August 1985 Issue

An Aggie’s Revenge

Starting with his alma mater and using little more than charm, Robert Hicks conned the college fundraising industry out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. His name is mud at A&M.

Operator, Give Me Information

It seems practically impossible to choose the best deal from the multitude of services offered by all the new long distance phone companies. But we’ve got their number.

The Wee World of Golf

Looking for a sport that offers plenty of cheap thrills and wacky challenges but requires no training, no equipment, and no big bucks? Try miniature golf.

Texas Primer: The Two-step

Forget about waltzing across Texas. Let’s two-step instead.

Western Art

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. From 1983 to 1986, Texas Monthly’s regular feature, “Western Art,” highlighted artists’ takes on the classic

A Concrete Romance

One man’s whim-turned-obsession is changing Houston’s McKee Street Bridge and its faded environs into one of the few really original artistic images of the city.

Behind the Lines

Labor’s nuke.

The Pink People

A new recruit to the ranks of Mary Kay beauty consultants struggles valiantly to do his part in reaching the woman of the eighties and keeping the company in the pink.

Short and Sweet

Sometimes the opera is over before the fat lady sings. Consider the successful debut of sixteen brief and eclectic works commissioned by the Texas Opera Theater.

All in the Family

Prizzi’s Honor is a macabre satire of the two-career marriage; Cocoon can’t burst free of its nice-guy limitations; Pale Rider recycles all the wrong western riffs; St. Elmo’s Fire should have been doused from the start.

Don’t Do What They Did to David Clyde

Though he fought against bad management, bad coaching, and bad habits, he finally struck out at baseball, the victim of too much too soon.

Texas Monthly Reporter

Hungry ants in the Panhandle; cocky dispatchers in Dallas; tiny trees near San Antonio.

On the Menu: Cafe Highland Park

ALL SO OLD-WORLD, the menu is a sort of compendium of the Mediterranean’s greatest hits. Even a standby like Shrimp Scampi, sauteed in a tangy garlic lemon butter sauce, comes off with flair. The delicate phyllo basket stuffed with steamed spinach, mushrooms, crab, and shrimp on a bed of tomato

Portobello Tricolor in Pesto Vinaigrette

Recipe by Chef Victor Garcia, Cafe Highland Park, Dallas1 large portobello mushroom 8oz spinach leaves 1 Roma tomato (1/4 inch slices) 2oz goat cheeseBrush portobello mushroom with olive oil and sprinkle with 1 ounce chopped basil, salt, and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and bake in 350 degree oven

Back Roads

Through his small, simply produced literary magazine, poet David Yates made his mark—both in Texas and beyond. Peter Applebome

Downtown

Houston police chief Lee Brown is doing things right; crime is down, public approval is up.

Post-Modern Times

Triathletes converge upon Lake Lavon to compete in the sport of the eighties.

Puzzle

Roar of the Crowd

Taking the plunge; defending Diana; grading the tests; reforming the system.

State Secrets

Every phone a pay phone; look out, Clinton Manges; the GOP donnybrook; party realignment in San Antonio.

Touts

Go ahead—thing big!