As curator and historian at the Alamo, Richard Bruce Winders (PhD ’94) is charged with blending commemoration with education to create a meaningful interpretation of this sacred Texas site. But behind the scenes of “The Alamo” movie, the Alamo’s own historian got to watch someone else’s interpretation come to life.

“I was in the initial meeting with a group of historians that met with Ron Howard and his folks. I had previously given them a tour when they came to the Alamo,” said Winders, noting that he provided assistance to the different film departments in “an unofficial” capacity.

Winders had worked on films before — as an extra in IMAX’s “Price of Freedom” and as a quality background artist on other works — but this project gave him a different perspective. “I wasn’t actually a part of the creative team but I knew most of them and got to see how they worked. It reinforced my opinion that movie making is a form of art and that the public should not expect — or be disappointed — when liberties are taken with facts. The director is telling a story from his or her viewpoint — it’s that simple.”

Also working on the movie project was fellow Frog Stephen L. Hardin ’89 (PhD).