Texas History
November 1, 1989
Cowboy Songs
Five favorites from the wide-open spaces, in words and pictures.
Being Texan
Texas History
October 1, 1989
Old Salts and Ancient Mariners
In which a landlubber chronicles the saga of getting his sea legs aboard the good ship Elissa.
Being Texan
October 1, 1989
Vigil at Treaty Oak
To the people of Austin, the poisoning of an ancient tree was more than a crime; it was a blasphemy.
Sports
September 30, 1989
Texas Primer: The Herkie Jump
Three cheers for Lawrence Herkimer and his leap to fame.
Being Texan
September 30, 1989
The Soul of East Texas
Reflections and recollections of life among the shadows of the Piney Woods.
Being Texan
August 1, 1989
The Sundown Kids
Once upon a summer, children whiled away their twilight time with outdoor games like Piggy Wants a Whistle, Witch o’ Witch, and Fox Across the River.
Texas History
April 30, 1989
Texas Primer: The Runaway Scrape
In early 1836, after the fall of the Alamo, a small episode in Texas history revealed an aspect of our character we’d just as soon forget.
Being Texan
April 1, 1989
Side By Side
Among the harsh mountains of Chihuahua, Mennonite immigrants and Tarahumara Indians maintain their ancient ways.
Texas History
February 1, 1989
The Lost Tribe
They were the classic Texas Indians—fierce, majestic, and free. Today’s Comanches find their lives defined by legends and bitter truths.
Health
January 1, 1989
Dad’s Last Home
It was the hardest decision I ever had to make. Had the time come to put my father in a nursing home?
Being Texan
January 1, 1989
Texas Primer: King Ranch Casserole
What kind of dish would a Texas clubwoman invent? One that’s not too greasy, not too spicy, and, well, sort of tasteful.
Texas History
November 1, 1988
Compadres de la Revolución
Though the leaders of Mexico’s revolution all lived short and violent lives, a handful of those who rode with them have survived to a ripe old age in Texas.
Energy
November 1, 1988
Texas Primer: The Drill-Stem Fence
A lot stronger and more hospitable than barbed wire, this is one of those good fences that make good neighbors.
Sports
September 30, 1988
Texas Primer: Football Hand Signals
From “Hook ‘em, Horns” to “Peck ‘em, Owls,” the Southwest Conference is football’s most hospitable habitat for hand jive.
Being Texan
September 1, 1988
Cars? No Thanks, I’d Rather Walk
You pay for interest, gas, oil, repairs, and insurance. I pay for shoe leather.
Being Texan
September 1, 1988
Air Conditioning? Who Needs It?
It’s this simple: people’s teeth should not chatter in the summer.
Being Texan
August 31, 1988
I’m Right and . . . Everyone in Texas Is Wrong
They don’t use air conditioning, they don’t drive cars, they don’t watch football—yet they dare to call themselves Texans.
Texas History
July 31, 1988
Salado Days
Where the heck is Salado, and why are world-famous intellectuals flocking there?
Being Texan
July 31, 1988
Texas Primer: The Dust Storm
Look out, Texas! If drought comes, can tons of blowing dirt be far behind?
Being Texan
June 30, 1988
Texas Primer: Forty-Two
Move over, Trivial Pursuit. Out of the way, Pictionary. Texas’ very own domino game is making a comeback at the age of 101.
Texas History
May 31, 1988
Texas Primer: Juneteenth
It began in 1865 as a joyous celebration of emancipation. Today young black Texans find the holiday overshadowed by more immediate concerns.
Texas History
May 1, 1988
Texas Primer: Texas Guinan
She started out as a wide-eyed Waco cowgirl and ended up a New York speakeasy queen.
Being Texan
April 1, 1988
Miles and Miles of Texas
The assignment was the chance of a lifetime to see the whole state, once and for all. At times pure pleasure and at times a feat of will, it was always and foremost a writer’s dream come true.
Texas History
April 1, 1988
Texas Primer: The Bowie Knife
Whether a frontiersman needed to skin a bear, chop wood, or fight in a due, Jim Bowie’s weapon was the tool of choice.
Texas History
March 1, 1988
Texas in the Blood!
Descendants of famous Texans like Sam Houston and Davy Crockett don’t even try to fill their forefathers’ shoes. They just do their best to keep them polished.
Sports
January 1, 1988
Texas Primer: The Cotton Bowl
The ghosts of bowl games past recall an era when cotton and the Cotton Bowl were king in Texas.
Being Texan
January 1, 1988
This Land Is My Land
Growing up, I took the Panhandle’s plain nature for granted. Only after years away and a sentimental journey home did I take it to heart.
Being Texan
December 1, 1987
Texas Primer: The Balcones Escarpment
The blackland prairie of the old South meets the wide-open spaces of the wild West at Texas’ great geologic divide.
Being Texan
November 1, 1987
Dear Mum
Autumn is the time when true school spirit blooms.
Being Texan
November 1, 1987
Head, Heels, and Heart
For team ropers on the All-Girl circuit, the true reward is the happiness of pursuit.
Being Texan
November 1, 1987
In Praise of Cowgirls
Call them what you will. We call them the living, breathing spirit of the Western woman. A working definition, you might say.
Being Texan
November 1, 1987
Texas Primer: The Chilipiquin
Some like it hot; those who eat the national pepper of Texas like it hotter.
Sports
October 1, 1987
The World According to Coach
Never say Kant, Socrates it to ’em, and other collected wisdom from Texas’ Friday-night philosophers.
Being Texan
October 1, 1987
The Double Life of Finis Crutchfield
The bishop denied until the end that he got AIDS from homosexual contact. But the furor that resulted from his death has opened the door on his life as a gay man.
Being Texan
July 31, 1987
Texas Primer: The Tar Ball
There’s one place where you can still find plenty of oil in Texas: the beach.
Being Texan
July 1, 1987
I’ve Been Rich and I’ve Been Poor
The fond memories and hard times of a postboom oil heiress.
Texas History
June 1, 1987
Sombreros of the Gods?
For centuries, scientists have searched for the answers to the mystery of Nosehenge. Now—for the first time—the startling truth.
Being Texan
June 1, 1987
The Jeffrey Show
Heads turn when he passes. He’s on half of Houston’s A-party list. Rock singer? Investment banker? Nope. Meet Father Jeffrey Walker, Episcopal priest.
Being Texan
April 30, 1987
Coots: A Field Guide
A crusty, cranky, curmudgeonly species of bird is proliferating within our borders. And maybe that’s good.
Being Texan
April 1, 1987
The Man Who Understands Horses
Buster Welch’s success as a cutting horse trainer is based on a simple observation: when you insult a horse’s intelligence, you hurt his feelings.
Being Texan
April 1, 1987
The Flash Flood
In a land of contrasts, a few hours can mean the difference between drought and deluge.
Being Texan
February 1, 1987
Momus to Remember
The god of merrymaking spends Mardi Gras in Galveston.
Texas History
February 1, 1987
The Empress of Fort Worth
Anne Bass married one of the richest men in America. With his money and her ambition she became an important cultural force in Fort Worth and New York. Life was perfect. Then her husband left her.
Texas History
February 1, 1987
Texas Primer: The Rose Window
The secrets of love seen through a glass, clearly.
Health
January 1, 1987
The Coronary Bypass
In Texas, survivors of this life-and-death operation wear their scars like medals of honor.
Being Texan
January 1, 1987
No Promises
For eight years, I had a love affair with Houston. When the good times ended, we drifted apart. But while it lasted, we had the time of our lives.
Texas History
November 1, 1986
Moments of Glory
Texas Medal of Honor winners remember the day when they were invincible.
Being Texan
November 1, 1986
Texas Primer: Frito Pie
A rhapsody of the perfection of corn chips, chili, cheese, and onions, mixed in a bag.
Texas History
November 1, 1986
Davy Crockett, Still King of the Wild Frontier
He was a master of tall tales and a genius at self-promotion. But was he anything more?
Being Texan
September 1, 1986
My Kind of Town
An enticing portfolio of what makes Houston Houston.