Special Collections

E4 | Sunday, February 16, 2020 | lmtonline.com | Laredo Morning Times 50 Anniversary Leather bound books of regional criminal and civil court documents Photos during the 2011 Lincoln Exhibit Norma Cantu speaks to a crowd during a Faculty Author Book Collection for his help. “Lincoln, the man to whom her husband would not swear a loyalty oath, and said, ‘Mr. President can you help me?’” Hatcher said. “He said, ‘Why yes, of course.’” Lincoln then wrote a letter to the Secretary of State to help the woman post bond. Hatcher said that she be- lieved that he knew how difficult and divisive the war was and felt bad for a woman who was desperate to re- cover her husband. A wall dedicated to this one story showcases over 20 letters, yet the main attraction is a small letter with less than 10 words written by Presi- dent Lincoln himself. This exhibit has been on display for years and will continue to be at TAMIU to give everyone an opportunity to see it. Transitioning from Colonial America to Laredo’s Americans, there is also an exhibit where visitors can see excavated items from a buri- al site. The excavation uncovered numerous materials and items such as a small gold cross, a clay choco- latera and coronets of the dead. As the TAMIU 50th anniversary celebration continues, the archives also house documents that signify the start of the university which al- lowed higher education to flourish in Laredo. As part of the tour, the info sheet states that Texas A&I University at Laredo was founded on June 14, 1969 as a Center of Texas A&I Uni- versity in Kingsville. This is after the Coordinating Board for Higher Edu- cation neglected to include Laredo in its 1970s plan because Laredo could not produce enough enrollees for a university. A letter by Speaker Ben Barnes states that in statistics by the Coordi- nating Board, only 20.2% of Laredo