www.CottonBeltRoute.com
Preserving the Legacy of the St. Louis Southwestern Railway

 

Cotton Belt Depot, Commerce, Texas
Ed Cooper photo | Robert McFatridge engineer  

The 4th (5th) Annual
Cotton Belt
Railroad Symposium

Sam Rayburn Student Center
Texas A&M University-Commerce
Commerce, Texas

Friday-Saturday, October 8-9, 2010

The 4th Annual Symposium is scheduled for Saturday, October 9, 2010, 8:45am-3:00pm and features keynote presenter,
Edwin C. Cooper,
author of Cotton Belt Engineer – The Life and Times of C. W. ‘Red’ Standefer, 1898-1981.

A new highlight this year is a special pre-conference "Show-And-Tell" event occurring on the prior evening, Friday, October 8, 2010, 5:00pm-8:00pm.

In response to suggestions from prior attendees, the 2010 symposium will feature three panel discussion forums.  Topics include:  “Railroad Operations,” “The Railroad Life,” and “Riding the Digital Railroad:  Preserving the Heritage of Rail Transportation.”

Keynote Luncheon

Also added this year is a Keynote Luncheon (optional) on Saturday. Although the deadline for meal reservations has past, you may join us for the free Keynote Presentation by Edwin C. Cooper at 12:45pm in Conference Room B.

Mark your calendars and plan to be in Commerce in October.  Hope to see you there!

Presented by

tamuc Department of Educational Leadership

James G. Gee Library Special Collections

Commerce Public Library

Dedicated to Murrel E. Hogue, Jr.

The 2010 Cotton Belt Symposium is dedicated to the memory of Murrel Edward Hogue, Jr.
July 20, 1939 - February 3, 2010

Murrel, a retired Amtrak ticket agent and member of the Cotton Belt "Family," was active in the planning and presentation of this Symposium from it's beginnings in 2006.  He generously participated as a moderator and panelist and served as a member of the Symposium Planning Committee.  We are grateful to have been blessed with his help, support, and friendship. 
Highball, Murrel! 

Past Symposiums

• The 3rd Annual Cotton Belt Symposium
  August 8, 2009
   2009 Media Gallery
  
• The 2nd Annual Cotton Belt Symposium:  Railroad Legacy & Lore
  August 16, 2008
   2008 Media Gallery
  
• The 1st Annual Cotton Belt in Commerce Symposium
  April 16, 2007
   2007 Media Gallery
  
• Inaugural Event
  The Cotton Belt in Commerce Symposium
  November 30, 2006
   2006 Media Gallery
   Abbreviated due to untimely ice storm and rescheduled
   for April 16, 2007.

Everyone Welcome

Please join us for the next free, public event to document and preserve the legacy of the St. Louis Southwestern Railway and the Cotton Belt "Family."

Commerce Public Library Collection | used with permission

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.  With permission, we would appreciate the opportunity to scan images for historic preservation and inclusion in the Digital Library. Staff will be available to photograph or digitize a limited number of artifacts on-site on Saturday.  It may be necessary for us to make arrangements to digitize larger collections at a later date.

Anyone interested in the history of railroading in Commerce, Northeast Texas, or system wide on the Cotton Belt or other regional railroads is welcome.  This is also a reunion opportunity for members of the railroad "family."

Commerce Public Library Collection | used with permission

Agendas

Friday, October 8, 2010 – Sam Rayburn Student Center, Conference Rm. #213A

5:00p    Set-up & visit with friends
5:30      Welcome & Presentations
8:00p    Adjourn

Saturday, October 9, 2010 – Sam Rayburn Student Center, Conference Rms. #213A&B

8:19a    Registration/Displays Open
8:45      Welcome and Opening remarks
9:00      Panel Discussion – Rail Operations
10:30    Break
10:45    Panel Discussion – The Railroad Life
12:15    Luncheon - Prior reservations required for meal.
12:45    Keynote – Edwin C. Cooper
1:45      Panel Discussion – Riding the Digital Railroad: 
               Preserving the Heritage of Rail Transportation
3:00      Closing Remarks/Adjourn
TBA      RPI/NARCOA Motorcar run through Commerce

Lodging Accommodations

View Commerce Lodging information.

Important Notice

As a significant purpose of this event is historic documentation, the events will be video taped and photographed extensively.  Attendees should be aware that they are subject to appearance in video clips and photographs that may appear in library archives, digital library collections, and other vehicles of media dissemination on the Internet.  Attendance at this event signifies voluntary consent to be included in such documentation.

This program is made possible in part by a grant from Humanities Texas, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.