Bill Walraven

Bill Walraven is a guy who says he had the best job in the world for 15 years—writing a general column for the Corpus Christi Caller. Walraven grew up in the Masonic Home and School in Fort Worth, Texas, and served on a PT Boat—not 109–in World War II. After the war he tried to become an engineer but found out he was better suited for journalism. As a general columnist he wrote about whatever he wanted to and found that humor and history were two of his favorite subjects. Real Texans Don't Drink Scotch in Their Dr Pepper was a lot of fun, and The Magnificent Barbarians, which contains proof of U.S. troops at the 1836 Battle of San Jacinto where Texas won its independence from Mexico, is a valuable historical contribution. His latest work, The General Said Nuts, tells first-hand stories of American war heroes, most of them from World War II.