ON THE COVER: Cover Photography by Jim Bones
April 1980
Table of Contents
Features
Little Boy LostBeing autistic nearly ruined Michael Shipley’s life, but his parents sent him to a state mental hospital. Then Michael’s life was ruined for good. Would You Pay $2.5 Million for That Painting?The Iceberg is the most expensive American painting in history, but it is also the center of an art-world mystery with a trail leading from an English boys’ school to a Dallas millionaire. Painting the TownsBurns roamed Texas doing odd jobs. One day he ambled into a museum carrying drawings he’s made along the way - and ended up a celebrity. |
On the Edge of TexasFor hundreds of years man—from the Comanche to the backpacker—has tried to conquer Big Bend. Still, it remains wild, stark, and pristine. The Tragedy of Bob BullockBob Bullock, in his flamboyant style, built a powerful state agency. Then Bob Bullock, in his flamboyant style, was seduced by its power. |
Columns
Behind the LinesForgetting free trade, scrapping our factories, and other modest solutions to our economic troubles. Dining OutAll Show and No SouffleWhile the Pyramid Room in Dallas relies on pomp, two of its rivals in French dining are putting foot before pretension. HealthThe Finish LineAs a doctor, Tony Seidenberg has become accustomed to death. Only this time it is different: he is the one who is dying. Stepping OutI Want to be a StarYou do? There are some people right off Dallas’s Central Expressway waiting to help. ChurchCross ExaminationsAdventurous Methodists try the case against the Church; pallid Seventh-day Adventists try the worshiper’s patience. |
FilmLode StarCoal Miner’s Daughter hits true and false notes; Cruising goes sadly astray. Classical MusicPutting On the DonOne man’s lifelong quest for the perfect recording of Mozart’s masterpiece. Popular MusicLet the Good Times RollFilmmaker Les Blank focuses on foot-tapping music, down-home cooking, and the vanishing art of having a good time. JazzJazz SaladSome old greats forged ahead in 1979, but young musicians kept up. BooksGonna Take a Sedimentary JourneyRoadside Geology of Texas makes traveling a rocky road fun. In the Shining Mountains finds nature tarnished, but The Spawning Run shows it unspoiled. |
Reporter
ReporterTexas Monthly ReporterRice University is up in arms; God is indicted for murder; Blackboard Jungle becomes a political thicket; the golden arm of Nolan Ryan. |
Miscellany
The Inside StoryMusic lover. Roar of the CrowdLove and death. ToutsCowgirls and dougboys. |
PuzzlePenalty for icing. State SecretsNebraska scoundrels are absconding with West Texas water; adding grist to the Murdoch rumor mill; the old Dallas City Council was never like this. |
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