The story goes that a long-ago West Texas man-beloved in his community-talked incessantly about Fort Worth, his favorite city, even though he'd never been there.

He usually referred to it as "Cowtown" or "Where the West Begins." (The former nickname was introduced by cattle barons in the 1860s; the latter description started in 1923.

That's when "Mr. Fort Worth"- late Fort Worth Star-Telegram publisher Amon Carter-included it on his newspaper masthead.) One slow news day in West Texas years ago, a radio station personality gathered with the "coffee crowd" at the Dairy Queen.