Please select edition to check the price: Softcover
Texas has produced a large number of celebrities. For years, we here
at TexasCooking.Com have maintained a comprehensive list of
Notable Native Texans born in Texas,
(the only one of its kind on the Internet to my knowledge).
Alan Burton's new book Texas High School
Hotshots has a new take on this idea by showcasing over 200 people who attended high school
in the Lone Star State.
The book's sub-title is The Stars Before They Were Stars. Featured celebrities include
Lance Armstrong, Ross Perot, Dan Rather, George W. Bush, Willie Nelson, Sissy Spacek, Patrick Swayze,
Larry Hagman, Don Meredith, Tom Landry and Farrah Fawcett, to name a few.
The book organizes the listings by region of the state - north, south, east and west. Rather than
alphabetically, Burton groups people by high school, which adds an interesting touch. I've never
really thought of actor Randy Quaid as a Houstonite. He graduated from Houston Bellaire in 1968.
One the same page, below Quaid's listing we learn that singer Kenny Rogers graduated from nearby Houston Jefferson Davis high
school in 1956.
Most listings include current photographs of the celebrity, as well as their photograph from their
high school yearbook.
It also includes their year of graduation.
Opening the book, turning to the chapter on North Texas, the reader can page to Highland Park High
School and read about movie actress Jayne Mansfield, Law & Order actress Angie Harmon, ex-Texas
governor Bill Clements, Heisman Trophy winner Doak Walker and 1982 (failed) Presidential assassin
John Hinkley, Jr.
Burton opens the book with some speculations on the meanings of high school yearbooks. He's also
scoured them to create a number of interesting lists, including extracurricular activities,
cheerleaders, and "hotshots who were classmates."
There are more lists: Hotshots who dropped out and
later earned their GED, Hotshot Transfer Students, Hotshots Who Attended Private Schools, People
Who Later Changed Their Names, Infamous People (serial killers, cult leaders, etc.) and
Texas High Schools Where Movies Were Filmed - plus lots more.
Burton includes interesting supplemental information giving the reader insight into many of
the Texas high schools. He not only includes a section on celebrities who participated in sports,
but also includes a table of Texas High School football championship winners going back to 1920.
There are many photographs taken directly from the yearbooks, beyond the single yearbook face photo.
For example, there is a photograph of Professional Golfer Ben Crenshaw practicing while on the
Austin Stephen F. Austin golf team. We see actor Matthew McConaughey grinning with two classmates
from a yearbook advertisement.
The frequent quotes and interesting trivia make this book stand out. Texas High School Hotshots is a
fun and entertaining book documenting the history of many notable native Texans.
