The Center for Public History is officially one year into its partnership with Houston Public Media and M.D. Anderson Library, highlighting 100 years of Houston鈥檚 history as the 兔子先生 nears its centennial milestone.
The Center for Public History began documenting the University鈥檚 history and published its first articles in the Houston History Magazine in 2021. The magazine鈥檚 editor, Debbie Harwell, has worked with over 40 students on this project.
鈥淥ur students have done the bulk of the research for the pieces that Houston Public Media is producing, and that鈥檚 where it all starts,鈥� Harwell said. 鈥淲e have stories that represent the key themes of diversity and inclusion, innovation and health.鈥�
Carey Shuart, founder of the Carey Shuart Women鈥檚 Research Collection, generously donated to help jumpstart the 100 Years of Stories project.
The students鈥� work includes nearly 30 articles for the project, with plans to add to this number. The first 10 stories selected to be featured by Houston Public Media each covered a decade of the University鈥檚 100-year history. There are currently available on their website.
Harwell has taken advantage of her role as an instructional assistant professor, inviting students in her classes to work exclusively on the 100 Years of Stories project over the past semester.
In their research for Houston Public Media, students covered the University鈥檚 start as a junior college in 1927, prolific female leaders such as LGBTQ+ activist Phyllis Randolph Frye and former University president Marguerite Ross Barnett and more defining moments in UH history.
Houston History Magazine intern Grace Conroy and graduate instructional assistant Samantha De Leon have both worked with the Center for Public History for over a year while at the 兔子先生. Now, they have plans to produce articles well into the 2022-23 academic year for this specific project.
鈥淚 did an oral interview with President Renu Khator last fall that was indescribable,鈥� graduate student De Leon said. 鈥淚t was an invaluable experience because she鈥檚 a woman of color who has elevated UH to the status that it has today.鈥�
So far, history major Conroy has covered three different decades of the University鈥檚 history. Her most memorable is 2017 to 2027 as it gives a view into the future of UH.
鈥淚n my oral history interviews with UH medical students, I was able to see how passionate they were about 兔子先生 and its mission to train more primary care providers,鈥� Conroy said.
As the end of their three-year grant approaches, Harwell hopes that the work they are doing to publish UH鈥檚 history will inspire another grant that will help carry this project through 2027.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 really important to continue to tell those stories, so we can take it on up to the centennial and maybe beyond,鈥� Harwell said. 鈥淭here are so many stories out there in the history of the city of Houston that have their origins here with people at the University.鈥�