Pictured (from left) is: Yahir Garcia, Andrew Perez, Ariana Tagg, Isabel Tresidder, Rebeca Martinez, and Stephanie Hernandez.
By: Dr. Andrew Yox, Honors Director
On 11 October, six scholars of Honors Northeast presented work at the annual fall meeting of the Walter Prescott Webb Society at the Menger Hotel in San Antonio. The “Webb” is the collegiate auxiliary of the Texas State Historical Association. Yahir Garcia, Andrew Perez, Ariana Tagg, Isabel Tresidder, Rebeca Martinez, and Stephanie Hernandez each presented either a synopsis of their current scholarly work, or comments on their role in this year’s honors film relating to oil and Texas politics. Yahir Garcia, this year’s film producer, anchored the group discussion with the premiere showing of the new film’s trailer.
The trailer for the film, Crude Conquest, represents the thirteenth initiative in as many years to bring an un-filmed legend of the Texas past to life. Isabel Tresidder was the chief script writer of this year’s film and she spoke about her work at the
Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library in Austin last summer, and how her look at a controversy regarding then Senator Johnson, and the head of the U.S. Energy Commission, Leland Olds, sparked her interest in making her first film story. Ariana Tagg, who appears in the film as oil-man Governor, William Clements’ wife Rita, told how her own research at the Dolph Briscoe Center in Austin undergirded her effort to portray Rita Clements. Finally, Andrew Perez, and Rebeca Martinez who also had roles in the film effort discussed student acting, and the initial research effort in more general terms.
The 2024 fall Webb meeting, enabled in part by donations on the state level that were funneled through the Texas State Historical Association, was special in many respects. NTCC’s students were able to enjoy an excellent dinner at the Menger Hotel, after exploring the vault to the Alamo which was next door. John Bryan, the president of the TSHA, addressed the students about his upcoming book about the decisive role of Tejanos in the success of the Texas Revolution. NTCC students also explored the eighteenth-century Spanish Mission, San José, the queen of the great eighteenth-century mission complexes still extant in San Antonio.
On the Saturday after their presentations, the honors students toured the Witte Museum, and were able to view a select sample of San Antonio murals, selected by NTCC alumnus, Thibaut Guidet. Presidential Scholar, Stephanie Hernandez, who reported on her scholarly work regarding the murals, was thus able to upgrade her ongoing study. For lunch, just before their departure, the honors students joined Mr. Guidet at the restaurant he selected, the Paladarwhich featured a Cuban-Mexican fusion cuisine. Since graduating with his Associate’s at NTCC, Guidet has worked as an analyst and CFO for rising San Antonio high tech firms, Rackspace, and Dura.
Of the NTCC presenters, Yahir Garcia, Stephanie Hernandez, Rebeca Martinez, Andrew Perez, Ariana Tagg are all from Mount Pleasant; Isabel Tresidder is a resident of Naples.
