Smith, Calvin B., 1940-

The religious sect known as the Branch Davidians was the product of a reform movement within the Seventh-Day Adventist Church. Problems began when a group of Adventists, led by Bulgarian immigrant Victor Houteff, began to challenge the traditional hierarchy of the denomination. Houteff claimed to have received personal revelations from God and published his controversial views in a book entitled The Shepherd's Rod (1932). Houteff and his followers believed that the spiritual gift of prophecy was necessary for effective leadership so that King David's earthly kingdom could be re-established on earth prior to the second coming of Jesus Christ. After the leaders of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church excommunicated his sect, Houteff moved to Waco, Texas, and continued to preach until his death in 1955. Leadership among the Davidians fragmented afterwards, with Victor's widow Florence Houteff and Benjamin Roden vying for control. This collection follows those Davidians who recognized Florence Houteff as her husband's spiritual successor.

The 1980s brought about further division within the Branch Davidian sect. A newcomer named Vernon Howell had joined the Branch in 1981. Three years later, a schism occurred within the Branch Davidians, with Howell leading his own group of followers to a new site in Palestine, Texas. Through a series of confrontations between Howell and George Roden, the son of Benjamin and Lois Roden, control of the Branch Davidians' headquarters in Waco passed to Howell who legally changed his name to David Koresh in 1990. Rumors concerning polygamy, abuse, and arms dealing within the Branch Davidian group aroused the suspicions of the federal government. Thus, federal agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives began to monitor the group.

In response to a stockpiling of illegal weapons, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives secured a search warrant for the investigation of the Branch Davidians' compound near Waco, Texas. From 1993 February 28th until April 19th, Branch Davidians under the leadership of David Koresh resisted federal agents' attempts to storm their Mount Carmel Center. The fifty-day siege ended when the compound erupted in flames, killing David Koresh and most of his followers.

This collection was donated by Calvin Smith, a native of Hobbs, Texas. Smith received bachelor's degrees in zoology and anthropology along with a master's degree in biology at Eastern New Mexico University. Upon graduating, Smith began a successful career as a curator and museum director. He has served at the Blackwater Draw Museum, the Texas Memorial Museum at the University of Texas (Austin), the Spindletop Museum, the Dr. Pepper Museum, and the Free Enterprise Institute. At Baylor University, Smith was the Director of the Strecker Museum and Chairman of the Department of Museum Studies. He retired as the Director of the Mayborn Museum and currently works as the Executive Director of the Western Heritage Museum. This collection was transferred from the Strecker Museum to The Texas Collection in 1999.

From the description of (Waco) Branch Davidians : Mount Carmel Seventh Day Adventist collection, 1938-1998 1959-1961, 1996-1997. (Baylor University Libraries). WorldCat record id: 758869793