Ken Mercer - Texas State Board of Education
The Texas State Board of Education is reviewing the recommendations of social studies writing groups for the next ten years of history standards.
I received the following question from a constituent:
Is Texas removing United States Senator John Tower from our History books?
I support including Senator John Tower in our history standards. I firmly believe his place in history is fixed and should not be removed.
Sen. Tower was the first Republican Senator from Texas since Reconstruction. When he was elected in 1961 he was also the youngest United States Senator and the only Republican from the South. Sen. Towers election and three re-elections are clearly historic events.
On a personal note in the 1960s my Dad proudly took his nine-year-old son to a political event at a downtown San Antonio hotel. We heard and shook hands with the only Republican Senator from the South and the first from Texas since Reconstruction -- Senator John Tower.
In another related constituent question:
I understand history is reserved for those no longer living. What happens to those historic figures still alive?
In the section on Civics I believe that Texas students should be able to identify those current major leaders who are still living such as President Barack Obama Governor Rick Perry Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison and Senator John Cornyn.
