Austin was still a sleepy college and state government town in October 1951 when a daylight shooting at the popular Butler Pitch and Putt left Doug Kinser, operator of the par-3 course, dead and former UT student body president Mac Wallace charged with his murder. What unfolded from that point was a history mystery revisited and retold Wednesday evening, March 31, as part of AHCA's ongoing Spotlight Member Events series.
More than 125 AHCA members and guests tuned in for the telling of the Butler Pitch and Putt tale. It was the second Spotlight Event conducted via Zoom, and the second in the History Mystery series, which focuses on a story or some aspect of Austin's past with significant information on the subject provided by the Austin History Center. MoTito gift boxes, featuring ingredients for making a drink using Tito's Handmade Vodka, were also part of the mix.
AHCA member Dan Bullock, assisted by Membership Committee chair Jeffrey Dochen and Marketing, PR, & Social Media co-chair Lori Duran walked guests through the 1951 shooting, the manhunt for the suspect, the police investigation, and the trial, weaving in details about the people involved in the true crime drama, which included prominent Austinites of the day, some of whom were relatives of current AHCA members!
AHCA would like to thank the following sponsors of the History Mystery Spotlight Event:
Tito's Handmade Vodka
The Blind Pig Pub
Time Trap
Waterloo Education
The Austin History Center
Bryan Hardeman
Luci Baines Johnson
Farrell Kubena
Lori Duran, Dan Bullock, and Jeffrey Dochen spun the tale of Mac Wallace, who was convicted of the 1951 murder of Doug Kinser at the Butler Pitch and Putt near South Lamar and Barton Springs Road.