John Russell "Hondo" Crouch

John Russell (Hondo) Crouch, humorist, writer, and owner and self-proclaimed mayor of Luckenbach, Texas, was born on December 4, 1916, in Hondo, Texas, to Ione and Harry Crouch, a telegraph operator for the Southern Pacific Railroad.

Hondo Crouch was an All-American swimmer at the University of Texas, where he was awarded a degree in physical education in 1941. After training as a navigator in the Air Corps at Garner Field in 1942, he settled down to raise sheep, goats, and cattle near Fredericksburg. He was swimming coach at various Texas children's camps from the 1930s until the 1970s. In 1964 he was president of the Hall of Fame for UT athletes and in 1975 was influential in persuading the university to build the Texas Swim Center. From 1963 to 1975, under the pen name Peter Cedarstacker, Crouch wrote about 600 "Cedar Creek Clippings" for the Comfort News. Through his characters from the mythical town of Cedar Creek he satirized politics, government, ecology, deer hunters, social life, and everyday country problems and celebrations.

In 1971 he bought Luckenbach, a small community established as an Indian trading post by German immigrant Albert Luckenbach in 1849. There Crouch presided as mayor over a population of three plus a single parking meter. As "clown prince" he brought to life the town's motto, "Everybody's Somebody in Luckenbach." He held zany celebrations, such as the Luckenbach World's Fair, the first Texas "women only" chili cook-off, Return of the Mud Daubers, and no-talent contests. Crouch participated in a Folklife Festival for Texas at the Smithsonian Institution in 1964. On July 4, 1976, Luckenbach received national attention for celebrating the Non-Buy Centennial, protesting the commercialization of the bicentennial of the Declaration of Independence.

Crouch was a Republican. He was married for thirty years to Helen Ruth (Shatzie) Stieler, daughter of the 1945 "Goat King of the World," Adolf Stieler of Comfort, and they had four children. Crouch died of a heart attack on September 27, 1976, in Blanco.

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John Russell Crouch grew up in the small Texas desert town of Hondo. He was a self-taught, standout high school swimmer and got his nickname from sportswriters in 1934 when as a 17-year-old he won every event he entered in the Texas State Meet. Swimming for Coach Tex Robertson at Texas (1935-1941), he was called the “Swimming Cowboy.” Crouch became the first Southwest Conference Champion and two-time all-American in the 50 and 100yd. freestyle. In 1936, when he was team captain, the all-American 300yd. medley relay team brought unknown Texas from number forty to number four in the nation in the national championships. He always stuck out from everyone else because he dressed like a B movie cowboy. For swim meets, he would show up on deck at Gregory Gym wearing his swim suit, boots and cowboy hat. He was known to take his pet skunk and guitar on swim meet trips. As a top-rated swimmer and as a colorful character, Hondo garnered much publicity for the team.

For the next 25 years Hondo ranched in Fredericksburg and coached at summer camps, from Camp Rio Vista to Camp Longhorn to Camp Champions, a camp he helped start in 1960 and owned from 1968 to 1976. He started a swim club in Fredericksburg in 1958 named DFRAC (Downtown Fredericksburg River Aquatics) and with those swimmers, put on a swim show to open the new municipal pool. Hondo taught his kids with humor and psychology, building self-confidence and esteem rather than focusing on competition. His quotes are still remembered: “This is swimming. You can’t find a better sport to save your life.”

Crouch brought recognition to his community, the Hill Country, and his state simply because he was an original. A genuine individualist and colorful character, Texas Monthly dubbed him “The Most Professional Texan.” He and his teammates were pioneers in the young life of Texas swimming, and for a quarter of a century he coached, promoted, and directed swimming for hundreds of kids. In 1970, as owner and mayor of Luckenbach, Texas, he became a folk hero. “The Clown Prince” and “Imagineer, authorized distributor” were some of his titles. Upon seeing the unfinished new Texas Swim Center he remarked, “Gollee! Just think of all the bales of hay I could store in here!” His grandsons Ren and Kit Patterson followed his tradition and swam at Texas under Coach Eddie Reese for seven years, 1986 to 1993. Author James A. Michener wrote, “Hondo said he was a legend in his own mind. He is definitely a Texas legend in my mind and in the minds of countless others.”

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