A crowd of perhaps 100 people gathered near the coffin on a mild spring day. Friends, family and clergy spoke briefly and read from scripture.
Before and after the graveside memorial for legendary public relations lion Julian Read advisor to six presidents at the Texas State Cemetery, admirers, clad in dark hues, mixed among the marble and granite monuments that bedeck Republic Hill, where some of the state s founders are buried.
Read, who died May 8 at age 93 after a full life, had witnessed Texas history.
Across a dinner table, he could recount details about the Nov. 22, 1963, assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas he was the first spokesman to explain to the press what happened in the presidential limousine. Over lunch, Read could regale you with perfectly polished anecdotes about governors, legislators and civic leaders, or chat about the finer points of midcentury modern design.
In 2015, after dropping out of college in Colorado, Lorenzo Canseco moved to Austin for a fresh start in life.
He had heard of St. Edward s University, but didn t know much about it. While serving as an emergency medical technician and firefighter in Hays County, Canseco learned more about the Austin liberal arts university from a mentor. He had a story similar to mine, Canseco, 26, says. He moved here and changed his life. He said that St. Ed s was the best experience he could have asked for. He told me: Quit your job and go become a doctor. Go apply today.
The two pieces belong together.
One is a metal sculpture of a spaceman. He shifts his weight as if walking in uncertain gravity. The gold mask on his helmet reflects back the visual world in front of him, including any startled guest who happens to be looking in. White and black graffiti equations, upbeat words, diagrams cover his primarily dark-silver-purple suit and the gold metal star that serves as his pedestal.
Behind the spaceman is a large canvas on a long partition. Four lines of black script neatly hang over one line of red. The lettering, brushed or rolled lightly, suggests a mix of language sources. Its indubitable legacy in street art almost disappears into an elegant, ancient calligraphy.