Quick Links

Contributors

Anne Dingus

Anne Dingus's Profile Photo

Anne Dingus was born and raised in Pampa and attended Rice University. After graduating in 1975, she worked as a journalist at NASA and in the oil industry. In 1978 she joined the staff of Texas Monthly, first as a fact-checker and then as a writer. She wrote on a variety of topics, particularly history, popular culture, and humor. Her 1994 article “More Texas Sayings Than You Can Shake a Stick At,” which contained 662 Texas rural expressions, was by far her most popular article and quickly became a book. Dingus left the magazine in 2005 after more than twenty years on staff.

293 Articles

The Stand Up Desk|
December 1, 1996

Running With the Big Dogs

From Fred Gipson’s fictional Old Yeller to A&M mascot Reveille and Lyndon Johnson’s beleaguered beagles, dogs have always reigned as Texans’ pets of choice. The long line of distinguished dog lovers includes John Graves of Glen Rose, Texas’ writer emeritus, and acclaimed Beaumont photographer Keith Carter, who joined forces

By

The Stand Up Desk|
November 1, 1996

Grand Parent

Nature photography is just part of Laurence Parent’s nature. The 37-year-old Austin-area resident, who took the pictures that accompany this month’s article on Hueco Tanks State Historical Park (“Social Climbers”), has long been known for his landscape work, from wildflower close-ups to desert vistas. “My father was in the

By

Music|
September 30, 1996

Dale Evans

LIKE COWBOYS AND INDIANS or steak and eggs, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans are a classic Western duo. Roy was raised in Duck Run, Ohio, but Dale is Texas’ own, born in Uvalde and raised in tiny Italy. From childhood she was determined to become an entertainer, and after false

By

Art|
September 30, 1996

¡Bravo!

A new exhibit in San Marcos pays homage to Manuel Alvarez Bravo, the grandfather of Mexican photography, and the generations of fotógrafos who followed his lead.

By

Music|
August 31, 1996

The Music Man

Most businesses in the West Texas town of Alpine cater to locals, but one attracts Eric Clapton, Robert Cray, Junior Brown, and other musical greats. It’s the modest building where Michael Stevens, luthier to the stars, produces electric guitars—fewer than two dozen a year, at $2,700 to $10,000 plus. “We

By

Art|
August 31, 1996

Gilt Trip

Andrew Eccles has photographed plenty of 24-karat celebrities for Texas Monthly, but his session with Lou Diamond Phillips was a truly golden experience. “In an industry that’s marked by jaded people,” Eccles says, “Lou was a breath of fresh air. He’s down to earth, talkative, enthusiastic—an incredibly sweet guy.”In his

By

Art|
April 30, 1996

The Inside Story: Sure Shot

Dallas photographer Laura Wilson has made up for lost time. The 55-year-old Massachusetts native is a regular contributor to Texas Monthly, for whom she has shot portraits of Laredo debutantes and Mullin footballers, and she has also worked for The New Yorker, the New York Times, and the London Sunday

By

Texas History|
April 30, 1996

L. T. Felty

He never met a man who didn’t like him. L.T. Felty, who died March 17, was born in Hickory Creek, but he spent forty-plus years in Waxahachie, where his genial and helpful manner as a schoolteacher and coach earned him the unofficial title of Mr. Waxahachie. (Christened solely with rhyming

By

Luke, Andrew, and Owen Wilson riding a horse.
Art|
April 30, 1996

Her Three Sons

For the Wilsons of Dallas, taking pictures was a family affair. Today the mother is a successful photographer and her boys are hot Hollywood commodities. Here’s a look at Laura Wilson’s personal album.

By

Style & Design|
April 1, 1996

The Buckle Stops Here

“I always liked Western buckles,” says Robert Brandes, “and then one day it dawned on me to ask, ‘Hey—who makes these things?’” The Austin collector-investor set out to learn more about the silversmiths and engravers who made their mark on cowboy adornment in the form of weighty, elaborately decorated rodeo-style

By

Books|
April 1, 1996

Wild About Harry

Houston attorney-novelist Eric L. Harry flashed on the idea for his new technothriller while rafting on a river. In Society of the Mind (Harper Collins, $25), due out in June, a mad genius lures a young Harvard professor to his secret island compound to psychoanalyze an equally disturbed computer…New York

By

Style & Design|
April 1, 1996

Buckle Up

The rodeo belt buckle is prized by cowboys and collectors alike. By the look of these handcrafted samples, it’s easy to see why.

By

Books|
March 1, 1996

Colum McCann

Some words are worth a thousand pictures; such is the case with the image-rich writing of Colum McCann, whose first novel, Songdogs (Metropolitan Books, $22.50), has won praise from both The New Yorker and the New York Times. A native of Ireland, the 31-year-old credits Texas with jump-starting his career.

By

Film & TV|
February 1, 1996

Johnny Angel

His recent performances in Pulp Fiction and Get Shorty have been simply divine, but for his most heavenly role yet, John Travolta heads to Texas—his first time back since Urban Cowboy. In Michael, co-written and directed by Nora Ephron, Travolta plays a real live angel, while William Hurt and Andie

By

Film & TV|
February 1, 1996

Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson

As befits the creators of a movie called Bottle Rocket, the careers of Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson have taken off with a bang. The twentysomething filmmakers, who met at the University of Texas, first produced a thirteen-minute black and white short of the same name about three bumbling wannabe

By

Business|
January 1, 1996

Domino Effect

This month at least two hundred Texans will converge on Hallettsville for the state championship of straight dominoes. The outcome is unpredictable, but one fact is not: Chances are that every player will tote a set of bones made by Waco-based Puremco, the only manufacturer of plastic dominoes outside mainland

By

Books|
December 1, 1995

The Good Old Boy

After four decades of writing classic Texas novels, there’s no denying that San Angelo’s Elmer Kelton has earned his Spurs.

By

Art|
October 1, 1995

Hi-Ho Daddy-O!

From dancing frogs to towering cowboy boots, a look at how Bob Wade’s outlandish sculptures became Texas landmarks.

By

The Stand Up Desk|
September 30, 1995

Time for a Change

Texas Monthly sports a brand-new look this month. The thorough resesign includes many reader-friendly changes, which were overseen by deputy editor Evan Smith, art director D. J. Stout, and associate art director Nancy McMillen. Around the State, for example was reorganized by city instead of subject, and State Fare

By

Books|
September 30, 1995

Walker, Texas Writer

Mary Willis Walker’s mysteries aren’t exactly original, but she crafts real moments of tension. That’s why they sell so well and win so many awards.

By

Books|
June 30, 1995

Family Karr

With The Liar’s Club, a dark and lyrical memoir, a stiking new voice emerges from the oil patch.

By

Books|
May 31, 1995

Cheap Thrills

From “Lone State Doom” to “Land of Violent Men,” a look back at Texas’ classic pulp fiction.

By

Art|
January 1, 1995

Brush With Fame

As a curator and in his own work as a painter, Jerry Bywaters left a lasting legacy of Texas art.

By

Being Texan|
December 1, 1994

Texas Sayings

Forget that Roget fella—here in Texas we’re more apt to consult Bubba’s thesaurus. In Texas, folks aren’t just rich—locals say they didn’t come to town two to a mule.Someone doesn’t merely die—she opens herself up a worm farm. A scoundrel is “greasy as fried lard”; a summer day is

By

Reporter|
August 31, 1994

Wise Blood

From one stain, Dusty Hesskew can solve a murder. That’s why he is Texas’ top blood detective.

By

Art|
August 1, 1994

War Paint

Fifty years after the bloody battle of Peleliu, Tom Lea’s paintings still prove war is hell.

By

Books|
June 30, 1994

Blood Lines

With eight books in print, David Lindsey has established his own gory niche in the world of mystery writers.

By

Reporter|
April 30, 1994

Ruffled Feathers

In Midland a disputed bird and animal refuge has the mayor and others crying fowl.

By

Magazine Latest