Light Townsend Cummins
Encyclopedia
Light Townsend Cummins, born 1946, is an educator and historian. He is the Bryan Professor of History at Austin College
in Sherman, Texas
and is also the official State Historian of Texas.
, attending the San Antonio Academy
, Alamo Heights High School
and TMI — The Episcopal School of Texas. He holds a bachelor's and master's degree from Texas State University–San Marcos
. He earned a PhD
in History from Tulane University
.
appointed Cummins in 1993 to serve on the Stephen F. Austin Bicentennial Commission.
In 2003, Cummins served as historical consultant and on-camera commentator for Louisiana: A History, a six-episode television series celebrating the 200th anniversary of the Louisiana Purchase
, a series produced by Louisiana Public Broadcasting
and aired nationally by PBS. He has also been a member of the Board of Directors of Humanities Texas, the state based-arm of the National Endowment for the Humanities
, the Louisiana Historical Association, and the Texas State Historical Association. He is a former President of the Southwestern Historical Association of the Southwest Social Science Association.
In May 2009, Texas Governor Rick Perry
appointed Cummins as the official Texas State Historian, an office whose purpose is to advance the cause of Texas history throughout the state.
of Kentucky made Cummins a Kentucky Colonel
in honor of his publications dealing with the history of the Mississippi valley. His book "Emily Austin of Texas" received the 2010 Liz Carpenter Award from the Texas State Historical Association, a distinction given to the best book of the year dealing with Texas women.
Cummins was awarded the Francisco Bouligny Prize for his publications dealing with Spanish colonial Louisiana
and is a lifetime fellow of the Texas State Historical Association. He is also a lifetime fellow of the Louisiana Historical Association. In 2006, Cummins was named a Minnie Stevens Piper Professor. The following year, he received the Alumni Achievement Award from Texas State University-San Marcos, and in 2011, he was honored by the university's College of Liberal Arts with its Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award. Cummins is a member of the Texas Institute of Letters.
valley, Spanish Louisiana
and Spanish colonial Texas
during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.
Austin College
Austin College is a private liberal arts college affiliated by covenant relationship with the Presbyterian Church and located in Sherman, Texas, about 60 miles North of Dallas....
in Sherman, Texas
Sherman, Texas
Sherman is a city in and the county seat of Grayson County, Texas, United States. The city's estimated population as of 2009 was 38,407. It is also one of two principal cities in the Sherman-Denison Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
and is also the official State Historian of Texas.
Education
Cummins grew up in San Antonio, TexasSan Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
, attending the San Antonio Academy
San Antonio Academy
The San Antonio Academy is a private military school for boys located in San Antonio, Texas, offering instruction from prekindergarten through the eighth grade for day students.-Early history:...
, Alamo Heights High School
Alamo Heights High School
Alamo Heights High School is a secondary school located in the city of Alamo Heights, Texas and is the only high school in the Alamo Heights Independent School District....
and TMI — The Episcopal School of Texas. He holds a bachelor's and master's degree from Texas State University–San Marcos
Texas State University–San Marcos
Texas State University–San Marcos is a doctoral-granting university located in San Marcos, Texas...
. He earned a PhD
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in History from Tulane University
Tulane University
Tulane University is a private, nonsectarian research university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States...
.
Professional Activities
He has been a Fulbright Scholar and an Associate of the Danforth Foundation. Texas Governor Ann RichardsAnn Richards
Dorothy Ann Willis Richards was an American politician from Texas. She first came to national attention as the state treasurer of Texas, when she delivered the keynote address at the 1988 Democratic National Convention. Richards served as the 45th Governor of Texas from 1991 to 1995 and was...
appointed Cummins in 1993 to serve on the Stephen F. Austin Bicentennial Commission.
In 2003, Cummins served as historical consultant and on-camera commentator for Louisiana: A History, a six-episode television series celebrating the 200th anniversary of the Louisiana Purchase
Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase was the acquisition by the United States of America of of France's claim to the territory of Louisiana in 1803. The U.S...
, a series produced by Louisiana Public Broadcasting
Louisiana Public Broadcasting
Louisiana Public Broadcasting is a state-run, viewer-supported state network of Public Broadcasting Service non-commercial educational Public television member stations serving the state of Louisiana outside Greater New Orleans. The stations are operated by the Louisiana Educational Television...
and aired nationally by PBS. He has also been a member of the Board of Directors of Humanities Texas, the state based-arm of the National Endowment for the Humanities
National Endowment for the Humanities
The National Endowment for the Humanities is an independent federal agency of the United States established by the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965 dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities. The NEH is located at...
, the Louisiana Historical Association, and the Texas State Historical Association. He is a former President of the Southwestern Historical Association of the Southwest Social Science Association.
In May 2009, Texas Governor Rick Perry
Rick Perry
James Richard "Rick" Perry is the 47th and current Governor of Texas. A Republican, Perry was elected Lieutenant Governor of Texas in 1998 and assumed the governorship in December 2000 when then-governor George W. Bush resigned to become President of the United States. Perry was elected to full...
appointed Cummins as the official Texas State Historian, an office whose purpose is to advance the cause of Texas history throughout the state.
Awards
In 1994, he was awarded the Premio de España y America by King Juan Carlos I of Spain for his scholarly research dealing with the history of Spain and the United States. Governor John Y. Brown, Jr.John Y. Brown, Jr.
This article is about one of four John Young Browns, from Kentucky, that have served political office. For others see: John Young Brown ...
of Kentucky made Cummins a Kentucky Colonel
Kentucky colonel
Kentucky colonel is the highest title of honor bestowed by the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Commissions for Kentucky colonels are given by the Governor and the Secretary of State to individuals in recognition of noteworthy accomplishments and outstanding service to a community, state or the nation...
in honor of his publications dealing with the history of the Mississippi valley. His book "Emily Austin of Texas" received the 2010 Liz Carpenter Award from the Texas State Historical Association, a distinction given to the best book of the year dealing with Texas women.
Cummins was awarded the Francisco Bouligny Prize for his publications dealing with Spanish colonial Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
and is a lifetime fellow of the Texas State Historical Association. He is also a lifetime fellow of the Louisiana Historical Association. In 2006, Cummins was named a Minnie Stevens Piper Professor. The following year, he received the Alumni Achievement Award from Texas State University-San Marcos, and in 2011, he was honored by the university's College of Liberal Arts with its Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award. Cummins is a member of the Texas Institute of Letters.
Books
He has written or edited eight books and numerous articles on the history of Texas, Louisiana, and the Southwestern United States. As an historian of the Spanish Borderlands, his research interests deal with the advance of the Anglo-American frontier into the Mississippi RiverMississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
valley, Spanish Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
and Spanish colonial Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.
- A Guide to the History of Louisiana (1982)
- A Guide to the History of Texas (1988)
- Texas: A Political History (1990)
- Spanish Observers and the American Revolution (1992)
- Louisiana: A History 4th Edition (2001)
- Austin College: A Sesquicentennial History (1999)
- United States History to 1877 (2006)
- Emily Austin of Texas, 1795-1851 (2009)
External links
- Governor Perry Appoints Cummins Texas State Historianhttp://governor.state.tx.us/news/appointment/12360/
- Light T. Cummins Web Site http://artemis.austincollege.edu/acad/history/lcummins/index.htm
- Harper Collins Author Page for Light T. Cummins http://www.harpercollins.com/authors/30827/Light_Cummins/index.aspx
- Light T. Cummins Biography, Texas State University http://www.liberalarts.txstate.edu/about/news/historynews2009/cummins.html
- Emily Austin Book Web Site http://mysite.verizon.net/resorj2v/
- Texas State Historian Blog http://historianoftexas.blogspot.com/
- Works By and About Light T. Cummins at World Cat http://worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n82-49211