Bookshelf

What's Been Happening

From Dominance to Disappearance: The Indians of Texas and the Near Southwest, 1786-1859 by F. Todd Smith, associate professor of history (University of Nebraska Press).

Drawing on published and unpublished sources in Spanish, French and English, Smith traces the histories of the native people of Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma and their relations with European Americans beginning in 1786. Early in the period covered, groups including the Caddos, the Karankawas, the Tonkawas, the Lipan Apaches and the Atakapas influenced the region’s affairs. But after Texas declared its independence, their power declined as did their ability to survive in the face of hostility.

Handbook of Media Management and Economics, edited by Alan Albarran, professor and chair of the Department of Radio, Television and Film; Sylvia M. Chan-Olmsted, University of Florida; and Michael O. Wirth; University of Tennessee (Lawrence Erlbaum Associates).

The book provides a synthesis of current work and research in media management and economics. Thirty chapters assess the state of knowledge for key topics in the fields and establish the research agenda in these areas. The book received this year’s Robert G. Picard Book Award from the Media Management and Economics Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communications.

Four Seasons Stables — A Saddle Seat Riding Adventure by Cathleen Cole (’94 M.J.) of Beaumont (PublishAmerica). The children’s story is about a 12-year-old girl who works as a groom in exchange for riding lessons and learns that if you work hard, any dream is possible. Basic saddle seat instruction is included with the story. Cole is a professional journalist and amateur horsewoman who started riding saddle seat at age 10.

Church and Worship Music: An Annotated Bibliography of Contemporary Scholarship: A Research and Information Guide by Avery T. Sharp and James Michael Floyd (’00 D.M.A.) of Hewitt (Routledge). This annotated bibliography to books, periodicals, recordings, videos and web sites in the field of church music in the United States covers literature written from 1960 to 2004. Sections include general music reference, church music reference, church music in periodicals, historical studies, regional studies, religious and ethnic groups, and tradition, change and conflict. The authors also wrote Choral Music: A Research and Information Guide in 2002.

Skirts That Swept the Desert Floor: One Hundred Biographical Profiles of Nevada Women in History, edited by M.A. Duval, coordinated by Mary Grimes Gafford (’57, ’58 M.A.) of Las Vegas, Nev., and Joan M. LeMere. Gafford, vice president of the Nevada Women’s History Project-Southern Region, collaborated with LeMere, the state president of the project, in publishing this collection of biographies of Nevada women who have made positive contributions to the history of the state. In addition to promoting sales of the book, the organization is donating a copy to secondary schools and public libraries throughout Nevada.

Spiritual Practice, Occultism, and Extraterrestrial Intelligence: A Travel Guide for Beyond the Rainbow by Judy Kennedy (’84 M.A.) of Maricopa, Ariz. (Paper Wings Publishing). Kennedy received her master’s degree from North Texas in interdisciplinary studies, focusing on music, psychology and philosophy. In addition to other post-graduate research, her book features the results of an experimental study conducted at North Texas in 1982, which involved original music she composed. The book explores connections between extraterrestrial intelligence and spiritual practice, with Dorothy’s journey in the Wizard of Oz as a model.

The Caretaker of Tree Palace by Cindy Dawn McCallum (’93, ’94 M.Ed.) of Chapel Hill, N.C. (Longhorn Creek Press). McCallum’s first middle-grades novel, published under the name C. Dawn McCallum, follows a 12-year-old boy who retreats to his drawing notebook after his mother’s death and tries to see her “Tree Palace” in the woods near his grandmother’s home before the trees are sold for lumber. Also available is a teacher’s guide. McCallum was a Meadow’s Excellence in Teaching scholar and now conducts workshops and writer visits at libraries, community centers and schools.

They Changed the World: People of the Manhattan Project by A.J. Melnick (’74 M.Ed.) of Santa Fe (Sunstone Press). Photographer Melnick set out to find people who were involved in the Manhattan Project, the effort to develop the atomic bomb, at Los Alamos from 1943 to 1945 and capture their portraits. Support personnel for the scientists and engineers on “The Hill,” as it was called, included clerks, truck drivers, teachers, cooks and technicians. In addition to their portraits, the book features the stories and memorabilia they shared, including memories of the first atomic blast as well as Saturday night dances, secrecy, shortages, muddy streets, marriages and laundry.

Tribal Knowledge: Business Wisdom Brewed From the Grounds of Starbucks Corporate Culture by John Moore (’95) of Austin (Kaplan Business). Moore, a former marketer for Starbucks, writes about what’s made the company a success. Among the 47 core lessons included are “be the best, not the biggest,” “actions speak louder than advertising” and “everything matters.” Moore, who refers to his occupation as “marketing medic,” now operates the Brand Autopsy Marketing Practice and is a speaker at conferences, companies and colleges.

The Time Travelers Academy by Reginald Williams of Arlington (Lulu Press). After the destruction of a comet brings a plague to Earth, 10 cadets from a secret military academy are selected to travel to the future to find a cure. But when the mission’s leader learns of his fiance’s death, he determines to travel to the past to prevent it, even though he risks the destruction of the planet as he faces forces at work to stop him. Williams, who was in the Air Force ROTC program at UNT in 1989, is pursuing the sale of movie rights for his book.

Other Media

My Precious One by Amy Otey (’89) of Trenton, N.J. The latest CD of “Miss Amy,” a children’s artist and musician, is a tribute to families who have experienced premature birth and is being used as a fundraiser for the March of Dimes. Otey, who performs in the Philadelphia area, launched an FMWebtv show geared toward children in September.