Richard Halliburton biography – BOLD adventurer, globe trotter
by William R. Taylor
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The Man Who Roller-skated Across Texas

11/26/2015

8 Comments

 
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      I interviewed affable James Cortese, retired Sunday Editor of the Memphis Commercial Appeal, in May of 1989. He had written a book about Halliburton, Richard Halliburton’s Royal Road, and was known to be a fount of knowledge about the adventurer/author. He was the only person I knew of who had roller-skated across Texas - and he did it the long way. In my biography of Halliburton, A Shooting Star Meets the Well of Death, Why and How Richard Halliburton Conquered the World, I recounted part of that interview as follows:
 
      “Cortese’s study was everything you would expect of a retired newspaper man. Books, souvenirs and nostalgic clutter co-existed in equal splendor. One item that caught my eye immediately was a cartoon prominently displayed on a wall portraying a much younger Cortese on roller skates. He anticipated my question.
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       “Halliburton got into my blood early and goaded me into adventurous, offbeat things. That cartoon is about my roller skating jaunt across Texas—the long way. Took me six weeks.”
“That certainly qualifies as an ‘adventurous and offbeat thing.’ What were some of the others?”
“I played ‘Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony’ at dawn in the Grand Canyon, gave the Gettysburg address from the same spot as Lincoln, walked up the steps to the top of the Empire State Building instead of taking the elevator and spent a week in a New Jersey nudist colony. I also swam across the Mississippi before I was forty.”
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      Clearly, Cortese had not been just an armchair adventurer.
“How did you ever get involved with Wesley Halliburton and what prompted you to write your book?”
“At the Commercial Appeal, where I worked for many years, there was a regular stream of people who inquired about Richard. Staff members referred them to me. If they seemed sincere, not just curious fans, I would call Wesley and maybe take them out to his house. He never turned anyone down and was always eager to discuss his son. Many talked of wanting to follow in Richard’s footsteps. Wesley never discouraged any of them. The old man and I hit it off well from the start. From these occasional meetings grew a warm relationship. In fact, we became so close that my wife Anne and I named one of our sons ‘Michael Wesley’ in his honor.”
 
      A warm friendship with Jim grew out that first encounter and provided many more worthwhile contacts for me to follow up on during my quest to learn more about Halliburton. The other interviewees provided valuable insights but none had emulated Richard’s adventuring spirit more energetically or fully than James Cortese.


8 Comments
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7/5/2018 12:17:22 am

I never thought that there would actually be a person that roller-skated across Texas. It must have been quite a journey and a challenge for those who wanted to beat the record. It is great that a lot of people wanted to follow in Richard's steps, but would it not be dangerous? I think that it would and I personally think that if you want to do it, you need a lot of practice. Doing a physical test would not hurt.

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William R. Taylor link
7/9/2018 11:00:47 am

Thank you for the comment. As I recall from my interview with Jim Cortese, there was never any mention of danger. He seemed to have a rollicking good time roller skating across Texas. He had quite a unique sense of humor and did a number of offbeat things like delivering the Gettysburg Address on a podium on the Gettysburg battlefield as Lincoln did.

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3/12/2019 04:36:14 am

It must have been quite a journey! I usually travel using my motorcycle and I feel exhausted just by driving for twenty blocks. I guess I am just not that energetic and I probably don't have an amazing shape for travelling, but seriously, roller skating across Texas is challenging. Still, I am happy that a lot of people do amazing things in life. Because they say, you only live once, but if you live doing what you love, then once is enough.

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lin
8/23/2019 10:56:08 pm

nice

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william r taylor link
8/24/2019 05:52:37 am

Thanks

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12/4/2019 10:29:22 pm

Thank you for writing this incredible story! What a breath of fresh air. His adventure will keep lots of us motivated. As we all know, it's already tiring enough riding a car around texas, let alone a bike. This man is indeed meant to pursue great sports!

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william r. taylor link
12/17/2019 09:51:04 am

A sage observation sir. Few of us have the insight, nerve, or constitution to attempt the really challenging things in life but most of us have the capacity to admire those who do. That's why we marvel at the deeds of adventurers like Jim Cortese and Richard Halliburton who did the amazing feats that thrilled us.

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william r. taylor link
12/17/2019 10:44:22 am

Indeed James Cortese was destined for his particular measure of athletic accomplishments in that he swam the Mississippi before he was forty, trod up all the steps to the top of the Empire State building, in addition to roller skating across Texas the long way. His more cerebral accomplishments, however, might lie in his more mentally meaningful achievements of becoming the Sunday Editor of the Memphis Commercial Appeal and writing a significant book about adventurer Richard Halliburton and his father Wesley.

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