My anniversary is coming up. March 12th I will begin my fourth year of service with Cumulus Media, Dallas. I'm grateful for the opportunity and I've loved every minute but what makes me even happier is to begin my fourth year of life as a Texan.
I recently stumbled across this quote again. I’ve seen it from time to time but now, for the first time, it makes sense. In the words of Cowtown's favorite son, Dan Jenkins, it rings “dead solid perfect”.
“I have said that Texas is a state of mind, but I think it is more than that. It is a mystique closely approximating a religion. And this is true to the extent that people either passionately love Texas or passionately hate it and, as in other religions, few people dare to inspect it for fear of losing their bearings in mystery or paradox. But I think there will be little quarrel with my feeling that Texas is one thing. For all its enormous range of space, climate, and physical appearance, and for all the internal squabbles, contentions, and strivings, Texas has a tight cohesiveness perhaps stronger than any other section of America. Rich, poor, Panhandle, Gulf, city, country, Texas is the obsession, the proper study and the passionate possession of all Texans.” –John Steinbeck, 1962: Travels With Charley: The Search For America
I don’t imagine that anybody in the world can get it except those of us who get it. John Steinbeck was no Texas braggart, he was a Californian. So am I, but like Steinbeck, I have been blessed with a full blown case of Texas fever and I hope there is no cure. These days when I struggle to explain this to my California friends and family I usually give up and resort to quoting another famous Texan, Lyle Lovett:
That's right, you're not from Texas but Texas wants you anyway.
Dave Williams
In addition to his news reports on WBAP, Dave can be heard co-hosting News/Information In The Morning on 570 AM KLIF.