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Vol 8, No 347

December 13, 1923

Thursday Evening

TCU Receives Record Donation

Today in Sports
Sad Sam Gray traded to the St Louis Browns
ST LOUIS MO   (1927)    In the 1920s, Philadelphia Athletics manager Connie Mack was on his way to building one of the all time best teams in major league baseball. After several losing seasons, things were finally looking up. The Athletics finished the 1927 season in second place (behind Babe Ruth's New York Yankees).
   But on this date in 1927, the manager, Connie Mack, traded Texan Sad Sam Gray to the the St Louis Browns for Bing Miller. Sad Sam had won 44 games in 4 years for the Athletics.
   Eventually the trade paid off, because Philadephia, with Bing Miller, went on to win the pennant in 1929, 1930, and 1931.
   Gray would rack up another 38 wins in just his first two years with St Louis Browns, where he remained until his retirement at the end of the 1933 season.   

Born This Date
Actor Jamie Foxx is born in Dallas
DALLAS   (1967)    On this date in 1967, Eric Marlon Bishop was born in Dallas. He graduated from Terrell High School in 1986 where he played football.
   Later, while doing stand up comedy, Eric changed his name to Jamie Foxx. In 1991, Foxx was cast as Roc in the television comedy "In Living Color."
   But his most memorable performance came in 2004, where he played the legendary Ray Charles in the movie "Ray", for which he received an Academy Award for best actor.
   In 2007, Foxx was awarded a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame.   

The 6666 Estate
FORT WORTH (1923)  On this date in 1923, Texas Christian University received the largest gift ever made to a Texas eductional institution at the time, the $4 million estate of Mary Couts Burnett, which included half interest in the Four Sixes Ranch in West Texas.

Capitol Desk
Sam Houston begins his second term.
AUSTIN  (1841)   On this date in 1841, Sam Houston began his second term as President of Texas. During the term of his predecessor, President Maribou Lamar, Texas enjoyed a surge of nationalism.
   It was Houston's dream however, that Texas be annexed by the United States, and for that reason, thwarted any further efforts (begun by President Lamar) to receive diplomatic recognition from Mexico. This put Houston at odds with many in the military, who fought for Texas to become a truly autonomous nation.
   Under Houston's effort, Texas was annexed, and Houston stepped down as President of Texas to assume his roll as an elected Senator from Texas.
   Houston fought hard for Texas to become part of the United States, yet only 15 years later, the popular sentiment was that Texas sedede and join the Confederacy. Governor Houston found himself at odds with the will of the people and was forced to resign as Governor.
   He returned to his home in Huntsville where he died in 1863, before the end of the Civil War.   

Media Desk
The Texas Observer begins publication
AUSTIN   (1953)    On this date in 1953, the progressive / liberal newspaper, The Texas Observer, was first published in Austin.

Military Desk
Texas Navy Sets Sail for Vera Cruz
GALVESTON  (1841)   After several months of charting the waters along the Texas coast, Texas Commander of the Navy, Commodore Edwin Moore set sail on this date along with four warships to patrol off the waters off of Vera Cruz. The Yucatan was paying Texas $8,000 per month to provide protection for them as they negotiated reentry into Mexico after a short lived rebellion.
   The ships, Austin, San Bernard, San Antonio, and Wharton, set sail on the last day of President Maribou Lamar's term. Lamar had been trying to broker peace with Mexico, only to meet with repeated failure. Lamar then took a new stance, to negotiate from strength, sending the Texas Navy to engage the smaller ships of the Mexican navy, which they did well.
   The expedition lasted until April 1942. It was on this expedition, that 13 members of the crew of the San Antonio committed mutiny, were quickly captures, and eventually four were hanged.
   Upon the ship's return, they were ordered for overhaul, but then, President Houston provided no funds for such overhaul. This created a major rift between Commodore Moore, and President Sam Houston.

National Desk
Explosion Changes US-Mexican Border
EL PASO   (1964)    On this date in 1964 from a bluff overlooking the Rio Grande in El Paso, President Lyndon Baines Johnson and Mexican President Gustavo Diaz Ordaz triggered an explosion diverting Rio Grande slightly as it passed through El Paso/Juarez. This event permanently altered the border between the United States (Texas) and Mexico.