Dr. Light T. Cummins III, Class of 1960

Guardian of the Lone Star Legacy

Appointed by Governor Rick Perry in May 2009, Dr. Light T. Cummins III (Class of 1960) recently served as the official State Historian for Texas. During his appointment, Light drove over 34,000 miles by car, crisscrossing the state to lecture and discovered close to 5,000 historical societies, museums and libraries in the state that are dedicated to preserving Texas history.

After teaching history for 34 years at Austin College in Sherman, Texas, he became an expert on the Anglo-American westward movement into Spanish-speaking Texas and authored several academic books on Texas and Louisiana history. His recent biography of Stephen F. Austin’s sister, entitled Emily Austin of Texas, 1795-1851, won the 2010 Liz Carpenter Award as the “Best Book about a Texas Woman.”

Light’s great uncle attended The Academy in the 1890’s, and his father graduated from SAA in 1929. Light fondly recalls spit-shining his shoes to a high gloss and passing in review for King Antonio, but it’s The Academy’s values of diligence, doing the right thing and always being prepared to go the extra mile that have spurred him on to always get the job done at the highest level of quality in both life and work.