Celebrating Excellence in Student History
Each year, TSHA honors outstanding research, writing, and leadership through the Webb Society’s Caldwell Memorial and Chapter of the Year Awards.
Caldwell Memorial Awards
The Caldwell Memorial Awards were established in 1974 to promote research and writing in Texas and local history. The Awards were named to honor the contributions of C. M. Caldwell and his shared belief with Walter Prescott Webb regarding the importance of young people researching and writing Texas and local history. The Awards are made possible by the C. M. and Cora Caldwell Memorial Endowment Fund established by Clifton and Shirley Caldwell of Albany, Texas.
Deadline: January 9, 2026
2025 Caldwell Award Recipients
Lower Division:
- 4th Place: Araceli Aguilar Landaverde, Modern Hispanic Catholicism in the Texas Hinterland: Morality and Politics, Northeast Texas Community College.
- 3rd Place: McKenna Culp, Wingstop: From Dream to Reality, San Jacinto College.
- 2nd Place: Eleanor Buchan, Left to Labor in “The Baby Factory: Doulas as a Solution to Indigent Patient Care in Houston Public Hospitals During the 1970s, Lonestar College.
- 1st Place: Summar Plutae, The Astrodome and its Role in the Desegregation of Houston, Texas, San Jacinto College.
Upper Division:
- 4th Place: Estefani Garcia, Mary Kay and the Secret of Trenchant Recall, Northeast Texas Community College.
- 3rd Place: Brian F. Hernandez, The Fight for Justice: MALDEF’S Campaign for Mexican American Civil Rights, Texas A&M University-San Antonio.
- 2nd Place: Mary-Faith Wilson, Cowboy Conservation: The Novels of Elmer Kelton and Larry McMurtry in a Post-Cowboy Era, Northeast Texas Community College.
- 1st Place: Stephanie Hernandez, From Protest to Pride: The Evolving Identity of Texas’ Chicano Murals, Northeast Texas Community College.
Graduate Division:
- 1st Place: Meagan Fitzpatrick, The Untold Story: Orphan Survivors and the 1900 Galveston Storm, University of Houston—Clear Lake.
Chapter of the Year:
- Northeast Community College
Chapter Project of the Year:
- Jacksonville College
Chapter of the Year Award
Each year the Walter Prescott Webb Historical Society, the college affiliate of the Texas State Historical Association, will honor chapters who show outstanding commitment and outreach within their communities with the Chapter of the Year Awards.
Chapter Divisions
Two awards will be presented each year. The first, College Chapter of the Year, will be presented to the outstanding chapter from a Junior College or Community College. The second, University Chapter of the Year, will be presented to the outstanding chapter from a University.
Chapter Reports
In order to be considered for the award, chapters must submit a chapter report by December 1st of each year, based on the calendar year of January 1 – December 31. Reports will be evaluated based on the following:
- Was the chapter represented at the spring meeting?
- Was the chapter represented at the fall meeting?
- Did the chapter have entries in the Caldwell Competition?
- What school activities did the chapter participate in during the calendar year?
- What community activities did the chapter participate in during the calendar year?
- What projects has the chapter participated in or completed within the calendar year?
Chapter Reports should be e-mailed to webbsociety@tshaonline.org by the December 1st deadline and will be published in the forthcoming issue of Touchstone, published in March each year.
Prizes
Each chapter awarded will be presented with a trophy at the annual Spring Meeting, held each March in conjunction with the Texas State Historical Association Annual Meeting. A chapter may not receive the award in two consecutive years.
Deadline: January 9, 2026
Previous Recipients
College Chapter of the Year Recipients:
2024: San Jacinto College
2023: Jacksonville College
2022: San Jacinto College
2021: Northeast Texas Community College
2019: Jacksonville College
2017: Northeast Texas Community College
2016: San Jacinto Community College – South
2015: Lee College
2014: Jacksonville College
2013: Northeast Texas Community College
2012: Lee College
University Chapter of the Year Recipients:
2022: Texas A&M University – San Antonio
2021: Texas A&M University – San Antonio
2019: Texas A&M University – San Antonio
2017: University of Houston – Downtown
2016: Lamar University
2015: University of Houston – Downtown
2014: Texas A&M University – San Antonio
2013: Lamar University
2012: University of Houston – Downtown