Correction and Retraction: In a previously published article concerning August Hoffmann, information was included indicating that he died in the 1862 Nueces Massacre (also known as the Battle of the Nueces). Subsequent research has confirmed that August Hoffmann survived that tragic event and went on to live a long and productive life, contributing significantly to … Read more
For Officer Christian Lockwood, the path to law enforcement began long before he ever put on a police uniform. It started with military service, a willingness to embrace change, and a desire to build a meaningful life rooted in community. Lockwood grew up in Camarillo, California, in Ventura County, just inland from Malibu. At 17 … Read more
Willie enjoyed farming and was usually the first person to have his fields worked up each spring. He was a believer in the use of signs of the moon and zodiac in his farming and ranching. He planted, harvested, cultivated, everything by the signs. When he was dying I asked him if he would mind … Read more
There are a few things a man can lose and still recover. Money can be made again. A job can be replaced. A bad season can pass. Even a reputation, if the damage wasn’t too deep, can sometimes be rebuilt with enough time, humility, and proof. But integrity is different. When a man loses that, … Read more
Boerne is getting bigger and drawing more attention each year. People flock to our town on the weekends from all over the country – and even the world – making their way down the Hill Country Mile and stopping at the local watering holes and eateries. Denise and I often sit on the porch swing … Read more
There’s a place, west of Kendall County, where boots clack on concrete, and necks sweat from the heat of dancing. Every summer, at Garner State Park, up the bending hill and past the stretch of construction, there’s a dance at the CCC Pavilion. The pavilion is older than anyone dancing in it. Limestone and bald … Read more
Growing up in a solid Baptist home, dancing was never really discussed. Scottie Leech made sure piano lessons and choir weren’t optional – those were settled matters. Rhythm in our house came from a hymn book, not a hardwood floor. And if that didn’t shape the rest of us, my dad’s reputation in Brownfield certainly … Read more
I spent four and a half hours with Bill Thomas, and I left knowing I had only heard the beginning. That does not happen often. Most interviews eventually settle into a pattern: childhood, career, hardship, lesson learned. Bill does not speak that way. He tells his life as work remembered in motion: cattle gathered, pipe … Read more
