Many Texans are proud of their state. The people, the places, the ideals and hearts all come together in a magnitude of pride exhibited toward the Lone Star. For many reasons, some more obvious than others, Texas holds a special place in hearts of inhabitants and visitors alike. Texas State Photographer, Wyman Meinzer, is such a person, a native son, and a documentarian of what it means to be a proud Texan. I must admit that my Texas occupies that special niche in my soul known only to those who were born and reared within these recognizable borders. In this work, Inspiration Texas Style , we have chosen to ask a cross section of Texans to express their own feelings of what this state means to them. Some of these individuals are well known on the world stage while others are salt-of-the-earth beings. In a few cases, verities uttered long ago were from those not born in Texas but came later, their voices echoing a desire for inclusion beneath the title of Texans. By pairing each verbal offering to images collected here, we hope to focus on both the rich visual heritage that our state offers to the American theme and also to recognize a collection of personal prose whose authors possess a definite sense of place. This is Texas as defined from the hearts of Texans. - Wyman Meinzer