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      • 2 min read

    A Fun Twist on the Owners of Austin's Most Famous Home

    The historic Pease Mansion, or Woodlawn, was the subject of a lengthy front-page story in the Austin American-Statesman with the headline “Who Bought Historic Pease Mansion? One Year After Property Changed Hands, New Owner Still Hasn’t Revealed Identity.”

    Pease Mansion (photo: wikipedia)

    What makes this home so important? Well, first and foremost, it was the home of two Texas governors. And therein lies this fun story told to me by one of the governors, Allan Shivers.

    The 8,000 square foot mansion, on almost 4 acres at 1606 Niles Road in West Austin, was designed by Abner Cook, the architect of the Governor’s Mansion near the State Capitol. It was completed in 1853 and has been classified as a historic landmark. In 1857, it was acquired by Governor Elisha Pease.


    The American-Statesman’s crack reporter Ryan Autullo delved deeply in a well-researched piece on the history of the mansion, ending up with today’s still-unanswered question – who now owns this bit of Austin real estate? But how the home became the property of Governor Allan Shivers in 1957 was not mentioned. It was probably not mentioned because this little story was told to me by Governor Shivers and later recounted every time I asked the governor in private meetings to tell this story again and again. Let me fill in the gap.


    Woodlawn Mansion (Photo: Library of Congress)

    Woodlawn had remained in the Pease family for about a century when Allan and Marialice Shivers bought it. It was a historic moment. A Pease descendent, well-known in West Austin real estate circles, understood the significance and got Governor Shivers to agree to sign the closing documents on Woodlawn’s front porch in the last hours before Shivers presided over the inauguration of his successor. When Shivers showed up, dressed in his inaugural finery, he found the Pease descendent sitting at a card table with two folding chairs on Woodlawn’s porch. On the card table alongside the documents was a bottle of whiskey and two glasses. Caught up in the emotion of the historic moment, the descendent was teary-eyed and, well, snockered. Yep, he was drunk. And he kept pouring whiskey into the two glasses and urging the governor to share a toast to the occasion. Again. And again.


    By this time, the Pease descendent was practically blubbering and babbling. The governor told me he also was beginning to feel the effects a bit as well. Hey, this was just before noon and Shivers’ term as governor was ending at noon when his successor took the oath of office blocks away on the steps of the State Capitol. The governor kept politely urging him to move along and sign the papers. At the last minute, the papers were signed and the outgoing Texas governor showed up for the ceremony a bit tipsy.


    Inauguration of Governor Allan Shivers (Photo: Portal to Texas History)

    But at least, Governor Shivers had a new home in Austin. They lived there for about twenty years. Whoever the new occupants of the Pease Mansion will be, they will have a lot to do to live up to the stories played out over the 170-year history of The Pease Mansion, Woodlawn.


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      • 2 min read

    Texas Author Series with Neal Spelce 6.2.22

    Neal Spelce will join Cari Clark to discuss

    WITH THE BARK OFF JUNE 2, 2022

    CHEZ ZEE AMERICAN BISTRO

    5406 Balcones Drive

    Austin, TX 78731


    Texas Author Series In-person and over Zoom



    About this event

    Join us on Thursday, June 2nd at 6 pm with author Neal Spelce. Neal and Cari will talk about Neal's new book:

    WITH THE BARK OFF: A Journalist’s Memories of LBJ and a Life in the News Media “Neal Spelce is one of those rare people who can’t make a move without stepping into history, which is why his memoir is so fascinating and rewarding. He was on the scene when Lyndon Johnson got a very public enema, when he shouted ‘Yee-haw’ in the Taj Mahal, and finally when he was laid to rest on the Pedernales. In1966, Spelce was also the newsman who alerted the world, under fire and in real time, to the then-unimaginable horrors of a mass shooting. All that, and he also consulted on Ann Richards’ wardrobe at the 1988 Democratic convention, and may very well be the only living soul to know the meaning of the word ‘Thermostrockimortimer.’”

    Happy Hour 6 pm - 6:30 pm The conversation begins at 6:30 pm, followed by Q&A


    Register on Eventbrite

    Please register at the "Tickets" button above. You'll see the option to register for in-person or online events.

    The tickets are $19 per person (+taxes) for the in-person event and include admission and light refreshments. Wine & beer will be available for purchase.

    There is no charge if you are attending via zoom. Registration is required to receive the zoom link. You will be sent a link to connect to the Zoom event. It will come from: noreply@event.eventbrite.com Sometimes emails from Eventbrite end up in the spam or a "promotions" folder.

    Should you not have your Zoom link on the day of the event, please text: 1-339-234-0625 for help.

    We encourage you to make dinner reservations at Chez Zee before or after the event. If attending via zoom, please consider curbside pick-up. Support your favorite local Bistro!



    #nealspelce #withthebarkoff #chezzee #booktalk #texasauthorseries

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      • 3 min read

    The Inspiration for a Book Title from Long Ago

    It was 51 years ago, actually May 22, 1971, when the title of my current memoir, “With The Bark Off,” was first uttered publicly, and on national television at that. It happened at an event unlike any other at the time, or since then, in Austin’s history. And the occasion has been rarely duplicated anywhere else in the US for that matter during the ensuing half century.


    Let me explain. The occasion was the official opening and dedication ceremony of the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library and Museum on the campus of the University of Texas. President Johnson and UT System Chair of the Board of Regents Frank Erwin had retained me six months prior to chair and manage the mammoth undertaking. (The university built the facility on UT land before turning it over to the National Archives to operate.)


    These were the words uttered by LBJ describing what was included in the Library and Museum:

    “It’s all here: the story of our time – with the bark off….I do not know how this period will be regarded in years to come. But that is not the point. This library will show the facts – not just the joy and triumphs, but the sorrow and failures, too.”

    So, decades later, as I wrote my memoir (that included fun and interesting facts about that event) it only seemed fitting to name the book, With The Bark Off, A Journalist’s Memories of LBJ and a Life in the News Media. Because I share true tidbits, including some embarrassing moments:

    --like when LBJ chewed my butt out

    --like when Chairman Erwin broke a state law by surprisingly serving mid-day alcoholic drinks to the guests (that he may have paid for personally or hid somewhere in the UT budget)

    --like when I lied to President Nixon

    --like when a miscalculation led to the VIP guests getting sprayed with a mist of water when we turned on the towering fountain.


    You get the picture. Speaking of pictures, let me share a picture of historical significance.


    The ceremony took place on an open platform outside during a time of Vietnam War protests. Four out of the top five officials in line to become president in case something happened to the president were side-by-side on the platform. Talk about security concerns! Look closely at this photo.


    The Dedication of the LBJ Library May 22, 1971

    With demonstrations being held nearby, in addition to President Nixon, “P”, four of the five presidential successors stood in the open on the platform. “1” first in line is Vice President Spiro Agnew (partially obscured by LBJ), “2” is Speaker of the House Carl Albert, “4” is Secretary of State William Rogers, and “5” is Treasury Secretary former Texas governor John Connally. The President Pro Tem of the Senate, #3 in succession, (not pictured) because he stayed in Washington.

    Luckily protests were peaceful and safely away from the stage. But we had national guard troops hidden beneath the stadium, and a cadre of Secret Service and ATF agents were out of sight in the nearby law school building, just in case.

    Oh yeah, one final example of how we really do share these memories "with the bark off" in our memoir: I recount how LBJ asked me to follow along as he read his dedication remarks to me. He led me into the men’s room, reading aloud, holding his speech in one hand and guiding his stream with the other.


    This Super-8 home movie of the dedication was filmed by HR Haldeman and Dwight Chapin via Jeff Kreines YouTube

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