Sylvia Earle, Wes Tunnell on BP Oil Spill

"The exploratory oil well two miles below the surface of the Gulf of Mexico exploded in a ball of fire, spurting millions of gallons of crude into the sea. As weeks turned to months, oil executives grappled with capping the well. The growing slick turned into an immediate ecological nightmare."--Miami Herald, May 23, 2010, on the 1979 Ixtoc oil spill in the Bay of Campeche

John "Wes" Tunnell Jr., associate director of the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies

That year, John W. "Wes" Tunnell Jr., now associate director of the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies and co-editor of the multivolumed work Gulf of Mexico: Origin, Waters, and Biota (Texas A&M University Press, 2009) and the forthcoming Encyclopedia of Texas Seashells: Identification, Ecology, Distribution, and History, worked with other researchers to predict how long it would take the current to carry the oil 600 miles to south Texas.

"The south Texas restaurant and hotel organizations, at the time, claimed they lost $50 million in revenue. Back then that was a lot," Tunnell told the Herald.

However, with the lead time on the Ixtoc spill, Tunnell told reporters that workers were able to lay boms across entrances to the area's lagoons, keeping much of the oil out of some of the most fragile ecosystems.

The recent Deepwater Horizon oil spill, touching marshes along the Louisiana coast, is far different, Tunnell told the Herald. Read the article in its entirety here, and see this article in the Seattle Times for further analysis of the Ixtoc and BP disasters by McClatchy Newspapers.

Tunnell is one of several Texas A&M University Press authors and prominent Gulf of Mexico experts who have been in the news recently, in connection to the catastrophic BP oil spill.

Sylvia Earle, the National Geographic Society's explorer-in-residence and foreword contributor to Coral Reefs of the Southern Gulf of Mexico (co-edited by Tunnell, 2007) and Texas Coral Reefs (2008), recently told a House panel she came "to speak for the ocean."

"We are pointing anywhere we can for blame," she told the panel. "But actually, the blame of this and other catastrophes were costs related to our demand for cheap energy. (It) is something that all of us need to bear. We all must share the cost of those who demand cheap oil at any price."

See Earle's recent appearance on the Charlie Rose Show (below) and a recent CNN story about her testimony.

Visit Texas A&M University Press for more reading on the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem, the Louisiana coast, and business history, as it pertains to offshore oil exploration, written by some of the world's leading experts.

Dan K. Utley (History Ahead) on Think Radio Program

"Something I have always joked about is that we could someday tell the history of the world in four paragraphs . . . it's an impossible task; we do the best we can."─Dan K. Utley, co-author of History Ahead: Stories beyond the Texas Roadside Markers (Texas A&M University Press, 2010)

More than 13,000 historical markers line the roadsides of Texas, giving drivers a way to sample the stories of the past. But these markers only tell part of the story.

In a lively interview with Krys Boyd, host of KERA's Think radio program in Dallas, Utley discusses his career as a chief historian of the Texas Historical Commission, the back- and forth- compromise between state and county officials on historical marker inscriptions, and fascinating stories of the people behind the markers.

At the end of the interview, listeners offer their suggestions for Utley and co-author Cynthia Beeman's next book, which will include even more stories behind the roadside markers.


Hear the full interview here.

Don't Miss it! "Skulls. Slaves, and Sex: Secrets of Early Texas"

In 1837, American naturalist John James Audubon picked up four skulls of Mexican soldiers from the San Jacinto battleground and sent them to his friend, Dr. Samuel Morton, in Philadelphia.

Last year, Symposium Founder Jeff Dunn discovered the skulls' existence, and renowned anthropologist Doug Owsley conducted a forensic examination on behalf of the Friends of the San Jacinto Battleground.

He will present his findings publicly for the first time in April, at the Battle of San Jacinto Symposium, "Skulls, Slaves, and Sex: Secrets of Early Texas."

The event will be held 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 17 at the Hilton Hotel and Conferece Center at the University of Houston. The $50 registration includes lunch and parking.

If skulls, slaves, and sex isn't quite enough to grab you, consider the impressive line up of speakers:

Owsley, division head of physical anthropology at the Smithsonian Institution's Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C. He is also the author of the forthcoming Arch Lake Woman: Physical Anthropology and Geoarchaeology (Texas A&M University Press, 2010).

The book, which focuses on the third-oldest human remains found in North America (in eastern New Mexico) will be the first volume in the new Peopling of the Americas Publications ─ released by Texas A&M University Press for the Center for the Study of the First Americans.

Ron Tyler, director of the Amon Carter Museum in Fort Worth. Tyler will speak about Audubon's visit to Galveston, Houston, and San Jacinto Battleground in 1837.

Tyler, who spent 20 years as a professor at the University of Texas at Austin and executive director of the Texas State Historical Association, is also a member of the Texas A&M University Press faculty advisory council.

Speaking on Slaves:

"The Slaveholder's Republic"

Andrew J. Torget, assistant professor of history at the University of North Texas. Torget, creator of the digital Texas Slavery Project, will discuss slavery and its impact on revolutionary Texas. He is currently working on a book titled Cotton Empire: Slavery, Texas, and the Origins of the Mexican-American War.

Speaking on Sex:

"Was Sam a Bigamist? ─ A Lawyer Looks at Sam Houston's Divorce"

James W. Paulsen, professor of law at South Texas College of Law. Paulsen, who specializes in family law, legal history, and civil procedure, will discuss Sam Houston's legal problems following the breakup of his marriage to Eliza Allen in Tennessee and subsequent romance with Anna Raguet of Nacogdoches during the Texas Revolution and the early years of the Republic.

"Revolutionary Sex: Texas' Philandering Founders"

Lael Morgan, author, journalist, lecturer, photographer, and teacher. Morgan currently lectures at the department of communications in the University of Texas at Arlington. She is author of Good Time Girls of the Alaska Yukon Gold Rush (Epicenter Press, 1999).

Also:

James E. Crisp, associate professor of history at North Carolina State University. Crisp, author of the newly released How Did Davy Die? And Why Do We Care So Much? (Texas A&M University Press, 2010), will moderate the event.

In the commemorative edition of Dan Kilgore's original book ─ where Kilgore had the audacity to state publicly that historical sources suggested Crockett did not die on the ramparts of the Alamo, swinging the shattered remains of his rifle, "Old Betsy" ─ Crisp examines the origins and subsequent impact of Kilgore's work.

Crisp will also sign and discuss his book with 2009 speaker Jim Bevill, author of The Paper Republic: The Struggle for Money, Credit, and Independence in the Republic of Texas (Bright Sky Press, 2010) 6-8 p.m. April 15 at Brazos Bookstore (2421 Bissonnet in Houston).

The special luncheon presentation will focus on the Hon. William P. Hobby, Jr., Lt. Governor of Texas, 1973-1991.

Frank de la Teja, professor and department of history chair for Texas State University in San Macos and former state historian. He will comment on his new book, Tejano Leadership in Mexican and Revolutionary Texas (Texas A&M University Press, 2010).

In this book, de la Teja and ten other scholars examine the lives, careers, and influence of many historically-significant but long-neglected Tejano leaders who were active in the formation, political and military leadership, and economic development of Texas.

David Sedaris to Recommend Irish Girl!

In December, Playwright, NPR commentator, and bestselling author David Sedaris selected Irish Girl by Tim Johnston (University of North Texas Press, 2009) as one of his favorite books of the year.

Now, he has chosen the short story collection as the book he will be recommending on his 34-city, 2010 book tour, which he starts next week!

Bookslut recently called Johnston's stories "sharp and smart, infused with a small-town sensibility that renders them eerie and restless."

Read the review in its entirety here.

Also, be sure to catch Sedaris on his tour, which lands first in Wilmington, DE on April 6!

Houston Celebrates James Surls

The Houston Chronicle's Zest section Sunday featured a cover story on the arrival of seven pieces by artist James Surls to the Rice University campus, after their turn on New York's Park Avenue.

Surls will give a lecture at noon Tuesday in the university's Herring Hall, Room 100. His work will be on display through Aug. 31 as part of the exhibit, Magnificent Seven: Houston Celebrates Surls.

Surls's work is also featured in James Surls: In the Meadows and Beyond, edited by Jeanne Chvosta (Southern Methodist University Press, 2004). The book is the first full-length examination of Surls's life and art. It also includes an interview with the artist, a tribute by his wife, Charmaine Locke (also an artist), and commentary by Mark A. Roglán, curator of the exhibition In the Meadows: Recent Sculpture, Drawings, and Prints of James Surls (2003).

As part of the ongoing exhibit, three of Surls's bronze and steel scultures, featuring flower-, diamond-, vortex- and needle-like forms currently stand in a green space near Brochstein Pavilion, the Chronicle reported. Another three are located near the campus parking garage beneath McNair Hall, and the seventh stands in front of the BioScience Research Collaborative on University near Main.

For more on the exhibit, read the article in the Houston Chronicle.

The Pacific Premiers!

Last night, millions of users tuned in to the first installment of HBO's new miniseries, The Pacific, which tracks the stories of three U.S. Marines in the Pacific Theater of World War II.

The series, executive produced by Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg, and Gary Goetzman, "tracks the intertwined real-life stories of" U.S. Marines Robert Leckie, John Basilone, and Eugene Sledge from their first battle with the Japanese on Guadalcanal to their return home after V-J Day.

In conjunction with the premier, HBO.com has posted an excellent historical video, "Anatomy of the Pacific War:"



Anatomy of the Pacific War

For history, memoirs, analysis, and more on the Pacific Theater, check out these great titles from Texas A&M University Press Consortium:

Shelfari: Book reviews on your book blog

The Ghosts of Iwo Jima

The 5th Division hits the beach on D-Day, 19 February 1945. The dead and living mingle.

"I've lived with those memories all of my life and it was not something I ever wanted to go back to."─Jerry Yelin, World War II P-51 fighter pilot, to CNN

In a recent story on CNN, World War II veterans talked about their emotional pilgrimage to Iwo Jima for the Tour of Honor, an annual commemoration of the 35-day battle.

In February 1945, some 80,000 U.S. Marines attacked the heavily defended fortress thatt the Japanese had constructed on the tiny Pacific Island. About 22,000 Japanese soldiers died defending Iwo Jima, along with more than 6,000 Americans.

The article alludes to how the battle proved to be "longer and deadlier than planners had anticipated, depleding much of the U.S. military's resources."

In The Ghosts of Iwo Jima (Texas A&M University Press, 2006), Captain Robert S. Burrell reconsiders the costs of taking Iwo Jima and its role in the war effort. He asserts that the Air Forces' fighter operations on Iwo Jima subsequently proved both unproductive and unnecessary.

An excerpt:

"With the start of World War II, the U.S. armed services made enormous transitions. The size of the naval operations dwarfed anything witnessed in American history. At the same time, the Army and Navy were forced to work together as never before in ambitious joint operations. Since the pre-war military had distinctly divided Army and Navy responsibilities based upon geographical boundaries of land and sea, amphibious operations in the Pacific left much ambiguity over how best to integrate service efforts. The creation of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was a giant leap forward in unified command of the armed services. Still, the Army and Navy had great difficulty working together, both in Washington and abroad. Intense rivalry continued to influence problematic command arrangements and had tragic repercussions, especially in the Pacific.

Army/Navy division of the Pacific Theater, 1942

Considering Iwo Jima within the overall context of the Pacific war demonstrates that Operation Detachment was influenced by U.S. service interests. Plans to seize Iwo Jima began as a result of Army Air Forces strategy. The Army Air Forces sought to provide fighter escort from an intermediate air base between the Marianas and Japan in order to improve B-29 Superfortress performance. Although there were many small islands in the Nanpo Shoto, none had both the ideal terrain and the proper location to meet the Army Air Forces' requirements. Because General Arnold desperately sought to demonstrate the value of an independent air force through the performance of the B-29, he strongly urged the capture of the most suitable island anyway. Although Iwo Jima had an appropriate landscape for large airfields, distance from mainland Japan, adverse weather conditions, and limitations of the P-51 Mustang proved detrimental to effective U.S. fighter support. Planners from 1943 onward had expressed doubts that seizing Iwo Jima would justify its cost. They also doubted the ability of fighters to operate such long distances to mainland Japan. Admiral Spruance, ther leading Navy officer to adhere to the Army Air Forces' desires, retained deep reservations about the island's value throughout the planning and preparation process. In retrospect, one could certainly question whether the price was worth the gain─an approach that strongly contrasts with the embellished justifications given in most scholarship on the subject. . . "