More drama at the Alamo, as the long-time head of the Remember the Alamo Foundation, the private fundraising arm of the massive 're-imagining' of Alamo Plaza, abruptly resigned on Thursday, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
Rebecca Dinnin had been the executive director of the foundation for three years. Previously she had been the manager of the Alamo and an executive with the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce.
"I am proud that Texas has embraced the vision of preservation and conservation of the Alamo, recapturing and restoring integrity to the battlefield, and building an unforgettable visitor experience," Dinnin said in a statement. "With these efforts well underway, I believe this is the right time for me to depart the position of Executive Director of the Remember the Alamo Foundation to pursue other opportunities that are beneficial to Texas and my community."
Dinnin says she remains a 'strong supporter of the Alamo Endowment, and the General Land Office and San Antonio's efforts to Remember the Alamo.'
It's been a rocky road recently for the Alamo re-imagining campaign. The master plan unveiled last summer has been strongly criticized for several aspects, including a plexiglass wall that would have cut off Alamo Plaza from the rest of downtown, plans to close Alamo and Crockett Streets to vehicular traffic, and plans to move the 1936 Cenotaph from its current location in front of the Alamo to along the San Antonio River.
The redesign became the key issue in the recent Republican primary for State Land Commissioner, with Commissioner George P. Bush getting pounded by his challengers. Bush survived the challenge.
But many of the parts of the master plan have not survived. The plexiglass wall concept is dead, and, while the Cenotaph will in fact be moved, plans to move it out of the immediate area and along the banks of the river across from the Convention Center have largely been abandoned.