Showing results by author "Jan Reid" in All Categories

When Ann Richards delivered the keynote of the 1988 Democratic National Convention and mocked President George H. W. Bush - "Poor George, he can't help it. He was born with a silver foot in his mouth" - she instantly became a media celebrity and triggered a rivalry that would alter the course of American history. In 1990, Richards won the governorship of Texas, upsetting the GOP's colorful rancher and oilman Clayton Williams. The first ardent feminist elected to high office in America, she opened up public service to women, Blacks, Hispanics, Asian Americans, gays, and the disabled.

In partnership with Texas Monthly, the following articles focusing on Texas society are now available in a bundle as an audio download: "Busting Out of Mexico" by Jan Reid, read by Bruce DuBose; "Showdown at Waggoner Ranch" by Gary Cartwright, read by Bruce DuBose; "Cops and Robbers" by Katy Vine, read by Lydia Mackay ; "Lost and Found" by Katy Vine, read by Lydia Mackay; and "The Trouble With Innocence" by Michael Hall, read by Christopher Ryan Grant.

What follows is a story typically reserved for the movies. The gang started by Davis, Sr. to free his son comprised a Vietnam veteran, trained in skills of war increasingly detestable to those around him; a down-on-his luck Texan in search of his next paycheck or, more accurately, his next adventure; and a naive kid hoping to live up to the tough crowd he ran with. Though each was hooked at the start by promise of money, by the end, they would feel they were performing the work of heroes.