TEXAS HISTORY MINUTE: James Frank Dobie, respected storyteller
By Ken Bridges
Special to the Herald Democrat
Great storytelling is an honored tradition across the South and the Southwest. Texas, with its long history of engaging characters and adventures, has produced many tales to tell. Perhaps one of the most respected storytellers was writer and professor J. Frank Dobie.
Born James Frank Dobie on September 26, 1888, a love of literature and the open prairie was instilled in him from birth. The family lived on a modest ranch in Live Oak County in South Texas. Dobie was the oldest of six children, and he worked the ranch with his family from a young age. In the evenings, after the day’s chores had been completed, his father read to him and the other children from the family Bible while his mother read classic works of literature to them.