Texas Border Business
EDINBURG, Texas — The Museum of South Texas History will host the Sunday Speaker Series Online presentation, “Hurricane Beulah,” featuring Clint Dawson, Lupita Gonzalez and Lupe Saenz at 2 p.m. on July 18 on Facebook Live.
This presentation is the first in a three-part collaborative series between MOSTHistory and Planet Texas 2050, a University of Texas at Austin research center dedicated to the rigorous study of climate change. The next two presentations will be held at 2 p.m. July 25 and Aug. 1 on Facebook Live.
The presentation will focus on the impact of Hurricane Beulah, which landed in the region more than 50 years ago, on South Texas and northeastern Mexico. Local storytellers will narrate personal experiences during this historic and iconic hurricane. Dawson, a scientist who develops computer models on floods and water levels, will demonstrate a model of Hurricane Beulah. Museum staff will supplement the presentation with multimedia from its Hurricane Beulah collection, which is preserved in the Margaret H. McAllen Memorial Archives.
Image Courtesy of MOSTH
Dawson is a professor and department chair of the aerospace engineering and engineering mechanics department at the University of Texas at Austin. His research focuses on environmental fluid dynamics, focusing on coastal ocean applications and flow through porous media. He has also studied the impacts of hurricane storm surge on coastal communities in the state of Texas.
Image courtesy of MOSTH
Saenz is a native of La Villa, Texas, a 1968 graduate of Edcouch-Elsa High School and a Vietnam Veteran. As a long-time member of the South Texas Conjunto Association, Saenz hosted a radio program dedicated to the development conjunto music.
Image courtesy of MOSTH
Gonzalez was born and raised in Port Isabel, Texas, where she still lives and enjoys retirement. She taught for more than 30 years before retiring in 2011. Aside from teaching, Gonzalez’s history is imbued with civic and community involvement, serving both in Houston and Port Isabel city committees.
Sunday Speaker Series Online can be found at www.facebook.com/mosthistory/liveor on the museum’s website at mosthistory.org/sunday-speaker-series-online.
This program is made possible with generous support from the Carmen C. Guerra Endowment. Mrs. Guerra was deeply committed to supporting educational opportunities in the Rio Grande Valley. This named endowment was created at the museum by her family to honor her memory and to continue her commitment to providing opportunities for education to the community.
