Vaughn recently helped Texas State University restore a piece of Texas history. In 1950, Pearl Brewery in San Antonio commissioned internationally recognized Texas artist, Buck Winn, to paint a mural. Titled “The History of Ranching,” the mural was six feet tall and spanned 280 feet, creating a cyclorama (360-degree) depiction of the Old West.
At the time, the mural was one of the largest in the world but due to its size, it could only be enjoyed by visitors to the Pearl Brewery’s Corral Room. When the brewery changed ownership, the mural was rolled up and stored for nearly 30 years. The Hays County Historical Commission teamed with Texas State University’s Wittliff Collections and Fine Art Conservation Laboratories to restore an 83-foot long panel from the mural.
The university decided to display the mural in the Alkek Library because of its open and spacious main entry with ceiling heights of up to 24 feet. The installation involved suspending a large radius structural steel frame from the third-floor concrete deck and installing the associated accent lighting from the second-floor ceiling. Read more about this and other Buck Winn history at The History of Ranching Mural by Buck Winn : The Wittliff Collections (txstate.edu) and Buck Winn Mural | Wimberley Institute of Cultures (wimwic.org).