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John Matthew (J.M.) Cape II (1924-2013), grandson of early San Marcos settler John Matthew Cape, was born in his family home on the banks of the San Marcos River. He joined the family cotton business, working for 43 years as a cottonseed broker. Cape discusses growing up in San Marcos, his family’s business, the history of cotton in Texas including farms, mills, and gins, the current state of cotton oil production, and some of the changes he’s witnessed in the city and the surrounding areas.

Charles Clayton talks about his Texas State experiences as both a child growing up on campus and in San Marcos and as a faculty member in the history department. He shares his memories attending the campus's laboratory school and working on the college's maintenance crew. He recalls prominent memories concerning other well-known faculty members, such as President Evans, President and Mrs. Flowers, Dr. Spurgeon Smith, J.R. Buckner, Coach Strahan, Jerome Cates, Prof. Green, James Taylor, Retta Murphy, Leland Derrick, Deacon Wright, and others. Mr. Clayton describes how the New Deal played out on campus, including the construction of certain buildings like Evans and Sayers Hall. He talks about earning his BA and MA degrees and then working as Vice Principal at San Marcos High School. He touches on other topics such as the San Marcus River, Old Main, and the changes he's seen on campus and in town.