an educational tool about the ethnic diversity in the state. She authored History and Legends of the Alamo and Other Missions In and Around San Antonio in 1917, a perspective that highlights the role of women and other minorities in the history of both the Alamo and Texas. De Zavala's 1916 Legend of the First Christmas at the Alamo (The Margil Vine) relates the lore of the Franciscan friars and local Indians celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ in the year 1718. In 1934, Adina wrote In My Grandmother's Old Garden Where the Rose Reigned as Queen for the San Antonio Express, remembering all the beautiful flowers in her grandmother's garden, especially her grandmother's favorite, the rose, and encouraging readers to plant roses to commemorate the 1936 centennial celebration. In 1951, she donated most of her large collection of documents pertaining to preservation and the De Zavala family history, to the University of Texas at Austin, where it is used today by scholars at The Dolph Briscoe Center for American History. The remainder of her papers were bequeathed to the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, which houses the collection on the second floor of its library. Historical preservation affiliations Adina De Zavala was a proponent of a March 2 statewide recognition of Texas Independence Day, and was instrumental in Texas public schools being named for state heroes. She was on the executive council of the Texas State Historical Association, and in 1945 was voted an honorary life fellow of the council. De Zavala interested her schoolteacher friend Anna Ellis, one of the founders of the San Antonio Conservation Society, in restoring homes representative of the six governments that had flown flags over Texas: Spain, France, Mexico, the Republic of Texas, the United States, and the Confederate States of America. De Zavala worked in coordination with Anna Ellis, Elizabeth O. Graham and others in the society to help save the Spanish Governor's Palace and several other structures, including the cluster of houses once lived in by Texas Declaration of Independence signerJosé Antonio Navarro. On March 2, 1951, the San Antonio Conservation Society presented De Zavala with an award for "marking historic homes and sites." Shortly after Adina came to San Antonio in 1887, she formed the "De Zavala Daughters" organization dedicated to preserving and marking Texas history. In 1893, the organization changed its name and became a chapter