Philanthropist couple; city leader and critic

Margaret Talkington 1915-present

J.T. Talkington 1914-2005

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J.T. Talkington and his wife, Margaret, began raising the bar for business, civic and philanthropic involvement soon after moving to Lubbock in 1946.

They founded Margaret’s, a women’s specialty store, the same year they moved to Lubbock. It remained a landmark until the Talkingtons retired and closed the business in 1994. A show about the store’s impact was held recently.

Talkington opened Talkington’s, a men’s haberdashery, which he operated for nine years.

He and Mrs.Talkington have been often recognized for their involvement in community affairs. They have been honored by the United Way with the Alex de Toqueville Award, the Prevent Blindness Award, Breedlove Fruit of the Loom Award and the South Plains Council of the Boy Scouts of America Award.

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Dirk West
1928-1996

From the 1960s through the ’80s, any overheard conversation containing the name “Dirk” left one with no doubt about the person at the center of the discussion.

Gerald Glynn “Dirk” West grew up in and with Lubbock. Officially, his business was owner of an advertising agency. But residents knew him best as the creator of the gun-toting, mustachioed Raider Red character in cartoons featured in The Avalanche-Journal. The barbs West’s cast of characters delivered spared no one, whether football related or political in nature.

In his own words, he “went a little nuts” in 1974 and entered the political arena. He served two terms on the City Council and one term as mayor before leaving politics in 1980, true to his campaign promise.

During his tenure, West implemented a federally funded program to expand Lubbock’s police presence in an effort to target speeders and intoxicated drivers. He was also a key player in the launching of Crime Line, a program that offers rewards for information on crimes in Lubbock.

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