My Choice
How can I be a Christian and support legalized abortion? Tough question, but after weeks of soul- searching, I have an answer.
Gary Cartwright earned his BA in journalism at Texas Christian University. He had a distinguished career as a newspaper reporter and as a freelance writer, contributing stories to such national publications as Harper’s, Life, and Esquire. He was a senior editor at Texas Monthly for 25 years, until his retirement in 2010 at age 76. He died in 2017.
Cartwright was a finalist for a National Magazine Award in 1986 in the reporting excellence category. He was the recipient of a Dobie-Paisano fellowship and won the Texas Institute of Letters Stanley Walker award for journalism and the Carr P. Collins Award for nonfiction. He won the 1989 Press Club of Dallas Katie Award for best magazine news story. He also received the 2005 Headliner Club of Austin award for best magazine story. Cartwright wrote several books, including Blood Will Tell, Confessions of a Washed-up Sportswriter, Dirty Dealing, Galveston: A History of the Island, and Heart Wiseguy, a memoir published in 1998. He cowrote three movie scripts, for J. W. Coop (Columbia, 1972); Pair of Aces (CBS TV, 1990), which he also coproduced; and Pancho, Billy and Esmerelda, which he coproduced for his own production company in 1994. He also coproduced Another Pair of Aces for CBS. Blood Will Tell was adapted by CBS TV as a four-hour miniseries in 1994.
How can I be a Christian and support legalized abortion? Tough question, but after weeks of soul- searching, I have an answer.
Why isn't the new Dallas Cowboys stadium going to be in, er, Dallas? Blame the collision of an irresistible force (Jerry Jones) with an immovable object (Laura Miller).
Could Ray Fernandez, the grandson of a Mexican American maid, be the rightful heir to the vast Kenedy fortune, including the family's mythic South Texas ranch?
Greg Ott, the philosophy graduate student who was convicted of killing a Texas Ranger in 1978, has finally been released and is getting on with his life.
Austin's Garza High is a rescuer of lost souls. Too bad President Bush's education-reform law considers it a failure.
Don't write off George Foreman.
A bronze likeness of a Texas heroine will soon appear in downtown Austin—and with it, no doubt, an unnecessary controversy.
Getting Robert Durst acquitted might be too tall an order for most lawyers, but for Dick DeGuerin, it was just another day at the office.
It’s the nation’s biggest spread within the confines of a single fence—more than eight hundred square miles extending across six counties. So it’s fitting that the family feud over its future is big too. And mythic.
Every year, at least two hundred sea mammals get stranded on Texas beaches. This is the story of one of them, a 199-pound dolphin with a neurological disorder, a sardonic grin, and a willingness to swim with yours truly.
When I was growing up in Arlington, the upper Trinity River was a dirty jokeand it still is. But the lower Trinity? You've got to see it to believe it.
Pray for Bill Parcells, whose job is to take the Dallas Cowboys back to the Super Bowl. Pray for an arm like Troy's and legs like Emmitt's. And if all else fails, pray for a miracle.
And that's not all. From wine to cheese, the plentiful offerings at Central Market make my mouth waterand my life so much better.
Is Austin artist Jack Jackson's illustrated history of the Alamo too unconventional to be sold at the Alamo gift shop? Draw your own conclusions.
If you're wondering why trial lawyers were once regarded as heroes rather than pariahs, let me tell you about my friend Warren Burnett, the late, great champion of little guys and lost causes.
Where does an actress of a certain age restart her life (and jump-start her career) after years at Hollywood's mercy? If you're former Bond Girl Lois Chiles, the answer is obvious: back home in Texas.
What ever happened to twin halfbacks Dickie Don and Rickie Ron Yewbet, the pride of the Corbett Comets? Forty years later, their story is still unbelievable.
When I went back to Galveston to inspect the renovation of the famed Balinese Room, I turned up a bit of my own history.
What's the most unsettling thing about interviewing murderers? In many ways, they're just like you and me.
Baytown wunderkind. Officer in Vietnam. Founding editor of this magazine. A-list screen writer. With a resume this stellar, you'd think he'd be satisfied. Not even close.
Last September a human torso was found floating in Galveston Bay—a gruesome discovery that opened a window into the bizarre life of the accused murderer, New York multimillionaire Robert Durst.
Senior editor Gary Cartwright talks about the story behind this month's cover story, "The Devil and Mr. Jones."
For running back Emmitt Smith, this season could be halo and farewell.
Senior editor Gary Cartwright tells the story behind this month's cover story, "The Whole Shootin' Match."
The most famous bank-robbing lovers of all time weren't nearly as glamorous as Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty. Although the fragile, pretty Bonnie Parker had her good points, Clyde Barrow was a scrawny, two-timing psychopath. They were straight out of a country and western ballad. And when they died in
The big payoff.
Twenty-two years ago a Texas Ranger was shot and killed during a drug raid on the home of Greg Ott, a philosophy graduate student. Even today, no one really knows what happened on that tragic night.
The Borderland, Bud Shrake’s epic novel about the early days of the Republic of Texas, is the crowning achievement of a life that is itself the stuff of legend.
East Texas native George Dawson couldn’t read until he was 98. Now, at 102, he’s written a memoir. Next up: a high school equivalency diploma—but no driving.
When the notorious Dallas mobster and gambler Benny Binion died ten years ago, he passed on a multimillion-dollar legacy to his children. Have they made a mess of it? You bet.
The good doctor.
Serial killer Kenneth McDuff’s victims are unearthed, and he gets his due (we hope).
Advice for the new coaches of the Dallas Cowboys and the UT Longhorns.
Auditing the IRS.
Since I started taking Viagra, I have had the time of my life. You can too—but there’s more to romance than a little blue pill.
The Red Headed Stranger is about to be eligible for Medicare? Ain’t it funny how time slips away.
After thieves stole his daughter’s horse, deputy U.S. marshal Parnell McNamara didn’t make a federal case out of it. Instead, he rounded up a group of old-style lawmen and lit out after them.
Man equals myth.
The Dallas Cowboys old-timers reunion is over, but for one evening it was possible to remember when pro football was fun, players were loyal, and even a sportswriter could fall in love with his team.
A year after Kris Kristofferson’s standout role in Lone Star, Hollywood is still marveling over his comeback. He is too. by Gary Cartwright
Now that Joe Chagra is dead, it’s time to clear his name in the 1979 assassination of San Antonio federal judge John Wood.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department aims to please hunters and birders alike. So why is everyone gunning for it?
If you believe the Fort Worth Star-Telegram obituary that says Jaime Woodson was one of the great writers of this century, let me tell you about the Corbet Comets.
Serious athlete. Devoted father and husband. Savvy businessman. On game day he may be Prime Time, but out of the spotlight, Deion Sanders is the squarest player on the Dallas Cowboys.
Operation Lightning Strike, the FBI’s bizarre NASA probe, accomplished many things—all of them negative. Plus, the bureau strikes (out) again in Houston.
The Intracoastal Waterway is a marvel of engineering and a boon to industry. It’s also an ecological nightmare, which is why politicians, environmentalists, and business leaders are locked in a battle for the future of the Gulf Coast.
You know the real reason Texas Stadium has no roof? So Jerry Jones can get his head inside. (Or, how the Cowboys owner’s ego makes it hard to root for America’s Team.)
With 31 new brewpubs across the state, deciding which bar to belly up to has never been more difficult—or fun. Our guide to the craft-beer craze.
Two decades after he played the role of his life in ‘The Buddy Holly Story,’ Gary Busey’s hero worship has made him his own worst enemy.
The people’s mayor.