Point #23- Truly Texians

To obtain this point: One must know and identify a group of Texans that have shaped and are shaping this great state.
- Caveat #1- To ensure that your list is deep enough it must be tested: You must be able to have a fight with someone from another state and prove that Texas is better than their state by overwhelming them with the accomplishments of Texans.

This list is divided in to 3 groups- National, State, and Texanacious. Texans are famous throughout the world and the first 15 should be known fairly easily by most Americans. The second list is a group of people who should be familar to Texans. Now the 3rd list is the one that is most important for our purposes. This list is a group of Texans that are very influential, but not as famous. Only a truly Texanacious person would know these individuals.

15 People Everyone Should know
1. Sam Houston- The man!
2. Davy Crockett- Coon-skinned Texan hero
3. Nolan Ryan- Flame Thrower
4. Chester Nimitz- Thank you for your ingenuity in the Pacific during WWII
5. Ross Perot- Large eared oil tycoon and presidential hopeful
6. Stephen F. Austin- Colony former
7. George Bush the Younger/Elder- Love 'em or Hate 'em they are Texans
8. Dan Rather/Walter Cronkite- News anchors
9. Lyndon B. Johnson- President
10. Lance Armstrong- Cyclist and medical inspiration
11. Howard Hughes- Eccentric Billionaire and aviator
12. Willie Nelson and the boys- Singer
13. Lee Harvey Oswald- Assassian of JFK
14. Buddy Holly- Singer
15. Mary Kay Ash- Cosmetic guru

15 People Texans Should know
1. Bonnie and Clyde- Infamous duo
2. Bob Willis and Dale Evans- King and Queen of the Western
3. Kinky Friedman- Author and Comedian
4. Larry McMurtry- Author of Lonesome Dove
5. Barabra Jordan- First black woman to serve in state senate
6. Janis Joplin- Singer
7. Michael Dell- Computer creator
8. Ima Hogg- Philanthopist and recipient of one of the worse names in history
9. T. Boone Pickens- Oil tycoon
10. George Strait- Country Singer
11. Richard King- Founder of King Ranch
12. William Marsh Rice- Entreprenuer and Founder of Rice University
13. Ma Ferguson- 1st Female Governor of Texas. Even after her husband was impeached, convicted, and banned from running for office again, she ran with the slogan “two governors for the price of one.”
14. Sam Rayburn- US Congressman and 17 year Speaker of the House
15. James Michener- Author of Texas and professor at UT-Austin

15 People Truly Texanacious people should know
1. Babe Didrikson Zaharias- most versatile female athletes of all time
2. The Turtle Lady- (Ila Loetscher) protector of sea turtles on South Padre Island
3. Elisabet, Ney- Female Sculptor
4. Dorie Miller- Hero of Pearl Harbor where he went ‘above and beyond the call of duty.’
5. Van Cliburn- Famous Pianist (raised in Texas) who won a Russian pianist contest. He went on the road to Moscow at age 23 and smoked the Russians in playing Tchaikovsky in the middle of the Cold War. Awesome!
6. Gail Borden- surveyor, designor of Galveston, publisher, and inventor of condensed milk
7. James Fannin- Colonel in the Goliad massacre
8. Juan Seguin- Tejano Hero in Texan War for Independence
9. Olveta Culp Hobby- Married to former governor and director of Women’s Army Corp during WWII
10. Stanley Marsh 3- Founder of Cadillac Ranch (He didn't like the Roman Numeral III)
11. Quanah Parker- Chief of the Comache
12. Gene Roddenberry- Founder of Star Trek
13. Joel Osteen- Best selling author and pastor of Lakewood Church
14. Willie Shoemaker- Most successful jockey in history
15. Karl Rove- Mastermind behind George W. Bush’s political success

Enjoy Texas...