The Texas Historical Commission has awarded the Community Historical Archaeology Projects with Schools (CHAPS) program at UTRGV with the Governor’s Award earlier this month for their work on preserving history in the Rio Grande Valley.
Communications Director for the Texas Historical Commission Chris Florence explains that the commission is the state agency for historic preservation that handles all the official designations across the state.
Florence said that the Governor’s Award is given to those who make an effort to preserve Texas History.
“It recognizes individuals [and] organizations that have made a significant impact preserving Texas’s cultural and historic resources,” he said.
Project Manager for CHAPS Roseann Bacha-Garza explains that the program is dedicated to preserving history in the Valley.
“We work on preserving regional history for current residents and visitors to enjoy,” she said.
Bacha-Garza said that their work will also allow any students or researchers to conduct their studies on Valley history through primary sources.
Associate Director of the CHAPS program Christopher Miller talks about their excitement when they received news of their award.
“Oh, we were overjoyed…because this is so comprehensive in terms of recognizing everything we do,” Miller said.
According to Miller, CHAPS has worked on different projects, including the Native Americans of South Texas which focuses on the history of Natives that once occupied Texas thousands of years ago.
Bacha-Garza said that being awarded the Governor’s Award is very important for the CHAPS program.
“What this award does, is it gives us recognition and it puts us out there that we are managing this project,” she said. “That these are the initiatives and the subject matter in which we are studying and preserving…we get these opportunities to interact more with our colleagues across the state.”
To learn more about CHAPS or any of their past and future projects, visit their website for more information.
