IT’S BEEN SAID that newspapers write the first draft of history. Since The Mirror itself has a considerable history, dating back to 1877 as a continuous publication, and to 1915 under the current family’s ownership, we take that responsibility seriously.

We find it interesting, and useful, that several of our correspondents currently add local history to their community reports: Jim Eitel from Pritchett, Lurline Johnson from Bettie, Charles Johnson from Rosewood, Katie Breazeale from Ore City and perhaps others.

This is the time of year when regional history is on many minds, since the semi-annual meeting of the East Texas Historical Association draws near.

When members gather at the Holiday Inn in Paris Feb. 20-21, they will be representing the second largest historical organization in the state. Only the Texas State Historical Association is larger.

DURING THE PAST year the longtime executive director/editor, Archie P. McDonald, turned over the leadership reins of the association to Scott Sosebee. But Archie has not really retired. In a new role he will still be writing his regular historical column for The Mirror and other newspapers.

And he will be on the program in Paris doing one of his specialties: singing songs of World War II.

The only drawback to ETHA meetings is the concurrent sessions, which require you to make a choice between speakers who often have equally interesting subjects.

AT THE SAME time Archie is singing, a session on WWII prisoner of war camps will feature two speakers, one of them, Kyle McGrogan, speaking on the POWs at Camp Maxey in Paris.

Old Buckeyes from that era can remember when our legendary coach, Henry McClelland, left his 1940s position as Gilmer school superintendent to accept a commission as an Army captain. He served out the war at Camp Maxey, and John Avery took his place as superintendent.

The Friday afternoon program at the spring meeting will take place in Clarksville, and will include a tour of that historic town and a banquet at its First Presbyterian Church.

I look forward to the Women’s History Breakfast, held on the Saturday mornings of the meetings. Women in attendance are expected to, and do, give reports on their current historical research or interests.

THE SATURDAY morning program also will include a session on East Texas Women, with Dee Rinkes Marshall of Commerce speaking on Ruby Allmand, Northeast Texas Musician, and Gail Beil of Marshall reporting on Martin Dies Jr. and the Marshall Housewives.

The final Saturday morning sessions willl require a difficult choice for me.

Historian James Smallwood will preside over two talks on East Texans in the Civil War; Karen O’Neal of Panola College will introduce two papers on Northeast Texas Shootouts and Shootists and a third session will offer three speakers on The People Known as Redbones and Multi-EthnIc Legacies in East Texas.

NOT CONTENT with the present total of 700 enrolled, Membership Chairman Smallwood has launched a membership drive. For dues of $25, ($35 for a famIly) one receives, among other benefits, a subscription to the East Texas Historical Journal, a quarterly that always covers topics of interest in our region and sometimes beyond.

The current issue, No. 1 for 2009, has a story by Ken Untiedt, who succeeded F. E. (Ab) Abernethy as secretary editor of the Texas Folklore Society, another organization close to my heart. Both ETHA and TFS are headquartered on the campus of Stephen F. Austin State university in Nacogdoches, where the folklore society will hold its 100th anniversary meeting on Easter weekend.

The younger ETHA was founded in 1962 at the Nacogdoches university.

Dr. Smallwood, retired Oklahoma State University history professor, has proposed that each member be challenged to recruit one new member in the next year. Modest awards are offered for the most successful.

So I would like to extend an invitation to anyone interested in East Texas history to join. Just e-mail me at slgreene@etex.net" or contact me otherwise and I’ll be glad to provide a membership form.

THE AFOREMENTIONED Pritchett Correspondent Eitel, as his readers all know, has been preoccupied in recent months by the buzzard question, concerned that their numbers stay large enough to carry out their essential scavenging function. He has given custody of the Patterson Addition flock to Dr. Randy McDaniel, whose residence on the Cherokee Trace is northwest of my Patterson Addition home.

I never fail to wonder, when I see the buzzards circling my place, what they know that I don’t. Some days, as they mount ever higher, I think the buzzards may just be riding thermals.

READING John L. Tveten’s excellent book, The Birds of Texas, one learns that the turkey vultures (more common here than the shorter-winged black vultures) have a slow wake-up period. After roosting all night, probably in trees, they raise their 6-foot wings and hold them out to dry. They also need to warm up after having maintained a a lower body temperature through the night. When they do launch, they seek a thermal to carry them high.

According to this book — commercial note: on sale at The Mirror ­— ornithologists have long wondered whether the vulture/buzzard locates its decaying food by sight or smell. Most likely, Tveten writes, one vulture spots carrion from on high and others follow it down.

WHAT I REALLY wonder about is the flock of crows that frequent the streets in my neighborhood. Something in the 900 block of Madelaine Dr. has kept them busy for months, and made them something of a traffic hazard.

I was slow getting a feeder out last fall, but once I did the goldfinch and slate-colored junco flocks that had found some kind of wild seeds on my driveway soon located the bought variety in my back yard.

They are regularly joined by the more solitary birds: two pairs of cardinals, tufted titmouse, black-capped chickadee, white-breasted nuthatch and red-bellied woodpecker. All are fun for this not-very-accomplished bird watcher.

sgreene@tatertv.com Sarah Greene Archives