Please take a moment to explore the various scholarships, programs, and activities that benefit today’s History majors and choose to make a difference by giving, even if just a little. The funds are listed below with a brief description of their origins and purpose. After reviewing and deciding how you want to give, please click on link associated with the relevant fund and follow the instructions provided.
If you prefer to donate by check or money order, please make checks payable to Texas State University-San Marcos and include the name of the fund to be credited in the memorandum line. Send your check to:
Dr. Jeffrey Helgeson
Department of History
Texas State University-San Marcos
601 University Drive
San Marcos, TX 78666
If you are interested in making a major gift or for assistance, email the History Department at history@txstate.edu, or call us at 512-245-2142.
If you have difficulty completing a donation, please contact Dr. Jeffrey Helgeson, Chair of the Department of History, for further assistance.
Are you a social studies teacher who obtained your History degree at Texas State or a faculty member at a college or university who received an M.A. with us? Did you find that your History degree or the History courses you took provided you with a well-rounded education that better prepared you for your present career? Or, did the History courses you took give you a better understand and appreciation for the world around us?
Then the Department of History made a difference to you.
Now is your opportunity to help make a difference for current History students at Texas State by supporting the work of the department.
History students, faculty, and staff thank you for your generosity.
Available History Department Funds
History Department Scholarships
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Alton G. Brieger Endowment
The Alton Brieger Endowed Scholarship in History was established by his friends at Texas State in recognition of his twenty years of service to the university as Registrar, Dean of Student and Academic Services, and Associate Professor of History. Students applying for the scholarship must be advanced History undergraduate majors who have completed 30 credit hours at Texas State. Additional support for this endowment will allow an increase of award amounts.
Need: This scholarship endowment, as in the case of many others, has not kept up with the increasing costs of higher education. Your contribution will allow the size of annual scholarships to increase in the future.
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Bill and Lois Liddle Graduate Fellowship in History
After serving more than forty years (1962-2003) as a member of the faculty and a term as Graduate Advisor in the Department of History, Bill Liddle and his wife Lois established an endowed Graduate Fellowship in History to support graduate students pursuing an advanced degree in history. This competitive fellowship provides a stipend to Graduate Instructional Assistants, who have the opportunity to teach their own discussion sections in our undergraduate history surveys.
Need: This scholarship endowment, as in the case of many others, has not kept up with the increasing costs of higher education. Your contribution will allow the department to provide increased funding to our most promising MA students.
Support the Bill and Lois Liddle Graduate Fellowship in History
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Brian, Judy, and Ron Brown Endowed Award in Thesis Development
The Brown Endowed Award in Thesis Development was created in 2023 to honor the Brown family’s commitment to graduate education. The award supports students pursuing research for their MA thesis that requires international travel or travel at least 500 miles from San Marcos. The award promises to support some of the most innovative and ambitious thesis research in the department.
Need: This endowment has not yet reached the threshold for the awarding of a scholarship. Graduate education is both expensive and time-consuming. Your contribution would allow the department to begin rewarding its ablest graduate students with a substantial scholarship opportunity.
Support the Brian, Judy, and Ron Brown Endowed Award in Thesis Development
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Brunson Family Endowed Scholarship in History
In 1990 Martha Luan Brunson, with the support of her son John, established the B.R. Brunson Memorial Endowment, in memory of her husband, who served on the history faculty from 1965 to 1988. The focus of this endowment is to provide full a scholarship for a graduate student seeking an advanced degree in History.
Need: This scholarship endowment, as in the case of many others, has not kept up with the increasing costs of higher education. Your contribution will allow the size of annual scholarships to increase in the future.
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Dennis and Margaret Dunn History Studies Endowment
To encourage the study of History and International Studies, Professor of History and Director of International Studies at Texas State Dennis Dunn and his wife Margaret, established this endowed scholarship to benefit either an incoming freshman or a continuing student with a declared major in History or International Studies.
Need: This scholarship endowment, as in the case of many others, has not kept up with the increasing costs of higher education. Your contribution will allow the size of annual scholarships to increase in the future.
Support the Dennis and Margaret Dunn History Studies Endowment
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Fitzpatrick-Clayton-Kissler Scholarship in History
Members of the Department of History established this scholarship endowment in memory of three of their most respected and appreciated colleagues: Merry Fitzpatrick and Charles "Booty" Clayton, both former history faculty and student teacher supervisors; and Betty Kissler, former department chair, Professor of History, student teacher supervisor and President of the Faculty Senate. These scholarships support the educational needs of future secondary school teachers.
Need: This scholarship endowment, as in the case of many others, has not kept up with the increasing costs of higher education. Your contribution will allow the size of annual scholarships to increase in the future.
Support the Fitzpatrick-Clayton-Kissler Scholarship in History
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James W. Pohl Graduate Scholarship
The James W. Pohl Scholarship was created by Dr. James and Mrs. Patsy Pohl in 2011 to honor the legacy of Dr. Pohl’s contributions to the Department of History and its graduate program. Dr. Pohl began teaching at Southwest Texas State College in 1964 and served as an award-winning and exceptionally popular instructor, as well as a productive scholar and valued colleague, until his retirement in 2011. The Department awards the Pohl Scholarship each semester through a competitive process to the student whose MA thesis prospectus shows the greatest promise.
Need: This scholarship endowment, as in the case of many others, has not kept up with the increasing costs of higher education. Your contribution will allow the size or number of annual scholarships to increase in the future.
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Kenneth and Patricia Margerison Graduate Research Fellowship
The Fellowship is intended for use in recruiting master’s students of the highest quality. It provides support to full-time graduate students enrolled in the master’s degree program who demonstrate great promise as historians. All newly admitted students are automatically considered. Recipients will be awarded funds to fully cover graduate tuition and fees for the spring and fall semesters as well as limited research support. Fellows will also qualify for in-state tuition. In addition to the fellowship, students may also be offered a graduate Instructional Assistantship (IA) to create an attractive financial aid package for top applicants. Recipients who maintain a 3.7 cumulative GPA may have their fellowship renewed for up to three consecutive years.
Need: This scholarship endowment, as in the case of many others, has not kept up with the increasing costs of higher education. Your contribution will allow the size of annual scholarships to increase in the future.
Support the Kenneth and Patricia Margerison Graduate Research Fellowship
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Kent Finlay Legacy Endowed Scholarship in Texas Music History
Kent Finlay graduated from the then Southwest Texas State College in 1961 with a bachelor of science degree in education and completed a master’s degree in 1964. A decade later, he opened Cheatham Street Warehouse, a live music venue in San Marcos, with a mission to nurture and inspire a broad group of musicians and songwriters, many of whom have gone on to well respected careers around the world, from George Strait to Randy Rogers and beyond. Friends and family created the scholarship to honor his legacy by supporting students of Texas music history, a subject he taught in popular classes in the Texas State Department of History.
Support the Kent Finlay Legacy Endowed Scholarship in Texas Music History
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Marilyn McGinnis Lumia Scholarship
The Marilyn McGinnis Lumia Scholarship was established at Texas State University to commemorate Dr. McGinnis Lumia’s love of music and education. This scholarship supports history and music majors at the undergraduate and graduate level. Preference is given to those student pursuing Texas music history.
Need: This scholarship endowment, as in the case of many others, has not kept up with the increasing costs of higher education. Your contribution will allow the department to provide increased funding to our most promising music history students.
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Summerfield G. Roberts Scholarship in Public History
In 2019, the Summerfield G. Roberts Foundation established the Summerfield G. Roberts Scholarship in Public History to support the scholarship and professional development of public history graduate students at Texas State University. These scholarships are critical to the success of students in one of the department’s most dynamic areas of growth.
Need: This scholarship endowment, as in the case of many others, has not kept up with the increasing costs of higher education. Your contribution will allow the size or number of annual scholarships to increase in the future.
Support the Summerfield G. Roberts Scholarship in Public History
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Taylor-Murphy Presidential Scholarship
The Taylor-Murphy Scholarship was created in honor of former history professors James Taylor, who also served between 1946 and 1962 as chairman of what was then the Department of Social Sciences, and Rheta Murphy, who taught between 1919 and 1957 and was the first female faculty member in the department with a Ph.D. degree. The Department of History’s scholarships and awards committee identifies a student whose achievement and future potential in history are worthy of support.
Need: This scholarship endowment, as in the case of many others, has not kept up with the increasing costs of higher education. Your contribution will allow the size of annual scholarships to increase in the future.
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Tommy Foote Endowed Memorial Scholarship in Texas Music History
Texas State alum Tommy Foote was the original drummer in the San Marcos-born Ace in the Hole Band and served as George Strait's tour manager for over four decades. He was a devoted supporter of Texas artists and students, leading friends and family to establish this award in his name. The Tommy Foote Memorial Scholarship in Texas Music History will be awarded to Texas State University students in the College of Liberal Arts who are studying Texas music history or to students who are members of Bobcat Country, a student ensemble dedicated to celebrating Texas heritage through performances of both classical and contemporary country music.
Support the Tommy Foote Endowed Memorial Scholarship in Texas Music History
Program-Related Funds
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The African American Studies Program Excellence Fund
The African American Studies program was founded in 2019 to advance the study of Black history in the United States. The AAS Minor is an interdisciplinary program that focuses on the Black experience in the United States and throughout the African diaspora. The goal is to fulfill the mission that Dr. Carter G. Woodson started in 1915 when he created the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASALH)—to advance universal understanding of the accomplishments of Black Americans and to honor Black history and heritage.
Need: Your contributions help fund student programs and research, the development of a Living Learning Community that serves first-year students in TXST residence halls, and the creation of public programming to advance universal understanding of African American Studies.
Support the The African American Studies Program Excellence Fund
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The Center for Texas Music History Operating Fund
The Center for Texas Music History is a unique program focusing on the preservation and study of Texas music history. With an emphasis on how Texas music reflects the rich history and tremendous cultural diversity of the Southwest, the Center offers graduate and undergraduate courses, along with a variety of research and publishing projects all aimed at helping Americans better understand our unique and diverse cultural heritage through music. For a complete list of CTMH activities supported by this fund, please visit the CTMH website.
Need: Your contribution helps fund such nationally acclaimed CTMH projects as The Journal of Texas Music History, The Gary Hartman Book Series, and the NPR series This Week in Texas Music History.
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The History Department Excellence Fund
Aside from teaching over 10,000 students per year, the department supports undergraduate and graduate students through several student organizations, the Phi Alpha Theta Honor Society, public programming to enrich the student experience, as well as direct financial support of student research and conference attendance. The Excellence Fund also supplements department support for faculty research, travel, and professional development.
Need: Your contribution to this fund will help promote the work of the Department of History that is not otherwise supported from institutional funds, such as research and travel funding for graduate and undergraduate students, funding for guest speakers, and printing costs for departmental literature, and expenses for departmental events.
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The Texas Center for Public History Student Development Fund
The Public History Program fills an important academic need for students who want to help shape the public understanding of history and is one of the most successful endeavors of the Department of History. Graduates of the program are impacting public history practice at the local, state, and federal level as well as in private sector cultural and historical institutions. For a complete overview of the program that this endowment helps support please visit Public History Program website.
Need: Your contribution to this program fund will support four key initiatives for the public history program:
- funding for student for conference and research travel;
- internship stipends;
- public history speaker’s series; and,
- scholarly symposia. Combined, these programmatic endeavors enhance student preparation in the field and provide the community, state and national engagement, which is the hallmark of successful public history practice.
Support The Texas Center for Public History Student Development Fund
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The James E. Moore Endowment for the Center for Texas Music History
This endowment, established by Texas State alumnus James E. Moore, provides general operating funds to support the Center for Texas Music History’s many unique and important educational programs.
Need: Your contribution supports several Center for Texas Music History projects, including the Texas Music Oral History Program and other ongoing educational initiatives, and a variety of outreach projects.
Support The James E. Moore Endowment for the Center for Texas Music History
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The Paul and Jo Snider History Endowment
In 1999, seeing that the Chair of the Department of History needed to have access to discretionary funding to target exceptional needs and opportunities, Paul Snider, whose wife Jo was a faculty member in the department, established the Paul and Jo Snider History Endowment.
Need: Your contribution to this fund will be used to supplement student-related activities such as field trips, conference attendance, and research travel.
Faculty Development
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The Everette and Donna Swinney History Faculty Development Fund
Former History Department chairman, Faculty Senator, and Special Assistant to the President Ev Swinney, along with his wife Donna, established this endowment to support the research of senior faculty in the Department of History.
Need: The faculty members of the department of history are among the most active scholars at Texas State University, producing historical scholarship of a quality, and quantity, that compares to any history department of its size nationally. The costs of archival research, oral histories, and digital history increase constantly. Your donation will help meet the ever-growing needs of our scholars and support their pathbreaking work.
Support The Everette and Donna Swinney History Faculty Development Fund
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The Ingram Family Professorship in History
Texas State University has long been a beneficiary of the generosity of the Ingram family. In 1990 Callie Ingram established an endowment in her name and that of her husband to fund a professorship in History. Proceeds from this endowment provide research support for the holder of the professorship, who must be a full professor in History carrying out a significant research project during his or her three-year tenure as Ingram Professor.
Need: As the costs of conducting a large multi-year research project continue to rise, your contribution will allow the size of the research award portion of the professorship to increase.