of Commerce Public Library, used
with permission.
Ed Cooper photo | Robert McFatridge engineer
THANKS TO ALL
for the success
of the 2008 Symposium !!!
Attendance well exceeded the 70 mark this
year, up from 60 last year.
The
sign-in rosters from the last two/three years reads like a who's who of Cotton
Belt heritage.
We anticipate
continuing this event in the future. The exact timing of the event is
subject to funding opportunities and speaker availability.
Check here periodically for updates.
See the article featuring the 2008 event,
written by Jay Strickland, that appeared in the Sunday, August 17, Herald
Banner:
http://www.heraldbanner.com/features/local_story_230012435.html?keyword=topstory
Thanks to Elden Baker for posting the
following video excerpts from the 2008 event:
Cotton Belt Engineer, John Ballard
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuotbaBQ4Q4
Cotton Belt Fireman, Dr. Harley Davis
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ga3_9LovWDo
Cotton Belt Conductor, Billy W. Reed
demonstrating hand signals
Part 1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KN1k3BknI_o
Part 2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aqj64OgwC8
If you are a member of the Cotton Belt Yahoo Group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CottonBelt/),
look for Elden's photos from the event in the 2nd Annual Cotton Belt
Symposium Photo Album.
An event to document and preserve the legacy of the St. Louis Southwestern Railway.
A special invitation is extended to all former and current employees and their families to come and share recollections of their railroad days. Everyone is encouraged to bring and display historical photos depicting people, places, equipment, and rail operations to display. With permission, we would appreciate the opportunity to scan images for historic preservation. The event will recorded on videotape for historical documentation and preservation.
Featuring noted authors and historians, Jonathan Gerland, Dr. Otha Spencer, and
Cheryl Westhafer.
Mr. Gerland will discuss the
service of the Cotton Belt and connecting railroads to early logging operations
in east Texas.
Dr. Spencer will discuss the social impact of the railroad in the communities in and
around the Commerce area.
Ms. Westhafer will present artifacts from, and
discuss the railroad collection at the Commerce Public Library.
The program
will also feature a panel comprised of current and former railroad employees and
family members who will recount various aspects of railroad life.
The proceedings will be videotaped for entry into the Gee Library’s
Digital Archives.
Cotton Belt and railroad artifacts from the Commerce Public Library and the
Attendees are invited to bring and display railroad photos and other artifacts.
There will be time allotted in the afternoon for visiting, sharing, and
recording video histories related to railroad experiences.
Anyone interested
in the history of railroading in Commerce, Northeast Texas, or system wide on
the Cotton Belt is welcome.
Program
8:19 Registration opens Historical Railroad Artifacts displayed by... Hosted by...
The tamuc
Department of Educational Leadership, the James G. Gee Library Special
Collections, and the Commerce Public Library Dr. Jason Lee Davis Dr. Jim Conrad Dr. Harley Davis Location... James G. Gee Library
(bldg #16) How to get here...
Directions to Commerce Event Flyer... Site URL...
http://faculty.tamuc.edu/jdavis/railroad/symposium/
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September 11, 2021
9:00 Opening Remarks –
Gregory Mitchell,
President Dan Jones,
Dr. Jason Lee Davis,
Dr. Madeline Justice
9:10 Cheryl
Westhafer, Commerce Public Library
9:35 Dr. Otha Spencer - The
community and the Cotton Belt in Commerce
10:00 Jonathan Gerland -
Railroading in
10:45 break
11:00 Panel Discussion, Dr. Harley Davis, moderator
panelists
- Annie Golightly
- Rheba Icenhower
-
Billy W. Reed
12:30 lunch break
1:30- Oral Histories
videotaped (scheduled with panelists and others)
Commerce Public Library
Commerce, TexasGee Library Special Collections
tamuc, Commerce, TexasArkansas Railroad Museum
Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Assistant Professor,
Dept. of Educational Leadership,
tamuc
Jason_Davis@tamuc.edu
Head of
Special Collections,
tamuc
James_Conrad@tamuc.edu
former Cotton Belt fireman
KC5PFR@aol.com
This program is made possible in part with a grant from
Humanities Texas,
the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Texas A&M University-Commerce
Commerce, Texas 75429
Primary parking in front of Young Education North
(bldg #17)
and Student Services Building (bldg #20) in Lot L.
Campus Map
Our appreciation is
extended to Union Pacific Corporate
Relations for authorizing our use of the Cotton Belt Logo for this symposium.
Commerce Union Depot, photo courtesy of Commerce
Public Library, used with permission.
Commerce Roundhouse, circa 1912, photo courtesy
of Commerce Public Library, used with permission.