Cheryl Thomas

Darrell Royal was leading the Longhorns to a National Championship. Lyndon Johnson was in the White House. It didn’t take long for Austin to hook Cheryl and Les Thomas the first time they saw it as college students in the 1960s. They knew it was a magical place—but they didn’t know then that the magic would bring them back. Careers in journalism took them to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram where they were both news reporters and on to Birmingham, Alabama, where Les joined Southern Living Magazine as travel editor and Cheryl worked for news wire services, taught English and finished her master’s degree at the University of Alabama (where another pretty good football team was playing). Magic happened again when Les was tapped to open the magazine’s first outside editorial office in 1977. The lucky city: Austin. For Cheryl and Les, it was the beginning of a life filled with adventures and the chance to really discover the secrets, charms, and hidden treasures of a truly special city that make it so beloved. Enough to fill a book.