On Terry Southern Day, Delia Jasso Presents His Son Nile With Greatest Proclamation Ever

By Robert Wilonsky Mon., May 2 2011 at 10:22 AM

Photo by Mark Aaron Sharon

Nile Southern, Kirby Warnock and Delia Jasso at last night's tribute to Terry Southern at the Texas Theatre

Terry Southern -- novelist, screenwriter, journalist, provocateur -- would have turned 87 yesterday, had he not died of a heart attack in October 1995. And so, last night, council member Delia Jasson proclaimed May 1, 2011, Terry Southern Day -- thanks to filmmaker Kirby Warnock, who has partnered with the Texas Theatre to launch a "Soul of Oak Cliff" series paying homage to its native sons and significant events. Forthcoming, fingers crossed, says Kirby: a tribute to Jimmie Vaughan, complete with concert, and a Bonnie and Clyde homage.

Last night's screening of the Terry-penned Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, for which Southern was Oscar-nominated, kicked off the series. Terry's son Nile flew in from Boulder for the event, bringing with him a few minutes' worth of his doc-in-progress Dad Strangelove, in which the likes of Gore Vidal, former Harper's editor Lewis Lapham and other literary lights offered testimony to Terry's for-too-long-languished legacy. He was also presented with an official city proclamation, signed by Mayor Dwaine Caraway and given to Nile by Delia Jasso, who, when she got to the word "marijuana," said, "I can't believe I'm reading this."

Jasso was kind enough to give me her script afterward. Jump for the whole wonderful thing. City of Dallas Terry Southern Proclamation

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Kgtband

That's very exciting. I lived for seven years in one of the houses that he lived in in Oak Cliff. That's when I first heard of him, but I have enjoyed reading and learning more about him. It's great that he gets the recognition, even though a lot of his work would still be considered subversive even today.

Mister_Mean

Great author. One of my all time favorirtes. Thank you Terry Southern for your works!

Montemalone

Why is she afraid of the word "marijuana"?

Tex

Maybe you should ask Dwaine Carraway. (People in Dallas are as funny about "marijuana" as much as they are dog fighting.)

Tex

And it is also because Dallas is a pretty uptight city. As Molly Ivins put it, "Nowhere is the pressure to conform greater than in North Dallas."Of course living in Oak Cliff, we don't have that issue. We're like Austin, but without all the self-righteousness.

Tex

Special thanks to Councilwoman Jasso for doing this and showing up at the event. You can say what you wish about politicians, but this lady supports her community and her district in a positive manner. Thank you, Delia Jasso!