The CEO of the Alamo’s historic site has resigned after a top Texas Republican criticized her
The CEO of the nonprofit that runs the Alamo has resigned after a powerful Republican state official publicly criticized him and suggested his views were out of line with the Texas temple’s history.
Kate Rogers said Friday that she resigned the day before after Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick wrote a letter to the Alamo Trust Board of Directors recommending that she either resign or be removed. Patrick criticized him for an academic paper that questioned the GOP-controlled Legislature’s education policies and suggested he wanted the historic site in Texas having a broader focus.
“It is with mixed feelings that I resigned as President and CEO of Alamo Trust yesterday,” Rogers said in a message to The Associated Press. “Recent events have made it clear that it is time for me to move on.”
Several trust officials did not immediately respond to email or cell phone messages seeking comment Friday.
Patrick sent a letter to the board of directors at X on Thursday, calling his article “shocking.” She wrote it to pursue a doctorate in global education at the University of Southern California in 2023. Patrick posted an episode online.
“I believe his judgment is now seriously questioned,” Patrick wrote. “He has a completely different view of how the history of the Alamo should be told.”
This is the latest chapter in an ongoing conflict over how the United States tells its history. Here’s Patrick’s call for Rogers’ dismissal: Pressure from President Donald Trump To ensure that the Smithsonian museums in Washington place less emphasis on slavery and other dark parts of America’s past.
Known as the “Texas Temple of Liberty,” the Alamo attracts more than 1.6 million visitors annually. The foundation operates it under a contract with the Texas General Land Office, and the state plans to spend $400 million on renovations, with a new museum and visitor center set to open in 2027. Patrick presides over the Texas Senate.
In San Antonio, Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai, the county’s top elected executive, condemned Patrick’s “massive political interference.”
“We must remove politics from our history teaching. Period,” he said Friday.
In the excerpt from his article, Rogers noted the Texas Legislature’s “conservative agenda” in 2023; These included bills limiting what could be taught about race and slavery in history classes.
“Philosophically, I do not believe it is the job of politicians to determine what professional educators can or should teach in the classroom,” he wrote.
His article also mentioned the 2021 book “Forget the Alamo,” which challenges traditional historical narratives surrounding the 13-day siege of the Alamo during Texas’ fight for independence from Mexico in 1836.
The book argues that the root cause of the war was Anglo settlers’ determination to keep slaves in bondage after Mexico had largely abolished it, Rogers said. Texas won the war and was an independent republic until the United States annexed it in 1845.
Rogers also wrote that a city advisory council wanted to tell the “whole story” of the site, including its history as a home for indigenous people; That’s something the state’s Republican leaders oppose. He said he likes that the Alamo is “a place that brings people together, not divides them.”
“But,” he added, “politically this may not be possible at the moment.”
Traditional narratives obscure the role slavery might have played in Texas’ struggle for independence and portray the Alamo’s defenders as freedom fighters. Patrick’s letter called the siege “13 Days of Victory”.
The Mexican Army attacked and overran the Texas defenses. But “Remember the Alamo” became a rallying cry for Texas forces.
“We must ensure that future generations never forget the sacrifices made for freedom,” Patrick wrote in a letter to the foundation’s board of directors. “Today, I will continue to defend the Alamo against the rewriting of history.”
