April 1987
Table of Contents
Features
Alison Cook’s Modern Texas MannersBankruptcy and job loss may be closing in, but Texans aren’t sitting home eating Spam. They’re down-scaling, gang-hosting, and improvising a new hard-times etiquette as they go along. The Deadly DoctorAs a medical student, Deborah Spiva was at the top of her class. As a researcher, she did experiments that came out perfectly. As a physician, she was known for treating patients with rare diseases. She was too good to be true. The Man Who Understands HorsesBuster Welch’s success as a cutting horse trainer is based on a simple observation: when you insult a horse’s intelligence, you hurt his feelings. |
Cabin FeverNot in the mood for a plush vacation resort or the rigors of backpacking? Instead, try solitude and starry nights at one of these ten park hideaways. High Noon at the CapitolThe biggest legislative bloodbath in 31 years is shaping up between Clements and Hobby. At stake: not only the state’s education budget but the economic and political future of Texas as well. The Flash FloodIn a land of contrasts, a few hours can mean the difference between drought and deluge. |
Columns
Behind the LinesAn inappropriate practicality. BooksThe Next Picture ShowIn Larry McMurtry’s Texasville, the teenagers from The Last Picture Show await their thirtieth high school reunion amid the hard times in Thalia and, as always, the war between the sexes. ShoppingThe Prince of PumpsBuying shoes is a passion for some women. Selling shoes is a passion for Doyle Moody. That adds up to a perfect fit. |
Mexico¡Howdy, Señor!Come to Monterrey, where you can find all the comforts of home: Pollo Frito Kentucky, Super Sietes, and a looming economic crisis. MoviesTuned OutRadio Days is a nostalgic doodle; Black Widow needs fewer poses and more cheap lust; Dead of Winter is spookhouse-scary—but schlocky; The Good Wife is soapy yet strangely affecting. |
Reporter
ReporterTexas Monthly ReporterMarty Wender can’t do anything wrong—and San Antonio loves him for it. Joe Russo can’t do anything right—and Houston loves him for it. Plus: pop paraphernalia, naming Henry’s baby, Poppin’ Pigskins, and Who Killed Mark White? |
Miscellany
Roar of the CrowdSelf-appointed visionaries on the border; self-development seminars all over Texas; self-indulgent behavior at the corner burger joint. State SecretsCan the Cotton Bowl survive the SMU scandal? a Mexican American major for Corpus Christi—maybe; the water bureaucrats are up to no dam good. ToutsAll that glitters is not gold. |
PuzzleHot stuff at the cinema. National TourOut of the Valley and into the Borderlands, where the architecture is erratic, the radio is heavenly, and the peso has lost its power. |
