April seems to be a prime time for conferences, and I’m writing this column from Austin. Last week I had the pleasure of attending the Texas Historical Commission’s Annual Conference. The THC conference is the largest gathering in Texas of people working in the field of historical preservation. The theme for this year’s conference was Changing Faces, Historic Places, and it addressed the growing number of new people and increased work in the field. While the sessions were informative, the best part of the conference was seeing Brownsville and Cameron County recognized for the historical preservation going on in the community.
   Before leaving for the conference, I learned that Brownsville has been designated a Preserve America Community by the White House. Brownsville’s application for this designation was a collaborative effort between the city of Brownsville, the Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation and the Brownsville Historical Association. This project would not have succeeded without the support of various community entities and elected officials who wrote letters of support.
   This designation recognizes the city’s efforts to use cultural and natural resources to promote tourism, revitalize the community, create jobs, and educate the public. Being awarded this designation is a big deal and it makes Brownsville the only Preserve America community in Cameron County.
   This was great news to take into a conference dedicated to preservation, and I arrived at the beautiful Lakeway Inn excited about the possibilities that being a Preserve America Community will bring to Brownsville.
   Cameron County was awarded several accolades at the conference. At the Thursday evening awards dinner hosted by the Texas Historical Foundation, Lawrence Lof and the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College were recognized for their work with the Mary Moody Northern Award for achievement in historic preservation. This is a prestigious award, and it was nice to see Brownsville honored given all the outstanding preservation work that is being done by other communities throughout the state.
   On a personal note, Mr. Lof is also the Board President of the Brownsville Historical Association and it was nice to see him honored for the countless hours of work he has spent in restoring Brownsville’s heritage.
   Later that same night, a Cameron County newspaper, The Valley Morning Star and Mr. Norman Rozeff of Harlingen were honored with the Journalistic Achievement Award. The award recognized the History/Heritage page of the Valley Morning Star.
   The next day at the Texas Historical Commission’s morning session, Mr. Lof picked up the Distinguished Service Award on behalf of the Cameron County Historical Commission. The CCHC was presented this award for the hundreds of hours the CCHC dedicated to the preservation of Cameron County’s history. At one point, another conference attendee commented that Brownsville was cleaning up the awards.
   Later that day at the THC’s Annual Awards Luncheon, I was awarded the John Nau III Award of Excellence in Museums. This award recognizes and honors significant contributions of an individual in the areas of historical interpretation, museum education, conservation of collections and/or community involvement. I was incredibly honored to be recognized for the work of the Brownsville Historical Association in these areas.
   It was very gratifying to know that others across the state and nation are noticing the outstanding work and dedication of many individuals in our community. While only a few of us were publicly recognized, we knew that these accolades would not have been possible without the dedication and support of our staffs, board members, donors, corporate sponsors, businesses, and countless volunteers.

PRICILLA RODRIGUEZ History Matters