The Wild Side of Town

You don’t have to go to the country or the zoo to see wild animals; there are lizards in downtown buildings, gators in the creeks, and deer in the parking lots.

by Suzanne Winckler

The Man in the Black Hat

Clinton Manges built his empire on brushland and oil wells, political contributions and lawsuits. His influence extends to the state capitol and oil company boardrooms. To get where he is, he studied under three masters of South Texas.

by Paul Burka

On the Links

Golf, glorious golf. A hook here, a slice there. So what if you can’t break a hundred. A cartful of cool, casual summer clothes will keep you looking like a million.

Texas Primer: The Resistol Hat

Whether it’s made of straw or ermine, this is the cowboy hat.

by Peter Applebome

Last Respects

The death of Uncle Henry saddened my whole far-flung family, but the gathering at his funeral was an occasion for telling stories and recalling the joys of a small-town upbringing.

by Anne Dingus

Give Me a Job

In my village in Oaxaca I had heard about those who made it big in El Norte, and I wanted to become one of them. But I didn’t know how hard life in Houston would be without papers, money, or a job.

by Tianguis Perez

Western Art: Buffalo Gal

An interpretation of a classic genre.

by Dave Calver

Behind the Lines

The new work ethic.

by Gregory Curtis

Kids

Someday You’ll Thank Me for This

You can lead a child to culture, but can you make him like it?

Prudence Mackintosh

Lifestyle

Move Over, Southfork

Up for sale in Dallas, the Shanbaum house boasts a whopping 28,000 square feet and what may be Texas’ most comprehensive collection of sixties and seventies kitsch—along with a $2.75 million price tag.

by Alison Cook

Education

J is for Jobs

Houston’s career-oriented magnet schools are putting too much emphasis on work and too little on education.

Mimi Swartz

Popular Music

Top O’ the Pops

The fare offered by the Houston Pops Orchestra may not be highbrow, but conductor Ned Battista thinks it’s American music at its best.

by W. L. Taitte

Books

The Intellectuals’ Dear Abby

A new study of sociologist C. Wright Mills is adequate but uninspired; this year’s Texas Institute of Letters fiction prize has gone to a fine first novel.

by Joe Holley

Reporter

Texas Monthly Reporter

Coming to grips with Al Lipscomb, Dallas critic turned city councilman; remembering the clip joints along Fort Worth’s infamous outlaw alley; flipping for San Angelo, a honey of a West Texas town; taking a bizarre trip through Texas on Gary Hart’s press plane.

by Gary Cartwright

Roar of the Crowd

Getting with the programs, getting to know the Yellow Rose, getting it right in Pharr.

Touts

Amazing technicolor dreamworld.

Patricia Sharpe

Puzzle

All a board.

State Secrets

The leaning Tower of peace, aaagh—at last we learn what the “public” in Republican stands for; how do you spell relief? D-I-S-A-S-T-E-R; parks lose out yet again.

Edited by Paul Burka