LONE STARS RISING

11 Dallas icons star in new book of most influential Texans from last 50 years

To commemorate Texas Monthly's 50th anniversary, the publication has collected the stories and photographs of 50 iconic Texans who have shaped the state and the country over the past 50 years for a book called Lone Stars Rising. Eleven Dallas megastars have made the roster.

MaryKay.com

Mary Kay Ash, founder of the namesake cosmetics company.

Among the book's 256 pages are not just the rich histories and commentaries about the most recognizable Texas legends, but a few "lesser-known individuals who have been toiling on the sidelines, quietly and intentionally shaping" our perception of the state, they say.

The 11 Dallas-area "stars" who made it into the book include state political figures, business magnates, spearheading chefs, and more - both alive and deceased. They are:

Tom Landry, the first Dallas Cowboys head coach
Mary Kay Ash, founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics
George W. Bush, 43rd President of the United States and former Texas governor
Herb Kelleher, who developed the business plan for Southwest Airlines
O’Neil Ford, architect who designed several University of Dallas buildings
H. Ross Perot, founder of Plano's Electronic Data Systems and Perot Systems
T. Boone Pickens, founder and chairman of BP Capital Management
Dean Fearing, Anne Lindsay Greer, and Stephan Pyles, chefs and cookbook authors who pioneered the "Southwestern Cuisine" movement
Larry McMurtry, novelist and owner of antiquarian bookshop Booked Up

Lone Stars Rising will be available for purchase on June 6. More information about the book can be found on texasmonthly.com.

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Museum News

National Medal of Honor Museum offers preview at downtown Dallas event

AT&T

The AT&T Discovery District hosted a mobile museum pop-up.

A high-profile museum opening in 2025 offered a preview in downtown Dallas: It's The National Medal of Honor Museum, slated to open in Arlington, at Nolan Ryan Expressway and AT&T Way in the Stadium district in spring 2025.

To give folks a preview of coming attractions, the institution dispatched a mobile museum to make a visit to the AT&T Discovery District on November 20, during lunchtime when foot traffic is brisk.

Imagine the sense of wonder and amazement that downtown Dallas denizens must have felt upon the sight of a double decker bus, parked in the District, equipped with video and historical information about the Medal of Honor award, stories of the recipients, and a rendering of how the museum in Arlington will look.

The National Medal of Honor MuseumCourtesy rendering

The goal of The National Medal of Honor Museum is to inspire Americans by honoring and preserving the history of the highest military decoration awarded for valor in combat.

They hope it will serve as a national landmark, illustrating the historical thread of sacrifice and patriotism that runs through all U.S. military service members, past and present.

Beyond its state-of-the-art, interactive experiences, a critical part of the Museum’s mission will be to use the stories of Medal of Honor recipients to inspire their fellow Americans.

It will incorporate the AT&T Virtual Recipient Theater, an augmented reality experience where visitors can interact with with Medal of Honor recipients. The space will be equipped with cutting-edge conversational AI technology complete with voice recognition to allow museum goers to have a conversation in a 3D format with medal of honor recipients living and past.

It will also have AT&T Branded Wi-Fi throughput the museum.

Interior of the mobile Medal of Honor Museum.AT&T