Mis-Givings
Thanks a million for ann Castle’s “Thanks a Million 1999” list of the top philanthropists in Texas [February 2000]. We were pleased to see five ARTS Center Stage gifts highlighted. On one of the gifts, the $3 million gift for the Long Center for the Performing Arts that was attributed to Jo Anne Christian, Jane Sibley, and Jare Smith, was actually contributed by an expanded group brought together largely through the hard work of those three women. In addition to the three, and their husbands, the contributors to that gift include Sarah and Dr. Ernest Butler, Michele and Brad Moore, Carolyn and Marc Seriff, Bank of America, and a group of anonymous donors.
dennis poust
director of public relations
arts center stage
Austin
Henry b. and patricia tippie’s $30 million gift was made to the University of Iowa in Iowa City, not Ames. Your error is like saying that the University of Texas is in College Station.
judy walke havener
Fort Worth
In the $1 million category of “Thanks a Million,” Nelda Childers Stark’s husband was Lutcher Stark; “Lutcher” was not part of her name.
louise berning
Scott City, Kansas
Samuel frech, who died in July 1999, gave $1 million to Texas A&M at Corpus Christi, not College Station, and he was a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, not Texas A&M. In addition, Mr. Frech made an estate gift conservatively estimated at $3.5 million to $4 million to the Cathedral of Hope’s new sanctuary project in Dallas. World-renowned architect Philip Johnson, whom Mr. Frech knew, designed the new cathedral.
randy sprabary
director of development
cathedral of hope
Dallas
WHEN I READ THE MARCH ISsue of Texas Monthly Biz, I was touched to find the small item by Ann Castle on philanthropic gifts made by Texas corporations [“Thanks”]. I’m sure you know by now that Ann passed away suddenly in February and many are mourning her death. As a fellow fundraising researcher and freelance writer, I was inspired by Ann’s hard work and success. I know she would want that work carried on, so I hope you continue to provide coverage of philanthropy in Ann’s absence. It offers a more balanced view of our world and hopefully inspires others to share.
michel hudson
Austin
Editor’s note: Texas Monthly regrets the errors made in “Thanks a Million 1999.”
Ready for Prime Time
The riveting article “the Man Who Loved Cat Burgling” helped me pass the hours of pre- Super Bowl suspense [February 2000]. Once the legalities are concluded and the penalties levied on the “perps,” where do we go? Not to Disney World but a Movie of the Week. All the ingredients are there; now mix ’em and bake ’em up into a great money-making epic. I’ll watch.
janice b. ellis
Kenner, Louisiana
Dave Rave
Dave hickey and i are good friends from our SMU days; his middle name is truth [Art: “The Art Guy,” February 2000]. Such fierce honesty and integrity as his have always caused him trouble. Dave is a prophet, always has been, always will be, and he is on target in our euphemistic, horribly politically correct times. No wonder the young flock to him instead of other, so-called teachers who call him a hypocrite. He offers young people hope and allows them to think for themselves.
charlotte w. rhodes
Dripping Springs
Graves Raves
I enjoyed the piece on john Graves, until the end [Texas Monthly Reporter: Don Graham’s Texas Classics, February 2000]. Something doesn’t quite sit right with the vaguely dismissive yet polite tone about “the revered place” he “holds in the hearts of old-time Texas readers.” Are we old-time readers or readers of old-time Texas? Or both? As one who has read all his books and is neither old-time in age or in Texas reading tastes, I submit that the appeal, scope, and durability of his writing is significantly more than that. He is at least as current as that same Brazos River at full flow.
fleet lentz
San Antonio
Dawson’s Creed
George dawson is an amazing man [Books: “Live and Learn,” February 2000]. He is the perfect example that old dogs can learn new tricks. Even after one hundred years of living without the ability to read, he still had the courage and will to learn a skill most of us take for granted. We should follow Mr. Dawson’s example and never stop learning.
monica villareal
Carbondale, Illinois
Modern Master
I was pleased to see anne dingus’ Texas Primer on Alvin Ailey [February 2000]. He was my vote for Dancer/Choreographer of the century.
carol m. lewis
Austin
Dewey’s Legacy
I was one of the hundreds of mourners at Dewey Winburne’s funeral [“Crashed,” March 2000]. I’m fortunate that he was a friend. I’m not sure how many people Joe Nick Patoski interviewed for his article — clearly there are many of us who would have qualified. But after reading Mr. Patoski’s story, it seems that he came to see Dewey not only as one of Austin’s odd characters but also as a metaphor for the evolution of the multimedia industry in Austin.
Dewey was not a metaphor for anything. He was the genuine article: a visionary who could motivate and enrich kids at the Austin Institute for Learning with the same passion that he led a 43-year-old senior publishing executive to jump willingly into a new industry, just because Dewey made it all so clear. He was not a businessman. We all knew that. But he was a great leader. I, along with so many others, wish I had told him how much I valued his passion and commitment and his role in the development of the then nascent multimedia industry in Austin.
I hope Dewey’s son will look past the sad choice Dewey made that last day and know that he was someone who inspired people to grow in many ways.
carl shepherd
Austin
Ode to Roy
THANKS FOR “SPENCE FOR HIRE,” BY Kathryn Jones [Business, March 2000]. Roy Spence is Texas’ greatest asset. Opportunities in the new millennium were highlighted by the Spence gang fifteen years ago. While Roy forcefully demonstrated the future of ideas to Ms. Jones, he modestly omitted his passion and success with execution. Bottom line: Roy is the total package and Jones nailed it.
red mccombs
San Antonio
