A PRESIDENTIAL DEFENDER. A world-class clothing designer. A teenage beauty taking Hollywood by storm. Not surprisingly, you’ll find your share of bold-faced names on the following pages—but it takes more than star power to make our list of the year’s most impressive, intriguing, and influential Texans. Consider Jennifer Long, who blew the whistle on IRS abuse. Or Jack Roth, who works tirelessly to find a cure for cancer. Or Diana Natalicio, who has spent the past ten years luring Hispanics to college. Some of our honorees are more infamous than famous; while you might disagree with our inclusion of Karla Faye Tucker, you can’t dispute that she forced the world to debate the controversial issue of capital punishment. Others are legends in their own mind. Dennis Rodman has no shortage of self-esteem, but this year his high opinion of himself was borne out. On the court his physical style of play helped the Chicago Bulls three-peat as NBA champions. Off the court his generosity helped the grieving family of Jasper’s James Byrd, Jr. That more than qualifies him for our fifth annual Texas Twenty.
