Current status of the Matthew Gaines project at Texas A&M University: The Spring semester of 2003 saw the Matthew Gaines project revisited as Brooks Landgraf spread the word of the issue to various student organizations. By mid-spring, Brooks Landgraf and Martha Gault were the chairs of a newly established Matthew Gaines Memorial Council. The council was established as an ad-hoc committee of the Texas A&M University Student Senate. Comprised of two representatives from every organization that wanted to take part in the project, the council met and discussed the possible designs and locations for the project. By the end of the semester, the Student Senate had passed a resolution that gave the Matthew Gaines Memorial Council permanent status until its goals are accomplished, and it outlined what the council had agreed upon ­ that the memorial would be a full body statue, with a plaque describing the contributions of Matthew Gaines as well as the rest of the 12th legislature, positioned in Koldus Plaza with surrounding bricks holding the names of all members of the legislature. This all, of course, depends on approval by PACAP and the rest of the administration. Brooks Landgraf and Martha Gault met with PACAP during the last week of the spring semester to make them aware of the project and answer any questions they had. Chuck Sippial will be the PACAP contact for the council, joining Professors Baum, Albrecht, and Murguia as faculty who are directly involved with the project. The council’s main objectives for the fall semester will be to get approval from the administration for continuation of the project and the beginning of fundraising, as the project will not be funded by the University. During the summer, outside historians have been contacted to evaluate the project for the administration. Drs. Alwyn Barr of Texas Tech, James Wilson of Southwest Texas State, and Richard Campbell of the University of North Texas will be the main outside evaluators of the project. In the fall, Chris Moran will take over as co-chair for Brooks Landgraf, who graduated in May. In the spring, Narietha Carter will take over for Martha Gault as the chair. She will be shadowing Martha during the fall in order to create a smooth transition of leadership, allowing the project to continue.

H.R. No. 753: "The House of Representatives of the 77th Texas Legislature pays special tribute to Matthew Gaines for his exceptional public service [April 17, 2001]"

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"FOREVER FREE" (A joint exhibit of the Texas State Library & Archives Commission and the State Preservation Board) [Matthew Gaines was one of fifty-two African-American men who served Texas as either state legislative members or Constitutional Convention delegates during the last half of the 19th century.] Collectively, these men "represented the first significant political achievement by the African-American citizens of this state. They were elected more than one hundred years ago amidst the commonly-held belief of whites at that time that African-Americans were inferior subordinates whose absorption into society as free people — or "forever free" as proclaimed by President Lincoln in the Emancipation Proclamation — would lead to the breakdown of civilization. By learning about these men and the social and political environment in which they were elected and held office, we can come to understand and appreciate the breadth of their individual achievements."

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The Matthew Gaines Debate at TAMU: "President Bowen's request for further study of its merits [has] sent the Gaines project into administrative limbo."

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Past statements regarding the Matthew Gaines Memorial by student leaders, faculty members, and university administrators:

• Steve Pryor, Treasurer, Aggie Republicans: "Texas A&M Will Remember Matthew Gaines"
  
  
• Timothy Novak, Forsyth Center curator and chair of the Matthew Gaines Committee: THE MATTHEW GAINES MEMORIAL
  
  
• Dale Baum, Professor of History: "A Statue to a Former Slave on the A&M Campus?" Dr. Baum's statement contains a suggested reading list of books and articles on Matthew Gaines and Texas Reconstruction politics: click here. For his remarks on black lawmakers in the 12th Texas Legislature and their support of the Morrill Land Grant College Act, click here. For his 1997 statement on the status of the Gaines project, click here. For his call for an effort to raise the money required to erect the statue on the TAMU campus to Matthew Gaines, click here.

Recent statements regarding the Matthew Gaines Memorial by TAMU faculty members:

• Statement of 38 TAMU Faculty Members: "As members of the university faculty, we have an obligation to say what we know and to support what we believe is correct. "
  
  
• Dale Baum, Vision 2020 and the Matthew Gaines Memorial: "The Gaines Memorial would avoid the statue imbroglio that exists on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin."
  
  

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Articles about the Matthew Gaines Memorial in THE BATTALION:

• "Ex-slave, senator helped found University" (February 7, 1994), p. 1.
  
  
• "Group to review senator's role in A&M's founding" (July 27, 1995), p. 1
  
  
• EDITORIAL: "Matthew Gaines: The former senator deserves recognition for his contributions" (July 27, 1995), p. 5.
  
  
• "'Something special' A&M group aims to bring new statue to campus soon" (October 10, 1995), p. 1.
  
  
• "A&M remembers Texas legislator" (February 25, 1998), p. 1.
  
  
• EDITORIAL: "Matthew Gaines: The former senator deserves recognition for his contributions" (July 27, 1995), p. 5.
  
  
• "Historically unclear: Despite debate among scholars, role of black senator in A&M founding gains support among students" (November 10, 1998), p. 1
  
  
• "A fitting memorial: Gaines deserves tribute on A&M campus" (February 12, 2002), p. 9.
  
  
• "Gaines memorial raises questions of accuracy" (April 15, 2003), p. 1.
  
  

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Related links on the WWW:

Texas A&M University	"FOREVER FREE"	African-Americans at Texas A&M University
Gateway to African-American History	Aggie College Republicans	Article on Matthew Gaines in the Handbook of Texas

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Anyone interested in working on the Gaines project is encouraged to contact
Richard Stadelmann in the Department of Philosophy or Dale Baum in the Department of History.

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Message from Kristen Ingram:
Howdy! Please consider joining the listserv for the Matthew Gaines Committee.
And if you know anyone else who would like to join, email them and let them know that all they need to do to join is send an email to
matthew_gaines-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. Thanks!
TO START SENDING messages to members of this group, simply send email to matthew_gaines@yahoogroups.com
P.S. If you would like to learn more about the matthew_gaines group, please visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/matthew_gaines

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Last update: 10:16 PM on 4/14/03

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