Texas Loses An Icon

Texas lost an icon last Friday. Even if you haven’t been to the State Fair up in Dallas, you’ve probably heard of Big Tex, the 52-foot tall cowboy who watched over fairgoers for 60 years.

On Friday, an electrical fire that started somewhere around Big Tex’s feet consumed the entire statue within minutes.

Big Tex first arrived at the fair in 1952. He was designed by artist Jack Bridges and made from parts of a giant Santa Claus built in Kerens, Tex. In 1953, Big Tex began speaking from a 75-watt speaker system housed in his head. Over the years only a few men have played the voice of Big Tex. The best known was Jim Lowe, a radio announcer from Dallas who performed for 39 continuous years until 1998.

Big Tex’s destruction was met with an outpouring of emotion in Dallas and across Texas. As many have observed, he was more than just the mascot of the state fair. He was a time-honored tradition that spanned across multiple generations. He was the heart and soul of the fair—the spot where everyone gathered to eat corny dogs and take pictures.

Fair officials have already announced that Big Tex will be rebuilt for the 2013 fair season. On Friday, Mike Rawlings tweeted that “Dallas is about Big Things and #BigTex was symbolic of that. We will rebuild Big Tex bigger and better for the 21st Century.”

Hopefully not too much “bigger and better.” As veteran Dallas Morning News columnist Jacqueline Floyd puts it, “We want a giant talking cowboy… Make sure it’s the Tex we know and love.”

Let’s hope the fair officials follow her advice. The state fair without everyone’s favorite, big, folksy cowboy just wouldn’t be the same thing.

Down here in San Antonio, it’s unfortunate that we’re so far from the state fair. If you haven’t ever been up to Dallas to eat corny dogs and ride roller coasters, take a weekend next October and drive on up.

Maybe (hopefully) you’ll even get to talk to Big Tex.