Fort Worth Business Press, June 2, 2014 Vol. 26, No. 22 | Page 30

opinion

30 June 9 - 15, 2014 | fwbusinesspress.com

Long-ago ‘no’ to Hickman became a lesson learned

T

he late Bob Bolen, the man who turned the
Fort Worth mayor’s job into a full-time position, is not here to defend himself but that’s
okay. He would not need a defense.
It was springtime, several years after Bolen’s 1991
departure from the mayor’s office, when he phoned me
at the Star-Telegram where I was president and publisher.
Said he’d be “right over,” and had important news to tell
me. Bringing a friend with him.
Bob Bolen took Fort Worth boosterism, molded it like
clay in his hands, and turned it into an art form.
Within an hour he was at my office and introduced
me to Holt Hickman, owner of the Stockyards. Now,
Holt did not own all of the Stockyards but along with a
partner or two he owned enough of the real estate there
to be able to claim proprietary rights.
This is a column about how I started out slowly but
over time realized how smart Holt Hickman was, is and
continues to be. I also came to admire the way he never
gives up. If he has an idea – and he has many – he will
not let obstacles stand in his way.
“Holt’s bringing in some new partners and they are going to go full out to promote the idea of casino gambling
in Texas,” proclaimed Bolen. “And one of the first casinos
will be right here in the Stockyards.”
By my side at the meeting was Bill Thompson, an
editor and a columnist at the Star-Telegram. He and I
worked on editorial page positions together as well as
reporting projects. Mike Blackman was the editor of the
paper but was out of town that day.
“I told Holt you will be in full support of this project,”
said Bolen. He was smiling broadly.
I shook my head back and forth in a manner that
normally indicates the word “no” will soon be spoken.

This is a column about
how I started out slowly
but over time realized how
smart Holt Hickman was,
is and continues to be.
n Richard Connor

Bolen grimaced.
“Not going to happen,” I said.
Bolen was stunned and Hickman even more surprised.
I had the distinct impression he had been assured by
Bolen that I would agree and be supportive of virtually
anything that Bolen thought was good for Fort Worth.
I like to point out in these stories that I was barely 40
years old. My hope is that I will get consideration for the
impetuosity of youth. But, the fact is that bad manners
are bad manners.
I displayed bad manners.
Thompson and I had previously worked in Pennsylvania, I said, and we had each read what was known as the
“Pennsylvania Crime Commission Report.” It was damning about the deleterious effects of casino gambling and
it implicated the Mafia at every turn of a page.
“We will come down squarely and vehemently against
casino gambling here,” I said. “Don’t need to discuss or
debate it. We know how we feel about it.”
The room grew silent.
Bolen at moments such as this would usually tell me
how disappointed “Amon,” would be that I was sitting