The Distinguished Speaker & Texas Gold Medal Award

Free for Old 300 Lifetime Members
$75 – Annual Members
$125 Non-Members

The Bryan Museum has named its Distinguished Speaker and honoree, Stephen L. Hardin. Dr. Hardin is recently retired following a thirty-five-year career as a university professor. He is the author of eight books, including The Texas Rangers (1991), the award-winning Texian Iliad: A Military History of the Texas Revolution (1994), The Alamo 1836: Santa Anna’s Texas Campaign (2001), Texian Macabre: The Melancholy Tale of a Hanging in Early Houston (2007), and Texian Exodus: The Runaway Scrape and its Enduring Legacy (2024). Additionally, he is the editor of Lone Star: The Republic of Texas, 1836-1846 (1998). and is the author of more than a dozen scholarly articles enjoyed by readers on both sides of the Atlantic.

Hardin has served as an on-air commentator, appearing on such varied venues as the A&E Network, the History Channel, and NBC’s TODAY show. Most recently, he appeared on the Fox News series, “Legends & Lies.” Distinguished for his readable style and accessible approach to history, Dr. Hardin is an inductee of the Texas Institute of Letters, an admiral in the Texas Navy, a member of Western Writers of America, a Life Member, Fellow, and board member of the Texas State Historical Association, and was historical advisor for the John Lee Hancock film “The Alamo” (2004).

About The Distinguished Speaker Program

The Bryan Museum’s Distinguished Speaker and Award was created to be given to an intellect (writer, teacher, speaker, influencer) who has distinguished him or herself as an outstanding and eloquent advocate for the preservation and promotion of the history and culture of the state of Texas and the American West.

The Texas Frontier Gold Medal Award

The Bryan Museum’s Texas Frontier Gold Medal Award pays homage to the gold medal award presented to the last surviving participant of the Battle of San Jacinto, Alphonso Steele (1817-1911) who was 92 years old when he received it. The medal, an exact replica of the 1909 Gold Medal Award given to Steele, features an image of General Sam Houston on the front and is presented annually to individuals with roots in Texas and the American West who have distinguished themselves as exceptional and impassioned champions of our shared heritage.