On my early morning walk I went to Aransas Bay, down the sidewalk on Traylor. It was a beautiful morning to look across the bay and see Saint Joseph's island some six or seven miles away. The thin fog made the scene more interesting. It brought back many memories.
In 1959 I was a student at Southwestern Seminary in Fort Worth. I read of a man named Sid Richardson who had died. I had never heard of him. I noted, however, that Billy Graham was coming to preach the funeral. I decided to attend. It was held at Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth. I knew immediately I was among the rich and famous of Texas and beyond. Lyndon B Johnson was there. I recognized Sam Rayburn. The President sent a personal envoy since he couldn't be there. It was an impressive service and I sat in awe of it all.
Sid Richardson had owned that island that stretched out before me this morning. In fact, it was there he died of a heart attack in 1959. There was only one home on this island more than twenty miles long and accessible only by boat or an airplane. The property was willed to the Bass family of Fort Worth. They still own it. Sid Richardson was a confirmed batchelor and successful oilman. He was one of the richest men in the Country. He left a Foundation that has helped churches and other organizations through all these years. He was a bit of a recluse except for a few friends. He was an adviser to President Roosevelt on oil during World War II. He was the person who most convinced Dwight Eisenhower to run for President.
This island, once the home for pirates like Jean Lafitte; and under siege during the Civil War by Union troops, lay silently across the bay as a morning sun warmed it's sand another day. If it could but speak what stories would be told? St. Jo.
