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2011-3 Remembrances Special Edition 1 City of Schertz – Remembrances Publication Special Edition 2011-3 Presented by: Schertz Historical Preservation Committee Every ‘Now and Then’ - History Proves Its Value ‘Now and then’, meaning occasionally, periodically, sometimes, once in a while. It’s an expression often called upon to qualify how frequent or infrequent an event is likely to occur. It’s only a figure of speech when the words are spoken in unison. However, separate the phrase into its two component parts and you have words that constitutes the reality that forms our lives and which allow for perspective as we make choices and decisions. Both words represent moments in time (‘now’ and ‘then’) from which flows our perspective on events, people, issues and ideas. The ‘now’ periods are constant and accumulate into moments, hours, and days. They merge to become the ‘then’ events. Throughout our lives, we call upon these historical ‘then’ events as motive for attitudes and behavioral adjustments. If, then, we are to grow in wisdom as we age, it’s only because of our willingness to reflect on events of our past (the ‘then’) and apply what we remember to the occurrences of the present (the ‘now’). Several adages apply to make the point. The one I most often favor is “Past is prolog to the future”. Applying this adage to out nation’s economic history, several events of the recent past provide perspective for assuring a better future. Events such as the savings and loan collapse of the 1980s, the severity of damage (economic) that unchecked financial and investment greed and dishonesty (Enron, etc.) caused in the 1990s, irrational trust and dishonest investment promises that led to the high tech bubble burst in 2000, all supply lessons that should influence future choices and decisions. The adage applies to international affairs as well. Our nation’s attention has recently been focused on the Middle East and the potential danger of a political vacuum that might arise there. The lessons of history in this instance date back to the days of the pharaohs some 3,000 years ago. As reported in the Wall Street Journal (“The Traditions of the Pharaohs Lives On”, Feb. 5-6, 2011 edition, p. C3) the power struggle being played out on the streets of Cairo has striking parallels from the time of the pharaohs. The end of the ‘Age of the Pyramid’ (2175 B.C.) was brought about by the political vacuum following the demise of a long-lived ruler. Factionalism and paralysis beset the Egyptian government, the economy collapsed and the country was plunged into protracted civil war. During the post World War II years, we Americans reacted to the events that led us into the War and the dangers that evolved due to our country’s attitudes of isolationism and a lack of preparedness for our national defense. We hopefully discovered the danger to world peace through acts of appeasement toward despots and dictators. On a more personal level, history teaches us that it is wise to warn our children to fear certain circumstances and/or persons. As parents, we try to teach children how to avoid being naive about certain human conditions or circumstances. We expose our children to the challenges of competitive experiences, in part, as a means of teaching them how to handle both defeat and victories. Our real time multi-media society provides historical 2 accounting of events on a twenty-four hour reporting cycle. We depend upon this reporting to, in part, teach us how to anticipate, react and recover from all that life throws at us, both in terms of successes and failures. David Kidder and Noah Oppenheim, in the introduction of their book, The Intellectual Devotional – American History, (Holtzbrinck Publishers, 2007) very appropriately describe the role of history in our lives. Kidder and Openheim state: “The study of American history sheds essential light on our world today, provides useful points of reference for intelligent conversation and will capture the imagination of anyone who simply enjoys a good story. Most importantly, history provides a record of the challenges and the triumphs of generations past from which we gain the insight as to the potential dangers and the rewards of certain decisions and actions.” What would it be like to loose the historical connection to our past? There have been those in our lifetime who have tried to deny others the right to their national identity and cultural past. The Soviet Union closed the gates to Eastern Europe after World War II and sought to kill all cultural remembrances. The Polish people revolted in 1989 and restored their cultural identity. The Hitler regime tried eliminating the Jewish culture. Our own nation’s history is relatively short compared to the rest of the world but it is filled with important lessons that guide our course of travel into the future. Closer to home, residents of Schertz, Texas also have a need to keep connected to their past. Whether in our governing, social, economic or personal lives knowing how prior generations approached the challenges and decisions of their times assists us in avoiding the dangers and reaping the rewards discussed by Kidder and Oppenheim above. Family is the primary vehicle for keeping our personal lives connected to the past. The Schertz area and our neighboring communities are loaded with rich ancestry connections. Talk to most any long-time resident and you will discover how they are related to two or more other families of early prominence within the area. Beyond family, the connection to the past is best preserved through the establishment of community history museums where are retained authentic artifacts, stories, photos, documented family histories/genealogies, etc. Both family recollections and documented sources of our City’s history are quickly being lost as today’s older generation passes on and nothing is done to preserve what little documented history that remains. The Schertz community has a volunteer Historical Preservation Committee but it has very limited financial support. The Committee has no dedicated physical facility for use in gathering, storing, displaying and protecting historical artifacts. Without such facilities the Committee has had to forego any school or community educational initiatives. The Committee pursues building, home and neighborhood historic designation projects but much more can and needs to be done if the City is to claim to be a community with a cultural/heritage identity that engenders pride inside and outside the town. We keep our hopes up knowing the every ‘know and then’ circumstances do change for the better.