Stars of Texas
3 total works
Audie Murphy was the most decorated soldier during World War II. He was awarded the Medal of Honor, the highest military award for bravery given to any individual who risks their life above and beyond the call of duty. Audie Murphy's life was shaped by three things: the Great Depression of the 1930s, World War II of the 1940s, and a Hollywood career which began in the early 1950s and continued through the 1960s. The Depression and his family's poverty toughened him. The war was the experience that followed him all his life and brought him fame. Hollywood was never like real life to him. Of the three, war was the definitive experience of his life. On May 28, 1971, Audie, along with several other men, were passengers on a private plane on their way to investigate a business opportunity. The plane crashed in fog and rain on the side of a mountain near Roanoke, Virginia. All aboard were killed. Audie Murphy was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery. Audie Murphy was a true American hero and his life was a rags-to-riches story. But in ""Audie Murphy"", author Judy Alter shows that fame does not always bring happiness. ""Audie Murphy"" is the fifth title in the ""Stars of Texas"" series, aimed at fourth graders studying for the Texas history section of the TAKS test. The first three books in the series, ""Henrietta King: Rancher and Philanthropist"", Mirabeau B. Lamar: Second President of Texas, and Miriam ""Ma"" Ferguson: First Woman Governor of Texas, have been chosen for the Accelerated Reader program, and Henrietta King was a Spur Award finalist.
Don Martin De Leon was the only Tejano empresario to settle a colony in Texas, in the days before statehood. Other empresarios, such as Moses Austin and Sterling C. Robertson, were Anglos who had been drawn to Texas by the lure of land. De Leon established his colony in southeast Texas, near the Gulf Coast, and founded the city of Victoria. He and his six sons governed the colony. Though Don Martin died in 1833, his sons actively supported the Texas fight for independence by giving money and goods to the Texas Volunteers. But the family suffered from a general prejudice against people of Mexican descent - they lost their land and livestock and had to leave Texas. They returned in the late 1840s, but they no longer had the immense holdings of land and cattle that Don Martin had accumulated. In 1972, the De Leon family was honored with Texas state historical markers on family graves in Evergreen Cemetery in Victoria. Finally, Martin De Leon and his family are recognized for their loyalty to Texas, their support of the Texas Revolution, and their contributions to the Republic of Texas. ""Martin De Leon"" is the fourth title in ""The Stars of Texas"" series, aimed at fourth graders studying for the Texas history section of the TAKS test. The first two books in the series, ""Henrietta King: Rancher and Philanthropist"" and ""Mirabeau B. Lamar: Second President of Texas"", have been chosen for the Accelerated Reader program, and Henrietta King was a Spur Award finalist. Free workbooks for all ""Stars of Texas"" series books are available on-line.
State House Press is launching a new series of Texas biographies aimed at students in the fourth grade. The series focuses on important, but perhaps lesser known, Texans and their contributions to Texas history. The first two books in the series look at Henrietta King, matriarch of the King Ranch family, and Mirabeau B. Lamar, second president of the Republic of Texas. They are among the personalities whose names appear on study guides for the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills test taken by all children in the fourth grade. Written by noted Texas children's author Judy Alter, the biographies are concisely presented in language that can be understood by fourth graders but also enjoyed by older readers. West Texas artist Patrick Messersmith illustrates the books with compelling black and white sketches. The books are designed to be inviting and approachable to readers of any age, with extra spacing between lines to enhance readability and creative use of informative side-bar material. "The Stars of Texas" Series is a natural fit for State House Press, an imprint of the McWhiney Foundation, whose mission is to promote and encourage the study of history.