Walter Prescott Webb Historical Society of Texas Sponsor's Handbook

This handbook is designed to assist Webb Society sponsors with guiding college students toward an enhanced and memorable history experience. Participation in Webb Society projects will bring students closer to local and regional history. While each activity’s significance and intent is equal, the level of achievement will vary based on each student’s individual effort and interest.

In the handbook's current digital form, it is intended to be more available and more up-to-date than previous editions. Current technology makes it possible for this resource to be available to most educators in this digital format through the Internet. Technology also makes it easier to make necessary updates and improvements on a more frequent basis. The handbook will still be available in traditional paper form on a print as needed basis so that the most up-to-date material is distributed.

The activities and resources included in this handbook are the culmination of over thirty years of recommendations and practice by a host of sponsors across the state. They should be considered merely as suggestions and not as limiting or required. Creative and dedicated sponsors are the core of this organization. The ability to improvise and adapt these activities to meet the needs of your students at the local level is the crux of what has made the Webb Society experience so memorable for thousands of college students across Texas. You are encouraged to share any successful ideas or activities with others so that even more young adults can benefit. The educational services staff at the Association are also available to assist through advice and coordination. It is the flexibility and autonomy at the local level to chose, modify, and plan activities that best meet the needs of students that are key to the success of the Webb Society in Texas.

In revising this edition of the handbook I owe a great deal of credit to my predecessors. Dr. David C. De Boe first included the Webb Society in the Junior Historians Handbook in his 1990 revision. Much of the content and many of the ideas in this edition, especially the Introduction, flow from the earlier works of Dr. De Boe and his predecessors to whom I am grateful. Others have also contributed to this handbook as well, including John Britt who captured the brief organizational history, Stephanie Niemeyer whose editorial assistance was a key to the production of this edition and the Texas Historical Commission with the use of the Preservation Guidelines Series.