Duke Rudman
Duke Rudman was born in Bonham, Texas in 1909 and grew up in Oklahoma, including Henrietta, where his family kept as Jewish a home as they could despite the nearest synagogue being about fifteen miles away in Okmulgee. His father, born in Russia and one of nine boys, ran a store and worked in the oil well supply business, while his mother, born in St. Louis, lit the Shabbat candles on Friday nights and lived to be about 102. Rudman recalled that his mother sewed his clothes when he was a boy, sometimes stitching in store labels, a memory he tied with irony to his later reputation as a beautifully dressed man.
Rudman came to Dallas with his wife in 1942 during World War II, unable to serve in the Army because of asthma and severe allergies. He entered the oil business, breaking with his father to strike out on his own. He began by drilling wells on the edges of existing fields and where dry holes had been, then became a wildcatter, finding oil and gas where it had never been produced commercially, with successes in Louisiana and North Dakota. His clothing earned him distinction as well, and he won the Tailors Cutters Award in London, which led a New York writer to popularize the nickname Duke.
A dedicated philanthropist, Rudman was among the largest contributors to AIPAC and established a scholarship award for young people, believing the future lay with educating youth. He also gave generously to Golden Acres, the Dallas home for the Jewish aged, pledging a large sum for new living quarters, and supported the Dallas Jewish Welfare Federation. At age 25 he quit a three-pack-a-day smoking habit after reading a column by writer Heywood Broun, and he went on to lecture against tobacco, organize anti-smoking clubs across the country, and serve as president of the Anti-Smoking League of America. During the war he also entertained wounded soldiers in Texas hospitals with a comedy and music show, an experience that moved him deeply. He spoke candidly of never fully feeling at home in the Dallas Jewish community despite his generosity.
Full Transcript
There were... I would... I had a show packed full of young beautiful girls. And I did comedy. And you were asking about Mike? Yes, sir. And Mike saw me perform and he saw me practicing my pitch, the comedy pitch. and I called a number of comedians. I called them on the phone to see if they'd give me copies of their stuff, and I only had one that did. I can't think of his name now, but I did monologues. I had six to ten beautiful young gals answer my ad, and I'd pick them and they would all sing. And then we'd go into the wards where the wounded soldiers were and pep them up until I got in trouble because they started trying to make the girls the wounded soldiers did.
But they only did it in jest, they claimed. But I continued to do it, but I had to be very careful about how my kids acted. and I would cry every time I went out. Crying out. I'd see these guys. One thing that impressed me, though, that I never will forget, and if you're going to put this on record, I'd like for it to be on record. I stopped one time. I think this was in Wichita Falls. I don't remember exactly where it was, but they had different hospitals in the state of Texas hospitalized the wounded soldiers. There weren't enough space or wasn't enough conditions where they could be taken care of otherwise.
And I'm in Wichita Falls, and I stopped and saw this soldier, and he's lying beside a black. And I said, does it bother you to have to, you're a Texan, are you a Texan? He said, yes. I said does it bother you to be beside a black soldier He said let me tell you something Mr Redmond This boy, this man here, pulled me out of a ditch when I was wounded and carried me and drugged me for a half mile. He can get in bed with me if he wants to and stay here. He said, I'm crying. Good time I tell that story. You want me to shut it off for a minute?
No, no. No, I don't mind. I want it on there. Okay, good. I like the fact that it's made me cry. Oh. Getting back to Wolf and Mike, were they the first Jewish boys to go to St. Mark's? Not to my knowledge, but they might have been. I can't remember. I'll have to ask. You call Wolf when he's here sometime. He'll tell you. Okay. How did Mike... Prepare with them? Well, yeah, and then how did he become famous? How did all that happen? Well, oh, Mike picked up on my interest in the theater. He picked that up. And from that, I think he copied some of my stuff.
He never will have been it. But he copied some of my humor. and he went to school here in the United States and he studied dramatics. Oberlin, I believe it was. Yeah, Oberlin, that's right. How did you know? Well, I knew that. Were you Mike's age? A little younger. Yeah. A little younger. Well, he liked him a little younger. Well, I'll tell you, I kind of had a crush on him, but he never asked me out on a date. Yeah, well, I don't know whether he dated you or not. He dated a cousin of mine, Sandra Chris. Yeah. And then Sorna, that was a big...
Dad Farrah Yeah, that was a big deal. You remember that. I just barely remember the name. Sorna who? Chalet. Is she living? Yeah, she's in Houston. She's living in Houston. I don't remember. Well, anyway, so then he went to London. Yeah, he went to London. Directly from college? No, he went to college and he studied dramatics. Yeah, and then when he graduated. He got hooked on what I was doing. And then when he graduated, so he was never interested in the oil business. he is now because he gonna inherit it one day and he needs to learn it he gonna yeah so he better be interested yeah yeah so as I sell out So after he finished college did he go to New York or did he go directly to London He went to New York.
And he won the Tony Award. I think the Changing Room was his first. I don't remember, but he won the Tony Award. Well, that's like the Oscar. That's right. Right. And so from then on, he was a, everybody wanted. You promised me a copy of this. Of this tape, yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. Absolutely. Well, let's see, what else do we have? I'm not sure some of it took, to tell you the truth. Got APAC Health, your nickname, your clothes. Are there any other charities that you're interested in or causes that you'd like people to know about? Besides, I know health in general is a big interest of yours.
Yeah, but I don't know that I want to disclose that. Okay. I don't know that I, you know, I've given money to hospitals here. No, I just wondered what you were interested in. All that will do. Yeah, no, I'm not asking about that. They'll be tagging me, driving me crazy. Oh, okay. I don't want to. Okay. Fair enough. You could mention that I'm the largest contributor to AIPAC, I think, in the United States. Okay. Yeah, because they've already got your number. They got that. Who? The AIPAC people. They have your phone number. Yeah. Yeah. Well, there'll be others. And Golden Acres. Okay. I don't know.
They'll tell you, I don't want to be that braggadocio. I'm not modest. No, I know. I just was wondering what your other interests were. They'll tell you that I don't know that I want them to tell. I'm not looking for people to give money to. I understand that. I was just trying to get a profile. I don't mind having a reputation of being generous, but I don't want to publicize it. What I was just trying to do was to round out the profile and other things that you happen to be interested in. For example, it looks like you're interested in Asian art. I was a champion of racquetball and front tennis.
How many people played front tennis in Dallas? We had quite a bunch. Where did you all play? At the DAC? No, I built courts here. Did you? I think I remember seeing something about that in the news. Do they still have it here No I don play anymore so nobody wanted to back it you know I notice a lot of beautiful Asian art Is that one of your interest too Well, I've spent quite a bit of time in China. I've been there a number of times. And you know, I picked up stuff there that I thought was stealing, you know, but I wasn't. and that's why I have it and I like it too and the price was right that curtain there I have a couple of those in my one in the apartment one in my home I love that one I think in my home is McCullough I probably wouldn't have bought it if I hadn't given it.
Well, yeah. But it's beautiful. It's lovely. What if the house is better looking? This is Jane Guzman. We're starting in the middle of the tape because I had the wrong button down and Duke Rudman is nice enough to go over this whole thing again for me on April the 7th at his office on 1700 Pacific Avenue. Mr. Rudman, I really appreciate this. I hope so. I know you do. No, I really do. Could you tell me where you were born and about your parents? Bottom, Texas. What year? I was born in Bottom, Texas. What was your birthday? 1909. I'll be 90 years old on October the 15th.
90 years old. And you grew up in Oklahoma? Parents moved there? I feel crazy about women. Well, that's good. That's good. And you had an older sister. Had a sister who died from smoking. What was her name? Yiddus, Y-I-D-U-S. Beautiful name. Yiddus. And you became interested and became a very active non-smoker. Yes. In your 20s. At the age of 25, I read an article by Haywood Broome, who was a very famous writer. He wrote a column, and he was so effective, and he told the story so well Well, even though I was smoking three packs of cigarettes a day, I quit that next day. And I think that's one of the things you're famous for is your aversion to smoking.
I'm president of the Anti-Smoking League of America. I was at that time for a number of years. In fact, there's no other way to find another president. I was the only one that belonged. Really? I started the anti-smoking idea. Due and credit to Haywood Broon. He's one of the most brilliant writers I'd ever seen in my life. I was smoking three packages a day. And I threw them down and never touched them again and lectured on that for a number of years. People would stop me in Europe, France, and Italy on the street and say, I want to thank you. Are you right when I said yes?
They said, I want to thank you for talking me out of smoking tobacco. You must be pretty happy about how things have evolved now. It's pretty much the norm. I'm dying with joy. Yeah, it's pretty much the norm not to smoke now. That's right. And if people smoke, they're considered a little weird now. Yeah. I organize clubs all over the United States. all the way from California to New York. That's amazing. So you were probably the starter of the moot, one of the starters of the anti-smoking. I hope somebody gives me credit someday for that. Have the tobacco companies ever come after you? No, fortunately.
That's good to know. We're going to do this. I stopped on my own. I had enough help. I got a lot of help. It's the most cruel thing that's ever been infringed on mankind. What do you think about the big awards that people are getting, people's families are getting from the tobacco companies that die? I don't know. I had nothing to do with it, but I can't feel sorry for them. They've stacked billions away. Very few of them are suffering. That's true. Unbelievable amount of money that they took in. Oh, yeah. Well, when I was little, I remember candy cigarettes. Yes. You were probably the only person you knew that didn smoke just about weren you There were a lot of them I have people come up to me all the time still do thank me for the reason I living today is because you taught me how to smoke That's a wonderful thing.
Well, you said you got into the oil business because your dad was in the oil well supply business, but you broke with him and then went out on your own. Yes. And became a wall catter. Right. Okay. He bought production prior to that time. And what was the name of the man who taught you how to do it? Or did you just learn it yourself? I don't know. I did not learn it myself. He was an engineer. I can't remember his name. We were both young. I was in my early 20s. And you discovered oil in Louisiana and North Dakota? Oh, as years went on, I became a wildcatter.
At first, I drilled wells on the edge of the field and made wells where dry holes had been drilled. Is that what a wildcatter is? Then I became a wildcatter, someone who finds oil or gas where oil has never been found before commercially. Did you go to China for oil? No. I went there to see what was going on, and it was too far away and too big for me. I wasn't ready to. I went there several times. Could you tell me what the MB stands for? Mayor Billy. M-A-Y-E-R B-I-L-L-Y Well, when I was little, my parents called you Billy Rudman. Yeah. And now you're Duke.
Yeah, well, that's what my middle name was, Billy, M-D. I never liked the name Billy. And so you got the nickname because of your clothes? Clothes. I won the Taylor's Cutters Award in London. and then it was transferred here and New York City writer picked up on it. Well, you're certainly known for your beautiful clothes. I never had any when I was young. When I was a kid. You said your mother made your clothes. My mother made my clothes and I was always ashamed of it. The way I looked, people would ask me, where did you get that suit? They were actually making fun of me and I didn't know that.
And I'd say, I said, Hart Shafford Mark. She'd sewed that label in there. And they say to me oh no that suit not an even mark I mean Hart Shafford Mark Your mother your mom made that suit I understand she lived to be at least 100 102. She was born in St. Louis, and your dad was born in Russia and came over. Did they have brothers or sisters? Yes, nine, my dad had. There were nine boys. Did the family, did they all come over? Yeah, some of them came over and went back. Really? They weren't happy here because they were being supported by brothers and sisters who were not into money.
I can see that. Did your mother have brothers and sisters? My mother had a sister, and she had a brother. They both died rather much younger than my mother. And you remember her when you grew up in Henrietta, Oklahoma, lighting the Shabbos lights, that kind of thing? Doing what? Lighting the lights on Friday night. Yeah, she did that. Uh-huh. Keeping as Jewish a home as she could. She could. There was no synagogue. Fifteen miles from there, there was a synagogue in Oak Muggy. Uh-huh. I guess they moved from... They didn't have enough money hardly to belong to the shoe. I guess they moved to Oklahoma because they thought your dad could make more money there.
Oh, yeah. My dad went there and opened up a store. I remember I had Oklahoma. When did you get to Dallas? I came to Dallas myself with my wife in 1942. During the war. Yeah. And you were... I couldn't get in the Army because of asthma, and I was allergic to everything. Gee, it's a really good thing you did quit smoking then. Yeah. Saved your life. Oh, yeah. I know that. I'm aware of it. I lectured on it. I convinced and hypnotized people into quitting smoking. When did you develop an interest in politics? I'm not very politically minded. I contribute money to them. I made speeches for our present president, who I think is a Jew lover.
That's Clinton for the tape. Yeah. that Clinton for tape or anywhere else Well you know I mean when people listen to the tape I know that his preacher called him to his side one time in Arkansas And he said, I want you to promise me one thing. I told this at AIPAC a few years ago. I want you to remember one thing as long as you live. This is what his preacher told him, who was a Baptist preacher in Arkansas. He said, be good to the Jews. Be good to the Jews. And if you'll look at his record, he has been. Absolutely. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely.
So the fact that he had sex with a few women while married, I can't condemn him. I can't condemn him anyway. Yeah, right. when did APAC get started and can you tell us about the Duke Rudman Award when did APAC get started I don't know when did you get started in APAC Carol? I don't know a better question, when did you get when did you get interested in APAC first time I went there which was when I don't remember a number of years ago many years ago I can know by checking. Carol, tell Cheryl to come in, will you please? Tell him to come in when you...
I want to know about when I first checked I gave to APAC. See if somebody in the back gave you that information. First contribution that I made to APAC. Okay, for the record, AIPAC is the pro-Israel lobby, and it's pretty nonpartisan because some Republicans and some Democrats are more strongly supportive of Israel than others. Would you say it's a pretty bipartisan, generally pretty bipartisan? I want you to repeat that question. AIPAC is the pro-Israel lobby. What do you mean by BiPAC? AIPAC. AIPAC is the pro-Israel lobby. Yes. And it's my understanding that it doesn't pick a political party. It supports members of Congress, be they Republicans or Democrats, who have demonstrated a support of Israel.
That is correct, but there are times when an individual can get up and give. recommendation, which I did. I have the total amount, those two amounts together. $8,000. $878,850. To APAC. Yes, ma'am, to APAC. And you established a fund, a scholarship for young people. I give them $1,000 a year. Yeah, and that's called the Duke Redmond Award. That's an addition. Yeah, the Duke Redmond Award. Whatever they call it. Yeah, PLAP, which stands for what? I don't know. PLIP, it's on the tape. It's real interesting that your two interests are young people with AIPAC, which is the leadership, and you said that some of the AIPAC people didn't want you to do that.
That's right. They didn't want the money to go there. I believe that's where the future is with children. Well, of course, and if you don't give to the future. If they're not educated early on what they believe in, then they won't believe in anything. Absolutely. They won't believe in your cause. Well, that's right. So they've got to be hypnotized. Right. And they've got to hypnotize themselves. Yeah. Like that young man you saw. Mm-hmm. Outstanding. I gave him $1,000 extra. That was wonderful. I'm guilty of doing things like that. Well, I wouldn't call that guilty. Whatever. That's a wonderful thing. So at one end of the spectrum, you're giving to the youth with APAC.
Yeah. And on the other end of the spectrum, you've been quite generous with Golden Acres, the Dallas home for Jewish Asian, which is the old people. Who told you that? You told me that. You said you gave me you gave you going to give million Two and a half I think Two and a half million I don remember what it is I don know the exact The is I don know the exact A large figure A large figure For apartments yeah which is a lovely thing to do too That's for the housing they're going to build for new living quarters. So you're interested pretty much in humanity, Jewish humanity, particularly because you're taking care of young people and old people.
Yeah. So that pretty much covers, and I guess the people in between. I'm guilty of that. That's great. Yeah, I understand you're also, you've been quite generous with the Federation as well. Dallas Jewish Welfare Federation? Well, I don't want to comment on that. You have to. Okay. I think so, given what I can afford. Okay. So you have been quite a force for good in the Dallas Jewish community. Well, I'd rather you say that than I say it. Okay. I'm not modest. Okay. I'm not here to publicize it. Okay. I'm getting enough beggars that are not entitled to money. Yeah. As I said, I'm probably the only person up here all week that's not going to ask you for money.
One question I asked you that didn't get on the tape, and I would like to wrap up with it. Could you comment on how the Dallas Jewish community has changed in the 50 years since you've lived here? I don't know. I never I never have felt as a whole that I was at home here I didn't never felt they never really with Jews or people in general or I guess maybe it's getting better I never I never I don know I guess I should put this on tape On our anniversary our 50th anniversary I think it was What was it? Carol? Yes? Can you come in?
Can we set it off? Oh, sure. We gave an anniversary party, our 50th. I don't know how many years ago that was. And we invited an unbelievable number of people. And I spent a fortune on the party. And you know that I don't recall two or three people ever reciprocating. Really? Yeah. I never felt like this was a warm Jewish community as far as I was concerned. Of course, I am not religious. religious, my religious charity. Well, my dad was not a religious person. His main charity was A&M where he went and he was very generous with A&M. It wasn't a Jewish charity, but that's...
He had a right to choose what he wanted. Well, yeah. But it just seemed like when I was growing up, because my parents and I guess you and your wife Just had a terrific time. I mean, there was like a party every weekend, generally at the Columbian Club. And I remember they went to a party where you went as your suppressed desire, and it was right after Candy Bar shot her husband or something, and four people came as Candy Bar. And it just seems like y had a whole lot of fun Yeah more fun than as it got older I think in the what was that the 50s and the 60s yeah we gave a party for our 50th anniversary I don know what year that was you remember you weren here then their 50th what year did you what what year did you get married thank you I think I got married in 1954.
1954? I think. No, I moved up here in 1954. You said you got married when you were 25? Yeah. Okay, so that would be 25 and... Subtract 25 from what is this year? Basically, this is the year 2000. Is it 2,000? It's 99, but it's 2,000. The math is easier. In 54? Yeah. What is it? You were 25 when you got married. What year did you get married? 1909. So you were 25 when you got married. I was born in 1909, yeah. So if you were 25 when you got married, that would be 1936? 1934, I think. Okay, so the 50th anniversary party was 1986.
Right. Yeah, so that'd be 1986 was your 50th anniversary. 1986? Yeah. What was I going to say? Well, you're talking about your 50th anniversary party. But you gave. We gave a big birthday party. I mean, a big anniversary party. you know I don't think we got over I doubt if we got over two or three reciprocations well pretty much the same thing happened to my parents