Mr. Millard is a seventh-generation Texan. His forefather, Henry Millard, fought alongside General Sam Houston at San Jacinto.
Born and raised in Nacogdoches, Mr. Millard is a seventh-generation Texan who lives on part of the land his family originally settled. His forefather, Henry Millard, fought alongside General Sam Houston in the Battle of San Jacinto, the final battle of the Texas Revolution.
The dedication of the Nacogdoches County Alamo Letter Plaque will take place on Saturday, September 21, 2024, at the Nacogdoches County Courthouse. Founded in 1779, Nacogdoches is considered to be the oldest town in Texas.
Lee William “Bill” McNutt, Co-Founder of the Alamo Letter Society, is “pleased to welcome another great patriot, such as Mr. Millard, to the team. This man has lived Texas, written about Texas and treasures the history of his forefathers and the Lone Star State.”
The Alamo Letter Society originated from a 13-year-old Texas student, Sloane McNutt, when she was on a trip to the Alamo in January 2023. While looking at William Barrett Travis’ historic “Victory or Death” letter on a bronze plaque in front of the Alamo chapel, Sloane asked her father, Bill McNutt, “Why do people have to go all the way to the Alamo to see the letter? This plaque with the letter should be all over Texas!” With this question in mind, the idea for the Alamo Letter Society was born.
“This may be my favorite part of this organization,” said Mr. Millard, “a young girl seeing the need for all.”
McNutt recruited his fellow Vanderbilt University graduate, Rosser Newton, Sr., and US Army SGM (Ret) John Vick to aid in the creation of this organization. The Alamo Letter Society launched on Veterans Day in 2023 with the following mission statement: To educate current and future Texans about their forefathers' armed struggle for Freedom and Liberty through the placement of a large bronze plaque containing Col. William Barrett Travis's Alamo "Victory or Death" letter, in all 254 Texas Courthouses.
“The spirit of the Alamo Letter has been carried by the generations of Texas fighting men to every
Battlefield. The Texas soldier always finds a way forward,” said John Vick, Co-Founder & Chairman of the 501(c)(3).
The Alamo letter, written by William Barrett Travis on February 24, 1836, was only 220 words long and is still regarded by many as an emblem of freedom. The Alamo Letter Society is dedicated to the two leading Tejanos of the Texas Revolution, Jose Antonio Navarro and Juan Seguín.
“Travis’ Alamo letter shows us today the essential qualities of being Texan: duty, honor, and self-sacrifice,” said Rosser Newton, Co-Founder.
Mr. Millard has been active in the insurance business for the past thirty years. In addition, he owns a farm and ranch company, FarmAssure, as well as the Nacogdoches Skeet Club. He is not only a businessman, but also an author of two novels. His first novel, An Honorable Place, focuses on what it means to be from Texas, beginning the story with the Alamo Letter.
In An Honorable Place, Millard writes, “It represents all we hold honorable from a time when twenty-six-year-old William Barret Travis inspired the creation of a new nation with his mighty pen and sword in hand.”
ALAMO LETTER SOCIETY
The Alamo Letter Society exists to educate school children, new Texans, and future generations of their forefathers' fight for Liberty, and Freedom, through the placement of a large, bronze plaque containing the Alamo letter at each of the 254 courthouses in the Lone Star State. For more information, visit www.alamoletter.com
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John Vick
Alamo Letter Society
+1 571 234 2729
email us here