Despite the claim that computers will one day replace most people in the working world, it’s highly doubtful that any high-tech machine will be able to take over Dallas’ Skip Hollandsworth in spinning a tale. In these parts, he is the master at weaving a yarn and vacuuming an interviewee of their most intimate secrets. Having a get-to-know-y0u conversation with Skip is like playing verbal chess with Grandmaster Garry Kasparov.
On one occasion, a new editor in town wanted to meet Skip and scheduled a lunch get-together. By the end of the luncheon, the editor walked away dazzled by Skip’s charm and wit. As Skip left with a twinkle in his eye and a smile, the editor fessed up, “He’s so good that I didn’t realize that he was getting me to tell my life story without learning one thing about him. What’s more, I got to pick up the check and it was a bargain. A therapist would have charged me three times as much.”
For 30 years, he’s been a staff writer for Texas Monthly, where his 1998 “Midnight in the Garden of East Texas” hit the silver screen as a feature film, “Bernie” starring Matthew McConaughey and Jack Black. When he visited the set with his daughter, he thought she would be bowled over by McConaughey. But, no, it was Black who scored high on the teenager’s cool scale.
In 2016 his “Midnight Assassin” became a New York Times best-seller about a “true crime novel based in Austin.”
Thanks to the 2019 Charles C. Sprague Sage Society Annual Dinner Co-Chairs Debbie and Nickey Oates, Skip will share his work in researching and writing “Midnight Assassin” at the Dallas Country Club benefiting The Senior Source on Wednesday, May 1.
According to Debbie, “I love our speaker and look forward to his storytelling. It will be gratifying to hear this tale of true Texas crime from a master storyteller.”
Joining the fundraising effort for The Senior Source is presenting sponsor Tolleson Wealth Management.
According to Carter Tolleson, “For us at Tolleson Wealth Management, family has and always will be the foundation of our mission and we’re honored to serve as the presenting sponsor for the 2019 Sage Society Dinner. With our country’s elderly population growing every day, it is important to educate community leaders on the challenges and concerns facing this particular group of Americans. Ultimately, we hope our involvement can help The Senior Source continue their great work in providing Dallas area seniors and their families with all the vital resources they need to thrive.”
Warning: If you’re looking for a boring talk, forget The Sage Society Annual Dinner. But if you want an evening to witness a brilliant storyteller that will delight, then do not hesitate. This is the one. Tickets are available here.
* Skip did not pay for this post.