Creator:
William Clayton Pool
Title:
William Pool Papers
Dates:
1845, 1922, 1937-1990 (bulk dates 1945-1985)
Abstract:
The William Pool Papers span 1845 to 1990 and document the career of William C. Pool, Ph.D. This collection, donated in 1991, includes correspondence, writings, research, and ephemera from his career as a historian and community member in San Marcos, Texas. The collection is arranged in seven series, Correspondence, Writings by Pool, Subject Files, Organizational Affiliations, Photographs, Newspaper Clippings and Maps. The bulk of the collection are Pool’s writings, which include The Bosque Territory and the Texas Frontier, A Historical Atlas of Texas, Lyndon Baines Johnson – The Formative Years, Eugene C. Baker: Teacher and Historian, Mexican Federalism and the Texas Revolution, and an article within A Guide to the History of Texas.
Identification:
Collection 116
Extent:
6 boxes (2.5 linear feet)
Language:
English
Repository:
The Wittliff Collections, Texas State University
William Clayton Pool, Ph. D. was born in February 2, 1919 at Valley Mills in Bosque County, Texas. He graduated from high school in Clifton and received a Bachelor of Arts in History in 1941 from the University of Texas. Following his graduation, he was married to his wife, Jeanette and became a high school history teacher and an elementary school principal in Buffalo, Texas between 1941 and 1943. He joined the Army Air Corps (Air Force) as a pilot from, 1942 to 1945 and again in 1951 and 1952, travelling extensively with the military in India, Pakistan, and Burma (Myanmar).
During his first stint in the Air Force in the 1940s, Pool flew supply routes known as the China-Burma-India Hump. In one year, he flew 196 combat missions, 782 combat hours. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters, the Air Medal with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters, and the Asiatic-Pacific Theatre Ribbon with 2 Campaign Stars. In appreciation of his service, he was awarded pilot wings by the Chinese Air Force.
Pool returned to civilian life and continued his education earning a Master of Arts in History in 1946, and a Ph. D. in History in 1949 from the University of Texas, where he studied under Eugene C. Barker, Walter P. Webb, and Roy Bedichek. He was a member of Phi Alpha Theta, the National History Honor Society, and Pi Sigma Alpha, the National Political Science Honor Society, and earned scholarship at the University of Texas in both 1946 and 1947. During the summer of 1947, Pool worked as an Instructor for the university.
Following a brief stint at the University of Texas, William Pool had a distinguished career as a professor of history and a scholar at Texas State University, then Southwest Texas State University, from 1947 to 1986. He began as an Assistant Professor of History, from 1947 to 1949, when it was Southwest Texas State Teachers College, and continued as an Associate Professor of History from 1949 to 1957. His teaching career was interrupted for 21 months when he was called up for active duty during the Korean War (1950 – 1953), where he was a pilot training instructor. After his return to Texas State, he participated in a Mexico and Latin American History Program at Mexico City College in 1956.
By 1959, Pool had been promoted to full Professor, and by 1977 he was tenured. He was acknowledged as Professor Emeritus in 1991. He taught courses in American History, American Government, Modern European History, Great Britain and the British Empire, The History of Mexico and History of Western Civilization.
Pool was a member of the Organization of American Historians, the American Historical Association, the Southern Historical Association, the Agricultural History Society, and the Great Plains Historical Association, and a fellow of the Texas State Historical Association. He contributed articles to the North Carolina Historical Review, and the Southwestern Historical Quarterly, and was a staff writer for the Handbook of Texas.
He authored multiple books, including The Bosque Territory and the Texas Frontier, A Historical Atlas of Texas, Lyndon Baines Johnson – The Formative Years, Eugene C. Baker: Teacher and Historian, Mexican Federalism and the Texas Revolution, and an article within A Guide to the History of Texas, and Texas: Wilderness to Space Age, a textbook in Texas history for junior high students, beginning at the northward expansion of the Spanish-American frontier, through the events on 1962.
Pool died on April 30, 1995 and was survived by his wife, Jeannette. He had a daughter, Mary Ruth, multiple grandsons, and a great-granddaughter. He loved Scotland and made six trips there. He was an avid golfer, helped coach the Texas State Baseball Team, and served as a city councilman for San Marcos.
Currently through the history department at Texas State University, there is a William C. Pool endowment established to provide financial resources for the production and publication of scholarly work by department faculty.
The papers of William C. Pool, Ph.D. span from 1845 to 1990 although the majority of the materials regard his writings, and his political affiliations in the 1960s and 1970s. The papers are arranged into the following series: Correspondence, Writings by Pool, Subject Files, Personal Life and Organizational Affiliations, Photographs, Newspaper Clippings, Maps and Artifacts. Overviews of each series to follow.
These files are arranged alphabetically by correspondent, and include personal, political, and professional letters. The correspondence includes letters from professional colleagues, such as W.E. Webb, Eugene C. Barker, James McCrocklin, and J.G. Flowers; from Lyndon B. Johnson, Ralph Yarborough, Jake Pickle, Henry B. Gonzalez and other state and local politicians; and from members of the foreign service. Topics discussed include political topics of the time period, information regarding articles and papers Pool was in the processing of writing, with topics spanning from Early Texas Music, Westward Expansion, and Bosque County. Correspondence also includes mentions of genealogy, and inquiries into Pool’s personal life. The majority of this series dates from 1958 to 1972.
These files are arranged alphabetically by title, and include published writings, research and notes by Pool. Additional information about each volume is available below. A volume of The Cactus is included with research on Eugene C. Barker. There are distinct preservation concerns with this volume. A single book, A Guide to the History of Texas is housed in the Wittliff Collections Reading Room, Floor 7, Call Number F386.G84 1988 c.2. Pool’s writing spans from 1954 – 1988, and the volume of The Cactus is dated 1900.
The Bosque Territory and the Texas Frontier: Included in these folders are research notes for and a copy of The Bosque Territory and the Texas Frontier . This version was published in 1964. Research notes include handwritten notes, photocopies of documents, and fragments of writings from both Pool and others. This volume is a study into the history of Bosque County from its early settlements in 1850 through the mid-20th century. Another version of this volume, that was originally adapted from Pool’s Master thesis, was published in 1954 and is available online via Texas State University’s Digital Collections. https://digital.library.txstate.edu/bitstream/handle/10877/3863/fulltext.pdf?sequence=1
Eugene C. Barker: Teacher and Historian: Included in these folders are copies of Eugene C. Barker: Teacher and Historian published in 1971. This volume is a biography of Eugene C. Barker, a historian and professor at the University of Texas. Pool was a student of Barker, a Texas historian who wrote on and taught topics in Texas history, including the Texas Revolution, Mexican history, and the life and writings of both Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston.
A Historical Atlas of Texas: Included in these folders is a copy of A Historical Atlas of Texas published in 1974. This volume is an atlas of nearly 100 Texas maps, including a summary of Texas counties, and index to the text, and an index to the maps. The type was written by Pool while the maps were provided by Edward Triggs and Lance Wren. The narrative and accompanying maps describe locations pertinent to Texas history, including Native American settlements, Spanish exploration sites, and the establishment of “present-day” cities, counties, and collages.
Lyndon Baines Johnson – The Formative Years: Included in these folders is a copy of Lyndon Baines Johnson – The Formative Years published in 1965. This volume is a biography of Johnson, although only of his time before his presidency and specifically his youth. It was published while he was in his first term. This writing looks at the environmental factors of Johnson’s youth and includes source material from interviews with contemporary students, professors, and acquaintances. Pool co-authored this volume with Emmie Craddock and David E. Conrad.
Mexican Federalism and the Texas Revolution: Included in these folders are research notes for a volume that has no evidence of publication. Research notes cover the period of Mexican Federalism before the annexation of Texas from roughly 1824 to the period of the beginning of the Texas Revolution in 1835. Materials include handwritten notes, photocopies of documents, and fragments of writings from both Pool and others.
The Revolution and the Republic: Included in this folder is an article written by Pool discussing the Texas Revolution and the subsequent Republic of Texas prior to its annexation by the United States.
These files are arranged as they were donated by William Pool and include research for a number of his writings. The Research Notes folders house research material, manuscripts of articles, and publishable documents. The range of research subjects includes India, Bosque County, Texas History, European History, and Latin American History. The majority of materials are various manuscripts and fragments of manuscripts edited, written, or acquired by Pool. Although many material in this series are undated, included dates range from 1845 to 1967.
These files are arranged by category. Categories include awards, licenses, contracts, programs, invitations, informational booklets, sheet music, post cards, advertisements, a drink recipe, receipts, business cards and addresses. Each category is organized chronologically. These records document activities Pool participated in and attended at Southwest Texas State University, and invitations to political events for Texas Governor John Connally and President Lyndon Baines Johnson.
These photographs are arranged by subject, including William Pool, Eugene C. Barker and his family, buildings and events. Most of the subjects of the photographs, other than Pool and Barker, are unidentified. The majority of the photographs are undated, but most of them look as though they were taken between the 1930s and 1970s. The collection includes seven envelopes of negatives and a film canister with an audio recording of Pool.
These files are arranged alphabetically by publication, and chronologically by clipping, and include clippings from local newspapers, including the Austin American Statesman, the Clifton Report, El Reportero, the San Marcos Record, the University Star, the Waco Tribune-Herald, and others. The clippings span the dates of 1954 to 1990 with the majority being between 1963 and 1965. Many clippings feature William Pool or a mention of his published work, and there are various copies of full editions of El Reportero, the local newspaper directed toward the Hispanic community of San Marcos.
Maps included with these papers include a 1965 World Map, an undated map of Burma (Myanmar) and an undated Golf Map of Britain.
Artifacts included with these papers are two pieces of currency, including a $10 Confederate Note and a 10,000 Mark German Reichsbanknote.
Access Restrictions:
Open for research.
Preferred Citation:
William Pool Papers, The Wittliff Collections, Texas State University
Acquisition Information:
Donated by William C. Pool, 1991
Processing Information:
Processed by Ryan Henson, Madelyn Patlan, and Kristine Robb, 2015
Notes to Researchers:
Dr. Pool donated a copy of A Guide to the History of Texas, in which he wrote an article. This volume is housed in the Wittliff Collections Reading Room, Floor 7, Call Number F386.G84 1988 c.2. See the on-line catalog for more information.
Box Folder
1 1 Albertson – Cutbirth
1 2 Daniel – Guenther
1 3 Hagan – Jones
1 4 Kaiser – Mykleboast
1 5 Nail – Rundell
1 6 Sandlin – Wylie
1 7 Yarborough, Ralph, 1960, 1964-1965, 1969-1972, 1975
1 8 First name only
1 9 Other Correspondents
Box Folder
The Bosque Territory and the Texas Frontier (1964)
2 1 Research Notes
2 2 Typescript, carbon copy
Eugene C. Barker: Teacher and Historian (1971)
2 3-4 Typescript draft (2 folders)
2 5-6 Typescript, carbon (2 folders)
2 7 Reviews and Memorandum of Agreement
2 The Cactus, 1900
A Historical Atlas of Texas (1974)
3 1-2 Typescript draft (2 folders)
Lyndon Baines Johnson – the Formative Years (1965)
3 3-4 Typescript draft (2 folders)
Mexican Federalism and the Texas Revolution
3 5-7 Notes
3 8 “The Revolution and the Republic” article
Research Notes
4 1 Bosque County research material
Social Science Program at San Marcos Baptist Academy
“Needed: A National Purpose”
“The Muslim League: It’s History, Activities, and Achievements”
India research Material
4 2 Notes on Europe and Asia dating from the 1700s to the 1800s
“The Significance of the Frontier in American History”
“Westward I Go Free: The Memoirs of William E. Cureton,
Texas Frontiersman”
“Recollection of W. E. Cureton, Texas Frontiersman,
1848-1925”
“The Revolution and the Republic”
India research
4 3 Eugene C. Barker research, 1948
Faculty research, 1963
“A History of Bosque County, TX,” 1953
“Teaching Texas History”
George Hendricks biography
“Twenty Minutes with a Norwegian”
Dick Fleming manuscript
Lists re: Walter Prescott Webb biography
“Tribute to a Texan”
“Gettysburg Address Modernized”
4 4 Map of North Central Texas
“Life and Literature of the Southwest: An Incomplete Guide to
Books on Texas and the Southwest" J. Frank Dobie, 1958
“Latin America: Colonial and National Period”
Outline and readings for Texas history, 1845-1920
“Frank Dobie: Man and Friend,” April 27, 1967
Box Folder
4 6 Awards, Licenses, Golf Ephemera, Faculty Contracts,
1947-1980
4 7 Catalogs, Programs and Invitations, 1955-1986
5 1 Booklets and Music, 1938, 1956-1986, undated
5 2 Postcards, Business Cards and Ephemera, 1955-1985, no date
Box Folder
5 3 William C. Pool (5 photographs)
5 4 Group Photographs with William Pool (19 photographs)
5 5 Eugene C. Barker and Family (15 photographs)
5 6 Unidentified men (6 photographs)
5 7 Unidentified Groups (10 Photographs)
5 8 Playground Scene (7 photographs)
5 9 Buildings (10 photographs)
5 10 Westphalia Bicentennial (5 photographs), black and white, 1976
5 11 Live Music Event (3 photographs), color
5 12 Boats (3 photographs), color
5 13 Negatives
5 14 Film
Box
6 Numerous newspaper clippings
Box Folder
5 15 World map, 1965
Map of Burma, undated
Bartholomew Sport series golf map of Britain, undated
Box Folder
5 16 $10 Confederate currency note, T-68 Richmond, February 17, 1864
10000 Mark German Reichsbanknote, January 19, 1922 Serial No. G.01475250
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