Northeast Texas Community College was well-represented on the state stage last month as Dr. Melissa Fulgham, Department Chair for Humanities and Social Sciences, traveled to the campus of Texas Christian University (TCU) for the Alliance for Texas History Conference. Held from May 27–29, the annual conference brings together leading scholars, researchers, and educators to explore and preserve the complex tapestry of Texas history.
Dr. Fulgham served as the session chair for a highly anticipated panel entitled "Texas Club Women, Fixing the World." The session explored the profound, often understudied "soft power" and civic agency wielded by women’s organizations in Texas during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a period when women used club work to spearhead major social, educational, and political reforms.
The panel featured an impressive lineup of Texas historians, including:
• Dr. Kendra DeHart (Sul Ross State University)
• Leslie Torres (Doctoral Candidate, Texas A&M University)
• Dr. Rebecca Sharpless (Texas Christian University)
The session drew an engaged crowd, interested in the presenters' latest findings. Following the formal presentations, Dr. Fulgham moderated a robust question-and-answer period, sparking a deep dialogue between the audience and the panelists on how these historic networks of women shaped modern Texas communities.
In addition to steering the panel, Dr. Fulgham took the opportunity to share insights from her own ongoing regional research. She updated the interested audience on her current project focusing on Annie McLean Moores Towler, a remarkable woman who broke barriers as a local bank president as well as being an officer and clubwoman in the Texas Federation of Women’s Clubs. Dr. Fulgham’s work on Towler sheds light on how Northeast Texas women deftly navigated the worlds of finance and civic leadership.
Dr. Fulgham’s leadership at the conference underscores NTCC’s continued commitment to academic excellence, faculty scholarship, and the preservation of vital local history on a statewide platform.
