Golden Boy: The Harold Simmons Story (review)

224Southwestern Historical QuarterlyOctober efforts, hundreds of columns of newspaper print were dedicated to the issue. He compiled many of these letters and articles into a manuscript he hoped would someday be published. He called his work "The Case of Zapata: The Case of the Missing Policy Maker" and signed it with his pseudonym, I. ???, alias the Sad Zap. I ??? stood for "irate people of Zapata" and Sad Zap for "Self-Appointed Defender of Zapata." Rollin does a goodjob of editing Father Bastien's work and adds to it by publishing many important letters not in the original manuscript; these she retrieved from the Lyndon B.Johnson Library and the Sam Houston Regional Library. All in all, this book would be a good addition to collections of South Texas history. Pflugerville, TexasAlfredo E. Cardenas Golden Boy: The Harold Simmons Story. By John J. Nance. (Austin: Eakin Press, 2003. Pp.vi+322. Photographs. ISBN 1-57168-747-5. $24.95, cloth.) Deciphering the system in which one operates can make risk seem less daunting and its rewards more satisfying. Golden Boy: The Harold Simmons Story is a review of a life's work spent in educated risk taking. John Nance weaves one individual 's story ofwealth creation into a readable overview of the world of business in post-World War II Texas as he traces die rise of Simmons from bank auditor to billionaire in a brisk 322 pages. The author clearly establishes that the purpose of the book is not one of congratulation or ego massage for Simmons. Rather, the author intends for the book to serve as a primer for individuals willing to seize opportunities when they arise. Harold Simmons began his business career as a bank auditor who took the time to study and understand thoroughly the challenges of the banking system. Simmons learned that assets could be increased by reducing less efficient services ; and after he left the banking industry, Simmons applied his efficiency formula to the drugstore business. More important, Simmons learned that acquiring and selling businesses provided a thrill and a unique role in post-World War II American society. One could generate wealth by managing debt-ridden companies , selling them, and then looking for additional opportunities. Nance notes how the U.S. government, media, and labor unions often call the person who engages in these activities a "corporate raider." He is careful to chronicle the personal and professional impact such a term has on a successful businessman. Without the use of footnotes, the author explains that Harold Simmons spent a great deal of time taping stories and anecdotes for future use. Still, it appears that Nance verified the information in the book, and he also provides proper context. Had he included some of the court filings, citations to newspaper articles , and an annotated timeline, this book might have been more useful in helping the reader discover further opportunities for research. The book does, however, provide some ideas for future research. For example , a historian could explore how the landscape of local downtown businesses changed over the years. Simmons's early venture in the drug industry mirrored 2oo8 Book Reviews225 the decline of family-owned chain stores in Texas. Large companies, such as Eckerd's and (one can assume) Walmart, began to change the relationship between citizens and their communities. In addition, the impact of the corporate raider on American business could be further studied. Finally, a historian could review the differences, briefly mentioned by Nance, between the development of the business cultures of Dallas and Houston. Harold Simmons despised the term corporate raider. Historians or lawyers may create a definition of the term, butJohn Nance provides a significant counterweight to any application of it to Harold Simmons. As Harold Simmons might say, "Never bring in the lawyers until the deal is done." Oklahoma State UniversityCarter Mattson Barney K. Riggs: The Yuma and Pecos Avenger. By Ellis Lindsey and Gene Riggs. (Privately printed, pp. xxiv+342. Forward, illustrations, maps, epilogue, appendix, bibliography, index. ISBN: 1-4010-7061-2. $29.69, cloth. ISBN: 14010 -7060-4. $19.54, paper.) In popular histories of the U.S. West, Barney Riggs has received occasional mention for his gun battles...