Business
June 1, 1989
Rock Bottom
A series of terrible decisions and bad breaks ruined Gibraltar Savings. Is rescuing it another mistake?
Houston
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News & Politics
May 1, 1989
So Near Yet So Far
Rice was created to be a “university of the first rank.” Is it? Will it ever be?
Sports
May 1, 1989
The World’s Greatest Poker Player
Johnny Chan became a champion through nerve and dedication—and every now and then a few good hands.
Politics & Policy
April 1, 1989
Don’t Call Him Junior
George W. Bush wants to be governor of Texas. He says he’s not following in his father’s footsteps, but his name, his career, and his ideas about politics seem an awful lot like Dad’s.
True Crime
March 1, 1989
Forgery, Texas Style
As Texans’ pride of place rose with the price of oil, collectors scrambled for the few documents of the Texas Revolution. Suddenly there seemed to be plenty to go around. But no one thought to ask why.
Business
February 1, 1989
A Dirty, Rotten Mess
Every day each of us contributes five pounds to the growing mountain of garbage. Now the mountain looks like a volcano that’s threatening to erupt.
News & Politics
December 1, 1988
The Line
Visitors to the Harris County Jail resign themselves to the hours they must spend waiting in line to get fifteen precious minutes with an inmate.
Business
December 1, 1988
Zoom at the Top
What kind of woman gets her own skin-care company, a place in Nouvelle Society, and the second-most-eligible bachelor in the world? Meet Georgette Mosbacher.
News & Politics
November 1, 1988
How Houston Beat the Bust: Real Estate
The resurrection of a former “see-through” office building. How a land developer diversified—into Jaguars. And secrets of the “vultures” who buy up, fix up, and fill up troubled Houston apartments.
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.
Business
November 1, 1988
How Houston Beat the Bust: Branching Out
An entrepreneur captures customers in public rest rooms. A high-tech plant moves from oil to medicine. Space and biomedical manufacturing are finally off the drawing boards. And a former union boss becomes a bingo mogul.
Energy
November 1, 1988
How Houston Beat the Bust: Energy
Engineer Saba Haregot’s love affair with Houston (it’s not just all those job offers). How natural gas is helping to reinflate the economy. And a shuttered plant that tempers oil pipe opens up.
Energy
November 1, 1988
How Houston Beat the Bust (Sort Of)
This story is from Texas Monthly’s archives. We have left the text as it was originally published to maintain a clear historical record. Read more here about our archive digitization project. Once Texans thought the boom would never end. Then they thought the bust would
Tacos
September 30, 1988
Tempest in a Taco
Taco Cabana pioneered patio dining—a winning formula of Tex-Mex food and margaritas in the open air. When competitor Two Pesos introduced its look-alike layout, the lawsuits started to fly.
Music
August 1, 1988
The Big Squeezy
Get hip to zydeco, the born-on-the-bayou sound with the accordion accent. Ready for it red hot? Check out a Saturday-night church dance in Houston.
News & Politics
August 1, 1988
The Inventive Mr. Chu
Heat + pressure + yttrium + a politically savvy University of Houston physicist = a formula to change the world.
News & Politics
July 1, 1988
Nature of the Beast
A tiger, a zoo, a terrifying death.
Politics & Policy
May 31, 1988
The Self-Destruction of Lance Lalor
Houston’s city controller prided himself on being the most scrupulously honest politician in town. So why did he sign his name to someone else credit card?
Business
April 1, 1988
Food Feud
For years Jamail’s was the queen of Houston grocery stores. Now the Jamail family is at odds, and two rival chains are getting ready for a major food fight.
Business
November 1, 1987
Paper Boy
When newspaper entrepreneur William Dean Singleton bought the ailing ‘Dallas Times Herald,’ people thought he was crazy. When he bought the ‘Houston Post,’ they were sure of it.
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.
Style & Design
September 1, 1987
The Fantasy World of Victor Costa
Texas’ most famous dress designer dreamed up the perfect evening gown for the average American woman—it’s frilly, it’s flashy, and it’s a $300 copy of a $15,000 Paris original.
Health
August 1, 1987
The Booming Business of AIDS
For some entrepreneurs, the dark cloud of AIDS has proved to have a silver lining
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.
Art
May 31, 1987
New Kid on the Block
The Menil Collection has received so much attention that its opening this month may seem anticlimactic. The only unknown is what the director plans to do with it all.
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.
Film & TV
October 1, 1986
After the Tears
Cambodian Lay Bun Sun escaped the terrors of the Khmer Rouge to film his dreams in Houston.
Being Texan
September 1, 1986
My Kind of Town
An enticing portfolio of what makes Houston Houston.
Health
September 1, 1986
The Faulty Cure
Houston is famous for medical cures. But when British rock star Ronnie Lane came to town with a crippling disease and $1 million for research, all he got was crippling legal problems.
Business
July 1, 1986
Mining the Moon, Selling the Stars
Their business may read like a sci-fi script, but these aging astronauts, former Nasa engineers, technocrats, and high-risk junkies are serious about selling space.
Food & Drink
July 1, 1986
Eat at Junior’s
Proprietors of some of Texas’ priciest restaurants are spinning off more-economical eateries that are giving the originals a run for the money.
Politics & Policy
June 1, 1986
Unionbusters
Hank Milam was a businessman with $20,000 in equipment and a firm faith in the rules of the game.He took on the union that had ruled the Houston docks for fifty years and beat it on its own turf.
Politics & Policy
June 1, 1986
Hate Thy Neighbor
A look at Houston’s Meyerland, Dallas’ Munger Place, El Paso’s Sunset Heights, and Austin’s Hyde Park shows that few fights get the blood boiling like a good fight with a neighbor.
Business
March 1, 1986
A Trust Corrupted, a City Betrayed, Part Two
The continuing saga of the Hermann estate scandal was a shocking lesson in how Houston’s most-respected philanthropists, civic leaders, and biggest deal makers had abused their power.
Arts & Entertainment
March 1, 1986
Turn It Up!
The rudest, crudest, and most obnoxious disc jockeys are on in the mornings. Here’s the best—or the worst—of the lot.
Business
February 1, 1986
A Trust Corrupted, a City Betrayed, Part One
The Hermann estate scandal exposed Houston’s most powerful deal makers, most respected philanthropist, and leading lawvers to the harsh glare of publicity. It was a shocking lesson in the abuses of power.
BBQ
February 1, 1986
On the Menu: Goode Company Barbeque
Houston restaurateur Jim Goode took the three Texas food groups—barbecue, Tex-Mex, and burgers—and built an empire.
Sports
December 1, 1985
Professor of Football
Okay, now, listen up. This story is about Bill Yeoman, a really good football coach. Read it or run three laps after practice.
Business
December 1, 1985
The Fraying Empire of Bobby Sakowitz
Robert Sakowitz set out to be a retail Renaissance man. Like his hero Leonardo da Vinci, he was going to do everything. And he did—including something he never imagined: fail.
Food & Drink
December 1, 1985
On the Menu: La Griglia
EVEN IF LA GRIGLIA were completely empty—which is highly unlikely—the enormous bawdy murals, busy mosaics, and bustling wait staff would give the impression of great activity. This popular eatery, located in the River Oaks Shopping Center, is a place to see and be seen—inevitable, since the restaurant is one of
News & Politics
October 1, 1985
The Dream Lives On
Four of the many small high-tech companies betting that they have the excitement, momentum, market, and business savvy to succeed where others have failed.
Business
October 1, 1985
The Chips Are Down
The real Texas technology picture is much more intricate than either the mad hype of two years ago or the dire headlines of today make it out to be.
Politics & Policy
October 1, 1985
The Kathy Ratings
Kathy Whitmire’s substantial achievements as mayor of Houston are overshadowed by her bad public image and political ineptitude—not a good situation for a candidate seeking a third term.
Politics & Policy
October 1, 1985
The Louie File
Just how good were the good ol' days, when Louie Welch was mayor of Houston?
Food & Drink
August 31, 1985
What’s the Big Deal About Grills?
Hot, hot, hot! Here’s why grills have become the trendiest of the trendy restaurants in Texas.
Politics & Policy
February 1, 1985
Mayor, Council Locked in Bitter Struggle!
Council tells mayor her budget stinks! Mayor tells council to like it or lump it! Both sides twist arms, trade insults! Read all about it!
Sports
January 1, 1985
Towers of Power
So. Ralph Sampson listens to Grover Washington and Akeem Olajuwon craves Chinese food. Now you know.
Style & Design
December 1, 1984
O Christmas Tree
For a perfectly decorated tree, call Tom Osborn. But only if money is no object.
Business
November 1, 1984
Trashy Business
When Houston’s rich and powerful join forces with environmentalists to battle big corporations, they can be fighting over only one thing. Garbage.