“As I exited the hatch, I understood that I was getting an opportunity that few people ever have – to see with my own eyes an unobstructed view of Earth from space, to view the beauty and majesty of God’s creation in an awe-inspiring panorama. In that moment, nothing seemed impossible. There was a sense of freedom […]

John C. Scharbauer, the owner of Midland Meat Company and Scharbauer Ranches, is not particular about how his German surname is pronounced. Technically, Scharbauer sounds like “shar bower,” but those familiar with the name, synonymous since the 1800s with local beef, simply pronounce it “scarber.” The fifth-generation rancher is picky, however, about the cattle his family has worked 135 years […]

Most know the name “Sully” from that fateful day, January 15, 2009, when he piloted US Airways Flight 1549 through a historic water landing on Manhattan’s Hudson River after the aircraft encountered an unprecedented bird strike shortly after takeoff. Captain Sullenberger’s entire life had prepared him for such an event, although most commercial airline pilots never have to experience dual engine […]

Think of notable Texans, and former U.S. President George Walker Bush – quintessential cowboy with his boots, Southern drawl, and “aw-shucks” boyish charm – is likely one of the first to come to mind. But there is more to the 43rd president of the United States than meets the eye. Nine years after completing two […]

Joe Haynes leaned back in a well-worn chair at the KSTA radio station in the small west-central Texas town of Coleman. The studio is crowded with memorabilia: Coleman Bluecats rally gear, inspirational messages, and a large framed painting of Jesus walking on the water. “My whole life has been about overcoming odds,” said the beloved […]

Wade Bowen’s music career has taken him everywhere. With tour dates in France, the U.K., and Germany, Wade has journeyed all across the world sharing his heart through country music. Yet, regardless of where he has roamed, one place is always in the back of his mind beckoning him home . . . his beloved […]

Some people spend a lifetime simply trying to discover their passion. Mary Elizabeth Holdsworth Butt spent a lifetime juggling a plethora of them. Her surname alone is synonymous with charitable giving: She was the matriarch of the Butt empire, which includes H-E-B Grocery, a supermarket chain with more than 350 stores in Texas and Mexico, […]

Travel down to South Texas and peel back a history more rich than the juicy citrus the region mass produces. The Rio Grande Valley is home to cities that are close in proximity yet differ in their beginnings, with culturally diverse populations waiting for someone to tell their authentic, homegrown, and antique origin stories. An […]

Convicted of murder at as a teen, Clyde Thompson spent most of his life in prison. He earned the moniker "the meanest man in Texas," and lived up to it for a time, before finding salvation and the love of a good woman. Thompson served as a pastor for several years after his release.

As the saying goes, everything is bigger in Texas. That includes the legends and hauntings with which the state is filled, thanks to a long past peppered with tales that range from sweet-natured to downright scary. According to Amanda Eagleton, team founder of Haunted Texas Paranormal, it is exactly Texas’s deep, rich, and complex history that comes in to play with hauntings.

Many idioms and colorful expressions are often credited to the South, and Texas is no exception. However, many of these colloquialisms stem from much older parables, proverbs, history, literature, or simply the facts of everyday life. But, add a good ol' Texan accent, and each adage sounds more Southern than the next. Many of these phrases reference animals, not surprising as the South, and particularly Texas, is largely agricultural. If not native to the Lone Star State, learn these down-home phrases and let the fun begin.

Some people are legendary because of what they have done, but others and perhaps the most important ones, are legendary because of who they are. Grace Dobson, also known as Lady Grace, is the famous face behind the Whataburger empire.

In June 1954, a father and son strolled along a cliff, surveying the land and breathing in the fresh sea air. As fathers often do, this man shared stories of years gone by, and the son listened and was transported back to a day when the beach was not so calm. The father spoke of the events of another June morning on that very same cliff where the 2nd Ranger Battalion of the U.S. Army set foot on French soil.

The title of Audie Murphy's famous autobiography, To Hell and Back, referred to his experiences in World War II, but it could just as easily have been about his childhood.

From the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Lonesome Dove to books like Horseman, Pass By and The Last Kind Words Saloon, America has seen the Old West through the eyes of Larry McMurtry. McMurtry’s lifelong pursuit began with just an inheritance of a small sack of books.