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Top local-elected leaders issued statements on Friday following the sudden resignation of Alamo Trust President and CEO Kate Rogers after her leadership was called into question by Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.
Rogers stepped down after Patrick called on her to do so over her doctoral dissertation that he found "incompatible" with how the history of the Alamo should be told.
“This is gross political interference. The next thing you know, they will be denying Japanese internment. We need to get politics out of our teaching of history. Period," wrote County Judge Peter Sakai in a statement to Texas Public Radio.
San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones also praised the work of Rogers to tell a more diverse story.
"The Alamo Trust was well-served by Dr. Rogers for many years, and this is a huge loss for our state. The courage to tell the varied experiences of those at the Alamo—not pandering to certain people—should drive how we help the next generation learn about this historic site," Jones said in a statement.
Two years ago, Rogers wrote in her dissertation she would love to see the Alamo become a beacon for "historical reconciliation that brings people together versus tearing them part."
She also wrote that the concept "may not be politically possible at this time" and have "negative" job consequences for her and for the Alamo.
Much of the local public input from a citizens advisory committee called for a narrative about the Alamo that includes all of the peoples that were there before, during, and after the 1836 battle that won Texas Independence from Mexico.
Rogers has stayed true to much of that public input during the more than half-a-billion-dollar project. It can be seen in the culturally diverse exhibits planned for the new visitor center and museum across from the Alamo, which is set to open in 2027.
See the plans for the visitor center and museum here:
Alamo Visitor Center and Museum | The Alamo
But state leaders like Patrick, who has said he grew up as a fan of Disney's Davy Crockett television series, want the Alamo narrative largely focused on the battle itself that helped win Texas Independence from Mexico.
The vast majority of the funding for the Alamo Plaza makeover was approved by the Texas Legislature, and Patrick played a large role in that effort, but the City of San Antonio and Bexar County were included as funding partners.
The massive project is intended to put the Alamo on par with national historic parks and give visitors to the state's top tourist attraction a bigger and more educational experience than in the past.
Rogers has been at the helm during historic expansion at the Alamo, including a new collections building, that now houses the Phil Collins Collection, among other collections, a giant outdoor shaded pavilion and lawn space, and the visitor center and museum still under construction.
On Friday afternoon, the Alamo Trust announced former Texas Secretary of State Hope Andrade as the organization’s next president and CEO.
