LEGACY TEXAS ORIGINAL
Preservationist
ONE-MAN WITH BOOTS ON
O
A passionate collector of Texas memorabilia, Doug Harman has turned his attention to the Chisholm Trail, which next year turns 150
by KIM PHILLIPS
ON A WWII military base in San Antonio, a little boy sits in the middle of a make-believe battlefield. Beneath a cowboy hat, his face is fur- rowed in concentration. He maneuvers scattered toy soldiers into formation, an imaginary battle unfolding across his bedroom floor.
A few years later, those toy soldiers pose on shelves surrounded by a fledgling collection of aviation and authentic military gear like helmets and canteens, all crowded by biography and his- tory books.
During his undergraduate years at Nebraska Wesleyan University in Lincoln, the young man’s knack for collecting continues even as he’s dis- covered a new hobby. A lifelong “doodling” habit takes shape in the form of cartoons about anything catching his interest — professors, friends, places, objects, even events. Reading, collecting and cartooning follow him to graduate school and on to his Ph.D. studies at American University in Washington, D.C.
Fast forward to 1976 — Alexandria, Virginia. Douglas Harman, a Ph.D. in urban administration and planning, is the city manager in the hometown of George Washington. His passion for history stronger than ever, his collec- tion expands to include pieces that capture the history of this historic colonial city, which was
78 AUTHENTIC TEXAS
also hometown to Gen. Robert E. Lee and other important national figures. Scores of hand-drawn cartoons line his desk drawers.
Texas got lucky in 1985 when Harman accepted the city manager job in Fort Worth. He was enamored from the start with the city’s rich Old West history. His collection expanded again, this time to include gear that told the story of cowboys, vaqueros and Fort Worth’s vital role in Texas and U.S. history. His cartoons began reflecting Fort Worth’s sense of place and its people. He immersed himself in Texas culture. Donning cowboy hat, boots and bolo tie, he quickly became a recognized Texas history advo- cate and icon who embodied the spirit of Texas. Five years later, Harman was named CEO of the Fort Worth Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB). Here, his career and passion converged. He was able to focus on enhancing Fort Worth’s heritage while promoting it to the masses. His vast collection spilled into his office and into the Fort Worth CVB’s Visitor Center, where visitors and locals alike enjoyed it. It became a mini- museum of sorts, featured in an Aug. 21, 2002, Wall Street Journal story of the most distinctive CEO offices in the country. Hats and sombreros, boots and spurs, art, even saddles and chaps were part of the showcase he shared there.
“Collecting is learning,” Harman explains. “And it’s much more. Objects related to our heritage inspire passion for Texas, and that’s the strongest motivator for preserving it.” More than 300 pairs of spurs and countless other pieces later, he knows Texas better than most Texans, deeply devoted to safeguarding the pieces, places and landscapes that tell the Texas story. Harman’s more than 20 years of leadership in Fort Worth was by no means limited to the city limits. He chaired many organizations in heritage, historical and tourism circles across the state, establishing Fort Worth as the hub of Texas’ Western history. He launched Fort Worth into Texas tourism’s limelight as the bed- rock for “Where the West Begins,” influencing how Texas is perceived around the globe. “Passion about heritage and the objects that bring it life are vital for promoting the state as a destination,” Harman explains. “Our most significant message is who we are, where we’ve come from. Relics of the past bring that alive and give us the tools to deliver the Texas mystique people expect to see, hear and touch when they visit the state.”
One project that Harman has devoted him-
self to — for more than 15 years — is the Chisholm Trail that spanned Texas into Kansas
COURTESY TEXAS LAKES TRAIL REGION
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