This past weekend the venerable Texas Tavern celebrated its 85th anniversary. I don’t think any other local eating establishment can match that for continuous operation under management by a single family.
The recent death of Jim Bullington, the third generation owner, occasioned The Roanoke Times to publish a pleasing article by Tiffany Stevens in tribute. It caught his spirit, although Jim would have loved to have lived until Valentine’s Day; it would have been a fitting climax to a life that gave so much to so many.
The relationship between Jim and the RT has not always been harmonious. One may well recall the column written by Dan Casey on the 80th anniversary of Texas Tavern. To say that it was not complimentary of the cuisine of the TT would be charitable.
From the moment of its publication I was certain that Casey had opened a can whose contents he did not understand. It wasn‘t filled with pinto beans but with bumble bees, all of whom took issue with his lack of comprehension about the true nature of the Texas Tavern.
For years many have wondered why it was named for Texas. Jim’s wife, Velma, told me the true story. Jim’s grandfather, Isaac Newton Bullington, was a front man for Ringling Brothers, Barnum, and Bailey, the big top three-ring circus that dates back to 1907. The job of the front man was to visit the cities where the circus was to perform, a full year in advance, to set up the proper arrangements.
In the midst of the Depression, Isaac Newton Bullington was in San Antonia on his usual mission when he had an exceptional bowl of chili. He asked for the recipe and later opened the Texas Tavern here in Roanoke. The rest is, as they say, is history. His son, his grandson, Jim, and now, Matt, his great grandson, have all been the owners.
The interchange between Jim and Dan Casey was colorful but the best line came not from the professional journalist but by the descendant of a P.T. Barnum employee. In response to Dan’s suggestion that the Texas Tavern should have a rack to sell the RT, Jim was aghast. He said he would not sully his fine eating establishment with that rag. “Some people don’t like my food, but nobody likes your paper.”
To his credit Casey recognized the error of his ways and, after Jim’s death, he wrote a tongue-in-cheek column about a mythical conversation between Jim and son Matt about marketing strategies for the future. It was approved for publication by Jim’s family before it was printed; Dan had learned his lesson and took the rare journalistic step of submitting a piece for review by the subject. He even suggested that Tiffany Stevens write the article announcing Jim’s death. It can be read at the roanoke.com site under her byline. It truly gives a comprehensive picture of who Jim Bullington was and she captured it in the headline: Cared about Others.
He will be missed, even by those who may not be fond of chili. I would suggest dropping by for “A bowl with” and carry with you some of the grace that touched so many lives that all too often most of us pass by.
Rest in peace. Good friend.
– Hayden Hollingsworth
