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Gary Scharrer

Connecting Texas: True Tales of the People Who Built Our Highways and Bridges Hardcover – February 4, 2020

by Gary Scharrer (Author)

11 ratings

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American roads are about destinations. They're also about destiny.

The evolution of the national system of roads in the United States is undeniably linked to our unique history and our past and future successes. Today's roads are a long way from the Model T days, when bold early contractors used mules and Fresnos to build roads and bridges that literally helped people up out of the mud and across uncrossable rivers. Those primitive roads, developed back at the beginning of the twentieth century, link us to each other today. But that story didn't happen over night.

The legacy of the colorful contractors whose careers intersected with the influential Association of General Contractors provides the basis for Connecting Texas, which is rich in personal interviews and present-day and historic photographs. Gary Scharrer clearly captures the effect that good roads have had on the Texas (and national) economy. But this longtime reporter also weaves an informed and entertaining narrative that will put readers face-to-face with the inspirational and larger-than-life stories of the giants and everyday people who gave Texas a road system that is the envy of the country.

Millions of us get into our vehicles every day to go to work, or school, or any number of other places in our daily lives. But the majority of us don't think about the roads underneath us. We jump in our cars or trucks, and off we go. But what about the individuals and the hard work and grit that it took and continues to take to build and maintain these essential arteries? Most of us generally take it for granted that good roads and bridges are simply a guaranteed fact of everyday life.

Reading Connecting Texas will change these perspectives forever.

Gary Scharrer spent 43 years as a journalist before landing at the Associated General Contractors of Texas. His work on Connecting Texas reflects his longstanding interest in highway transportation.

Print length

366 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Greenleaf Book Group Llc
Publication date

February 4, 2020
Dimensions

8.8 x 1.2 x 10 inches
ISBN-10

1626346860
ISBN-13

978-1626346864
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Gary Scharrer first experienced the full benefits of roads at a younger age than most. Both of his parents grew up on dairy farms, and Scharrer was eleven years old when he first started driving farm machinery on rural Michigan roads. He enjoyed running tractors cutting and baling alfalfa hay and cultivating navy beans and corn.

He paid his way through college working on Great Lakes freighters that hauled taconite iron ore pellets from the northern shores of Lake Superior to the steel mills in Detroit, Cleveland, and Buffalo. He lived and worked as a deckhand on the freighterssome as long as 1,000 feetseven days a week. Other cargoes included coal, gypsum, sand, and limestone. Back then, he didnt know that limestone could be used in making road base.

For most of his career, Scharrer worked as a newspaper reporter covering Texas politics and public policy issues, and for nearly thirty years, he reported from the Texas State Capitol Bureau for the San Antonio Express-News, the Houston Chronicle, and the El Paso Times. During that time, he won five Texas Headliner Club awards.

Scharrer got his start in journalism as a sports writer and sports editor at Michigan State Universitys student newspaper and went on to become sports editor of The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel (Grand Junction, Colorado) and editor of the Frankenmuth News (Frankenmuth, Michigan). In 1987, he was a reporter at USA Today in Washington, D.C.

After forty-three years as a journalist, he joined the staff of Texas Senate Finance Chairman Tommy Williams (R-The Woodlands), before landing at the Associated General Contractors of Texas. Scharrers work on Connecting Texas reflects his longstanding interest in highway transportation.

Scharrer presently divides his time between Frankenmuth, Michigan, where he lives with his native Texan wife, Gay, who is a retired schoolteacher, and Austin, Texas, where he spends time with his son, Ryan, and his daughter-in-law, Anne Marie.

Product details

Publisher : Greenleaf Book Group Llc (February 4, 2020)
Language : English
Hardcover : 366 pages
ISBN-10 : 1626346860
ISBN-13 : 978-1626346864
Item Weight : 3.43 pounds
Dimensions : 8.8 x 1.2 x 10 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,187,128 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #95 in Highway & Traffic Engineering
- #1,302 in History of Engineering & Technology
- #1,980 in History of Technology

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D. Jones

Imagine Texas without Highways? Impossible.

Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2020

Verified Purchase

I don’t know how many thousands of miles I’ve driven Texas highways. I lived eight years in El Paso, so far west that it’s in the Mountain time zone. My family moved to Washington D.C. but my children have grown and moved west. We often fly, but my wife and I had seen our share of distant tornadoes, armadillos, and bug storms that have made the front windshield all but opaque. I have tried to make “Amarillo By Morning.” Literally. I’ve been in all 50 states and Texas is the only one where I can go 80 and the drivers going 75 in front of me will slide to the right to let me pass. Getting out of the way is a Lone Star tradition. Still, I knew next to nothing of the Texas highway system until I read Connecting Texas. It’s a beautiful book designed with artistry and color photographs of sunsets and vistas and men in hard hats. I lost myself in the pages. Hours can be spent studying the informational breakouts alone, which give brief histories of major players and even their advice on the meaning of life. There’s a breakout: “Road Building 101: The Basics.” The early history of the Texas road system was my favorite section, but I found heart-warming stories such as the 1987 rescue of Baby Jessica from a well. A Texas rancher once told New Mexico Gov. Bruce King: “I can wake up at dawn and drive my truck until sunset and never leave my ranch.” Gov. King told him, “Yeah, I used to own a truck like that, too.”

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Kirk Swann

Interesting Stories, Great Photos

Reviewed in the United States on September 9, 2020

Verified Purchase

This is a really interesting book written by a super guy. I grew up in Texas and spent years driving all over the state as a journalist. There are stories in here I had never heard. Really a great read and the photos are a treasure. Order yours today. You won't regret it.

One person found this helpful

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Hector Gutierrez

Infrastructure Emeritus

Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2020

There is nothing greater than being able to connect from one City/Town in Texas to another and to get to places of enjoyment/leisure/recreation. There would be no Economic Development without this important element of infrastructure. Great compendium of all the stakeholders that make “all of this happen”. The “stories” in this book are interesting, compelling, and unique. BUY IT: great coffee table book on top of it!!!! Gary Scharrer is a very good writer and storyteller……..Hector Gutierrez—El Paso.

5 people found this helpful

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Sid Maxwell

The "What?" Behind the "Why?"

Reviewed in the United States on September 1, 2020

There is a reason it takes a day to drive out of Texas. The roads are many and long. This book goes into the history of the men and companies that built Texas' roadways. It is well written and an easy read. I highly recommend this book.

One person found this helpful

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William

The writer's desire to accurately portray his subject is evident.

Reviewed in the United States on September 9, 2020

A difficult subject, Mr. Scharrer was relentless in digging into the details of some of the people that built the Texas highway system. His story confirms that Texas contractors started broke, with no equipment, and with persistence and ingenuity built one of the finest highway systems in the world.

One person found this helpful

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N/A

Great Book!

Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2020

History of the Highway Construction Industry in Texas told like never before.

One person found this helpful

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David R. Ralph

Well researched and beautifully presented

Reviewed in the United States on June 10, 2020

A must read for any Texan or anyone who'd like to be