Carl Cornelius, R.I.P. -- The truck stop operator, former mayor of Carl's Corner

[TexasTowelie]

The truck stop operator, former mayor of Carl's Corner, and friend of Willie Nelson's died Tuesday.


One of the weirdest nights of my life was spent in Carl’s Corner, at a truck stop that harbored a topless bar. Carl Cornelius was the proprietor. I can’t tell you everything that happened that night in 1995. In fact, I’m not going to tell you anything that happened that night. But upon hearing the news this morning that Cornelius died Tuesday, I immediately thought of that night. And the Tango Frogs. And Willie Nelson.

Mike Shropshire broke the news to me. He profiled Cornelius for D Magazine back in 2006. We deemed the story one of the 40 best we’ve ever published. Find your way to the story through this post from 2014, in which Jason Heid (now with Texas Monthly) updated Mike’s story with a short interview with Cornelius, who was then serving as the mayor of Carl’s Corner.

I’ll update this post if I can get some details about the manner of his passing. Just know for now that we lost a true Texas legend this week.

https://www.dmagazine.com/frontburner/2021/09/carl-cornelius-r-i-p/

The truck stop is notable for travelers along I-35 between Dallas and Austin.

[bahboo]

1. links are a fun read...thx for posting...

[TexasTowelie]

2. I stopped there a couple times during my expeditions.

Yeah, you could grab food, get diesel, and take a shower there. I think that the non-trucker crowd would prefer to go to Buc-ee's instead for a wider choice of food and cleaner bathroom facilities.