At the Texas State Genealogical Society's annual conference in San Antonio, members of the Van Zandt County Historical Commission upheld our county's reputation for excellence in historical research and writing, winning First and Second Place in a key book-writing competition.
In the category of Books By Non-Professional Authors/Reference, Linda Lantrip Mays and Tommie Lantrip Mayo won First Place, for their historical work From Cotton Field to Oil Field: A History of Van, Texas. In the same category, Benja Pittman Mize and Lawrence O. Greer won Second Place for their book Stories Beneath the Stones: The Hidden Story of a Small Texas Town, Told Through the Lives of Those Buried in the City Cemetery. All four authors are longstanding Van Zandt County residents and also current members of the Van Zandt County Historical Commission.
It was just a coincidence that Mrs. Mays and Mrs. Mayo completed their book at roughly the same time that Mr. Greer and Mrs. Mize published theirs, so that their books were competing head-on at the State Conference. Had they entered in separate years, Van Zandt County would probably have had two First Place winners...
Congratulations to these writers for their impressive work!
Anyone wishing to buy one of these books should send us an email at VanZandtTXCHC@gmail.com We will get you in touch with the authors.
