<p><img alt="Photo by Bob Daemmerich" class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__32892 img__view_mode__default attr__format__default attr__field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]__Photo by Bob Daemmerich attr__field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]__Bob Armstrong" src="http://www.texasmonthly.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/armstrong.jpg" style="float: left; border-width: 10px; border-style: solid;" typeof="foaf:Image" /><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: normal;">Former Texas Land Commissioner Robert Landis "Bob" Armstrong, whose efforts resulted in the creation of Big Bend State Park, died Sunday at the age of 82.</span><br style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: normal;" /> <span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: normal;">Armstrong was a leader of the progressive Democrats of Austin who came into their own in the 1970s amid a conservative one-party Democratic state and held sway through the end of Governor Ann Richard's tenure in 1995. Theirs was the kind of liberalism dreamed about in Billy Brammer's <em>The Gay Place</em>.</span><br style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: normal;" /> <span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: normal;">A seven-year member of the Texas House, Armstrong first won election as state land commissioner in 1970 and served until he made an unsuccessful run for governor in the 1982 Democratic primary, losing to then-Attorney General Mark White.</span><br style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: normal;" /> <span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: normal;">As land commissioner, Armstrong took charge of land management for Permanent School Fund lands and served as the chairman of the Board for Lease of the Permanent University Fund. When he took office, the school fund had produced less than $1 billion in income, but during his tenure, the fund grew by $2 billion. He also oversaw increases in royalty payments to the university fund and fended off federal attempts to collect $300 million in windfall profits tax on university lands.</span><br style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: normal;" /> <span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: normal;">Armstrong received an appointment to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission in 1985, where he completed 17 years of work with the state's purchase of 212,000 acres of West Texas land to create Big Bend State Park. That single acquisition doubled the amount of park land owned by the state.</span><br style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: normal;" /> <span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: normal;">For many of the old-school Democrats, one of the highlights of the year was the annual picnic at Armstrong's ranch north of Liberty Hill. State Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, said this year's event was set for this past weekend but was postponed because of the weather. Watson said Armstrong on Friday talked about resetting the event for this upcoming weekend.</span><br style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: normal;" /> <span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: normal;">The Texas Senate adjourned Monday in Armstrong's honor.</span></p> <p><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: normal;">(Bob Armstrong/Photo by Bob Daemmrich)</span></p>
The day has come! Tickets for the Austin FOOD & WINE Festival go on sale today, November 8, at 10 a.m. CST. The Festival, which takes place April 26-28, 2013 at Auditorium Shores and Republic Square Park, will feature a myriad of food and wine events, including hands-on seminars, food, wine, and cocktail tastings, book signings, live music performances, and much more. The first Austin FOOD & WINE Festival was held in April 2012 – taking the place of the long-standing Texas Hill Country Wine and Food Festival. Tickets are $850 for a Savor pass and $250 for a Taste pass. The Savor pass includes priority access to demos, tastings, hands-on events, Grand Tastings, VIP lounges, and the Taste of Texas and Rock Your Taco evening events. Unlike last year, Taste pass holders may also purchase individual tickets for Friday night’s Taste of Texas event ($150) and/or Saturday night’s Rock Your Taco event ($200). Christina Tosi A lineup of renowned chefs, talented sommeliers, cocktail experts, and food celebrities will headline the festival, including Marcus Sammuelson, Susan Feniger, Christina Tosi, Tim Love, Paul Qui, Andrew Zimmern, Marc Murphy, and numerous others. Marcus Sammuelson. Photo taken by Paul Brissman. The Taste of Texas Kickoff Event at Republic Square Park will feature live music performances by Delta Spirit and Whiskey Shivers and tastings from well-known chefs, including: Tim Byres, chef/co-owner of SMOKE; Jason Dady, chef/owner of Jason Dady Restaurant Group; Ned Elliot, executive chef/owner of Foreign & Domestic; Jodi Elliot, pastry chef/owner of Foreign & Domestic; Aaron Franklin, pitmaster of Franklin Barbecue; Terrence Gallivan and Seth Siegel-Gardner, executive chefs/owners of The Pass & Provisions; Sarah Grueneberg, executive chef of Spiaggia; James Holmes, executive chef of Lucy’s Fried Chicken and Olivia; Paul Qui, founder of East Side King; John Russ, executive chef of Lüke; Chris Shepherd, executive chef of Underbelly; Philip Speer, pastry chef of Uchi and Uchiko; Blaine Staniford, executive chef of GRACE; Danny Trace, executive chef of Brennan’s; Tre Wilcox, executive chef of Marquee Grill; Andrew Wiseheart, executive chef of Contigo; and Jamie Zelko, executive chef/owner of Zelko Bistro. Terrence Gallivan & Seth Siegel-Gardner At the Rock Your Taco event, a number chefs will compete against each other in creating the “ultimate” taco. Tyson Cole, executive chef of Uchi and winner of last year’s Rock Your Taco competition, will compete against a mix of local and national chefs, including David Bull, executive chef/owner of Congress, Second Bar + Kitchen, and Bar Congress; Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo, chef/owners of Animal and Son of a Gun; Susan Feniger, executive chef of Border Grill; Bryce Gilmore, chef/owner of Barley Swine; Tim Love, owner of Love Shack, Lonesome Dove, and Woodshed Smokehouse; Tony Mantuano, chef/partner of Spiaggia; Marc Murphy, executive chef of Landmarc and Ditch Plains; Rene Ortiz, executive chef of La Condesa and Sway; Marcus Samuelsson, chef/owner of Red Rooster Harlem; Laura Sawicki, pastry chef of La Condesa and Sway; Christina Tosi, pastry chef of Momofuku Milk Bar; Jonathan Waxman, chef/owner of Barbuto; and Andrew Zimmern, host of Travel Channel’s Bizarre Foods. There will also be a live music performance by Allen Stone at the event. Paul Qui The Rock Your Taco winner will be selected by three judges: Christina Grdovic, publisher of FOOD & WINE, Adam Richman, host of Man vs. Food, and a special guest judge. This year’s lineup also features a mix of sommeliers and mixologists, including Tony Abou-Ganim, Devon Broglie, Craig Collins, Anthony Giglio, Ray Isle, Russ Kane, Cathy Mantuano, Bill Norris, Mark Oldman, June Rodil, Jason Stevens, and Nate Wales. For more information on the fesival or to purchase tickets, please visit the Austin FOOD & WINE Festival website. Follow the Austin FOOD & WINE Festival Twitter and/or Facebook for schedules, details, and news as the festival approaches.
