Boxer, preacher, and grill super salesman George Foreman died in his longtime hometown of Houston in March.

Texas Standard commentator W.F. Strong has been thinking about Foreman’s life and how he literally fought his way from rags to riches more than once.

The full transcript of this episode of Stories from Texas is available on the KUT & KUTX Studio website. The transcript is also available as subtitles or captions on some podcast apps.

The post George Foreman’s resilience: A two-time rags-to-riches story appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

In 1909, in the little town of Shiner, a group of German and Czech farmers decided they missed the beer of the old country. They pooled their money, built a ramshackle brewery, and called it the Shiner Brewing Association.

But they weren’t brewers. They were farmers. The beer was, well, bad. Locals apparently joked it tasted more like medicine than malt.

But Texas Standard commentator W.F. Strong tells us things started looking up for Shiner beer in 1914.

The full transcript of this episode of Stories from Texas is available on the KUT & KUTX Studio website. The transcript is also available as subtitles or captions on some podcast apps.

The post The two men who rescued Shiner Beer appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Did you know a Texan actually co-founded the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA)? But before that, she showed prowess in several other sports.

Texas Standard commentator W.F. Strong explains that she was so good at baseball, she was nicknamed after one of the greatest players of all time. Here is the story of Mildred “Babe” Ella Didrikson.

The full transcript of this episode of Stories from Texas is available on the KUT & KUTX Studio website. The transcript is also available as subtitles or captions on some podcast apps.

The post They called her ‘Babe’ appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Texas Standard commentator W.F. Strong has met a lot of Texans throughout the years. Some have shared bits of history from the Lone Star State. Some have recalled old family traditions or news of certain oddities.

But others have imparted on him some unique problem-solving skills. This story tells of two old friends and their quick thinking.

The full transcript of this episode of Stories from Texas is available on the KUT & KUTX Studio website. The transcript is also available as subtitles or captions on some podcast apps.

The post Belle and Lea appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Texas Standard commentator W.F. Strong reminds us of a time you’ll find particularly in rural Texas – Cowboy Time.

The full transcript of this episode of Stories from Texas is available on the KUT & KUTX Studio website. The transcript is also available as subtitles or captions on some podcast apps.

The post Cowboy Time appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

The start of the school year means it’s the end of summer travel season for many families. As Texans well know, depending on where you live in the state, it can take longer to travel out of it than to cross several state lines beyond our borders.

Texas Standard commentator W.F. Strong reflects on coming back to Texas.

The full transcript of this episode of Stories from Texas is available on the KUT & KUTX Studio website. The transcript is also available as subtitles or captions on some podcast apps.

The post The sky welcomes you home appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

There are a few symbols so deeply woven into the fabric of Texas that they seem as native as mesquite or bluebonnets. One of them is the Stetson hat. Not just any Stetson hat – the Boss of the Plains.

Texas Standard commentator W.F. Strong says that oddly enough, it didn’t come from Texas at all.

The full transcript of this episode of Stories from Texas is available on the KUT & KUTX Studio website. The transcript is also available as subtitles or captions on some podcast apps.

The post The hat that made the cowboy appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

If there’s one thing the Texans of the early republic never lacked, it was imagination – especially when it came to dodging tariffs and taxes. Texas Standard commentator W.F. Strong explains.

The full transcript of this episode of Stories from Texas is available on the KUT & KUTX Studio website. The transcript is also available as subtitles or captions on some podcast apps.

The post Creative smuggling when Texas was a republic appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Back in frontier times, it was the most deeply feared moon in Texas and northern Mexico.

The full transcript of this episode of Stories from Texas is available on the KUT & KUTX Studio website. The transcript is also available as subtitles or captions on some podcast apps.

The post The Comanche Moon appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

This bit of history really does seem too strange to be true. It involves the family of John Wilkes Booth, the son of Abraham Lincoln, and Sam Houston.

The full transcript of this episode of Stories from Texas is available on the KUT & KUTX Studio website. The transcript is also available as subtitles or captions on some podcast apps.

The post New York aids Texas Revolution appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.