Texas A&M University–San Antonio recently marked a significant milestone in its academic and alumni engagement, with the inaugural 1SGT Derek W. Kubacki Endowed History Lecture—the first alumni-funded endowed history lecture of its kind at the University.
The lecture, held in front of a capacity crowd in the Business Library Hall’s Multi-Purpose Room, was delivered by Dr. Kevin Waite. Waite is the Anne Stark and Chester Watson Distinguished Professor of History at the University of Texas at Dallas. Waite’s talk, titled “When California Was a Slave State,” explored the overlooked history of slavery in the American West, a subject closely aligned with his nationally recognized scholarship.
For the A&M–San Antonio History Program, the event represents more than a visiting lecture—it signals the power of alumni investment in shaping academic opportunities for current and future students.
“This was the first alumni-funded endowment of its kind at the University,” said Dr. William Kiser, a professor and chair of the Department of History, Philosophy and Geography. “We’ve had guest speakers supported by donations before, but this is the first lecture that is formally part of a named, endowed series created by one of our own alumni.”
The lecture series is funded through an endowment established by Derek W. Kubacki ’18, an A&M–San Antonio history alumnus and retired U.S. Army First Sergeant whose passion for history and commitment to service have come full circle in support of the University that shaped his academic journey.
Kubacki graduated from A&M–San Antonio with a Bachelor of Arts in history after serving 22 years in the U.S. Army. Growing up in a military family, he moved frequently and developed an early fascination with history—particularly military history and the Vietnam War. That lifelong interest ultimately led him to pursue a history degree after retiring from active duty.
Kubacki began giving back to the History Program four years ago, initially making modest annual donations earmarked to bring guest speakers to campus. According to Kiser, Kubacki’s support has already helped fund four or five visiting lectures prior to the creation of the endowment. The lecture on Jan. 29 was the first event officially funded through the Derek W. Kubacki Endowed History Lecture.
History Department faculty selected Dr. Waite as the inaugural speaker, a choice that underscores the caliber of scholarship the endowment is designed to support. Waite earned his M.Phil. from the University of Cambridge and his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, and previously taught at Durham University in the United Kingdom, where he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.
Waite is the author of “West of Slavery: The Southern Dream of a Transcontinental Empire,” which won the 2022 Wiley-Silver Prize from the Center for Civil War Research. His writing has appeared in national outlets, including The Atlantic, The Washington Post, Time, and National Geographic. He co-wrote the eight-episode docuseries, “Pirates: Behind the Legends,” and is currently writing and producing a six-episode series on the American Revolution.
“This is exactly the kind of speaker and experience we want our students to have access to, and it’s only possible because an alumnus believed enough in this program to invest in it,” said Kiser.
Waite’s lecture is critical in that it supports student learning and illustrates the importance of having scholars from different disciplines and fields share their research and expertise. For A&M–San Antonio, the inaugural lecture stands as a testament to the lasting impact of alumni engagement—transforming personal gratitude into an enduring academic opportunity that also helps enrich the University community.