Capital Improvements, 1984
TEOA is very pleased to publish Jeff Meikle’s introduction to Mark Goodman’s Capital Improvements. Written in 1984-85 on a Kaypro 2 computer and then filed away for almost thirty years, this wonderfully evocative essay captures a great deal about Austin in the 1980s that remains true.
Jeffrey L. Meikle is the Stiles Professor in American Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Meikle’s research interests as a cultural historian include industrial design and technology, visual representation in popular print media, and alternative cultures from 1950 to the present. His books include Twentieth Century Limited: Industrial Design in America, 1925-1939; American Plastic: A Cultural History; and Design in the USA.
The End of Austin 
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I’ve lived in the Austin area for over 4 decades and I am now done. I’ve outlived my love for the area. Call me a quitter is you like but I am no longer able to afford the lifestyle Austin isn’t providing. I have very fond memories of Hamiltons Pool, Aqua Fest and the like. But as I age that no longer is a Fun experience for me. I know I am only one person and I’m called an old timer living in the past. But as I said I have fond memories of the Austin I grew up in. That no longer exists and it makes me sad. My youngest daughter will never know the joy of Aquafest etc she’s heard all the stories but that’s all they are stories. Good bye to the old Austin I loved and grew up in