Kerrville - Book of the Grotesques

High school English departments used to require students to read Sherwood Anderson's classic, Winesburg, Ohio, which he subtitled "Book of the Grotesques." It consisted of a collection of short stories where he depicted "the strange, secret lives of the inhabitants of a small town." The very first story is about a man who may or may not have been a pervert, like Kerrville's own Gary Stork. A writer friend of mine, Charles Bowden, advised me that if I wanted to follow through on my plans for a book about Kerrville I could model it somewhat after Anderson's book, where, in Chuck's words, "the grotesques would emerge from the shadows."

Which brings me to the latest in some of the good ol' boys pretending to feel "threatened" or "bullied" by a letter the mayor's husband wrote to interim city manager Don Davis. Our local paper published a letter to the editor by Gene Allen, an undertaker and former councilman who quit before his term expired (I'm sure there's a story there), titled "Stop the untruths; vote to save the city." He is very disturbed at what he calls the bullying in Kerrville, and gets carried away, mixing metaphors and generally making an ass of himself: he claims there has been a "traveling medicine show" and "the Bible talks of the devil and his tactics," and warns "Folks, it's time to wake up and smell the bacon," "drain the swamp," and "don't be fooled by wolves dressed as sheep!" 

Let's take a look at the "victims" of the bullying: 

The Grotesques

Bottom picture left to right: Stork, Stephen Fine, Robert Earl Keen, Glenn Andrew, Gene Allen.

Keen is a good man, and I'm sorry to include his picture with this crew - I'm sure he poses for pictures with hundreds of fans a year. 

Where was Allen when Gary Stork, looking like Charles Manson, who he knew was being investigated for child molesting, was sitting next to Mayor Bonnie White, badgering her. I received an anonymous letter from someone who told me the police department had intel that Stork was coming unhinged and might go postal in a council meeting, yet he was left loose on the streets. His wife Peggy's may have been prevented if the authorities had acted. For reasons known only to KPD, Stephen Fine, Glenn Andrew and Gene Allen they not only did nothing to protect the public, they appear to have egged him on against the mayor. Allen actually cursed her in an executive session, and when called on it (that he was not a man and was a coward) he had no reply, and not so long afterward resigned from council. 

If someone besides Stork's wife had been murdered, the city would have been bankrupted by the liability. 

Update on Ex-Judge Kevin Fine (no relation to Stephen Fine) Arrest

KDT has Kevin Fine's mug shot on the front page today under the headline "Former Harris County district judge faces Kerrville drug charge." They helpfully point out in the second paragraph that he's not related to councilman Stephen Fine. Why is KDT going out of its way to shield Fine? 

Anyway, this is a pretty sordid case. The San Antonio Express reports that fine was caught in a sting trying to trade legal services for methamphetamine and sex. He was already on probation in Kendall County for almost exactly the same charge. You'd think he'd have learned the first time.