The Portal to Texas History 2026 Research Fellowship Awardee
Phillip Sozansky
Project Title
Crying Lobo: How Prejudice, Profit, and Propaganda Doomed the Wolves of Texas, 1865 – 1985
Project Description
This project examines the historical conditions that produced a prolonged “war on wolves” in Texas from 1865 to 1985, a subject that has received scant scholarly attention compared to other regions of the American West. Drawing on a wide range of primary sources, it demonstrates how Anglo-Texan attitudes toward wolves hardened after the Civil War, as Reconstruction-era changes fueled a coordinated campaign that ultimately led to their extirpation. It further traces the progression of that effort, analyzing how more than a century of extermination gained—and maintained—broad public support.
Biography
Phillip M. Sozansky is an adjunct assistant professor of history at Austin Community College. He holds degrees in history from the University of Houston (BA) and Texas State University (MA). A veteran educator, he retired in May 2025 following a 29-year career teaching various history courses in Texas public schools. His research interests include 19th-century Texas—especially the antebellum and Civil War eras—and the environmental history of the American West. Beyond the archives and classroom, he advocates for native wildlife conservation, volunteers for living history events at the San Felipe de Austin State Historic Site, and enjoys spending time outdoors with his family and dogs.
