
November 2013 Issue

Features


The Energy Hunter
George Mitchell didn’t set out to launch one of the biggest oil and gas rushes in world history—he just wanted to coax some more gas out of an old well near Fort Worth.

What Is Art?
When Playboy Enterprises—yes, that Playboy Enterprises—erected a forty-foot-tall sculpture near Marfa, it was convinced the town would appreciate its take on the local art scene. Instead it started a revealing debate.

“May God Be With You, My Dear Mrs. Kennedy”
After President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, scores of Americans wrote letters to the first lady to express their grief. The most heartbreaking were those with a Texas return address.

Marcy Wentworth’s Letter to Jackie Kennedy
5509 Dalwood DriveAustin, Texas 78723November 25, 1963Dear Mrs. Kennedy,There are no words in any language to express truly our grief and the sympathy we wish to extend to you and your family on the death of your husband, the President – our President. We Texans pride ourselves in our state,

Suzan Lane’s Letter to Jackie Kennedy
Dec. 6, 1963Houston, TexasDear Mrs. Kennedy,I am ten years old. When I saw them moving President Kennedy’s rocking chairs out of the White House, a great sadness entered my heart.You made such a beautiful collection of treasures from other Presidents of the United States. Do you think you could find

Tommy Smith’s Letter to Jackie Kennedy
Dear Mrs. Kennedy:I know the grief you bear. I bear that same grief. I am a Dallasite. I saw you yesterday. I hope to see you again. I saw Mr. Kennedy yesterday. I’ll never see him again. I’m very disturbed because I saw him a mere 2 minutes

Claudine Skeat’s Letter to Jackie Kennedy
Mrs. John F. KennedyWhite HouseWashington, D.C. Dear Mrs. Kennedy,You and President Kenney were in my office a week ago yesterday.I am secretary to General Bedwell at Brooks Air Force Base, and I will forever be haunted by how handsome and healthy and happy you two looked – and how gracious you

Marie Tippit’s Letter to Jackie Kennedy
MRS JOHN F KENNEDYWASHDCMAY I ADD MY SYMPATHY TO THAT OF PEOPLE ALL OVER THE WORLD.MY PERSONAL LOSS IN THIS GREAT TRAGEDY PREPARES ME TO SYMPATHIZE MORE DEEPLY WITH YOU.MRS. J D TIPPIT DALLAS TEX(34).Read another letter to the first lady here.

Henry Gonzales’s Letter to Jackie Kennedy
P.O. Box 9652El Paso, Texas 79986Dec. 8, 1963Mrs. J.F. KennedyWashington, D.C.Dear Mrs. Kennedy:I am but a humble postman and I realize the many letters you have received, which is but deserving to you, throughout this wide world. We at our house have continued to mourn the great loss to all

J. E. Y. Russell’s Letter to Jackie Kennedy
906 ParkviewDallas, TexasDec. 1 – 1963Mrs Jacqueline KennedyFirst Lady in our hearts.I live in Dallas, a city bowed in sorrow, and shame. I am 76 years old and live on a social security checkI must pour out my heart to you if my feeble hands will hold out to scribble

Eileen Mitchell’s Letter to Jackie Kennedy
1:10 pmNov. 22, 1963From a student of North Texas State UniversityThe radio sat in the window of the second floor dorm window blaring out the sad news that our President had been shot! People walking around in twos and threes stopped their happy chattering and stood silently on the street,

David Blair McClain’s Letter to Jackie Kennedy
Nov. 22 1963Dear Mrs. Kennedy,I was at school when I heard about the President. I cried for two or three minuts. My mother also cried, and so did my teacher Mrs. Mansir. I was very sad for President Kennedy. He was my friend even though he didn’t know me. Some

Monroe Young’s Letter to Jackie Kennedy
December 1, 1963in 1962 September 23,Some mean man killed my dady too-Here in Dallas-my dady was a soldrerSanda Clause diden get my letteri hope he will get my letteri wont a bicycle—When you write him- tell him my name.Monroe Young Jr. III1838 Nomas StreetDallas, Tex.Read another letter to the first

Jane Dryden’s Letter to Jackie Kennedy
January 18, 19644201 LullwoodAustin TexasDear Mrs. Kennedy,I know that you hate the whole state of Texas. I do to. I wish I lived in Washington, D.C. where maybe I could maybe see you standing on your porch. I am determined to move there as soon as I can. I would

Mary McMillen’s Letter to Jackie Kennedy
Dear Mrs. Kennedy,I am a Catholic also, I go to Saint Georges School. I can remember Nov. 21, the day before you came. We go to mass every day, then we go to lunch. This day was different, after mass our pastor told us to sit down. I wondered to

Robert L. Wood’s Letter to Jackie Kennedy
November 22, 1963Mrs. John F. KennedyWHITE HOUSEWashington, D.C.My dear Mrs. Kennedy:I have never before written to a Congressman, President or any type of Statesman. In fact, in my thirty some years of living I have never DONE MUCH OF ANYTHING, except vote, toward being an American or making this Country
Columns

Road to Nowhere
Oil money’s nice, but actually funding our infrastructure needs is even better.

The Texanist: How Do a Husband and Wife Resolve Backyard Barbecuing Duties?
How do a husband and wife resolve backyard barbecuing duties? Illustration by Jack UnruhQ: My wife has recently taken a keen interest in my backyard barbecuing duties. In fact, last weekend she asked me if I wanted her to start cooking the beans from now
The Assassination at 50
In November 1973, Texas Monthly, which was still in its first year of existence, marked the tenth anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy with a profile of Lee Harvey Oswald’s mother, Marguerite; the cover, however, went to Tom Landry. Two years later, in November 1975, the
Roar of the Crowd
Readers respond to the October issue.
Reporter
The Man Who Was There
For fifty years, journalist Hugh Aynesworth has been one of the foremost authorities on the Kennedy assassination for one simple reason: he saw it all.
The Class of ’63
The good, the bad, and the most self-indulgent of this year’s JFK assassination books.

Claus Pummer, Sleep Coach
“Our bedrooms are no longer bedrooms. They are offices and living rooms and playrooms.”

Suffer, Dude
Matthew McConaughey plays a bigoted man dying of AIDS in Dallas Buyers Club—and proves once again that he should be taken seriously.

Are You Experimented?
When Robert Glasper won a Grammy for Best R&B Album, no one was more surprised than the Houston-born jazz pianist himself.

5 Things You’ll Be Talking About in November
1. NASHVILLE, TEXAS Even if Kacey Musgraves wins none of the six Country Music Association awards she’ll be vying for on November 6, she’ll still be the Nashville story of the year. No female debut artist has ever before topped the CMA nominations list, and Musgraves achieved that honor with

Spun City
For half a century the world has regarded the Dallas of 1963 as a city of hate. But as JFK knew when he got there, that wasn’t the whole story.

Touts

By the Starlight
You may go for the solitude, but in the stark expanses of far West Texas, you’ll still find plenty of friends.


