A creative history lesson is fashioned

In portraying figures from Texas' past, troupe dresses for the part

11/06/2002

By KATIE MENZER / The Dallas Morning News

Most teachers know that getting fourth-graders to remember the Alamo isn't that hard. But getting them to remember what happened there can be.

That's why teachers at Plano's Brinker Elementary School were pleased to have a little help from two Texas revolutionary war heroes on Monday. William Barret Travis and Susanna Dickinson – or actors dressed as the two figures from the battle of the Alamo – visited the school to tell tales of the Texas Revolution and life in the state before it became one.

"I am Col. William Barret Travis of the Texas army," said actor Bob Heinonen, dressed as the famous Texas commander who died at the Alamo. "I want to tell you what really happened at the Alamo."

Mr. Heinonen is a member of the Texas Heroes, a group of eight local actors who tell stories of Texas' past through the words and costumes of people who lived it. They help bring the dry facts found in history books to life for Texas history students across the state. They visited about 280 schools and retirement homes last year and expected to visit more than 400 this year.

"The faces of the audience when we're in our performance are incredible," Mr. Heinonen said. "It's not unusual to have students crying after we tell them our stories."

This is the second year that members of the troupe have visited Brinker. The teachers say that the actors know their stuff and that their excitement over Texas history is infectious. The actors play characters – from pioneer women to cattlemen – pulled out of the state's formative years.

"These are Texas historians who make history come alive for our students," teacher Julie Barnard said.

The actors research their characters in libraries and on the Internet before writing the speeches their characters will recite. They base their narrative on the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills – the state's curriculum standards.

After the actors performed, students asked them questions about the lives of the Alamo heroes they represented. And the lines between fact and fantasy blurred for a while as students probed the historical figures for more information about the siege that left about 180 people dead.

"Did you ever find out who shot you?" 9-year-old Frederique Giguere asked Mr. Heinonen, after Mr. Heinonen explained that Mr. Travis was killed as he defended the Alamo from the Mexican army on March 6, 1836.

"We have no way of knowing," Mr. Heinonen explained. "It was just one of the Mexican soldiers."

The students also heard from Susanna Dickinson – portrayed by actress Linda Sanders – as she told of her experiences while trapped in the Alamo with her baby during the siege. She and her daughter were two of the few Texans to survive the battle, although her husband was killed there.

"Some people call me the messenger of the Alamo," said Ms. Sanders, dressed in a green prairie dress like one Mrs. Dickinson might have worn in the 1800s. "I never intended to be the Alamo's messenger."

E-mail kmenzer@dallasnews.com

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