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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Progress May Change Things, But It Can't Change Memories

For almost 100 years, well, since 1926 anyway, University of Texas students particularly and Austinites generally have enjoyed burgers, fries and shakes at Dirty Martin’s on the Drag at 2808 Guadalupe. Okay, Dirty Martin’s is not the real name. It is officially Martin’s Kumbak Place, but everybody calls it Dirty Martin’s or simply Dirty’s.

It doesn’t appear to have changed since we first set foot there as a UT freshman in 1952 (or even maybe changed since 1926, but that was before we were born). However, this may be all about to change if Capital Metro’s Project Connect carries its plans forward. The proposed light rail Orange Line map shows the rail project slicing through part of Dirty’s property. Progress.

Photo: Dirty Martin's

Now just because something is 96 years old doesn’t make it historic or worth keeping in the name of historical preservation. But, memories? C’mon. I know, nobody has ever put a plaque on a memory. But memories are precious to you as an individual. And you can preserve those as long as you are able.

Let me quickly share a Dirty’s newsmaking memory with you. One Sunday night in 1953 we were eating the Size Royal mexican food plate with a handful of fraternity brothers at the Night Hawk. Young, naïve, and mischievous that we late-teens were, we talked about how we could help the Texas football team beat the nation’s #3 team, Baylor, that was coming to town Saturday.

“I got it. Let’s start holding pep rallies tomorrow, Monday.” So we all agreed to meet at 7 am (pretty rare time for college kids!) and write on every classroom chalkboard “Beat Baylor. Pep Rally tonight at 10 at Dirty’s.” We rounded up a few stray members of the Longhorn Band and climbed atop Dirty’s overhang. And proceeded to make a lotta racket.

Photo: Dirty Martins. c. 1953 (that's me in the silly hat banging a snare drum)

We repeated that exercise every night at Dirty’s. Crowds grew. Traffic stopped. Car horns honked. “Beat the pee out of #3” echoed throughout the neighborhood. It got so big, and almost out of hand, that we moved downtown, closing Congress Avenue. We led the crowd in cheers and music from the streetside balcony of the Stephen F. Austin Hotel.

It didn’t stop there. We led the crowd into the Paramount Theater, interrupting a movie to lead cheers, from in front of the screen, to startled moviegoers. Ahh, youthful enthusiasm! Oh yeah, as we left the theater we led the mob to the Governor’s Mansion for a final rally.

Photo: Twitter

The crowd was electric at the UT/Baylor game. The student section stood the whole game. And, yes, the Texas Longhorns upset the favored Baylor Bears. And, it all started at Dirty Martin’s.

Don’t know at this writing if progress will impact Dirty’s. But even if Dirty’s changes as it nears its 100th anniversary, those of us who chowed down on cheeseburgers there over the generations will relish our cherished memories.

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With the Bark Off Book Review in West Austin News

Review by Forrest Preece

West Austin News Columnist, Forrest Preece

With The Bark Off: A Journalist’s Memories of LBJ and a Life in the News Media by Neal Spelce

published in the March 10, 2022 issue of West Austin News My life has intersected with Neal Spelce’s for over 50 years. On Aug. 1, 1966, I stood by him in the aftermath of the shooting at UT, listening as he was broadcasting. In the late 1970s, Neal and I had become friendly competitors in the advertising business. He was also a force in the Chamber of Commerce circles, had a lot to do with recruiting some of Austin’s major high tech companies, prepped speakers like Ann Richards and John McCain for the national spotlight, and arranged major events such as the opening of the LBJ Library and the funerals for both President Lyndon Johnson and Mrs. Johnson. Now, he has written a book about it all. With The Bark Off reveals the details about many of his life’s stories.

Photo by Joe Lee

That title is apropos, because Neal keeps it down-to-earth and highly entertaining all the way through. On another level, for those of us who have been around town for a while, this book is a history of Austin, with behind-the-scenes tales galore.

By the way, for anyone who thinks that Neal must have been the product of an upper-class upbringing and that he had an Ivy League education, uh, no. As the book relates, most of his youth, he and his brother Bennett were raised by their mother Fannie Lou -- a nurse who largely had to fend for the three of them by herself. (She later became known for her paintings, which reside in many important collections.) They moved from a small town in Arkansas to Raymondville to Tulsa to Berkeley, back to Arkansas, and then to Corpus Christi, where Neal finished high school at 16. In 1952, he came to the University of Texas, where on his first night in Austin, he walked from the campus to the State Capitol, wandered through the rotunda to marvel at the interior, and then headed out from there to admire the lights of downtown Austin.

Time and again in this riveting book, Neal harkens back to this sense of wonder and his instant ability to grasp the moment. In one telling passage, he says, “I’ve always believed that the hallmark a of a good journalist is curiosity, and moving to many new places and being exposed to many new things made me a curious person.”

That grasp of the moment is evident throughout the book – and through Neal’s words, the reader becomes the fly on the wall. And if you think the bark isn’t really off, I suggest reading what Neal heard Vice President Johnson call Nehru to another world leader in May 1961. That trip to Vietnam, India, Pakistan, Taiwan, and Greece was exciting for a 25-year-old. Neal even got to hear Edith Piaf sing in an Athens nightclub.

When he was the news anchor for KEYE-TV in 1998, Neal was thinking that there might be a historical father/son presidency in the offing. With some of that Spelce magic working for him, Neal managed to set up an interview with the two Bushes in a boat while they were fishing.

Neal’s journey through life has had many paths. The “ascendancy” of LBJ and the attention it brought to Austin. The assassination and the Johnson presidential years. The sniper rampage at UT that brought Neal’s reporting to national attention. The 1972 Civil Rights Symposium shortly before Johnson’s death, where he famously took a nitroglycerin tablet to quell the pains in his chest. Then there are Neal’s days in the advertising and public relations business. By the way, the negotiation that Neal worked with a furious Darrell Royal for a man named Marriott is jaw-dropping.

The adventures go on and on, with fascinating details scattered all along the way, up to current times, when Neal has had a broadcast journalism studio named for him in UT’s Moody College of Communication.

He says that he has tried to shine a little light on the oft-told tales about President Johnsen and other luminaries around town. After reading his book, I agree that many corners have been brightened -- and then some. I highly recommend it for old-timers and newcomers to Austin alike.

Neal Spelce’s autobiography is an entertaining read, especially for Austinites.

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With the Bark Off is available in hard cover, ebook and audiobook at amazon.com, and at all major booksellers.

Bulk orders or Signed Limited First Edition copies may be ordered through nealspelce.com

Click the link below for a printable version of this Post:

With the Bark Off Book Review in West Austin News.pdf

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About Forrest Preece

Forrest is a longtime Austinite who was witness to 1966 UT Tower Shooting. A renown columnist of the long-running newspaper, West Austin News Preece is a former advertising executive, an organizer for the UT Tower Memorial, as well as a board member and patron for numerous civic and community organizations.

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