2019 James Otis Lecture Series Program Well Received

The 8th annual TEX-ABOTA James Otis Lecture Series was held on Constitution Day, Tuesday, September 17, 2019, at the Texas State Capitol.  Over 100 students and their chaperones and sponsors gathered at the Capitol at 9:00am to hear Prof. H.W. “Bill” Brands speak passionately about the Constitution.

He made it relevant to what’s going on in today’s world and challenged the students to determine what might be considered to be added as an amendment or and amendment that should be changed. There were lots of questions and a lively discussion on many topics, including the rights of women and their bodies, gun control and voting. Students actually lined up the discussion to more ask questions.

Prof. Brands is an American educator, author and historian. He has authored 30 books on U.S. history. He holds the Jack S. Blanton Sr. Chair in History at the University of Texas at Austin, where he earned his Ph.D. in history in 1985.

The students sat in the chairs of the House of Representatives during the program. They were then taken on a tour of the Capitol by the tour guides. After the tour, lunch was served at the First United Methodist Church. The students were then presented with their James Otis Scholar certificates by TEX-ABOTA President, Grace Weatherly.

Karen Burgess, Jennifer Doan and David Halpern were also there to make things go smoothly.

Here are the photographs of the students from Westbury High School (Houston), Sharpstown International High School (Houston), Dripping Springs High School, Palestine High School, UT Tyler University Academy at Palestine and Westwood High (Palestine). These photos may be downloaded and are formatted for a 5×7 picture. Photos by Brenda Ladd http://www.brendaladdphoto.com