Robert Holzweiss
Bryan, Texas
Class of 1990
Major: History
While attending St. Bonaventure, I pursued my passion for history under the direction of a number of outstanding faculty members including Professor (now Professor Emeritus) Edward Eckert. After graduating from St. Bonaventure in 1990, I attended graduate school at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.
In 1996, after completing my MA in history and my doctoral course work, I was hired by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) to work at the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library then under construction on the Texas A&M campus.
In 2004, I became the supervisory archivist charged with managing the archival legacy of President George H.W. Bush, Vice President Dan Quayle and a number of political and business leaders.
The Bush Library archives contains approximately 44,000,000 pages of records, 2,000,000 still photographs and 10,000 videos. I supervise a staff of 17 professionals who provide these items to our researchers.
After completing my Ph.D. in 2001, I began teaching history in the evenings as an adjunct faculty member in the Texas A&M History Department. During November 2008, the Texas A&M College of Agrilife Science asked me to develop the online digital archives of Nobel Laureate (and A&M faculty member) Norman E. Borlaug.
I have a staff of five and work closely with Dr. Borlaug’s family (he passed away in October 2009) who are very supportive of the archives project.
In May 2010, I assumed the presidency of the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society (R&LHS), the oldest railroad history organization in the United States. The R&LHS has an operating budget of $120,000 per year and 2,100 members on four continents. Twice a year the R&LHS publishes Railroad History, the leading journal of railroad history in the United States.
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n my free time I continue my personal research with the goal of publishing my dissertation. I have a wife of 10 years and two boys ages 7 and 5 who are the joy of my life. Happily, they encourage me to pursue my passion, a passion that was developed during my time at St. Bonaventure.
Even today, almost 20 years since I graduated from St. Bonaventure, I believe it was privilege to attend such a fine institution with faculty who encouraged me to pursue my passion for history. I met many fine people while at St. Bonaventure and hope my sons will consider SBU for their college education.