ROTARY CLUB OF SAN MARCOS
Thomas Goodman will discuss his Texas true crime book about the Santa Claus bank robbery in Cisco at the Rotary Club noon meeting on Dec. 17.
Goodman’s book is titled, “The Last Man: A Novel of the 1927 Santa Claus Bank Robbery.” The book was featured in the Christmas Eve edition of the Austin American-Statesman in 2023. It won a 2024 Spur Award from the Western Writers of America and a 2024 Will Rogers Medallion Award.
The story begins with a Santa Claus entering a bank in Cisco, Texas just before Christmas in 1927. No one expected Santa to pull a gun. The fake white beard hid the robber’s identity from his neighbors while he and three accomplices took everything.
Goodman first ran across the story when he lived in the small Texas county where it all took place. He currently lives in Austin, where he was able to conduct extensive research on the crime at the Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Goodman is a graduate of Baylor University and Southwestern Seminary in Fort Worth, and holds a doctorate from New Orleans Seminary. He has served as a pastor in Louisiana, North Texas, the Grand Cayman Islands and Austin.
The Rotary Club of San Marcos is located at the VFW Hall, 1701 Hunter Rd. Rotary is a nonprofit, nonpolitical and nonreligious service organization. Visitors are always welcome at the club’s Wednesday meetings. SMTXrotary.com
