Dr. Richard Bruce Winders is the Historian and Curator at the Alamo.  His major field of study is United States History, and his minor field is the Spanish Borderlands and military history.He received his PhD in history from Texas Christian University in 1994.  His doctoral dissertation was titled: “Mr. Polk’s Army: Politics, Patronage, and the American Military in the Mexican War.”  He obtained his M.A. from the University of Texas at Arlington in 1990, and wrote his thesis on “The Role of the Mississippi Volunteer in Northern Mexico.”   In 1981 he also obtained an M.A. from U.T. Arlington Department of Education, and obtained Teacher Certification.  He obtained his B.A. in 1977 from Murray State University, with a major in Geology and a minor in Spanish.From 1991 to 1996 he was a member of the Graduate Faculty/Adjunct Faculty of History at TCU.  From 1981 to 1990 he was a Classroom Teacher and Chairman of Social Studies at Arlington Independent School District, and an Instructor of history for a shorter period at Tarrant County Junior College.  Overall, his  Primary Teaching Fields are: United States History, 19^th Century Social and Political History, Civil War and Reconstruction, Old South, and Jacksonian  America.  His Secondary Teaching Teaching Fields are: Spanish Borderlands, Military History, Texas History, Mexican History. Dr. Winters has been the Historian and Curator of The Alamo since July 1996. 

 Some of his published books includes:

Sacrificed at the Alamo: Tragedy and Triumph in the Texas Revolution.  State House Press, 2004

Davy Crockett: The Legend of the Wild Frontier (The Library of American Lives and Times), 2003

Crisis in the Southwest: The United States, Mexico, and the Struggle for Texas,  2002

Mr. Polk's Army: The American Military Experience in the Mexican War (Military History Ser), 2002

 Some Honors and awards recevide by Dr. Winders includes:

2003: Crisis in the Southwest Runner Up for TSTA Bates Award

2002:  Crisis in the Southwest named "Outstanding Academic Title of 2002" by Choice

2001: "Yellow Rose" Award from San Antonio Women’s Club for excellence education

2000:  Chair of Local Arrangements for Western History Association Annual  Meeting

1999:  The United States and Mexico at War awarded Sanchez Lamego Book Prize

1998:  The United States and Mexico at War named Editor’s Choice by Book List

1997:  Mr. Polk’s Army awarded The Jerry Coffey Memorial Book Prize

1997:  Mr. Polk’s Army designated a History Book Club Selection

1997:  Named a Fellow of the Grady Mc Whiney Research Foundation