J. Frank (James Frank) Dobie

Born on September 26, 1888, on a ranch in Live Oak County, Texas, J. Frank Dobie grew up close to the cattle country and brush country landscapes that would shape his writing. He studied at Southwestern University and later joined the University of Texas, where he became an important teacher, writer, and champion of regional culture.

Dobie is best remembered as a folklorist and author who collected and retold stories of cowboys, vaqueros, longhorns, outlaws, buried treasure, and life on the open range. He was closely connected with the Texas Folklore Society, and books such as A Vaquero of the Brush Country, Coronado's Children, and The Longhorns helped preserve stories that might otherwise have been lost.

More than a recorder of tall tales, he became one of the best-known interpreters of Texas and the wider Southwest for general readers. He died on September 18, 1964, but his writing still stands out for its warmth, curiosity, and love of place.