The Billionaire Bully Who Wants to Turn Texas Into a Christian Theocracy

The latest TM stories. ͏ ͏ ͏ ››͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ››͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ [Past Deposits from a Future Yet to Come](   Feb 12, 2024 [The Billionaire Bully Who Wants to Turn Texas Into a Christian Theocracy]( Politics & Policy [The Billionaire Bully Who Wants to Turn Texas Into a Christian Theocracy]( The state’s most powerful figure, Tim Dunn, isn’t an elected official. But behind the scenes, the West Texas oilman and lay preacher is lavishly financing what he regards as a holy war against public education, renewable energy, and non-Christians. [READ STORY](   IN OTHER NEWS News & Politics [A Woman Was Killed by Police After Opening Fire at Joel Osteen’s Houston Church]( The woman was accompanied by a young child who was shot and is in critical condition, police said. [READ STORY]( [A Woman Was Killed by Police After Opening Fire at Joel Osteen’s Houston Church](     The Texanist [Why Were My Public Schools Named After People I've Never Heard Of?]( Q: I went to two schools named after presumably notable Texans: James S. Deady Middle School and Charles H. Milby High School. Who were these people? Rick, via email A: The Lone Star State brims with institutions of public education whose facades are emblazoned with names that are instantly familiar to anyone who ever set foot in a seventh-grade Texas history class. If one took the time to count up all the schools graced with the names of Austin, Bowie, Crockett, Houston, and the like, one would be counting for a very long time. But many other schools are named after worthy Texans of much less renown. Case in point: though the Texanist’s early education did include a stint at a middle school named for famed Alamo defender James B. Bonham (Go, Bulldogs!), he also attended Cater Elementary (Go, Cougars!) and dear old Temple High (Go, Wildcats!). Cater was named for the Texanist’s childhood friend Joe Cater’s grandmother, Eunice, who donated the land on which the school sits. (Fun fact: Joe’s granddad had the very public school–worthy name of Sam Houston Cater.) And Temple High was named for the charming Central Texas hamlet from whence the Texanist came, which took its name from Bernard Moore Temple, chief engineer of the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway Company, whose tracks ran through the town (Go, trains!). While the Texanist knew all of the preceding off the top of his decreasingly hair-covered head, he’ll admit that Messrs. Deady and Milby were wholly unfamiliar [READ STORY]( [Why Were My Public Schools Named After People I've Never Heard Of?](   LIMITED-TIME OFFER   [Enjoying What You've Read So Far?]( There's so much more where that came from. [Subscribe now]( to get both the print and digital editions for only $25! [SUBSCRIBE](   ONE MORE THING Food & Drink [Brenham Is the Perfect Stop for Sweets Lovers, and This Chocolate Shop Proves Why]( Blue Bell has brought travelers to the small town for decades, but Thomas Craft Confections, known locally for its “Saturday Bakes,” is a good reason to stick around. [READ STORY]( Today in Texas history... James Fields Smathers, inventor of the electric typewriter, is born near Valley Spring in 1888.   SPONSORED [A Podcast About Community Triumphs Through Texas Businesses]( [A Podcast About Community Triumphs Through Texas Businesses]( Hear how Janie Barrera left a life as a nun to become a champion of small businesses in San Antonio. Listen to this episode and more on "Creating Community." [Listen Here](   TRENDING ONLINE - [His Best Friend Was a 250-Pound Warthog. One Day, It Decided to Kill Him.]( - [The Juror Who Found Herself Guilty]( - [The Billionaire Bully Who Wants to Turn Texas Into A Christian Theocracy]( - [Don’t Miss the State’s Highest Highway Bridge]( - [Kacey, You in Danger, Girl]( Have feedback for the editors? Submit your questions or comments to roar@texasmonthly.com to have your thoughts heard and possibly published.  [Subscribe to Texas Monthly]( [Subscribe From $2.08/Issue!](   Get the best of Texas, by Texans, for everyone. Save up to 76% on a Texas Monthly subscription when you order today. [SUBSCRIBE](   [Subscribe]( [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Twitter]( [YouTube]( You are receiving this message because you signed up for our newsletters. Want more? Check out [our other newsletters](.   P.O. Box 1569, Austin, TX 78767 [View Online]( [Unsubscribe](