Texas Profile Articles from American Profile

A Slice Above the Rest

by Kristen Tribe

In 1946, Wright Packing Co. celebrated its grand opening in Vernon, Texas (pop. 11,660), but you wouldn't have known it by a sign out front.

Fostering Great Felines

by Kristen Tribe

Simba, a 350-pound Bengal tiger at the International Exotic Animal Sanctuary (IEAS) in Boyd, Texas (pop. 1,099), walks lazily across his enclosure

Preaching to the Cowboys

by Linda Owen

Suddenly the steer is loose. World steer wrestling champion Rope Myers bolts alongside on horseback, leaning down from his saddle to reach for the steer's horns.

Sound Lessons

by Beverly Burmeier

Houston's hands do his talking, whether it's demonstrating a grip on a golf club, or offering praise through sign language.

Dust to Art

by Kristen Tribe

Artist Scott Wade was leaving a grocery store in San Marcos, Texas (pop. 34,733), in 2005 when he noticed a pickup truck parked behind him, blocking his exit.

The Road Less Traveled

by Linda Owen

Texas' 266,807 square miles of land are chock-full of famous landmarks, from The Alamo in San Antonio to the Texas Capitol in Austin.

Preserving Paint Rock's Pictographs

by Beverly Burmeier

Kay Campbell, 80, walks along a dusty trail on her central Texas ranch, leading a tour group of school children.

The Passion of James Avery

by Beverly Burmeier

Sitting on a small wooden bench he built more than 50 years ago, James Avery, 85, dons safety glasses and picks up a thin wire to scratch out a pattern on a thumbnail-sized piece of silver.

Sculpting Santa

by Sheri Westerfeld Lewis

Surrounded by chunks of flesh-colored clay, artist Jackie Cruse works hard to capture the face of Santa Claus

Tyler's Coming Up Roses

by Kristen Tribe

Chloe and her grandmother, Connie Gibbs, are among hundreds at the Tyler Municipal Rose Garden for the Queen's Tea, a time-honored tradition when the festival's queen and her court greet guests.

The Texas State Fair

by Kristen Tribe

“Howdy, folks! Welcome to the State Fair of Texas,” booms Big Tex, the 52-foot-tall cowboy who’s greeted fairgoers in Dallas since 1952.

Cream of the Crop: Blue Bell celebrates a century

by Kristen Tribe

Heaping bowls of Blue Bell ice cream signal bedtime for the Kruse family in Brenham, Texas (pop. 13,507).

Like Father Like Son

by Linda Owen

When Sundance Head was chosen to be on this season’s American Idol, he ran to a telephone to call his best friend—his dad, Roy Head.

Bat Booster

by Kristen Tribe

Amanda Lollar watched a passerby glance in disgust at an injured bat lying on the sidewalk in Mineral Wells, Texas (pop. 16,946).

Mayor Moore - A Leading Legend

by Patti Muck

Always straightforward, sometimes bluntly honest, Moore is believed to be the longest serving living mayor in the nation and is on his way to becoming the longest serving mayor in U.S. history.

Always on the Job

by Linda Owen

Trapped inside a locked automobile, the sweat-drenched infant stopped crying and went limp. The outside temperature in San Antonio was 101 degrees, but inside the car it was nearing 150.

Those Charming, Odd-Named Towns

by Alan Ross

They go by the names of Happy, Turkey, Earth, Bug Tussle, Dime Box, Cut and Shoot, Ford, Fred, and Uncertain.

Give the Surgeon a Hand

by Linda Owen

Wrestler Andre the Giant punched Dr. Adrian E. Flatt on the shoulder, gruffly voicing his displeasure in broken English: “Is enough!”

Windmills Turn and Return

by Leanna Skarnulis

In 1998, Kees Verheul drove to the Aermotor Windmill Co. in San Angelo, Texas (pop. 88,439), in search of parts to repair an aging windmill on his Spur (pop. 1,088) ranch.

Cycle Santa

by Linda Owen

A pickup truck full of caroling teenagers stops in front of a small home in San Antonio. Wearing red Santa hats, the teens pull bicycles out of the truck bed and head up a gravel path.