Bill O'Neal currently is serving his sixth year as State Historian of Texas. As an ambassador for Texas history, Bill travels constantly across the Lone Star State, providing programs at schools and universities and a variety of historical events. He is a past president and fellow of both the West Texas Historical Association and of the East Texas Historical Association. Bill is the author of more than 40 books, as well as 300 articles and book reviews. His most recent writing award, the A. C. Greene Literary Award, was presented at the 2015 West Texas Book Festival in Abilene. In 2012 Bill received the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Wild West Historical Association, and in 2007 he was named True West Magazine's Best Living Non-Fiction Writer. Bill has appeared on TV documentaries on TBS, The History Channel, The Learning Channel, CMT, A&E, and the American Heroes Channel Series, Gunslingers. During a long career at Panola College in Carthage, Texas, his most prestigious teaching award was a Piper Professorship, presented in 2000. In 2013 Panola's new dormitory was named Bill O'Neal Hall, and in that same year he received an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from his alma mater, Texas A&M University at Commerce. Bill's four daughters all have entered the field of education, and he is the proud grandfather of seven grandchildren