Henry Cisneros

A cascade of recent reports has described unprecedented growth in every category measured—population, employment, new business starts, manufacturing indices, traffic counts, in-migration, school attendance, and airport enplanements—highlighting the dynamism of the two “anchor cities” of Central Texas: Austin and San Antonio. In The Austin–San Antonio Megaregion: Opportunity and Challenge in the Lone Star State, authors Henry Cisneros, Robert Rivard, and David Hendricks reflect on the implications of this growth in light of what will be required to sustain the economic attractiveness and quality-of-life attributes that sparked this moment of expansion. In asking fundamental questions such as “Is this much growth actually good for the region?” and “If it is, are we prepared for it?” this book grapples with the realities of infrastructure. What emerges is a vision for this burgeoning urban corridor that, if implemented, can position the region to continue to thrive: attracting economic development and supporting a superior standard of living for its citizens for years to come. In their preface, the authors state, “The task before us is not easy, but it can be done. It is not a matter of liberal or conservative politics, of red or blue ideologies; it is a matter of realistic leadership and practical public consensus. The reality of the Austin–San Antonio megaregion is becoming more evident every day to those of us who live here. We try in this book to undergird those impressions with facts, data, and scenarios for the future.” The Austin–San Antonio Megaregion can serve as both a blueprint for future planning and a springboard for informed discussion about growth in this vital region.

The series Mi Sangre by Roj Rodriguez started as a photo documentation of a personal journey to retrace his Mexican heritage and has evolved into a fine art project aimed at highlighting Mexican culture on both sides of the US/Mexico border. It documents everyday aspects of Mexican life, the culture and popular iconography, both as they exist in México and as reimagined by Mexican Americans in the US. With each of the subjects portrayed, Roj Rodriguez engaged in sometimes casual, sometimes insightful conversations. Mi Sangre includes proud and elegant charros, beautiful and skilled escaramuzas, joyful and coy children, wise and innocent elders, vibrant and talented mariachi musicians, loving and welcoming families, and even fine art re-interpretations of Loteria iconography.

One of the largest higher education networks in the United States, the Texas A&M University System, with a budget of some $6.3 billion, educates more than 150,000 students annually through its flagship campus in College Station and across its ten other member universities. Since 2011, the Texas A&M System has been under the leadership of John Sharp, former Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts and a member of the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Class of 1972.In Breaking Away: How the Texas A&M University System Changed the Game, author Tim Gregg chronicles the last ten years of the Texas A&M System. Though A&M’s decision to exit the Big 12 and join the SEC preceded Sharp’s tenure as chancellor, in many ways it foreshadowed the decisive steps that placed the Texas A&M University System at the forefront of multiple initiatives. Sharp’s and the Regents’ leadership set a new course for achievement throughout the System’s institutions and agencies. As Gregg shows, the last ten years have seen advances in emergency management, research funding, extension work, and other enterprises benefiting not only the university system but the entire state.Based on hours of interviews with an array of key participants from across the Texas A&M System and a host of former students and other stakeholders associated with Texas A&M, Gregg has assembled a highly readable account of a pivotal time. Including a foreword by Henry Cisneros, former secretary of housing and urban development, Breaking Away is replete with little-known stories from behind the scenes as well as major developments in the recent history of the System under Chancellor Sharp’s leadership, telling an important story about one of the nation’s leading higher education and public service networks.

Lila Banks Cockrell has been an important voice in San Antonio politics and public life for more than six decades. In Love Deeper Than a River, she recalls her life as a public servant in the city she loves and, as member of the Greatest Generation, recounts how coming of age during Prohibition, the Great Depression, World War II, and the burgeoning civil rights movement influenced her political views and kindled her passion to serve her country and community. Love Deeper Than a River details the era of Cockrell’s life that many San Antonians are familiar with, including her four terms as the first woman mayor of San Antonio, between 1975 and 1991, and her service on countless municipal commissions, civic boards, foundations, and conservancies in the 1990s and into the early twenty-first century. Her life stands as an inspiration for everyone, including new generations of civic leaders.

Nelson Wolff, Bexar County judge and former San Antonio mayor, has been an active participant in the city’s political and business community for five decades. His first book, Transforming San Antonio, highlighted four major initiatives that created the economic revitalization of the Southwest’s most vibrant city: building the AT&T Center; expanding the River Walk north to the Pearl Brewery; securing the Toyota manufacturing plant; and building the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort and two adjacent PGA golf courses. The Changing Face of San Antonio explores six transformative city and countywide efforts that have emerged in the past decade: the Mission Reach expansion of the iconic River Walk, an eight-mile extension of one of the city's most valued resources; the renovation of the San Antonio Municipal Auditorium into the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts; the much-needed expansion of the University Health System; criminal justice reform; the city’s efforts to become a tech leader in biomedicine, aerospace, and cybersecurity; and the creation of BiblioTech, the country's first all-digital public library. Wolff offers an insider’s view of the key issues that shaped these efforts. With journalistic ease, Wolff uses his unique point of view to convey the complexity of each endeavor—who said what to whom, when, and how—at a lively pace.The Changing Face of San Antonio reflects his passion for San Antonio and, as one might expect, his confidence in the paths taken under his leadership to help the city achieve its goals.