They Saved Texas's Land, Piece by Piece. He Saved Their Stories.

As you may know, Dallas attorney Edward "Ned" Fritz died Friday at the age of 92. Said Laura Huffman, state director of The Nature Conservancy of Texas, Fritz is often referred to as "the father of Texas conservation," because, among other things, he was the co-founder of the state chapter...

By Robert Wilonsky

December 23, 2008

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As you may know, Dallas attorney Edward "Ned" Fritz died Friday at the age of 92. Said Laura Huffman, state director of The Nature Conservancy of Texas, Fritz is often referred to as "the father of Texas conservation," because, among other things, he was the co-founder of the state chapter of Nature Conservancy and the man behind the Texas Land Conservancy. That's Ned Fritz at right.

Fritz's grandson has collected a remarkable history in a few photographs, but his was a lengthy résumé and full life to which no short obituary can do justice. Hence, a link this morning, courtesy a tip from from the Austin American-Statesman, to David Todd's oral-history site, where the Austin-based Todd has interviewed some 200 conservationists (activists, politicians, even journalists) from across the great state. Fritz, of course, is among them -- more than once, in videos dating from 1997 and 2000. Indeed, as the Statesman noted, "Todd actually began the oral history project after Ned Fritz nearly died from a brain aneurysm in the mid-1990s." --Robert Wilonsky

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