Stories from Texas

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July 19, 2023

Texas Spelling Bee

By: W.F. Strong

Are there words that just trip you up every time you try to spell them? For the producer writing this script it’s allegience — allegiance — so many vowels. You know it’s bad when Word or Google can’t even make a guess at what you’re going for.

Texas Standard commentator WF Strong explores the most oft-misspelled words in Texas.


Episodes

December 17, 2025

How Three Gifts To UT Gave All Texans A Fourth: The Gift Of The Stars (re-run)

WF Strong talks about how the McDonald Observatory came to be.

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December 3, 2025

Mix up your holiday entertainment with a history of Texas’ lawless influence on Old West

WF Strong tells us that the author has a new book he’d recommend for those who might need an antidote for Hallmark holiday movies.

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November 19, 2025

George Foreman’s resilience: A two-time rags-to-riches story

Boxer, preacher, and grill super salesman George Foreman died in his longtime hometown of Houston in March. Texas Standard commentator W.F. Strong has been thinking about Foreman’s life and how he literally fought his way from rags to riches more than once.

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October 22, 2025

The two men who rescued Shiner Beer

In 1909, in the little town of Shiner, a group of German and Czech farmers decided they missed the beer of the old country. They pooled their money, built a ramshackle brewery, and called it the Shiner Brewing Association. But they weren’t brewers. They were farmers. The beer was, well, bad. Locals apparently joked it […]

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October 8, 2025

They called her ‘Babe’

Did you know a Texan actually co-founded the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA)? But before that, she showed prowess in several other sports. Texas Standard commentator W.F. Strong explains that she was so good at baseball, she was nicknamed after one of the greatest players of all time. Here is the story of Mildred “Babe” […]

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September 24, 2025

Belle and Lea

Texas Standard commentator W.F. Strong has met a lot of Texans throughout the years. Some have shared bits of history from the Lone Star State. Some have recalled old family traditions or news of certain oddities. But others have imparted on him some unique problem-solving skills. This story tells of two old friends and their […]

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September 11, 2025

Cowboy Time

Texas Standard commentator W.F. Strong reminds us of a time you’ll find particularly in rural Texas – Cowboy Time.

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August 13, 2025

The sky welcomes you home

The start of the school year means it’s the end of summer travel season for many families. As Texans well know, depending on where you live in the state, it can take longer to travel out of it than to cross several state lines beyond our borders. Texas Standard commentator W.F. Strong reflects on coming […]

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