Samuel Presley Nesmith Jr.

Amid the hustle and bustle of World War II, Samuel Presley Nesmith, Jr. was born on 26 January 1942 in Abilene, Texas to Samuel Presley Nesmith, Sr. and Alta Mae Hodge. With all of this war activity surrounding him, young Sam soon developed an avid interest in military affairs and military history. As soldiers, marines and sailors returned from their duties, young Sam was often given tokens such as patches or other souvenirs from their time overseas and this encouraged his growing passion to preserve Texas military history.

Sam’s enthusiasm overflowed into what became the Living History Exhibitions where, even as a young teen, he would don period dress and enter public school history classes to give presentations on various historical events of certain eras. His passion and desire to preserve the military history of the State of Texas grew by leaps and bounds.

Nearing graduation from Abilene High School, Sam was appointed as one of the candidates for the first graduating class of the newly formed Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. However, due to a heart murmur, Sam was not allowed to attend. Afterwards, he gathered all of his passion and drive and focused his energy on learning as much as possible about military history, campaigns and equipment and quickly became a major source of information for researchers and writers worldwide.

At age 19, Sam was allowed to teach an ROTC Military History class on Civil War artifacts at Hardin Simmons University. In 1961, Sam’s love of history and preservation of it led him to be put in charge of the Confederate section of the newly formed Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington. His direction of live shows and knowledge of the costumes and equipment were quickly recognized by others and it wasn’t long before Sam was offered the position of Curator of Arms and Armor at the Texas Memorial Museum on the University of Texas campus. By this time, Sam had met and fallen in love with the light of his life, Nancy Lynn Hall. Sam and Nancy married on 6 June 1964 and began their 40 year journey together in Austin, Texas when Sam accepted his new position at the museum. As Sam continued his studies and settled into his job and responsibilities, he recognized that the University of Texas’ fledgling archeology department was in dire need of direction and focus and launched himself and his energy into developing this program further and bringing it to the forefront.

In 1966, at the age of 25, Sam was offered the curator position at the Alamo by the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, where he focused on developing the new museum in the Long Barracks and participated in archeological excavations around the Alamo grounds. After his time at the Alamo, Sam was asked to develop exhibits in the Lone Star Hall of History for the Hemis-Fair '68 World's Fair celebration here in San Antonio. At the conclusion of Hemis-Fair '68, Sam accepted a position as a researcher associate at the newly constructed Institute of Texan Cultures. He performed historical research and developed biographical and cultural exhibits at the museum for many years for ITC. Sam was an accomplished author and wrote several articles and books for the Institute on the various cultures he researched across the State of Texas. His archeological experience allowed him to work closely with UTSA's Center for Archeological Research on identifying artifacts from various dig sites around the state. In addition, Sam was instrumental in influencing the City of San Antonio officials to bring on board a city archeologist to study and identify the artifacts excavated from around the city.

When Nancy's health began to fail, Sam retired from the Institute of Texan Cultures and became extremely involved in co-authoring books such as: The Search for Pedro’s Story and Silent Witness to Texas History, Archeology and Artifacts of Goliad’s Presidio La Bahia. Many of his works earned awards including the Presidio La Bahia Award from the Sons of the Republic of Texas for outstanding contribution in the field of the Spanish Colonial Period of Texas History. Another publication award was earned from the San Antonio Conservation Society for educating the public with knowledge on our inherited regional values. As a result, Sam and co-author Marian Martinello were named authors of the month by Barnes and Noble in June of 2006. Sam was an active consultant and for years staged special exhibits at the Bexar County Courthouse, The Historic Menger Hotel and the various missions here in San Antonio. He was one of the earliest members of the Company of Military Historians and Collectors. As director and curator of the Texas Museum of Military History he loaned many artifacts for display to other museums statewide, including the Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin. Even as Sam's health began to fail, he continued to educate and share his expertise for the remainder of his life.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Samuel Presley “Pres” Nesmith, Sr. and Alta Mae Hodge, as well as his first wife, Nancy Hall Nesmith and brothers-in-law James Michael Hall and Gary Wayne Bowman. Survivors include: his wife, Cheryl Bowman Nesmith of San Antonio, Texas, brother and sisters-in-law Marc and Dorothy Hall of Leander, Texas, Robert and Joann Embleton of Austin, Texas and Dr. John and Cindy Swicegood of Ft. Smith, Arkansas, plus a number of nieces and nephews. Survivors also include long-time friends Philip Goodrich, Jr. and Terry and Sidney Fulton all of Kerrville, Texas.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be given to Northeast Senior Assistance; 2903 Nacogdoches Rd; San Antonio, TX 78217.