LIVIG HITOR
Talking With Texas History
Newspaper Columnists and Bloggers
Many of the most interesting tales of Texas history can be found in newspaper or online col-
umns, or they can now be read on websites and Internet blogs. Writers who have a passion
for history, even though they may not necessarily be academically trained in the subject, are
often the ones who tell these stories. Texas HERITAGE invited several of these columnists to
discuss their work.
J.R. Gonzales
Roundtable participants include:
* William Cherry is an author, news-
paper columnist, and web-based histo-
rian. He was BOI (Born on the Island...
of Galveston) and now resides in Dallas.
* Joe Herring, Jr. writes both a blog
and a weekly history column in the
Kerrville Daily Times.
* Author Van Craddock has been a
columnist for the Longview News-Journal
since 1978. (Photo not available.)
* For nearly five years, J.R. Gonzales
has blogged about the Bayou City for
the Houston Chronicle.
TH: What prompted your interest in
Texas history and in writing about the
subject? How long have you been writ-
ing your column or blog?
Joe Herring, Jr.
Cherry: I am primarily interested in the
history of Galveston. When I was a child,
my parents, grandparents, and old timers
told me stories. When I got older, I realized
that most of these stories that I still remem-
bered in great detail were not written
down. Around 1995, I began documenting
these stories from my childhood as weekly
columns for the Galveston County Daily
News so that they would be in a place
where future historians could find them.
Herring: I have been interested in history
since I was a teenager. I've been writing a
weekly column on Texas Hill Country his-
tory in the Kerrville Daily Times since
November 1994 and began an online his-
tory blog (www.joeherring.com) in July
2010.
William Cherry
Craddock: As a youngster my parents took
me to the Alamo and San Jacinto. I also
had a seventh-grade teacher who made
Texas history come alive. I honestly thought
every seventh-grader in America was
required to take Texas history! Over time,
my newspaper column has essentially
become one about Gregg County/East
Texas history.
Gonzales: My parents were the first to
fuel my interest in Texas history. Both grew
up in the Houston area and would tell me
stories about the city's past, which usually
involved landmarks that are now gone.
TH: Who are your readers, (i.e. native
Texans, non-native Texans, people
from other states and countries)?
20 TEXASHERITAGE I Volume 3 2011
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