COMMISSIONER GEORGE P. BUSH TIPS OFF 6TH ANNUAL SAVE TEXAS HISTORY TOP TEXAN TOURNAMENT

Contestants may now enter bracket-style tournament to vote for their favorite Texan

Contact: Matt Atwood, Press Secretary - Texas General Land Office
matthew.atwood@glo.texas.gov
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PRESS RELEASE — Mar 04, 2021

AUSTIN — Today, Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush announced the start of the Texas General Land Office (GLO) Save Texas History Program's 6th Annual Top Texan Tournament. This bracket style tournament officially started on Texas Independence Day and runs through the rest of March, coinciding with Texas History Month.

"March is an exciting time of year as Texas history buffs can share their knowledge of the great leaders in our state’s historic past,” said Commissioner George P. Bush. “As a former teacher, I always cherish the opportunity to teach schoolchildren about our founding fathers and mothers, war heroes, suffragettes, civil rights leaders, artists, and former U.S. presidents. The General Land Office’s annual Top Texan Tournament is a fun opportunity to learn more about these historical leaders as they compete for which figure should claim the title ‘Top Texan.’”

The Top Texan Tournament allows users to vote for their favorite Texan among 64 famous figures throughout our state's history. Voting can be accessed at the Save Texas History website. The field has been evenly split between Texas history’s most notable 32 men and 32 women. 2020 champion Stephen F. Austin remains a heavy favorite following the retirement of Sam Houston, winner of three of the first five previous Top Texan Tournaments.

The tournament begins on March 18 with several rounds of voting lasting through the beginning of April. Similar to the NCAA’s March Madness tournament, Texans will be able to submit their bracket predictions before voting begins for a chance to win history-themed prizes. Texans must submit their brackets on or before Wednesday, March 17 to be entered in the contest.

The tournament features six voting rounds following the prediction round, and a final voting round to determine the winner. The technology used to power the bracket will automatically rank users after each round based on the accuracy of their predictions.

Grand prize winner will be sent items from the GLO's Save Texas History Program. The top point earner for each of the first five rounds will also receive a prize to be determined from the Save Texas History Program.

About Save Texas History
Created in 2004, the Save Texas History program is a statewide initiative to rally public support and private funding for the preservation and promotion of the historic maps and documents housed in the GLO Archives, and serves as a resource for teaching and digitizing Texas history. If you would like to donate to the Save Texas History program to adopt a document or map, assist with archival acquisitions, develop educational programs, or support digital projects, please visit SaveTexasHistory.org. Follow Save Texas History on Facebook at Facebook.com/SaveTXHistory and Twitter at Twitter.com/SaveTXHistory.

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