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Getting the Boot
By Judy Prather
D. M. Edwards is a collector. A 1976 graduate and Tyler businessman featured in our Member Snapshot in the Fall 2008
 Baylor Line,
Edwards says everything has a story, whether it's the yellow Fleetwood
Cadillac in his garage or the boots in his closet--all one hundred and
twenty-six pair of them! In a closet the size of an average bedroom,
his boots are lined up by color--burgundy and reds together, blues,
browns, blacks, grays … you get the idea. He owns twelve pair of
"Baylor" boots and says, "Green boots are hard to find, so when I run
across a pair, I buy them then and there."
It all started with a pair of 1940s-vintage yellow boots he inherited
from his grandfather. (They're the only pair he can't wear since his
granddad's feet were a couple of sizes smaller than his.) Inspired by
the beauty and workmanship in his grandfather's boots, Edwards has
spent the past thirty years collecting his own.
He goes down the rows, easily naming them all--African wildebeest,
tiger snakeskin, Australian kangaroo, rhinoceros. The mule hide boots,
he says, are "plain and stubborn, but will last forever." And in case
you're wondering, Texas turkey looks a lot like ostrich. Edwards
patronizes all the major boot makers, and he has Rocketbuster boots
like the ones Gene Autry and Roy Rogers owned, as well as a copy of
some made for "The Duke."
But he doesn't just collect boots, he wears them. All of them. "I have
them in a rotation," he says, "so I get to each one about three times a
year." When asked which pair is his favorite, his eyes shine as he
replies, "Why, they're all my favorites. That's like asking someone if
they have a favorite child!"
To view a selection of Edwards's boots, click here: Getting the Boot.
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