One of the best things about getting my Ph.D. in American studies at the University of Texas is that I could learn from fellow students who were studying diverse, amazingly fun things.

Maria Cristina Garcia, whose family was part of the Cuban diaspora, taught me about the immigrant experience and helped me see my own ethnic background in a new light.

Danny Streible coined a whole field of cinema studies called “orphan films,” showing me that one could love movies outside the canon. 

Diana Kleiner studied the role of the corporation in our culture and the nature of corporate culture. I still don’t quite understand what those are — most people don’t — but I keep trying. Corporations are dominant in our culture, and few people understand them.

I’m writing today about two of my colleagues whose lessons went way beyond academia for me. I call them my Texas Cowgirls because they are smart, strong, and imaginative … and because I met them in Texas.

A native of Dallas, Teri Tynes was my model for a grown up … but a fun one. She worked hard, not just at her own academic studies but also teaching multiple history courses at a local community college.

Her income enabled her to to purchase a new car when the old one died, something few grad students could or can do.

Teri knew herself inside and out. If she was upset about something, she calmly made an appointment with a therapist at the university’s health center and talked it through.

Teri had studied theater as a child and loved to be a bit dramatic. She made everything in our lives at the Casa del Rio (our apartment complex) colorful.

Like many graduate students, Teri didn’t manage to finish her dissertation. I would love to have read the finished product. She studied the history of the U.S.O. and believed that the shows that group shared with troops during World War II dramatically influenced postwar popular culture.

Even without her Doctorate of Philosophy, Teri has carved out a creative intellectual life. She got into blogging when it was new and continues to find new ways to write about and take photographs of her environment (now the New York City area).

She has worked on a rock opera and has advised non-profit organizations on shaping their social media presence. She never stops using her imagination.

It always seemed to me that Teri had a little magic in her. Perhaps most of us do, but she knew how to use it. One February, she threw a Candlemas party. (Candlemas, for those not in the know, is the day in which winter is halfway over. It’s also known as Groundhog Day.)

A group of us sat in a circle on the floor, lit candles from a central flame, and shared our creative dreams. It was a night of bonding, of mystery, and of humor — in short, of illumination in many senses of the word.

I don’t know about anyone else’s wishes from that session, but mine came true. I think Teri’s power had something to do with that.

My other Cowgirl is Jan Todd. Unlike most of us graduate students, Jan knew exactly what she wanted to write her dissertation about when she started her doctoral program. She managed to turn many of her papers for classes into parts of that dissertation. I admired her focus, even if it didn’t rub off on me.

Her topic was the history of strength and exercise, particularly for women. That topic, along with Jan’s focus and drive, came from her unique athletic background.

Jan was a power lifter beginning in the mid 1970s, not an easy thing to be in an era in which women weren’t allowed to train alongside men in gyms.

She started lifting weights because her boyfriend (later husband) was a power-lifting champion, and she wanted to spend more time with him. When that boyfriend, Terry Todd, saw her lift her first barbell, he began to realize her potential as an athlete.

The pair spent years building up Jan’s strength. She had to put on muscle weight and spent a lot of time drinking milkshakes. Women’s power lifting became a sport and a leisure activity in large part because of Jan. She was once known as the World’s Strongest Woman. To me, she still is, in physique and in character.

Jan and Terry taught in the university’s kinesiology department. They worked on a strength journal, advocated for standards in their field, and amassed a library devoted to the history of sports and physical culture.

In my day, this was a couple of rooms filled with fascinating old papers and artefacts. Today, it is the Lutcher Stark Center, a sprawling enterprise that comprises not just a large library but an exhibit space.

Jan and Terry were big and strong. I once housesat for them, and it was a revelatory experience. All of their furniture was tall and hard, built to support their frames. I felt like Goldilocks in Papa Bear’s bed.

Like many large dogs (and the pair had bull mastiffs, enormous creatures that weighed more than I did), Jan and Terry were gentle. 

When Jan got pushback from our department chair for what he perceived as her less-than-serious academic interests, she calmly lifted that burden off the ground like the weights she had encountered over the years.

Terry Todd died in 2018, but Jan has carried on her work and his. The New York Times recently quoted Arnold Schwarzenegger as calling her “a legend in the world of strength.” To me, like Teri Tynes, she is a beloved friend and a role model.

In honor of my Texas Cowgirls this week, I’m making Cowgirl (originally called Cowboy) Caviar. Teri gave me the recipe for this salad-like dip. I have altered it a bit. We now have fresh corn in season, something Teri’s original recipe didn’t include but mine does.

I thought I was original in adding the corn until I looked on the internet, where recipes for Cowboy Caviar with corn abound. The internet often manages to humble me.

As the season advances, feel free to add more produce to the mix. I have only just started eating tomatoes, but when they are more plentiful they will be delicious in the caviar.

A note: Teri served her caviar on a bed of softened cream cheese, surrounding it with chopped hard-boiled eggs for additional protein and sliced scallions for additional zing. 

I have served it that way at parties with chips or crackers on the side. For smaller groups (or just for me), however, I extend its shelf life by putting it in a bowl and serving it with lettuce or tortilla chips or both. It can be a snack, an appetizer, a salad, or even a meal on a warm day.

When I taste it, I feel as though I am channeling Teri’s magic and Jan’s strength.

Cowgirl Caviar

Ingredients:

1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained

4 ounces canned ripe olives, drained and chopped (or a larger can if you love them as I do)

1 small onion, finely chopped (a shallot works nicely)

1 large garlic clove or a garlic scape, minced

1 1/2 cups corn kernels (I used cook kernels because I had leftover corn; raw might be lovely)

3 tablespoons olive or canola oil

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro (or more)

4 to 5 shakes of hot sauce or 1 seeded, finely chopped jalapeño pepper

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1 pinch of pepper

Instructions:

In a bowl combine all the ingredients. Cover the mixture and let it marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

Serve with crackers or tortilla chips. Serves 8 to 12, depending on what else is on the table.

Tinky Weisblat is an award-winning food writer and singer known as the Diva of Deliciousness. Visit her website, TinkyCooks.com.