Background
McComb, David Glendinning was born on October 26, 1934 in Kokomo, Indiana, United States. Son of John Floyd and Jennie (Glendinning) McComb.
( Since its publication in 1989, Texas, A Modern History ...)
Since its publication in 1989, Texas, A Modern History has established itself as one of the most readable and reliable general histories of Texas. David McComb paints the panorama of Lone Star history from the earliest Indians to the present day with a vigorous brush that uses fact, anecdote, and humor to present a concise narrative. The book is designed to offer an adult reader the savor of Texan culture, an exploration of the ethos of its people, and a sense of the rhythm of its development. Spanish settlement, the Battle of the Alamo, the Civil War, cattle trails, oil discovery, the growth of cities, changes in politics, the Great Depression, World War II, recreation, economic expansion, and recession are each a part of the picture. Photographs and fascinating sidebars punctuate the text. In this revised edition, McComb not only incorporates recent scholarship but also tracks the post–World War II rise of the Republican Party in Texas and the evolution of the state from rural to urban, with 88 percent of the people now living in cities. At the same time, he demonstrates that, despite many changes that have made Texas similar to the rest of the United States, much of its unique past remains.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0292723164/?tag=2022091-20
( This lively and clear survey provides a wide-ranging ov...)
This lively and clear survey provides a wide-ranging overview of the history of modern sports, covering such topics as: • why human beings are athletes • how the major modern sports came about and how they spread throughout the world with the help of enthusiastic individuals, sports organizations, the YMCA and the Olympic movement • discussions of some of the most popular of the 300 modern world sports including: soccer, basketball, baseball, cricket, table tennis, tennis, Formula One racing, golf, swimming, skiing, volleyball, track and field, boxing, judo and cycling • the history of both western and non-western sports in depth, as well as the increasing globalization of sports today • the challenges facing the world of sports today, such as commercialization and the use of performance-enhancing drugs. Sports historians and cultural studies students will all find this book gives a fascinating and invaluable insight into the world of sport through history.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0415318122/?tag=2022091-20
( The Gulf Coast of Texas has drawn people ever since nom...)
The Gulf Coast of Texas has drawn people ever since nomadic Indian tribes sought sustenance in the coastal lagoons and marshes. Spanish and French explorers shipwrecked on these shores, while settlers in the nineteenth century turned Galveston and Indianola into thriving ports. Today, the coast is a major hub for industry and maritime shipping, as well as for commercial and pleasure fishing. Perhaps most important, the Gulf Coast remains a place where visitors and residents alike find refreshment and renewal. J. U. Salvant's lovely watercolor paintings in this book capture the history, beauty, and natural resources of the Texas coast. Some recreate landmarks that have been washed away by the tides of time, while others depict historical sites that welcome visitors. Still other paintings portray aspects of coastal life that are timeless. David G. McComb offers a concise, fascinating history of the Texas coastline to accompany the paintings. He shows how the resources of land and sea have always attracted people to the coast and describes the effects of major hurricanes. He also provides vignettes of individuals whose lives are woven into the Gulf Coast story. Taken together, these words and images blend past and present into a seamless depiction of the charms of the Gulf Coast.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0292777418/?tag=2022091-20
( He once said, "Texas is twelve million people who are b...)
He once said, "Texas is twelve million people who are bright and dumb, conservative and liberal, tall and short and slim and fat, courageous and cowardly—just like people in Connecticut and Oregon." And, "The philosophy of the cowboy is not spoken, but tacit. It must remain what he was, not what he said." And, "Academics everywhere are generally as rigid as rednecks, as conservative as successful farmers, and as irrational as zealots." Joe B. Frantz was noted for his entertaining talks, his love of anecdote, and his wit in phrase-making. He spent his life working as a college professor of history at the University of Texas at Austin and at Texas A&M—Corpus Christi. He was director of the Texas State Historical Association from 1966 to 1977 and gathered the oral history of the Lyndon B. Johnson administration. Along the way he taught graduate students, wrote books and articles, and gave speeches. "Joe," as he preferred to be called, received the mantle of Texas history from his mentor, Walter Prescott Webb, and progressed to become a recognized western and national historian. His era spanned the time when the University of Texas became a major doctoral school that trained research historians, and his students are now senior professors in departments across the country. This engagingly written biography of Frantz traces his lifetime from an orphan in Dallas until his death in Houston in 1993. Written by Texas historian David G. McComb, a former student of Frantz's, Travels with Joe is based upon Frantz's personal papers, interviews, and writings. It narrates the story of Frantz's triumphs and storms and captures the essence of this fascinating and influential man. Life, for Joe B. Frantz, was a grand journey, an adventure that he preferred to share with others. This book is about his journey.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0876111819/?tag=2022091-20
( Indians! Pirates! Rebels! Blockade Runners! Smugglers! ...)
Indians! Pirates! Rebels! Blockade Runners! Smugglers! Murder! Beaches! Beauty Contests! Hurricanes! These are all a part of the colorful history of an island city that once called itself The Free State of Galveston.” Located at a natural harbor on the northeastern part of a thirty-mile-long sand barrier island, the city dates its beginning from the end of the Texas Revolution. Before then, the harbor had attracted Jean Lafitte, a pirate from Louisiana, and the revolutionary Texan government fleeing in front of the attack of Santa Anna’s Mexican Army. After independence in 1836, Michel B. Menard, along with nine associates, bought the harbor property and founded the town. Galveston grew on the strength of the harborthe best between New Orleans and Veracruzand the city became a major entry point for immigrants to Texas. During the Civil War it was a haven for Confederate blockade runners and the site of one of the major battles of the war in Texas. Afterward it was a center for occupation forces and the point from which Major-General Gordon Granger announced emancipation for Texas slaves on June 19, 1865 (Juneteenth Day). The city later became a major cotton port for the Southwest and the location of the University of Texas Medical School. In 1900 Galveston was struck by a hurricane and flood that killed approximately six thousand people: the greatest disaster in the history of the United States. Afterward, the citizens built a sea wall, raised the grade of the island, and constructed a causeway for future protection. The city led the way with a commission form of government, and in the first half of the twentieth century, became noted for its illegal drinking, gambling, and prostitution. After the Texas Rangers cleaned it up, Galveston developed into a tourist town with its attractions of the beach, hotels, celebrations, and fishing. Historic preservation projects such as houses, buildings, museums, and the square-rigged ship Elissa completed its evolution. This authoritative and well-written history of Galveston provides an overview of the city’s rich and colorful past and provides readers, researchers, and tourists with information about today’s historical points of interest. Galveston: A History and a Guide is a delightful read and a useful traveling companion.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0876111789/?tag=2022091-20
(To many people, even many Texans, Texas history includes ...)
To many people, even many Texans, Texas history includes little more than the battle of the Alamo and the development of a petroleum empire. In "Texas: A Modern History", David McComb completes the picture, painting a fascinating portrait of a state that has changed profoundly in little more than 150 years. Written for the general reader, "Texas: A Modern History" traces the full panorama of Texas history, from its earliest Indian inhabitants to the present day. McComb gives special emphasis to the twentieth century, showing how the change from a rural to an urban society has affected the 'Texas mystique'. He includes groups whose contributions have been overloked in standard histories, including women, blacks, Hispanics, Indians, and immigrant groups. He even treats Texas' faults honestly, exploring the ways Texans have managed and mismanaged the problems of pollution, exploitation of natural resources, the oil depression, and civil rights. With a wealth of anecdotes, folklore, maps, and many historical photographs, "Texas: A Modern History" is the best general history of Texas currently available. McComb is especially adept at presenting the human side of history, showing how technological change affects the way people live. David G. McComb, professor of history at Colorado State University, is author of "Houston: A History" and "Galveston: A History", also published by the University of Texas Press. McComb grew up in Houston and has lived in Dallas, San Antonio, Galveston, and Austin. He is a fellow of the Texas State Historical Association.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0292746652/?tag=2022091-20
( On the Gulf edge of Texas between land and sea stands G...)
On the Gulf edge of Texas between land and sea stands Galveston Island. Shaped continually by wind and water, it is one of earth's ongoing creations—time is forever new. Here, on the shoreline, embraced by the waves, a person can still feel the heartbeat of nature. And yet, for all the idyllic possibilities, Galveston's history has been anything but tranquil. Across Galveston's sands have walked Indians, pirates, revolutionaries, the richest men of nineteenth-century Texas, soldiers, sailors, bootleggers, gamblers, prostitutes, physicians, entertainers, engineers, and preservationists. Major events in the island's past include hurricanes, yellow fever, smuggling, vice, the Civil War, the building of a medical school and port, raids by the Texas Rangers, and, always, the struggle to live in a precarious location. Galveston: A History is at the forefront of a trend in writing urban biographies emphasizing technology as the dynamic force in urban development. David McComb explores this often contradictory relationship between technology and the city, and provides a guide to both Galveston history and the dynamics of urban development.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/029272053X/?tag=2022091-20
( What do Texans' pastimes and recreations say about thei...)
What do Texans' pastimes and recreations say about their characters? Looking at Texas history from a new angle, David McComb starts from the premise that how people spend their leisure time may well reveal more about their true natures and interests than the work they do or their family connections. In this innovative book, McComb traces the history of various types of recreation in Texas, gathering significant insights into the characters of Texans from the pleasures they have pursued. Reflecting the frontier origins of Texas, McComb starts with the recreations that were most popular with men in a crude, still-developing society—drinking, gambling, and whoring. He goes on to show how, as Texas became more civilized, so did its diversions. He describes how Texans have connected with nature in parks and zoos; watched football and baseball in great stadiums such as the Astrodome and Cotton Bowl; discovered the pleasure of reading in public and university libraries; and enjoyed radio, TV, movies, and live theater in places such as Houston's Alley Theatre. This recreational history reveals that Texans are open-minded and generous; that they respect the land; oppose prostitution but indulge in gambling and drinking; support racial and gender rights; love zoos; champion libraries; take pride in theatrical productions; and adore sports.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0292718896/?tag=2022091-20
(Texas: An Illustrated History covers a lot of history and...)
Texas: An Illustrated History covers a lot of history and a lot of ground. Everyone notices how different Texas is from other states. For one thing, it's bigger than all of them (except Alaska). For another, it's got so many different types of land in it that it seems like at least four states in one--mountains, gently sloping plains, three mighty rivers (and many lesser ones), prairies, wetlands, islands, not to mention miles and miles of highways passing through farm country and vast cities. And then there's the weather. It rains a lot in the eastern and central part but hardly at all in the west. Snow and sleet are unusual, but there can be blizzards on the Great Plains and in the Panhandle. There are also parts of Texas that experience droughts and other parts that are prone to flooding. Texas weather can include dust storms, tornadoes, hurricanes, and even "blue northers' that blow through, breaking tree limbs, shaking the windows, and lowering the temperature as much as 24 degrees in one hour. It should come as no surprise that a state so full of variety has a history as distinct and unpredictable as its weather and geography. In 9200 B.C. the first humans migrated into the Texas Panhandle. What followed--exploration and settlement by the Spaniards, Mexican rule, the years as an independent republic, statehood, secession, and the Civil War--and what is still unfolding today are fascinating stories. Distinguished Texas historian David G. McComb has gathered anecdotes, tall tales, and little-known facts to bring to life the drama, humor, and far-reaching consequences of Texas history. He writes of the Native Americans in Texas, of the armadillo (a whimsical folk symbol but not, as most suppose, the official state animal), the Alamo, barbed wire, longhorn cattle, the Texas Rangers, and the supreme importance of football to the average Texan. He profiles such Texans as Jim Bowie, Audie Murphy, Van Cliburn, Willie Nelson, Barbara Jordan, Michael DeBakey, and many others who have left a mark not only on Texas but on the world. The long and complex history of Texas falls into place in an entertaining text, brimming with facts and filled with fascinating photographs and illustrations from the past and present. It is safe to say that the United States could not survive without Texas if it had to. But after reading Texas: An Illustrated History, you will agree that Texas, has, over the years, added much to the history of our country and that is has a special brand of humor and style that enriches us all.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0195092465/?tag=2022091-20
McComb, David Glendinning was born on October 26, 1934 in Kokomo, Indiana, United States. Son of John Floyd and Jennie (Glendinning) McComb.
Bachelor, Southern Methodist University, 1956. Master of Business Administration, Stanford University, 1958. Master of Arts, Rice University, 1962.
Doctor of Philosophy, University Texas, 1968.
Purchasing agent, McRan Company, Houston, l958-60; instructor, South Texas Junior College, Houston, l962; instructor, U. Houston, l966-68; assistant professor, San Antonio College, l962-66; research associate, University Texas, Austin, l968-69; assistant professor of history, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, l969-72; associate professor, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, l972-77; professor, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, l977-. Interviewer, director Oral History of Colorado Project, l973-77, Big Thompson Disaster Oral History, l976-78, Olympic Training Center Oral History, l983-87.
( This lively and clear survey provides a wide-ranging ov...)
( What do Texans' pastimes and recreations say about thei...)
( Indians! Pirates! Rebels! Blockade Runners! Smugglers! ...)
( He once said, "Texas is twelve million people who are b...)
( Since its publication in 1989, Texas, A Modern History ...)
(To many people, even many Texans, Texas history includes ...)
( The Gulf Coast of Texas has drawn people ever since nom...)
(Texas: An Illustrated History covers a lot of history and...)
( On the Gulf edge of Texas between land and sea stands G...)
Fellow Texas History Association. Member Oral History Association (program chairman l980), North America Association for Sports History, World History Association (executive council 1997-1999), Western History Association (program chairman l979), Rocky Mountain World History Association (chairman l988-92).
Married Mary Alice Collier, September 6, l957. Children: Katherine, Susan, Joseph.