Phil Collins is an honorary Texan now after all he's done for the state.

Last year Phil Collins donated his extensive Alamo memorabilia collection back to the San Antonio site, and some said it was worth $15 million.

Phil said he had been collecting it for years because he was fascinated with it, and was happy to give the artifacts back to the Alamo so those big chunks of history could be in their rightful place.  Some of the artifacts were from the Battle of San Jacinto, when Texas won its independence. All of the pieces had been at Phil’s home in Switzerland, and they were shipped over to the US and arrived last October in San Antonio.

Texas lawmakers noticed, and made Phil an honorary Texan on Wednesday.  He was in Austin to greet them and shake hands at the Capitol.

The Alamo says more than 2.5 million people visit each year, and it's funded by private donations so admission is free.  And they don't seem to be making a big deal about the Phil Collins collection, but they'll probably draw an even bigger crowd now that it's there.

 

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