Claytie: The Roller-Coaster Life of a Texas Wildcatter

Author's Acknowledgments

Author’s Acknowledgments As may be expected in an ambitious endeavor such as this, I have so many people and publications to thank for their contributions to this book that it is impossible to name them all. Foremost, I owe particular gratitude to my editor Michael Blackman , a longtime Fort Worth friend and colleague whose talent, wisdom , humor, and patience got us through some perilous moments with the charmingly volatile subject of this book. Those same attributes apply also to Denise Kelly, Claytie’s effervescent and tireless executive assistant, and to Davis Ford, a member of Claytie’s corporate board of directors as well as a member of the advisory council of Texas A&M University Press. Denise was the “go-to gal” for virtually every aspect of this book, from selecting photographs to arranging and deciphering interviews, all the while contributing substantially to the text and tone by sharing her own experiences in—and observations on—the tantalizing and turbulent world of Clayton Wheat Williams Jr. With wise counsel and finesse, Davis Ford helped the book’s serpentine journey from inception to publication, overcoming all manner of stumbling blocks along the way. He’s a unique mix of Aggie and Longhorn, and this journey required a bunch of Aggie and no small amount of Longhorn. As a latecomer to the book project, Claytie’s eldest daughter, Kelvie Cleverdon, was invaluable as both a tireless researcher and a delightful storyteller. Many of my former colleagues in the Texas press corps were most helpful, particularly John Gravois, formerly of the Houston Post and now political editor of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, and Kaye Northcott, who covered the 1990 governor’s election for the Star-Telegram. I am grateful also to the dozens of state, national, and international newspapers and magazines whose reporting of 408 A U T H O R ’ S A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S the campaign provided such incisive, provocative, and entertaining accounts that I felt compelled to quote them frequently and shamelessly. Truth be told, I did so a little proudly, having worked hand-in-hand with many of the newspaper editors, reporters, and photographers during four decades as a roving Texas correspondent for the Associated Press. In this regard, a special thanks also to Michael Levy, publisher of Texas Monthly, and several of his staff members whom I’m proud to call friends as well as colleagues. I want to recognize several of the major Texas and West Texas dailies, starting with the Midland Reporter-Telegram, its publisher Charles Spence, and editor Gary Ott. Through their coverage of the energy industry, ranching, and Claytie’s political and philanthropic activities, they have served up an abundance of compelling material . Texas is indeed blessed to have major city newspapers such as the Dallas Morning News, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Houston Chronicle , Austin American-Statesman, El Paso Times, and San Antonio Express-News, all of whose reporting I drew on from time to time. Though now history, I’d be remiss if I didn’t also mention the late Dallas Times Herald, Houston Post, and San Antonio Light. Admittedly biased, I doubt that any state has finer regional newspapers than West Texas, many of which contributed substantially to this effort. Although now out of print, S. D. Myres’s superbly edited and researched Pioneer Surveyor—Frontier Lawyer, the personal narrative of O. W. Williams published in 1966 by Texas Western Press, was a rich source of information about Claytie’s remarkable grandfather, as was the book’s lively introduction by author C. L. Sonnichsen. Writing this biography brought me into contact with scores of Claytie’s friends, employees, and family members, which made the project as enjoyable as it was deeply rewarding. Claytie’s top executives , Paul Latham and Mel Riggs, went beyond the norm in providing solid and insightful business, financial, and legal information and advice. And I’m not sure we could have pulled this off without the day-to-day assistance and smiling encouragement of Modesta’s executive assistant, Carolyn Sandlin, and the dynamic Fort Stock- A U T H O R ’ S A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S 409 ton duo, Wynona Riggs and Nancy Carpenter. My heartfelt thanks go to all of you for your generous help and support, and most of all for your...