Sharon Skrobarcek serves on the Alamo Citizens Advisory Committee and is the treasurer general of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, which ran the Alamo for more than a century, until a blistering report from the state attorney general’s office accused the organization of mismanaging the site. Her first cousin a number of times removed was Alamo defender John Harris.
Fifty years ago, the Daughters of the Republic of Texas still held the custodianship of the Alamo that had been given to them by a 1905 act. The organization hired employees, kept the grounds, approved the budgets, paid the payroll; it oversaw a gift shop and library. Then, in the late aughts, some Daughters became concerned about upkeep issues. Internal fighting mushroomed. As a result, the Daughters lost the direct custodianship in 2011, and it went to the General Land Office.
I’m sure you could talk to one of the Daughters somewhere who might still be unhappy, but the San Antonio members are all very pleased. We still give donations and hold beautiful ceremonies for Texas Honor Days and Alamo Heroes Day, and those of us in San Antonio work side by side with the nonprofit Alamo Trust, which manages the Alamo’s day-to-day operations. Doug McDonald, the trust’s former CEO, was the first one to say, “We owe the Daughters deep gratitude for the work they did for over a hundred and ten years.” So, everything is getting back to normal.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
This article originally appeared in the February 2023 issue of Texas Monthly with the headline “The Mission Continues.” Subscribe today.
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