October 2005
Table of Contents
Features
Flipping OutThe letter-sweater-wearing, pom-pom-shaking, pep-rally-leading girl next door has been a beloved Texas icon for generations. So why do so many people today— lawmakers and lawyers, preachers and feminists—think cheerleading is the root, root, root of all evil? Keep Waterloo WeirdIn this excerpt from Karen Olsson’s forthcoming novel set in a fictional state capital (wink, wink), a reporter for a weekly newspaper watches a rural conservative who “shares your values” announce his candidacy for governor. Tour de TexasThese ten bike routes, some easy and some hard, will help you channel your inner Lance. |
Wheel in the SkyFor the residents of a tiny Panhandle town, a horrific accident at the State Fair fifty years ago reverberates still—and will haunt them forever. I Am a Student AgainBut prepping for war is not the kind of homework I’m used to. Six BrothersThe tragedy of the Von Erichs—the state’s first family of pro wrestling—is well known not just to fans of the sport but to the many groupies who oohed and aahed at the matinee-idol athletes over the years. Still, you haven’t really heard the story until it’s told by the sole surviving sibling, whose eldest son may be the next one to step into the ring. |
Columns
Michael EnnisCulture of StrifeFrozen embryos are destroyed every day in the name of in vitro fertilization. Tell me again what’s so wrong with stem cell research? |
Suzy BanksRental IllnessWhen people hear I’m a landlady, they tell me I should have my head examined. Yep. |
Reporter
ReporterMonster Inc.As mythical creatures go, Bigfoot is right up there with the Loch Ness Monster and the Abominable Snowman. But in Jefferson, the search for the hairy, hulking beast with the, er, big feet is big business—and deadly serious. |
The Filter
Pat’s PickGravitas |
Pat’s PickShrimply the Best |
Miscellany
Roar of the CrowdOde to Joel |
Texas Monthly TalksRed McCombs“I’ve had my failures and my mistakes. I don’t dwell on them. So I don’t have anything dragging me down at any given time.” |
Web Exclusives
Mid-century MemphisFormer Texas Monthly senior editor Robert Draper on assembling an Eisenhower-era time capsule, including the memories of a teenage calamity and the recollections of the Panhandle town that still bears its scars. Pedal PushersContributing photographer Wyatt McSpadden, who shot this month’s feature “Tour de Texas,” describes how a plum assignment became a poignant father-son journey. The Last Von ErichAssociate editor John Spong on retelling a tragic family epic—the rise and fall of Dallas’ pro wrestling dynasty. |
Happy TrailsRush Hour Texas History 101The Alamo: A Crash Course |
