Growing Up in the Lone Star State

Gaylon Finklea Hecker and Marianne Odom began interviewing famous native Texans in 1981 to find out what, if anything, about growing up on Texas soil gave them the courage to follow their dreams. In Growing Up in the Lone Star State: Notable Texans Remember Their Childhoods, the recollections of almost 50 legends in stage and screen, music, sports, politics and business capture the spirit of Texas in the early 20th century. The authors will share their experiences in gathering and publishing oral histories and the importance of documenting childhoods. They will highlight recollections of both TCU graduates and Fort Worth notables, such as TV news anchor Bob Schieffer, Miss America Phyllis George, Grammy Award winning bluesman Delbert McClinton, sportswriter Dan Jenkins, and romance thriller author Sandra Brown.

Program is FREE! Join us in person or Zoomers can register at: https://us02web.zoom.us/…/reg…/WN_Mop11L6yQeOjw3iMvRLJAQ

Hecker was a reporter for the San Antonio Light and San Antonio Express-News and associate editor of SA: The Magazine of San Antonio. She also was editor of the Jewish Journal in San Antonio and The Jewish Outlook in Austin and worked in corporate communications. She is the author of five recent books concerning Texas history. She is a journalism graduate of The University of Texas at Austin. Marianne Odom was the fashion editor of the San Antonio Express-News and a reporter for the Tyler Courier-Times-Telegraph. She is a contributing editor for Edible San Antonio magazine. The longtime educator taught journalism and advised student publications at Tyler Junior College and San Antonio College.

Masks are welcomed but not required.