W.F. Strong

You might say that Dr. W. F. Strong is a student of all things Texas, including its history, literature, linguistics, music, art and modern culture. He is a Fulbright scholar and holds degrees in Communication and Literature from Abilene Christian University (1977), Communication and Oral Literature from The University of North Texas (1978) and he earned his PhD in Communication and Rhetoric (1985) from The University of Arizona. There he wrote his dissertation on Mark Twain’s Speaking, where he developed his intense interest in storytelling as an art form.

Dr. Strong grew up working on farms and ranches in South Texas and has consequently had a long connection with the Texas soil, as did his ancestors who farmed and ranched in North Texas for over a century. His familial background has nurtured his love for the vibrancy of Texas history, literature and culture.

He has authored two books on Texas: "Stories from Texas: some of them are true" (2018) and "Stories from Texas: some of them are true, Vol. II" (2021).

Volume one of "Stories from Texas," was highly praised by critics and remained a #1 Bestseller on Amazon (in its Texas category), for over two years. Glenn Dromgoole, a well-known Texas Lit critic wrote, “ ‘Ever Texan ought to read this book.” Bob Phillips of the Texas Country Reporter said that Strong’s writing gives us a “glimpse of the long story-telling tradition of the human race.” Volume II of "Stories from Texas" is earning similar praise. In addition to his books he writes a monthly Texas history column for the Texas Coop Power Magazine, which has a regional readership of three million.

For the past 8 years Dr. Strong has been the Texas commentator on the award-winning Texas Standard news program carried on 32 NPR stations across Texas. He is also a much sought after speaker for all nature of Texcentric topics. His favorite talk is “Texas: A State of Wonder.”

Currently, Dr. Strong is a Full Professor at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley where he has taught courses in communication, linguistics, culture and history for over 30 years.