The 1992 Bum Steer Awards

A year of alternative armadillos, bogus bills, contraband condoms, defecting drivers, eventful endorsements, futile floss, gorgeous golfers, humongous hair, imploding implants, jet joyrides, Kansas City klunkers, licentious libraries, mayoral Mafiosi, N-vaded N-dians, outlaw odors, phighting physicists, queasy quesadillas, royal relatives, shunned Schwarzkopf, tainted teachers, underworld underwear, verbose vasectomies, welfare Willies, X-onerated X-posers, yeggs’ yogi, and zealous Zero Population Growth.

The Rise and Fall (and Rise and Fall) of Marcy Rogers

When her charitable foundation collapsed amid allegations of mismanagement, the Dallas socialite did the unthinkable: She started a new one.

by Dana Rubin

Beware the Grace of God

Troubled boys at this Baptist youth home had to eat soap if they said the wrong thing. And that was one of the milder punishments.

by Robert Draper

Dog Ghosts and Bottle Trees

A new collection of Keith Carter’s photographs captures the magical mojo of East Texas.

by Jan Jarboe Russell

Can Berney Seal Save Corpus Christi?

A critical appraisal of a local phenomenon by the ultimate insider.

by Mark Seal

Big Bird

Getting up close and personal with the endangered whooping crane.

by Joe Nick Patoski

Behind the Lines

A Principal’s World

by Gregory Curtis

Culture

Doing the Hustle

Today, TGI Friday’s is sedate, but twenty years ago this month, the place started the singles era in Dallas.

by Skip Hollandsworth

Law

Poetic Justice

A Dallas lawyer is urging his colleagues to put rhyme and reason back into legal writing—by using plain old English.

by Peter Elkind

Lifestyle

Child’s Play

“Just how hard can it be to build a playground?” I asked. The answer: Harder than anything I’ve ever tried before.

by Jan Jarboe Russell

Reporter

In Tune

Houston’s Young Turk music producers have cut a new groove in the record industry.

by Joe Nick Patoski

Reporter

Born to Win

Triumph at the track comes naturally for a man called Bingo.

by Joe Nick Patoski

Reporter

McGranny

Charm and know-how got Runnels a spot on Ronald’s team.

by Helen Thompson

Reporter

Straight Shooter

Gary Bledsoe, the new head of the Texas NAACP, doesn’t dodge the tough questions.

by Joe Nick Patoski

Reporter

All’s Well?

Candelaria’s only well supplied free water to all until the EPA weighed in.

by Robert Bryce

Reporter

A Man’s Man

If the National Coalition of Free Men has its way, man-bashing won’t go unprotested.

by Helen Thompson

Roar of the Crowd

Texan at the Core

State of the Art

Robert Rauschenberg

State Fare

Phoebe’s Chicken Climax

From Aunt Pearl’s Cookbook

by Patricia Sharpe