Don Carleton

Willie Nelson display now in North End Zone

November 18, 2014 By Bill Powers

Don Carleton, Willie Nelson, and Bill Powers. (Photo by Brian Birzer)

Last week it was my honor to welcome back to campus the legendary Willie Nelson, who recently made a generous gift to the University that includes numerous pieces of memorabilia from throughout his career. Next time you are in DRK-Memorial Stadium, come through the North End Zone and visit the display.

This exhibit came about as the result of a friendship between Joe Jamail and Willie Nelson, who became friends because of a mutual friend, Darrell Royal. So this place really is the nexus of those three Texas legends. I want to thank the Jamail family, which supported the display with a grant from the Jamail Foundation, and to congratulate Briscoe Center for American History and Director Don Carleton, who was responsible for the acquisition and the display design.

Among the most powerful objects are the gifts that have been given to Willie by others: a head dress given to him by Native Americans; a Purple Heart given to him by the veteran who earned it, just because Willie’s music had touched him so much; a helmet from one of the firefighters who died in the West, Texas, fertilizer explosion. These gifts and others testify to the life of a truly special human being. I’m proud he will be celebrated in this space.

Hook ’em!

Briscoe-Garner Museum a UT gem off the beaten path

December 18, 2013 By Bill Powers

The next time you’re driving west of San Antonio, I encourage you to stop and visit a little-known UT treasure, the Briscoe-Garner Museum in Uvalde. It was the home of John Nance Garner, who served as President Franklin Roosevelt’s first vice president, from 1933 to 1941. UT’s Briscoe Center for American History recently produced the documentary Cactus Jack, which premiered in Uvalde on Dec. 10, the same night the museum reopened after major renovations.

The Briscoe Center is doing tremendous work to preserve American history and foster interest in the enormous role Texas has played in that history. I congratulate Director Don Carleton for these latest twin successes.

What Starts Here Changes the World.

A UT week on the East Coast

October 26, 2011 By Bill Powers

I spent much of last week in Washington D.C. and New York and was proud of the University at every turn.

Wednesday was especially gratifying and hinted at the range of who we are as an institution. In Washington, I attended a breakfast press conference for the new UT Energy Poll, a project of the McCombs School. Wayne Hoyer, chair of our Marketing Department, Ray Orbach, director of our Energy Institute, and McCombs School dean Tom Gilligan did a great job of explaining the significance of this initiative. The poll will survey the public’s attitudes about energy consumption, pricing, development, and regulation each October and April. There were lots of good questions, not just from the media but from energy industry leaders, congressional aides, and our own faculty. You can read more about it in USA Today.

From left, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Briscoe Center Director Don Carleton, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson, and Bill Powers

That evening in New York City, I joined Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Dr. Don Carleton, director of UT’s Briscoe Center for American History, Vice President Greg Vincent, and our own Distinguished Alumna, mezzo-soprano Barbara Conrad, for a screening at Lincoln Center of the Briscoe Center-produced documentary on Barbara “When I Rise.” We were also joined by Randall Stephenson, the CEO of AT&T, which helped fund the project, as well as a number of AT&T executives.

When the end credits had rolled, the curtain rose on Barbara, who performed four beautiful selections.

Every member of the UT family should see “When I Rise,” which documents a critically important chapter in our story as a university and the contributions Barbara and her supporters made to our progress as an institution and a state.

In a single day, UT demonstrated its leadership in energy research and its enormous progress in social justice and the arts on the national stage. It was a proud day to be a Longhorn.

Hook ’em Horns,

Bill's Signature

UT Vice President for Diversity and Community Engagement Gregory Vincent with Barbara Conrad

Photos courtesy Don Pollard

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