Kerrville, TX – Schreiner University is proud to welcome author and historian Dr. Richard Bruce Winders, a noted authority in the area of Mexican-United States Borderlands, to The Texas Center at Schreiner University as its first ever Visiting Scholar. Winders served as historian and curator at the Alamo for twenty-three years (1996-2019) before leaving to become an independent scholar and historical consultant.

Before developing the Alamo into one of the most visited historic sites in the United States—more than 1.6 million people a year—Winders was a veteran classroom teacher. “What I discovered is that lots of people love history,” he said, “they just hate classrooms.” His experience in the sphere of “public history” has literally shaped several generations of Texans and their relationship with the Alamo story.

“Bruce is a massive intellect who knows how to take some pretty complicated concepts and explain them in ways that resonate with the public,” remarked Dr. Donald S. Frazier, Director of The Texas Center. “He will help us position The Texas Center as a relevant resource for locals who love Texas and for students and educators who may look to us for guidance.”

Among the projects he will pursue while at Schreiner University are a comprehensive curriculum for teaching Texas in primary and secondary schools, and a video series on the history of firearms that helped shape Texas history.

“He is the epitome of a practical scholar and public intellectual,” Frazier continued. “We’ve had many adventures together in the past—from working on the Phil Collins book, The Alamo and Beyond, to crafting a vision of how best to tell the Texas story. He is one of those historians who writes for the fellow down the street, not the historian down the hall. Besides that,” Frazier continued, “Bruce is a genuinely nice guy.”

“I welcome the opportunity to be involved in shaping The Texas Center,” Winders said. “I have worked with Schreiner students as interns at the Alamo, and I am pleased to be on this beautiful campus, and in this welcoming atmosphere, doing what I love.”

Winders earned his doctorate from Texas Christian University in 1994. His published works include Mr. Polk’s Army: The American Military Experience in the Mexican War (1997), Crisis in the Southwest: the United States Mexico and the Struggle over Texas (2002), Sacrificed at the Alamo: Tragedy and Triumph in the Texas Revolution (2004), and Panting for Glory: The Mississippi Rifles in the Mexican War (2017).