Side Story: “The Eyes of ” Jim pursued farming on Cannon property. They called their house on the old Cannon property James Reece their “farm home”. It had been built in 1857 by Cannon (Jim) Jim’s uncles, Hoss and Oscar. Catherine was still was one of eight living in that house when the Livingston family children, born in visited her in 1980. She lived alone, took care of Cannon, to Elijah her property and herself and was very physically Halston “Hoss” active and sharp at 88 years old. and Alice Tolbert Cannon. Jim Jim’s part in the song “The Eyes of Texas”: was a grandson In 1901 Jim enrolled in the University of Texas in to the patriach, as a business student. As a sophomore, Elijah Cannon. Jim sang bass in the school’s glee club, which Jim’s family performed at various events around Austin. In moved to Van 1903, Jim and his “Varsity Minstrel” quartet were Alstyne in 1895. to sing for an annual Spring music festival held at He loved the Old Hancok Theater on 6th Street, then one athletics and of the best threatres in Texas. The money raised was a member for the event was to be used for the UT athletic of the Van association. Jim’s close friend, John Lang Jim Cannon Alstyne Grays, a Sinclair, had been asked by the Festival semi-pro chairman to write a new song. With the tune of baseball team “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad” in his head, well-known in the area at the time. Sinclair composed the lyrics to “The Eyes of Texas” on a piece of yellow Bosche Laundry Jim attended the University of Texas in Austin for paper that had been wrapped around one of his two years. In 1903 he returned to Van Alstyne to shirts. The song was written as a prank because start a business. Jim installed the first telephone UT President W.L. Prather was always telling the system in Van Alstyne in 1903, shorly after his students in assemblies that “The Eyes of Texas return. He married Maidee Baskett who died in are upon you”. It became a campus joke and 1923 without bearing him any children. After his when students saw the president (“Prexy”) wife’s death, Jim moved to Amarillo where he met walking on campus, they would say “there goes and married Catherine Beckman in 1925. They had the eyes of Texas”. a daughter, Catherine (Henderson). born in 1926. The night of the show, Sinclair collared Jim’s In 1937 Jim and Catherine quartet and talked them into singing the new moved back to Van song for the festival. The song was so new that it Alstyne where their wasn’t included on the written program. The only daughter attended school.

Catherine Cannon, age 88, at her farm home in Cannon copy of the lyrics was written on the laundry In the early 1930s, Jim received correspondence sack, but since the tune was already familiar to from University dean T.U. Taylor and a few others the singers, they were confident they could who was compiling material for books about UT’s perform it. When the boys stepped out on the 50th reunion, which was to be held in 1931. Dean stage they were dressed in formal dress suits. Taylor wanted to know which members of the “Prexy” was in the audience. The quartet sang; quartet had been the original boys performing the and what started as a ripple, turned to laughter, song on that first night at the music festival. and finally thunderous applause. The crowd Independently a woman wrote to Jim asking if pounded the floor and yelled for encores. The other verses had been written for the song? And a quartet sang the chorus again and again, with third letter came from Lewis Johnson, manager of the students joining in. By the next day, the band the Glee Club at the time of the performance. He had learned the words (Sinclair was in the band) was compiling manuscripts and in need of Glee and they paraded around campus playing the Club books, programs and other materials. song. Mail flooded into administrative offices, Johnson told Jim Cannon that at one time he had asking for the quartet to make personal possession of the original Bosche Landry paper appearances. School officials obliged and picked with the famous words of John Lang Sinclair, up the tab, thinking these boys were great although it was unclear how he had come into goodwill ambassadors for the university. possession of the paper. He told Jim he knew it must have come from one of the other quartet At the end of the school year, Jim decided to go members, but he had misplaced the paper several into business in Van Alstyne instead of going years before. back to school. Sinclair, author of the song, gave the original manuscript, written on the laundry Jim gave each of these people information that sack, to Jim as a sign of their close friendship. helped answer their questions. Jim provided Dean Years later, Jim loaned the manuscript to Taylor with an original Glee Club program with the another member of his quartet and never names of the singers underlined (shown in this received it back. document). He also provided additonal verses of the song that had could offer about the origin of the song, because at been written, that time the records were still scanty. Jim Cannon though not used. came forward with a suggestion that that if a copy He gave Lewis of the University yearbook contained words of that Johnson some song, the publishing firms’ case would be without materials and foundation. Sure enough, the song was published in though we don’t the yearbook and all yearbooks are copyrighted. know how the The University of Texas won the case and continues University to own the copyright to “The Eyes of Texas”. acquired it, the original Shortly before Jim’s death on April 28, 1966, he manuscript with requested of his wife that “The Eyes of Texas” be lyrics to “The Eyes played at his funeral. His final wish was carried out. of Texas” can Jim is buried in the Van Alstyne Cemetery. now be seen in the lobby of the Almost everyone knows the chorus of “The Eyes of Original Bosche Landry paper Alumni Center in Texas”, but have you heard these stanzas in two with the famous words written Austin. The veres?: by John Lang Sinclair Briscoe Center of American History Verse 1 also has one of the first copies of the I once did know a President manuscript. Away down south in Texas And always, everywhere he went In 1930 an anonymous alumnus presented the He saw the eyes of Texas University with a set of tower chimes to go into (Chorus) the belfry of the Old Main Building. The first two measures of “The Eyes of Texas” rang out over Verse 2 the Forty Acres upon the stroke of every hour. Sing me a song of Prexy Of days long since gone by The song itself was subject of a lawsuit in the Again I seem to greet him early 1930s. When the original copyright expried and hear his kind reply after 28 years, a New York publishing firm Smiles of gracious welcome latched onto the song, seeking to receive Before my mem’ry rise royalties from anyone playing it. Bill McGraw, Again I hear him say to me: the Texas Attorney General at that time, “Remember Texas’ Eyes” appealed to Texans by asking in newspapers (Chorus) for anyone to come forward with any help they