Wreck the Record
Call ’em the first family of Texas Tech.
With 44 alumni in the fold, the Wuensches set a world record for most members of a family to graduate from the same university.
Francis Wuensche, from the small town of Wilson that’s about 20 miles south of Lubbock, started the procession with a degree in zoology in 1953. Three generations later, Andrew Simnacher accepted the family’s 44th diploma in December 2021.
And the Wuensches, many of whom are members of electric cooperatives around the state, aren’t done. Three more members of the extended family enrolled as freshmen last fall.
Talkin’ Texan
Not sure what took them so long, but the folks behind the official Scrabble dictionary finally added a few words to the book that have been heard in these parts for generations: guac, queso and yeehaw.
These potentially high-scoring words are among about 500 new words in the Official Scrabble Players Dictionary, which gets updated every few years.
Johnfoto | Dreamstime.com
Thump Day
Texas ranks fourth in the U.S. in watermelon production, growing 11% of the 3.4 billion pounds harvested annually. Together, Florida, Georgia, California and Texas produce three-fourths of the refreshing fruit. Remember this August 3, National Watermelon Day.
Rangers Mark 200 Years
Stephen F. Austin created the Texas Rangers 200 years ago this month, paying the force of 10 men out of his own pocket. Austin wrote his order creating the first Ranger force on the back of a land document August 4, 1823.
Lights Out
The phase-out of incandescent lightbulbs will be nearly complete August 1, when a national ban on manufacturing and sales takes effect.
LEDs, which last up to 20 times longer while using up to 75% less electricity, have dominated store shelves for years. But new efficiency standards mandated by the Department of Energy will eliminate the incandescents that have been in use since the 1880s. Exceptions include bulbs for ovens, refrigerators and bug lamps.
Zimmer’s Guarantee
George Zimmer opened the first Men’s Wearhouse clothing store 50 years ago this month—in August 1973—in a Houston shopping center. Zimmer went on to become the spokesman for the national chain of stores, intoning his commercials with his catchphrase: “You’re going to like the way you look. I guarantee it.”
They Called Him Gentleman Jim
Jim Reeves emerged from Galloway, near the Louisiana border, to become one of the pioneers of country music’s Nashville Sound. Reeves might have become a baseball star, but a leg injury sidelined those dreams.
Instead, the crooner with the velvet voice was one of the first musicians to eschew the honky-tonk twang that dominated country music, turning instead to smooth love ballads supported by string sections and backing vocals. He took Four Walls to No. 1 on the country charts.
Reeves was born 100 years ago this month—August 20, 1923. His career was cut short when he perished in a plane crash in 1964.
