Skip Hollandsworth

Skip Hollandsworth was raised in Wichita Falls, Texas and graduated with a B.A. in English from Texas Christian University. He has worked as a reporter and columnist for newspapers in Dallas, and he also has worked as a television producer and documentary filmmaker. Since joining Texas Monthly in 1989, Hollandsworth has received several journalism awards, including a National Headliners Award, the national John Hancock Award for Excellence in Business and Financial Journalism, the City and Regional Magazine gold award for feature writing, the Texas Institute of Letters O. Henry award for magazine writing, and the Charles Green award for outstanding magazine writing in Texas, given by the Headliners club of Austin. He has been a finalist four times for the National Magazine Awards, the magazine industry’s equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize, and his work has been been included in such publications as Best American Crime Writing and Best American Magazine Writing.

Features

Child’s Play

Summer vacation is right around the corner, but that doesn’t mean you should panic. We’ve rounded up 68 of our favorite things to do with your toddlers, teens, and every kid in between. Dance the hokey pokey. Rope a horse. Eat way too many hot dogs. Zip down a waterslide. And yes, feed the animals. April 2008

The Valley of The Shadow Of Death

Did Kari Baker, despondent over her daughter’s passing, commit suicide? Or was she killed by her husband, Matt, a Baptist preacher in Waco and an alleged sexual predator? He says he didn’t do it, but her family insists otherwise—and they say they’ll keep after him until justice is done. March 2008

Girl Gone Mild

After spending her adolescence largely out of view (except for a few scrapes with restaurant and bar employees), presidential spawn Jenna Bush is emerging as a public person in her own right. But her return to private life can’t come soon enough. November 2007

The Woman On Top

So what if Sandra Brown’s novels have wildly implausible plot twists, banal endings, over-the- top characters, and other literary no-no’s. She’s published nearly 70 of them since 1981, and 55 have gone on to be best-sellers. We’re sure the sex scenes have nothing to do with it. August 2007

Angel of Death

What was it, exactly, that caused Vickie Dawn Jackson, a sweet, soft-spoken nurse at Nocona General Hospital, to become one of the most prolific serial killers in Texas history? July 2007

The Gang’s All Here

When the rough-and-tumble bikers known as the Bandidos gathered in San Antonio for the funeral of one of their beloved members, they swore a lot, drank a lot, defended themselves against the police and the public’s misperceptions, and—amazingly— let a reporter observe the whole fascinating scene. April 2007

“You Don’t Want to Know What We Do After Dark”

The young, tattooed men who are members of the Southwest Cholos, La Primera, La Tercera Crips, Somos Pocos Pero Locos, Mara Salvatrucha, and other Houston gangs are vicious career criminals who regularly rob innocent people in some of the city’s most dangerous neighborhoods. They steal cars and break into businesses. They deal drugs on street corners. And they constantly wage war with one another. December 2006

School Of Pop

To Addison they come, tweens and teens with talent in abundance, so Linda Septien can teach them how to be the next big thing. Jessica Simpson is her most famous success story, but there are many others. And more in the making. July 2006

Water, Water Everywhere

From kayaking on Town Lake to mountain biking around Joe Pool Lake, from bass fishing on Lake Fork to horseback riding on the shores of Lake Whitney, here are some of our favorite things to do in, on, and around Texas lakes. June 2006

The Last Rustler

If he was asked what he did for a living, Roddy Dean Pippin would smile and say something about the cattle business. But he didn’t exactly buy and sell cows. He stole them. And right up until he was caught, he was as good as any such thief had ever been. May 2006

Casualty Of War

A real-life G.I. Joe, Master Sergeant James Coons hardly seemed like a candidate for post-traumatic stress disorder. But when his demons got the best of him, there was nothing anyone could do—not that anyone really tried. March 2006

Tommy Lee Jones Is Not Acting

On screen and off, his affect is that of someone who should not be disturbed: a crotchety, contentious, impatient, and thoroughly genuine West Texan. That’s what makes his characters—including his latest, the lead in The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada— so believable. February 2006

The Last Ride of Cowboy Bob

The feds knew him as a prolific bank robber. But the bearded man who eluded them for so long was not who they imagined him to be. And absolutely no one expected the story to end the way it did. November 2005

Angie Barrett Does Not Use Butt Cream

She shares that curious fact with you for posterior’s— er, posterity’s sake. What you really need to know about the shopgirl turned shoplifter is that her rehabilitation is continuing apace atop Dallas’ social heap. And thanks to a new reality show about her life, there’s no end in sight. July 2005

Since She’s Been Gone

The L.A. life of a girl from Burleson (or, You can take Kelly Clarkson out of Texas . . .). May 2005

Good Vibrations

How a woman who sold sex toys in Burleson became public enemy number one and survived the bad buzz. October 2004

Wrecked

The car crash that killed four teenage girls in Tatum last September is an East Texas version of a Greek tragedy, one that has forced the tiny town's residents to address some of life's most agonizing questions: When the worst things happen—when the most heartbreaking events come into your life to stay—whom do you blame? Whom should you blame? September 2004

Family Man

To his suburban Dallas neighbors, Todd Becker was a doting husband and devoted father. They had no clue that he led a secret, lucrative life as a safecracker. February 2004

"Their Last Good Chance to Get Better"

The state's public mental health system was woeful to begin with, and now legislative budget cuts have made it even worse. For thousands of mentally ill kids like Grant Williams, the only place to get treatment is a juvenile prison. November 2003

Love Thy Self-Help

America's notoriously needy readers certainly do—and for the robust health of this publishing genre, they have Dallas in general and Phil McGraw's agent in particular to thank. September 2003

O Sister, Where Art Thou?

History makes no mention of what was one of the most popular all-female country acts ever. Yet the story of the Goree Girls-inmates who banded together in the forties at Texas' sole penitentiary for women—is worth a listen. May 2003

What Does Kay Want?

Good question, and everyone seems to have an answer: To be respected for her accomplishments as a U.S. senator. To help lead the GOP after its Election Day triumph. To be a mom, finally, in her late fifties. To come back home and run for governor—maybe. But, please, no psychobabble. February 2003

Suburban Madness

Why did Clara Harris run over her husband with her Mercedes, then do it again and again? Call it the tragic final chapter in an otherwise amusing story—a demented version of Love, American Style starring four unhappy couples and one chatty private investigator. November 2002

The Yucatan

October 2002

Hi, Society!

How did a girl from Harlingen become Houston's hostess with the mostest? Sweetie, Becca Cason Thrash has always been the life of the party. September 2002

Maybe Darlie Didn't Do It

Darlie Routier has been on death row for five years now, always insisting that she didn't kill her sons Devon and Damon. And as her lawyers prepare to head into court yet again, new information about her case raises the possibility that she may have been telling the truth all along. July 2002

With Envy

Pat Green’s fans—and they are legion—love his songs about the joys of Luckenbach and Lone Star beer. His critics—also legion—think his lyrics are trite. But no matter how you feel about him, there’s no denying that he’s the hottest country music act in Texas. And that he has made the state cool again. June 2002

The Day Treva Throneberry Disappeared

The North Texas teenager went missing in the late eighties. For years, no one knew where she was, or even if she was still alive-no one, that is, except a mysterious young woman two thousand miles away. March 2002

Hit Man

Psst! Looking to have somebody murdered? You might want to call Gary Johnson, the number one hired killer in Houston. Then again you might not. You see he works for the cops. October 2001

Doris Angleton

September 2001

Her Dark Places

Andrea Yates was a quiet, attentive mother with a generous smile who made her kids costumes from grocery sacks and gave them Valentine’s promising “free hugs.” We all know what happened next, but we may never know why. August 2001

The Killing of Alydar

In 1990 the legendary Thoroughbred was put to sleep after his leg was broken—an accident, it seemed, until a tenacious prosecutor linked his death to a Houston bank scandal. June 2001

Daddy's Little Girl

LeAnn Rimes was a marshmallow-cheeked thirteen-year-old when she made it big. Now, five years later, she is locked in bitter legal battles with both her estranged father and her Nashville record company, and her life and career are collapsing around her. Can America's country princess get back on track? May 2001

I Had a Ball

A passel of Texans invaded the nation’s capital in January, and the town may never be the same. A report from the inaugral front. March 2001

The Talented Mr. Wittliff

Can a savvy Hollywood dealmaker also be as down-home and unassuming as an old shoe? He can if he's Austin's Bill Wittliff, an award-winning screenwriter, an accomplished photographer, a collector with a passion for the past—in short, the nicest Renaissance man you'll ever meet. February 2001

Child of a Lesser God

It was a modern-day horror story: a little girl hidden away in rat-infested squalor for most of her life. When the authorities took her away from her family, the nine-year-old had never been to school or played outside and could only make squeaking noises. Now dedicated social workers, academics, and foster parents are trying to undo years of unimaginable neglect. December 2000

Can't Buy Me Love

Take one of the nation's wealthiest men, the enigmatic, Egyptian-born Fayez Sarofim. Add his socialite first wife and her brassy successor. Stir in River Oaks mansions and greedy lawyers, boatloads of money and oceans of booze. Mix it all together and what do you get? A hell of a mess that's the talk of Houston. October 2000

Television • Angie Harmon

Not just a pretty face. September 2000

Dance • Deborah Yates

It's all in the gams. September 2000

Capital Murder

In a year-long spree that began in late 1884, Texas’ first serial killer butchered seven women and one man in Austin. More than a century later questions about his identity and his motive remain unanswered. July 2000

Blood Will Sell

The richest man ever tried for murder has found the Lord, along with a new career peddling hand cream. Are you buying the latest incarnation of Cullen Davis? March 2000

The Man Who Loved Cat Burgling

For years Dallas’ most prolific jewel thief robbed the mansions of socialites like Nancy Brinker and Annette Simmons. If not for his girlfriend’s crack use, he might have gotten away with it forever. February 2000

Athlete of the Century—Carl Lewis

“When it comes to individual athletic superiority, few people in the world can touch long, lean, impossibly fast Carl Lewis, who came to Texas in 1979, qualified for the Olympics in 1980, and dominated his sport—the world of sports, actually—for the next sixteen years.” December 1999

Is Robert Abel Getting Away With Murder?

Investigators in the coastal plain think so, and they’re doing what they can to tie the retired NASA engineer to the deaths of at least four young women there. But thus far the tangible evidence has eluded them. And, consequently, so has he. October 1999

Self-help • Phillip McGraw

Oprah’s guru. September 1999

How Many of You Have Heard of Zig Ziglar Before—Or Is This Your First Time-uh?

From Harvard to Hesitation Hill, the nation’s most motivated motivational speaker is much in demand. And he’ll still see you at the top. July 1999

Younger. Wilder?

Those rumors you’ve heard about him are true. Sort of. June 1999

Sweetheart of the Rodeo

Ty Murray is the last pure American cowboy, a throwback to the mythic West. And if you visit him on his Stephenville ranch, you’d better be ready to ride. May 1999

“No One Knows What Could Be Happening to Those Kids”

When you’re underpaid, inexperienced, and overloaded with files detailing allegations of child abuse, there is a limit to how well you can do your job. Eight months in the life of an investigative team in the Travis County office of Child Protective Services. April 1999

Has Dominique Moceanu Flipped?

Three years after her Olympic glory, the gymnast is once again in competition—only this time, it’s with her parents. February 1999

The Real Troy Aikman

His dreams. His fears. The truth about his love life. A candid chat with Texas’ most misunderstood sports hero. December 1998

Home Away From Home?

Texas’ largest nursing home chain says it provides a “better place to live” for more than six thousand elderly men and women. State investigators tell a much different story. November 1998

BUSINESS • Thomas O. Hicks

Hello, good buy. September 1998

When We Were Kings

For the first time in its history, the world-famous King Ranch is being run by someone other than a descendant of its founder. Can the mythic institution survive a changing of the guard? August 1998

Honor Thy Father

In suburban Fort Worth the frail psyche of a football prodigy collided with the crazed ambition of his dad, who himself had been a high school football star way back when. The consequences were deadly. June 1998

The Starlet—Sandra Bullock

Speeding toward her new life in Austin. May 1998

How the West Was Won Over

The verdict is in: Oprah loves Texas—and Texas loves Oprah. The queen of daytime talk swept into the Panhandle, turned the tide of public opinion, and had courtroom watchers asking, Where’s the beef? March 1998

Midnight in the Garden of East Texas

In sleepy Carthage a rich, haughty widow disappears, and nobody seems to notice. When she turns up dead, everybody seems to feel sympathy for the nice young man who killed her. January 1998

The Bookmaker’s Wife

She had a secret life, and so did her husband. For a while they seemed to have a pleasant existence in the affluent Houston neighborhood of River Oaks. But then she turned up dead. November 1997

Sports • Tara Lipinski

The ice girl cometh. September 1997

Environment • Phyllis Glazer

Waste not. September 1997

Store Wars!

Two luxury retailers: Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue. One desirable market: Houston. The fight for the hearts and credit cards of couture clotheshorses like Lynn Wyatt and Carolyn Farb officially begins next month, but already the fur is flying. August 1997

The Curse of Romeo and Juliet

The patriarchs of Texas’ leading Gypsy clans have been embroiled in a furious feud for more than two decades. And now that their children are in love, it’s only getting worse. June 1997

Babes in the ’Hoods

Thought the competition between Texas cities was over? Until my daughter was born in Dallas and a friend’s was born in Austin, so did I. April 1997

Blue Period

Thanks to his wildly popular bluebonnet paintings, Dallas artist W.A. Slaughter is living on easel street. March 1997

Vanity Farrah

All she did was walk into the bar, sit down, and smile. But I knew right away why, even at age fifty, Farrah Fawcett is still an angel. February 1997

The Killer Cadets

David Graham and Diane Zamora were intelligent, young, and in love. And they shared a secret: They had brutally murdered Adreianne Jones. December 1996

Reading Laura Bush

Thanks to her fight against illiteracy, the first lady of Texas is getting more attention than most of her predecessors— and much more than she’d like. November 1996

Absolutely Farbulous

Carolyn Farb wrote the book on charity fundraising, so when she calls, the stars come out to play, and Houston�s high society has a ball. October 1996

Media Circus • Michael Irvin

Drugstore Cowboy. September 1996

Theater • Lou Diamond Phillips

It’s good to be King. September 1996

Business • Richard Rainwater

The last tycoon. September 1996

Poisoning Daddy

No one ever suspected a thing until she asked her best friend if she could keep a terrible secret: the bizarre story of teenager Marie Robards, the devoted daughter who murdered her father. July 1996

The Lawsuit from Hell

How an East Texas attorney spawned the most massive products-liability case ever— one that has cost millions of dollars and involved thousands of plaintiffs and might never end. June 1996

Interview With The Vamp

After twenty years as the reigning queen of the soaps, the essential truth about Morgan Fairchild remains: She’s not a bitch, but she plays one on TV. April 1996

Big Feud at Cadillac Ranch

Since the day Stanley Marsh 3 finally went too far and locked up George Whittenburg’s son in a chicken coop, all of Amarillo has been abuzz about the bizarre battle between these intractable foes. March 1996

Does DaRoyce Mosley Deserve to Die?

A young black man with a spotless record is facing a controversial death sentence for the murder of four whites. An East Texas town remains divided. February 1996

Lay’s of Our Lives

January 1996

Hot Potatoes

Is it possible to have a low-fat chip that tastes good? After three years of top-secret tinkering, Frito-Lay thinks it has hit upon the ultimate snacker’s delight. January 1996

Whatever Happened to Ronnie Littleton?

Twenty-five years ago, in the wake of integration, he was the football star at my mostly white high school in Wichita Falls. Not much has gone right for him since. December 1994

The Seduction of Jane Doe

When a teacher romances a student, are school officials to blame? That’s the crux of a case that began in the small town of Taylor and ended up in the U.S. Supreme court. November 1994

Born to Run

In the campaign for governor, the Republican nominee is out to prove to voters—and himself—that he’s his own George Bush. May 1994

Love and Death on the Third Floor

She was the princess who wore Tiffany perfume. He was the middle-class guy who raced cars. But when they met on the cystic fibrosis wing of a Dallas hospital, romance bloomed. February 1994

The Making of a Sex Symbol, 1993

How did Vickie Smith, waitress from Mexia, become Anna Nicole Smith, world-famous face? It’s anyone’s Guess? July 1993

See No Evil

Dallas police say Charles Albright is the coldest, most depraved killer of women in the city’s history. To me, he seems like a perfect gentleman. Maybe too perfect. May 1993

Hooray for Big Hair!

A strand-by-strand look at the roots of a Texas phenomenon. December 1992

The Almost Great Bank Robbery

It seemed like the perfect inside job: A respected cop conspires with his teller girlfriend to pull the biggest bank heist in San Antonio history. If they hadn’t been so careless, they might have gotten away with it. November 1992

The Meanest Divorce

When Chuck Smith kidnapped his own small boys to keep them from his estranged wife, a simple divorce case turned into an international family feud. October 1992

Possessed by the Devil

The way two mysterious deaths affected the town of Childress says a lot about the lure of satanism and the power of gossip. July 1992

Judge Roy Scream vs. The Texas Cyclone

How to beat the heat, find the food, and master the coasters at Texas’ four big theme parks. June 1992

Beyond Luxury

God save the queen! A Dallas hotel company has won the right to manage London’s most exclusive property. June 1992

Rodeo, Texas, U.S.A.

Rodeo, rodeo, wherefore art thou rodeo? Mary Ellen Mark went to small towns all over Texas to find out. March 1992

The Ranger Bandit

Steve Benifiel was an old-fashioned outlaw who practically owned the town of Ranger—until he was busted for running on of West Texas’ biggest drug rings. February 1992

The Afrin Affair

A tale of rivalry, intrigue, and foul play in the science lab. August 1991

Ad Men at War

How the battle for the Southwest Airlines account turned into a long-awaited showdown between Texas’ two top agencies. November 1990

Can Kids On Drugs Be Saved?

Drug treatment seldom works: at many centers, greedy entrepreneurs prey on frightened parents and troubled kids. But one teenager’s parents decided to take one last, desperate step: They sent their son to the toughest program in Texas. June 1990

Columns | Miscellany

Girl, Interrupted

Houston’s most famous teenage killer is trying to reclaim her life and move on. May 2008

The Searcher

When a UFO streaks across our skies— c’mon, the truth is out there!—Ken Cherry gets to work. April 2008

The Satanic Versus

Andrea Yates does battle with her demons. Again. September 2006

Jessica McClure

September 2001

Candy Barr

Once notorious, Candy Barr's now anonymous—and happily so. September 2001

Change of Routine

Sixteen years after her Olympic triumph, Mary Lou Retton talks about her family, her career, and what she really thought of Bela Karolyi. September 2000

School for Scandal

What does the school board scandal say about Dallas? December 1997

Doing the Hustle

Today, TGI Friday’s is sedate, but twenty years ago this month, the place started the singles era in Dallas. January 1992

Maximum Insecurity

How the Texas Seven will change the state's prisons. March 2001

Reporter

Robots

David Hanson on robot love. February 2008

Being a Soap Opera Star

As Helen Wagner’s world turns. May 2006

Y’all Come Back

Homecoming in the town of Spur means football, the crowning of a queen, parades, pep rallies, barbecue, a bonfire, and so much more. December 2005

I Inject, Your Honor

The Panhandle DA known statewide for his zeal in busting drug dealers and abusers turns out to have been an addict. Prosecutor, heal thyself. April 2005

Sects With Strangers

Have you heard the one about the Mormon polygamists who descended on a tiny West Texas town? It would be funny if it wasn't so serious. (Okay, it's pretty funny too.) November 2004

Tyler Hollandsworth

Three cheers for Tyler Hollandsworth, a stereotypical Dallas girl. September 2003

Facing the Music

Michael Morales' guilty plea doesn't answer the most interesting question about his attempted extortion of Tony Sanchez: Who else knew about his cockamamy plot, and when did they know it? March 2003