Bob Bullock Museum Writing

Texas is, according to the IMAX presentation Texas: The Big Picture, a land that mixes fact and fiction. Both of these characteristics of Texas history help determine the value Texans place on leadership. From before Europeans discovered the Americas Native Texans have held important leadership positions in their communities. Over the past several centuries, however, the leadership visions of Texans have slightly varied. Native Americans ruled their own lands and conducted both peaceful and wartime relations with other tribes. The survival of the tribe relied on the leadership capabilities of the chief. Tribes that could have been dominated by larger, stronger tribes like the Plains Apache would not retain their native lands without a persuasive and influential leader. Furthermore, since the majority of Texas tribes moved about, tribe dynamics – not only mere survival – needed constant attention. As the European explorers arrived in the Americas, their ambitions were similar. The Spanish conquistadors longed to represent their people well. The “people” they belonged to, however, was much more immense than any of the Native American communities. DeSoto, Coronado, and others wanted glory for their nation, just as tribal leaders wanted prosperity for their own peoples. The Spanish version of leadership, though, was more selfish than the Indians, who carved their existence out of the rough terrain of Texas. The Spaniards’ search for wealth and cities of golf, in addition to curiosity of exploration, drove them across the southwest portion of the continent. But what both groups had in common was the necessary leadership they demonstrated during their stay in Texas. Under less capable leaders, the survival chances of the Native Americans and the Spaniards’ expeditions would have been slim.

As more people immigrated to Texas in “gone to Texas fever,” Anglos and Tejanos alike developed their own form of leadership. Though mission towns had been founded years before, the family unit became a prominent presence in Texas. Ranchers and farmers had to be leaders of their families while persevering through the tough Texas landscape. Unpredictable seasons made the land incredibly difficult to settle unless one had an iron will. Everyone from cattle ranchers to Texas rangers experienced a new, exciting, and dangerous call to leadership. Everything in the Bob Bullock museum’s first and second floors show Texas’ will to survive. The living conditions alone depict how Texas was crafted by the toughest. Yankees would have tucked tail and run if they had tried to come any sooner than they did. Thus Texas was born as a land pioneered by the most determined and able men; perhaps this is why the discovery of the microchip and the Johnson space center come right out of the heart of Texas. This state makes everyone a leader because of the ideals it was founded on; the moral values and courage that Travis, Bowie, and countless others fought and died for.

Images like the lone star and the shape of Texas are guiding images for native Texans and outsiders both. The legacy of Texas and the ideals of our state helped me decide where to go to college. I was born a Texas. My mom’s family, the Hicks, arrived in Bandera, Texas in the 1850s. The ranchlands they purchased still exist in the family. Though the partitions have grown increasingly smaller over the generations, I still have two hundred acres to inherit later in my life. I’ve grown up having memories with friends and family ont hat ranch, so I have a certain fondness for the Hill Country and endless Texas horizon. When I visited universities in the Northeast and on the Atlantic coast, I felt no connection to my surroundings like I do in Austin. I know I belong here. I have one hundred and fifty years of Texas in me on my mom’s side. And though my dad wasn’t born in Texas, he got here as soon as he could. I have more Texas pride than necessary, most likely. All the culture, all the traditions, and everything Texas and the lone star stand for run through my veins. I believe in being a gentleman, raising a fine family, and upholding my personal values despite the costs. The Texas Spirits stated that the Texas “spirit” is in everyone; it is simply the courage and determination this land stands for. It is this southern - and particularly Texas – attitude that motivates how I live my life. I may not be a real cowboy, but I still feel the cowboy values are the best in the land. Whenever I see that lone star smile, because I know that we live in the greatest land in the world.