The Tyler Chronicles

The reason Tyler, Texas is a great place to live is because of its people. This book is a collection of profiles about those people. It not only relates the current events of our time, but also explores the roots of our existence. Some of the stories were originally published in the pagesTyler Today Magazine, Tyler's oldest and only city magazine. The reader will discover what Tyler residents already know -- their neighbors are, for the most part, generous and caring individuals, always ready to suppport a worthy cause. Within these pages are stories of courage and determination. The reader is introduced to people who face adversity with an unmatched dignity; people living their lives fully, despite a devastating disease or some catastrophy that may have befallen their family. Here, too, are sketches of the movers and shakers of our East Texas community, people who make things happpen on a daily basis. As the book unfolds, the character and personality of the town is revealed. That personality has developed over a long period of time, from the Native Americans who first ventured into the Piney Woods, to the early settlers who followed Moses Austin to begin a new life as citizens of Mexico, to the rebels who created the Republic of Texas. It was after that republic became a state that Tyler came into being. Tyler was first an agriculural community. Its location between Dallas to the west and Shreveport to the east made it a logical location for the railroad. With the advent of transportation, the town became a commercial center. Early success farming fruit trees and roses led the town leaders to build paved roads. Twenty-eight miles of those early brick streets remain today. They are as important an element of the town's charm as the roses and the the annual spring flowers and azaleas that attract tourists each year. Just a few miles out of town, Camp Ford was built to house prisoners during what the locals referred to as the War of Northern Aggression. At war's end, Tyler became a refuge for freed slaves from throughout the south. Before the end of the nineteenth century, a college dedicated to providing educational opportunities for young African Americans was built in Tyler, the first step in a process that made Tyler the educational mecca for East Texas. At a time when the rest of the nation plunged into a Great Depression, oil discovered in East Texas helped Tyler become a major banking and business center. Prosperity led to a major building boom. Hospitals and schools sprang up. There was even a sky scaper built on the downtown square, at the time the tallest structure west Mississippi. As the once sleepy trading outpost became a town, the one constant through all its stages of growth is the people. Descendants from the early families of Tyler remain here today. Newcomers moving to Tyler pushed the population to a third more than were here just thirty years ago. Most say they moved here because the lifestyle was so appealing, the people so friendly and the town itself is so pretty. And, it is -- a pretty town with pretty people. The readers of The Tyler Chornicles may find a reason to cry and to laugh out loud. They may find something to think about and may learn something they never knew about before. This book is meant as an homage to the people of Tyler, because it is the people who make the town.

Robert Marlin is the Nom de Plume of a frequent contributor to the pages of Tyler Today Magazine. He first developed his writing skills as a member of the Lufkin High School Class of '72. Although he gained a slight noteriety traveling the world as a documentarian, his passion is the written word. The stories he pens are verbal portraits of the neighbors he interviews. They usually provide insights into the character and personality of each subject. He strives to present sketches of poignancy, heroism, courage, compassion and generosity. Those are the traits that so often are found among of the people who make Tyler their home.