November 2011 Cover

Photograph by Randal Ford. Retouching by Scott Dorman.

November 2011

Table of Contents

Features

Texas A&M’s announcement that it was bolting the Big 12 for the SEC signaled the end of a passionate rivalry with the University of Texas that has defined the two schools for more than a century. But what does the end of Aggies versus Longhorns mean for the rest of us?

A slide show of images of the fierce rivalry between Texas A&M and the University of Texas.

In 1982 a man named Wayne East was convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of one of Abilene’s most prominent citizens. To this day, he maintains his innocence. And one member of the victim’s family believes him.

Thirty years ago, Mary Eula Sears, a 77-year-old woman who loved to paint flowers and landscapes, was brutally murdered in her Abilene home. Here are some of her works.

Dallas’s ritzy Park Cities is the sort of place where Jerry Jones Jr. can buy a four-story castle with twelve bathrooms and a nine-car underground garage for a reported $8.7 million and some people regard it as a steal. Welcome to the fabulous world of Erin Mathews, the very discreet real estate agent to the very, very rich.

A new short story.

Columns

Behind the Lines

Rick Perry’s stumbles on the national stage have inadvertently highlighted the weakness of his opposition back home—Texas Democrats.

Letter from San Antonio

Why did the world’s most high-tech military bring along a dog when it raided Osama bin Laden’s compound? A visit to Lackland Air Force Base’s canine training school, in San Antonio, provides a few answers.

Rick Bass

For decades, a treasured plot of Hill Country land meant one thing to the men in my family: a chance to kill lots of deer. Today, it means something different.

The Texanist

Our advice columnist on roadkill cuisine, zip-up “cowboy boots,” people we may or may not hate, a proud “fourth- or sixth-generation” Texan, and the best place to propose.

Reporter

The Horse’s Mouth

Jesse Heiman on signing up at Central Casting, working with Leonardo DiCaprio, and still not paying his own phone bill.

The Working Life

Paleontologist

Object Lesson

The Dallas Symphony Orchestra conductor shows us some of his tools.

Street Smarts

Dozens of charming, century-old homes just north of Houston have been transformed into a historic shopping district, complete with wooden clogs and fried Oreos.

Music Review

A new album by Girl in a Coma.

Artist Interview

Singer-songwriter Ryan Sambol on the band's new album, Live Music, and more.

Book Review

Fifty years after it first electrified the nation, Dallas native John Howard Griffin’s classic book still has something to tell us.

Hollywood, TX

Is Owen Wilson finally turning into—gasp!—a serious actor?

The Filter

Pat’s Pick

The Filter: Dining

Le Chat Noir Eatery and Dough Pizzeria Napoletana.

Miscellany

Annette Gordon-Reed, Jason Sheeler, and Dagoberto Gilb.

Web Exclusives

What one man overheard at this year’s celebration of the best pitmasters in the state, righteous smoked meats, and passionate ’cue lovers.

The author on hunting deer, knowing the land, and writing about his family.

The senior editor on writing about Mary Eula Sears, talking to relatives of the deceased, and dealing with sensitive issues.

After ten seasons as a major NFL franchise, the Houston Texans are picking up some fans, but the blood of Texas still pumps Cowboy blue.

Texas Country Reporter Festival, Guy Clark, Dude of the Dead Music Festival, and Girl in a Coma . . .

San Antonio's Sandy Wood has been the voice of StarDate for twenty years.

With two chances to win the World Series with a single strike, the championship slipped away from the Rangers for the second year in a row.

The convicted killer of a prominent Abilene resident is set to be released.

Jimmie Vaughan returns to Oak Cliff, UFOs in Laredo, the Cinema Arts Festival, and Stephen King on the JFK Assassination . . .

Dusty Hill's older brother, Rocky Hill, has been called the "best guitarist you've never heard of," but the recent release of Texas Guitar Legend aims to change that.

Abilene law enforcement officials don’t want the convicted murderer back in their part of the state.

The Big Sing, the Texas Conference for Women, Billy Joe Shaver, and Wurstfest in New Braunfels . . .

Before the End, After the Beginning, the author's first collection since his stroke, draws on his personal crisis for inspiration.

Multimedia

A slide show of images of the fierce rivalry between Texas A&M and the University of Texas.

Thirty years ago, Mary Eula Sears, a 77-year-old woman who loved to paint flowers and landscapes, was brutally murdered in her Abilene home. Here are some of her works.

Recipes

From Felix 55, in Houston.

From Executive Chef Maurizio Ferrarese of Quattro at the Four Seasons Hotel, in Houston.

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