Just got a check today for another reprint of my article "Boy Mayor of Texas," first published in Boy's Quest. I didn't realize when I submitted that it would keep working for me so long. This was my fourth check!
Since this was one of my favorite stories to write, I'm glad kids are still reading it. The article was about Brian Zimmerman, elected mayor of his unincorporated Texas town (which didn't have any legal bylaws about mayoral age). Although his post was unofficial, he took it seriously, warning motorists not to drive too fast and pushing for incorporation. He was spotlighted on several national TV shows, traveled to France for a conference of mayors, and was even featured in a movie.
When I decided to write about him, years later, all I had to go on was the memory of a TV spot featuring a boy mayor in Texas. Hours of searching "boy mayor texas" in my library database finally pulled up the articles I needed to get started. Finding the photo was just as difficult. Eleven days after having my second child, I learned that the magazine couldn't use the photo I had suggested and needed another photo, fast. Ever try finding a photo of a former mayor of an unincorporated town (i.e. no town phone book), whose family had since moved? Hardest paycheck I ever earned.
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