Roy Bedichek (June 27, 1878 – May 21, 1959) was a Texan writer, naturalist, and

educator A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

Biography

Early life and education

Roy Bedichek was born on June 27, 1878 in Cass County, Illinois to parents James Madison Bedichek and Lucretia Ellen Craven. The family relocated to Falls County, Texas in 1884. Bedichek attended country schools and the Bedichek Academy, founded by his father in

Eddy, Texas Bruceville-Eddy is a city in McLennan and Falls Counties in the U.S. state of Texas. Its population was 1,413 at the 2020 census. Most of the city is in McLennan County and is part of the Waco metropolitan statistical area. A small southern ...

. He enrolled at the University of Texas at Austin in February 1898. He received his Bachelor of Science in 1903. Later in 1925, after returning as an employee of the University system, he earned his Master of Arts.

Employment

His first job after college was as a reporter for the ''Fort Worth Record''. Soon after, he was a high school teacher, first in

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

and then in San Angelo, Texas. Next, he worked as the secretary of the Chamber of Commerce in

Deming, New Mexico Deming (, ''DEM-ing'') is a city in Luna County, New Mexico, Luna County, New Mexico, United States, west of Las Cruces, New Mexico, Las Cruces and north of the Mexico–United States border, Mexican border. The population was 14,855 as of the ...

. While in Deming, he was the Editor of the Deming Headlight. By 1913, Bedichek had returned to Austin and became the secretary of the Young Men's Business League, which later was merged with the chamber of commerce. Subsequently, he was executive secretary of the Organization for Promoting Interest in Higher Education in Texas. Then, he served as city editor of the San Antonio Express. Finally, in the fall of 1917, he began work in Austin with the University Interscholastic League (UIL), which was then a part of the University of Texas Extension Bureau. He became the second Director of the league in 1922. He retired from this position in 1948.

Writing

At the urging of his friends, Walter Prescott Webb and

J. Frank Dobie James Frank Dobie (September 26, 1888 – September 18, 1964) was an American folklorist, writer, and newspaper columnist best known for his many books depicting the richness and traditions of life in rural Texas during the days of the open rang ...

, he took a leave of absence in February 1946 to write his first book, ''Adventures with a Texas Naturalist''. His second book and third books were awarded the Carr P. Collins Award for the best Texas book of the day by the Texas Institute of Letters (TIL).Awards, Texas Institute of Letters
(PDF) His last book was released posthumously.

Friends

While his friends J. Frank Dobie and Walter Prescott Webb are more renowned outside of Austin, in the community all three are respected equally. In the late 1960s to the early 1970s, the Austin Independent School District opened Middle Schools (then known as Junior Highs) named after all three men. Also, in 1994 a sculpture, known as Philosopher's Rock, portraying Roy Bedichek, J. Frank Dobie and Walter Prescott Webb was installed at

Barton Springs Pool Barton Springs Pool is a recreational outdoor swimming pool that is filled entirely with water from nearby natural springs. It is located on the grounds of Zilker Park in Austin, Texas. The pool exists within the channel of Barton Creek and util ...

in Austin. The sculpture was fashioned in honor of their promotion of the preservation of Barton Springs.

Media

*A documentary, ''Roy Bedichek's Vanishing Frontier,'' written, produced and directed by Rob Tranchin was shown nationally on PBS in April 2003. *A one-act play by Steve Moore, ''Nightswim,'' about Bedichek, Dobie and Webb was first produced in Austin in Fall, 2004.XL , Reviews , 'Nightswim,' Conspirare & more – Oct. 14, 2004
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Bibliography

* * ''Awarded outstanding Texas book of the year by TIL'' * ''Awarded outstanding Texas book of the year by TIL'' *