Tales from the West Texas Dust

"A Shirttail To Hang To" by Beth Day; (c) 1959 by Holt, Rinehart, and Winston; abridged audio recording (c) 1998 by Cal Farley's Boys' Ranch and Affliates

Here's another Texas treasure that I found in the local library. Those of you who watched the old movie "Father Flanagan's Boys' Town" can probably easily identify with a similar story that has gone on up in the Panhandle near Amarillo.

Minnesota native Cal Farley spent his early years growing up in a family that these days you might call "dysfunctional." As a result, he ended up with a less than ideal education and eventually found athletics to be the outlet that would later help him in his business endeavors. Baseball and wrestling held particular sway in his life - and would later serve him well in the establishment of what is now called Cal Farley's Boys Ranch located in the former townsite of Old Tascosa, 40 miles northwest of Amarillo.

During his lifetime, Farley would eventually find roots in Amarillo where he operated a tire store for years and was influential in a number of civic endeavors such as the establishment of the Maverick Boys and Girls Club - which, by the way, is still in operation to this day. But what proved to be the passion of his life was when he discovered that there were some delinquent youths that could never be completely changed into productived people unless their physical environment was entirely changed.

"A Shirttail..." attempts to do its best to chronicle Farley's major accomplishments as well as the highs and lows he and his wife, Mimi, faced during their lifetime. One particular anecdote that I found interesting in the book was the relating of a radio spot during a show Farley did for an Amarillo station in the 1930s where, as Farley would be talking about his store, some man would yell and complain about the alleged raw deal that Farley gave him. Despite Farley's efforts to try to change the subject, the other man would just keep complaining louder and louder. Farley would then, as a way to distract attention from the irate man, would get the fiddle player to start playing in order to drown out the poor man's complaints.

This audiobook, partly due to its biographical nature, was one that I found a little too jingoistic and biased for my taste. But at the same time, you might can glean a little bit of perspective in regards to a part of the history of the Panhandle by taking the time to listen to these tapes. Those that are into gossip and tabloids will be wasting their time in wanting to find juicy morsels about Mr. Farley that will put him in a negative light. But if you're a historian, you might find a few kernels that will help you discover what life was like in the Panhandle during the Depression. This book might not seem to be much on the surface - but you might find it an audiobook to hang on to (no pun intended).

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