The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 84, July 1980 - April, 1981 Page: 86
502 p. : ill. (some col.), maps, ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Southwestern Historical Quarterly
to be an infectious and, I suppose, incurable disease since I am still afflicted
with it. However, what started as a desire to learn more about my sur-
roundings gradually grew into a desire to acquire primary printed source
material covering a larger area.
His collecting interests, however, extended beyond books, and in-
cluded antique firearms, particularly Colt pistols and Winchester rifles
and carbines. His interests led him into a number of excursions into
Mexico, which broadened his understanding and appreciation of his
region. "It became apparent to my Texas eyes," he explained, "that
the Spanish exploration and settlement in Texas was simply a contin-
uation of Spain's northward thrust that had deposited ... these ancient
Coahuila and Nuevo Le6n towns during the seventeeth and eighteenth
centuries."
As the years passed Ben's enthusiasm for book collecting triumphed
over gun collecting, and in 1961 he put out his first book list, gave up
teaching, and got into the office-supplies business. In all of his en-
deavors he has been successful, and he has always found time to fulfill
his civic obligations. He served as president of the Eagle Pass Chamber
of Commerce, president of the Maverick County Historical Society,
and chairman of the Maverick County Historical Survey Committee;
he helped organize the Fort Duncan Restoration Association, and
served as its first president. He and his beautiful wife Rosetta are now
restoring one of the units that they recently purchased at old Fort Clark
at Brackettville.
Ben's interest in the Association goes back many years but, he told
me, it was his interest in books and the book auction that finally en-
ticed him to attend his first meeting of the Association. In 1972 he was
elected to the Executive Council.
In 1969 Encino Press published Paso del Aquila: A Chronicle of
Frontier Days on the Texas Border, and two years later his Historical
Highlights of Eagle Pass and Maverick County was published. Articles
he has authored have appeared in True West, Parade, The Cattleman,
and The Handbook of Texas. He has reviewed books for the Quarterly
and the West Texas Historical Association Year Book, and has given
many speeches on aspects of Texas history. Ben also attended the Asso-
ciation's Institute of Texas Studies in 1975.
His sidekick and fellow book collector in Eagle Pass, Charles G.
Downing, said of "Gentle Ben," he is "the most thorough person I
know--whether it be research or whatever." Charles pointed out that
after being taken on his first arrowhead hunt, Ben "joined the86
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 84, July 1980 - April, 1981, periodical, 1980/1981; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101225/m1/106/: accessed May 7, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.