Longview student pens winning Save Texas History essay

St. Mary’s School student Jack Eaton one of twenty finalists

Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson today announced Jack Eaton of Longview is one of twenty finalists in the 2011 Save Texas History Texas Travels Essay Contest.

 Jack attends St. Mary's School and had Barbara Barton as a teacher.

Jack will receive a Save Texas History backpack, a Certificate of Appreciation signed by Commissioner Patterson and a historical map replica from the Land Office Archives Collection.

Patterson announced the top winners for the statewide essay contest today.  Madeleine Smith, a nine-year-old from The Woodlands’ John Cooper School, won the fourth-grade division of the contest with her essay about Alonso Pineda, the first European to see Texas and map the Gulf coast. Cedar Park’s Elena Ivanova, 12, took top honors in the seventh-grade division with her vivid retelling of how 18 Texians stood down an army of 100 Mexican soldiers at the Battle of Gonzales in 1835.

The Texas Travels Essay Contest is sponsored by the General Land Office Save Texas History program and Southwest Airlines. The contest fulfills the educational mission of the Save Texas History program to promote the study of Texas history and to serve as a teaching resource.

The Texas General Land Office Save Texas History™ program is a statewide initiative to rally public support and private funding for the preservation and promotion of more than 35 million historic maps and documents. With the twin goals of preservation and education, the Save Texas History program seeks to conserve these documents for future generations and educate Texans about the rich heritage found in these vital records. For more details, visit www.savetexashistory.org.