LECTURE SERIES

Traditionally Published Texas Author, Johnnie Bernhard weaves Texas and its history in her five novels. 

Award-Winning Author and Speaker

Saturday, August 9th, 2025 2:30PM-4PM

204 S Austin St Rockport, TX

FREE For Members, $50 For Nonmembers

Class Information:

Johnnie’s novels are nationally recognized with literary awards and a TEDx talk on the human story, which she will revisit with us in August. 

About the Instructor:

A former teacher and journalist, Johnnie Bernhard is passionate about reading and writing.  Her work(s) have appeared in the following publications: Houston Style Magazine, The Mississippi Press, the international Word Among Us, The Texas Review, and the Cowbird-NPR production on small town America.

A Good Girl (2017, Texas Review Press) was shortlisted in the 2015 William Faulkner-William Wisdom Writing Competition, the 2017 Kindle Book Award for Literary Fiction, and the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters Fiction of the Year Award. It was a nominee for the 2018 PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize and placed in the permanent collection of the Texas State Library and Archive Commission, Texas Center for the Book. 

Johnnie’s second novel, How We Came to Be (2018, Texas Review Press) was named a “Must Read” by Southern Writers Magazine and selected for the 2019 Deep South Magazine recommended reading list. It is the recipient of the Summerlee Book Prize, HM by the Center for History and Culture at Lamar University. The book was featured in a panel discussion at the Mississippi Book Festival.

Her third novel, Sisters of the Undertow (2020, Texas Review Press) was chosen for discussion at the 2020 national AWP Conference, the Pat Conroy Literary Center of South Carolina, the Southern Book Festival/Humanities Tennessee, and Words and Music Literary Feast of New Orleans. Named “Best of the University Presses, 100 Books” by the Association of University Presses, Sisters of the Undertow was placed in the Texas Center for the Book, State Library Collection and received First Place in the Press Women of Texas Communications Contest. It was named a “Big Texas Read” by Gemini Ink of San Antonio and Writing Workshops of Dallas.

Her fourth novel, Hannah & Ariela  (2022, TCU Press) was named by Publisher’s Weekly Magazine “Books to Read,” May 2022. TCU Press named the novel its Best Fiction of 2022 in recognition of University Press Week, Association of University Presses.  It was selected as novel of the year by the Press Women of Texas and received First Place, Fiction with the National Federation of Press Women.   

Johnnie was chosen as a selected speaker in the 2020 TEDx Fearless Women Series. She also supports young writers through the Letters About Literature program with the Texas Center for the Book and the Write for Mississippi program. In 2021, she was named a teaching artist with Gemini Ink Writing Arts Center of San Antonio and the national TAP Summer Institute 2021. Johnnie enjoys teaching workshops for writing communities across the country.

Windswept Shores: Stories of Aransas County Presented by Janie White

May 17th, 2025 | 3 PM - 4:15 PM
204 S Austin Street in Rockport, Texas.

FREE for Members, $50 for Nonmembers.

Lecture Description:

In 2014, the Aransas County Historical Society voted to produce a book of histories of the citizens of Aransas County and invited submissions from the community. The committee we formed in 2014 did an excellent job of proofreading. Then came the task of editing the stories to be around 500 words. We were well into that process by August 2017.

When Hurricane Harvey arrived in Aransas County on the evening of August 25, 2017, progress on the book stopped. Aransas County had Harvey’s mess to deal with. People’s lives changed. Some had to rebuild their homes, and some left because their homes were destroyed. It was hard to cope with the disaster that befell our little county. The Covid-19 pandemic followed soon after. The Aransas County community had bravely confronted hard times before and did so again. The book was put on the back shelf as those calamities were resolved. Now, the project has come back to life. The book includes 122 stories of Aransas County residents, many of which are accompanied by a photograph. The stories span a period from the Texas Revolution to 2014. It was released earlier this year.

This talk will highlight some of those stories. Photographs from the book and others from the Aransas County Historical Society’s Photo Collection will show what life was like in Aransas County. Photos from the hard times and happy times will give the listener a background of Aransas County history to enhance the stories in Windswept Shores.

*Note: In 1997, the book Aransas: The Life of a Texas Coastal County (authored by Sue Hastings Taylor and William Allen) was sponsored by the Aransas county Historical Society and others, including the Rockport Art Association. The Aransas County Historical Society received some of the proceeds from that book. Those funds were put into a savings account for publication of a future book. “Windswept Shores” was published with some of those funds.

In my talk I will be using photos from the book plus some not in the book to help attendees enjoy stories of individuals and leave with an understanding of Aransas County as a community.

About the Lecturer:

Janie Collier White has been an active Aransas County Historical Society Board of Trustees member since 2005. She was President of the Society from 2006 until 2010. When the Society produced the calendar of historic photographs in 2007, she designed the calendar, restored, and prepared the photographs. She created each calendar until 2022. In 2022, she passed the job of creating the calendars to Tom Watkins.

Before Hurricane Harvey, the Aransas County Historical Society began creating a book to relate the stories of the citizens of Aransas County and invited submissions from the community. Hurricane Harvey’s arrival and other life events delayed the completion of that book. When the Historical Society decided to complete that book, many who had initially worked on the project were no longer available to help complete it. The stories were far too interesting and important to leave on the shelf. Janie White took on the task of completing the book that had been started in 2014. That book, Windswept Shores, was released earlier this year.

Janie is a descendant of the Sorenson and the Herring families. Both families arrived in what was then Refugio County in the mid-1860s. Her Grandfather, John C. Sorenson, was the proprietor of John C. Sorenson and Sons grocery store until he died in 1952. It was in the Historic Sorenson Building on Austin Street. John’s father, Simon B. Sorenson, started the business in 1889. The building was sold to Estelle Stair after Hurricane Celia. It was later known as the Estelle Stair Gallery and was owned by Lisa Baer Frederick and John Paul Frederick. It is now known as Coastal Mercantile. Janie lives in the home her grandparents, John Curry Sorenson and Lola Lee Herring Sorenson, built on South Water Street in 1910.

Suzanna Moroles: An Inside Look at Her Career and the Legacy of Jesús Moroles

April 12th, 2025 | 2 PM - 3:30 PM
204 S Austin Street in Rockport, Texas.

FREE for Members, $50 for Nonmembers.

Lecture Overview:

Suzanna Moroles, sister of world-renowned artist Jesús Moroles and Founder of Moroles Art Co. will share her journey coming to Rockport to begin her lifelong career. Starting with her relationship with her brother, the story of building the original studio and highlights from 1987-2015. Suzanna will delve into her life following Jesús’ passing and the creation of Moroles Art Co.

About the Lecturer:

Suzanna Moroles, Founder & Artistic Visionary of Moroles Art Co., has built a distinguished career in the art world, leveraging her multifaceted expertise as an Art Advisor, Art Conservator and Curator. As the sister of the late renowned granite sculptor Jesús Moroles, Suzanna played a pivotal role in his career, working alongside him beginning in 1987 as he rose to worldwide acclaim. Collaborating with major institutions and museums globally, including the Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American Art, Art in Embassies Program, and numerous galleries, universities, foundations, and corporations.

Her contributions extended to high-profile events, including a 2008 White House invitation from President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush for a Cinco de Mayo dinner, and attending the ceremony and dinner when Jesus was awarded the National Medal of the Arts, the highest honor in the field.

A self-taught professional, Suzanna's work with Jesús was integral to his success, as she managed logistical, business, and curatorial aspects while he traveled globally for installations and symposiums. Tog ther, they collaborated on over 500 exhibitions, with Suzanna handling critical negotiations and overseeing contracts, deals, and project preparations.

After Jesús' untimely passing in 2015, Suzanna dedicated herself to preserving his legacy, collaborating with curator Katie Robinson Edwards to curate a 40-year tribute exhibition at the Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Museum in Austin, TX, which broke attendance records (Nov 2015-Mar 2016) as just one of the many achievements she has completed.

As Founder of Moroles Art Co., Suzanna continues to be a visionary force in art conservation and preservation, focusing on the restoration of Jesus' existing works while also offering restoration services for works for other artists. Alongside lifelong partner and artist Kurt Kangas, whose creativity and collaboration with Gabriel Mendez made this possible, Moroles Art Co. is actively creating new artworks, further expanding the legacy of Jesus' stone carving - techniques and passion for EVERLASTING GRANITE sculptures. Through ongoing creative initiatives Moroles Art Co. ensures the Moroles artistic vision evolves and thrives in the contemporary art world.

Cows, Corsets, Cats, and Kilts: My Adventures as a Ranching Historian

with Dr. David Murrah, Ph. D.

March 8th, 2025 | 2 PM - 3:30 PM
204 S Austin Street in Rockport, Texas.

FREE for Members, $50 for Nonmembers.

Lecture Overview:

In his presentation, Dr. Murrah will present an overview of his 55-year career as a Texas historian, museum consultant and author or editor of more than 50 publications, including 12 books, including the histories of four major ranches in West Texas. The current Texas State Historian, Dr. Monte Monroe, recently described Murrah as “the preeminent ranching scholar of his time.”

About the Lecturer:

Dr. David J. Murrah is a Texas historian who lives in Rockport and serves as a museum and archival consultant.

Dr. Murrah worked for Texas Tech University in Lubbock for 25 years as archivist and director of its Southwest Collection, and then became general project manager and vice president of Southwest Museum Services in Houston. He semi-retired in 2002.

As a historian, Dr. Murrah has written or edited eleven books related to Texas history as well as more than fifty other publications.  With the release of his book, The Rise and Fall of the Lazy S Ranch, in 2021, he now has publications by the four major university presses in the Southwest: the University of Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, and Texas A&M presses. His twelfth book, a ghost-written autobiography of a prominent Texas banker, will be published in 2025.

He has recently completed researching and writing exhibit content for the Cattle Raisers Museum in Fort Worth and for the Matador Land and Cattle Company’s headquarters near Matador, Texas. He is currently producing exhibit text for a new museum at South Padre Island.

He is the immediate past president of the Aransas County Historical Society and continues to serve as a Trustee and Newsletter Editor. He and his wife Ann have four children, nine grandchildren, and seven great grandchildren and they recently celebrated their 51st wedding anniversary.

Remarkable Adventures and Wonderful Things!
with Wayne L. White

Saturday, February 8th, 2025 | 3PM - 4:30PM

204 S Austin St Rockport, TX

FREE for Members and $50 for Non-Members

LectureOverview:

Please join Wayne L. White on Saturday February 8, 2024, to be transported to remarkable locations around the globe while viewing and handling some wonderful things from a few of those places. Wayne will take you to the wilds of New Guinea, Africa, the Amazon and even the frigid South Pole.

Wayne will speak of his passion for traveling to remote locations and bringing back artifacts. Some of those trips were dangerous and were quite challenging. A blowgun and poison darts collected in the Amazon jungle many years ago was a case in point as Wayne did his best to stay away from the local/international drug trade but in the end was listed as being killed in a plane crash.

Waynes’ greatest reason for collecting the objects he did was to create a space filled with the energy and feel of remote and wild parts of the world. He did this in his home on Water Street, the Baylor Norvell Home built in 1868. He will take you on a virtual tour of the home and explain the collection. Please join him!       

About the Lecturer:

Wayne L. White, the president of the Old Antarctic Explorers Association OAEA and a member of The Explorers Club of New York, the Adventurers Club of Los Angeles and the Antarctician Society. He is the former three-time winter manager at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole station. In that position he was responsible for the health and safety of his three winter crews of approximately 42 personnel, the station itself and all science assets. This assignment was in one of the most challenging environments on the planet. This was the topic of his book “Cold: Three Winters at the South Pole.”

Prior to his time in the United States Antarctic Program, USAP he was a Department of Defense DoD contractor. For over twenty years he specialized in remote assignments and lived and worked at Diego Garcia British Indian Territory, Singapore, Midway Atoll, Shemya Island Alaskan Aleutians, Iraq, Kuwait, Wake Island, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, and Ascension Island. Before that he was involved in personal expedition type travels to New Guinea, the Amazon and Africa.

Wayne is a US Marine Veteran and holds a BA in Geography from California State University Fullerton and a Master’s in Public Health in Environmental Health Sciences from Tulane’s School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. He owns the Baylor-Norvel home of Rockport Texas which was built in 1868. The home contains his collection of ethnic and exploration artifacts.