Darrell K Royal

Photo: TSHA Online via Austin American-Statesman

With football season kicking into high gear, readers of the sports pages – and even those following economic news – will see the University of Texas stadium name “Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium” pop up frequently.

Photo: Darrell K Royal Research Fund

What about this guy whose name is on a massive facility? Did he give mega-bucks to UT like those whose names you see on most of the buildings around the Austin campus and, in fact, on university campuses nationwide? Nope. Sports fans will tell you he was just a football coach. And they can recite his amazing record.

But you need to understand Darrell to get the full meaning of the stadium name. First of all, he was a small-town country boy (in Oklahoma, of all places). He was “rescued” from Hollis, OK, because as a natural athlete, he earned an education while on a football scholarship at Oklahoma University. He excelled as a player and as a “learner” under one of the nation’s best coaches, Bud Wilkinson.

He moved through mostly-minor coaching ranks as a young man, until one day in 1956 my KTBC-TV news director turned to me and said “Neal, who the hell is Darrell Royal?” I was a part-time reporter and asked “Why?” “Because UT just hired him as its football coach to take over after the Longhorns won only one game last year.”

Turns out, I knew about Darrell Royal because he was in the same fraternity at OU, Delta Upsilon, that I was a member of at UT, and I followed his career in the frat quarterly magazine. That link became the linchpin to a lifelong relationship with Darrell and his wife, Edith, that I write about extensively in my memoir, With the Bark Off.

But that’s another story. Back to the point. Darrell didn’t donate a buncha bucks to get his name on the stadium. His down-home, country-boy, witty personality helped him become enormously popular (signs popped up: “Darrell Royal for Governor”).

So, when UT decided to make another major stadium expansion long after Darrell retired from coaching and was spending his days golfing, the fund-raisers contacted wealthy alums with a pitch like: “Everybody loves Darrell so let’s truly honor one of the greatest guys to impact UT and re-name the stadium in perpetuity for Darrell.” Bingo! The dollar floodgates opened. Darrell’s name was added to the existing Texas Memorial Stadium that honored veterans.

By the way, that’s not a typo at the end of the first sentence. Darrell dropped the period after his middle initial. I don’t know why.

I interviewed Coach Royal in 1969 when the installation of Astroturf was making news.

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Lowell Lebermann: And the Blind Shall Lead You

Photo: Texas Exes Scholarship

Don’t know if you ever knew Lowell Lebermann. Well, even if you did, you probably didn’t know many of the intriguing aspects of the complicated, witty, civic leader whose life was cut way too short. Many of us still miss him years after his untimely death and still tell “Lowell Stories” to this day.

Lowell was not always blind. A gunshot accident while in high school caused the loss of one eye, which he covered with a black eyepatch the rest of his life. The wound so severely damaged his remaining eye that he went officially blind while serving as student body president at the University of Texas. His disability obviously did not slow his education nor his achievements.

After graduation, his successes were bolstered – he admitted this – by marrying money – so much so, that he relinquished his seeing-eye dog and hired amazingly-bright, young men who served almost ’round the clock as his aides until Lowell’s death.

Lowell Story:

He contacted me early in his career to help him run for the Austin City Council. I quizzed him incessantly to determine if there was anything in his background that might cause a campaign problem. Finally, his patience wore thin. Lowell slammed the table and said “Damn it, Neal. You need to understand the biggest problem I have when I wake up each day is figuring out how to spend my wife’s money!” Nuf said. He hired me. He won the election.

He parlayed his wife’s fortune into business successes. He bought a Lincoln-Mercury car dealership. After doing quite well with that enterprise, he took the money he made from selling that dealership and bought another mega-money-making franchise, a Miller Beer distributorship. Ka-ching! Ka-ching! His business successes lasted, his marriage didn’t.

Lowell had a command of language that stood out among the more articulate and well-educated. And his memory was a thing to behold. His aides read to him constantly, even as he moved through political and civic leadership positions. He was in great demand, not so much for his money, but for his charismatic qualities and decision-making. His laughter was contagious. His humor was legendary. And he used his rapier-wit to good advantage.

Lowell Story:

One of his fellow City Council members was Berl Handcox, the first African American since Reconstruction to serve on the Austin City Council. Berl was the only black man serving on the Council during a time of racial tensions in Austin. During a particularly-tense discussion that included some pointed racial remarks, it was getting quite dicey and almost out-of-control. Someone referenced the fact that Berl was black. It got very hushed. You could only hear some who nervously cleared their throats. Lowell’s wit surfaced when he broke the silence and loudly piped up: “Black? Berl’s black?” The room roared with laughter. The tension was broken.

And yes, there are many more “Lowell Stories.”

Watch this oral history filmed in 1987 recorded for the Austin History Center.

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What's In a Name?

The State Comptroller of Texas

What’s in a name? Or, in this case, what’s in a title? Maybe it’s, how do you pronounce a title?"

The State Comptroller is one of Texas’ most important statewide offices. The office has many significant functions. But, just consider one – to get an idea of the office’s importance to all of state government.

Remember, Texas is a “pay as you go” state. No deficit spending, like they have at the federal level. Texas can’t print money like the Feds can. If Texas doesn’t have cash in the bank, it can’t fund anything. The Texas budget is all-important.

Also you need to take into account that Texas operates on a two-year cycle, since the Texas Legislature only meets in regular budget session every two years. So your legislators must decide two years out how much money it has to spend on state services.

The State Comptroller is the only state official who can say “this is how much money you will have in the next two years, no more. And, legislators, you can’t spend a penny more than that. Period. That’s it. Got it?”

Enough of the weighty stuff. Let’s get to the point I want to make. For as long as I can remember, there has always been a debate on: How do you pronounce it – COMPtroller or CONtroller? It’s been used back-and-forth, seemingly forever.

So it is not surprising that after GOP Gov. George W. Bush defeated Democrat Gov. Ann Richards, he set up a meeting with Dem. State Comptroller John Sharp in 1995. Obviously, they discussed matters of state. But then, something like this conversation took place:

“So, John, do you prefer to be called COMPtroller or CONtoller?”

“It really doesn’t matter, Governor. Whatever you would like.”

“Well then, what did Governor Richards call you?”

“She called me ‘Darlin’.”

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