Bishop Arts District vendor of bottled soft drinks, tobacco, and truisms dies

by PegNews wire

Long before Central Market opened, Hamilton Rousseau sold Dublin Dr Pepper with real cane sugar, making Oak Cliff an over-the-river destination.

OAK CLIFF — Hamilton Rousseau, an original writer-in-residence in the Bishop Arts District and the owner of the tobacco, pulp fiction, and bottled soft drink emporium Ifs, Ands & Butts, passed away last Wednesday due to complications from Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE). His obituary from HamiltonRousseau.com follows.

William Hamilton Rousseau III, 1945 - 2008, Eclectic, Enigmatic, Cosmopolitan Charlestonian, noted communicator, strategist, researcher, philosopher, and anthropologic theorist, departed this world at 3:13pm, Wednesday, 13 August 2008.

The demise of Rousseau came as the consequence of a rare and paradoxical bleeding disorder resulting from surprise complications of his life-long nemesis SLE [Systemic Lupus Erythematosus]. Throughout the previous fortnight Rousseau had been following a radical state-of-the-craft treatment regime delivered by UT Southwestern Medical Center's team of physicians under the auspices of the Dallas Veterans Administration Hospital, Dallas TX. His departure leaves his earthly remains in the hands of UT Southwestern's research program for further study of the puzzling presentations of Lupus.

Known here in the South West territories of America as simply Hamilton Rousseau, he will be primarily remembered by the citizenry as the original founder, owner, and resident scholar storyteller of the nationally and internationally recognized "World's Most Famous Soda Pop and Tobacco Shop" IFS ANDS & BUTTS formerly located at 408 Bishop Avenue, Bishop Arts District, Olde Oak Cliff in Dallas,Texas US, 1996 - 2005.

In retirement, Rousseau had been working on the ultimate compilation of his visionary theoretics entitled "I-ZATION," publishing much of his written material on his WebSite. His beloved Aaron Kitchens, GIGABYTE GROUP, the wizard behind the curtain of hamiltonrousseau.com and core collaborator in Rousseau's intricate internet work-in-progress COR3, will be continuing the website for access and future access to some of Rousseau's work.

The Life-Long collection of tapes & manuscripts comprising Rousseau's Magnum Opus will be curated by Diane Pilot, EDAT'ART, his devoted friend, collaborator, and champion.

In lieu of flowers, a tribute contribution can be made to: Lupus Research, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Office of Development, PO Box 910888, Dallas Tx 75391-0888, on behalf of William Hamilton Rousseau III.

posted by ccuellar

JW Richard, verified:

This saddens me deeply. It was pleasure to talk with Hamilton at his shop. I even have one of his truism T-shirts still wrapped and folded as a memory of my time at Ifs, Ands, and Butts. Wow.

4 years, 10 months ago
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alexander troup, verified:

I Can recall on Bishop street in the 1980s, when the late Tom jenkins and a few other art castoffs like Ron Moody were in the area, before it became hot, while the Soda Pop Museum which is what it should of been by Rousseau Hamilton as we used to call him came around the mid 1990s, the space he was using used to be the first neighborhood police station, while the area was still wild with hillbillies from Oklahoma and other odd and difficult South Dallas and down south areas,when Hamilton came in things got better and he did have some of the best bottled pop from Europe and even Africa, which had no scorpions in them, and I recall a soda pop from Isreal and even a soda pop from get this Greenland of all place called Arctic Quick, I am not kidding, so it is a sad loss, for the drinkers of exoctic Pop and Popular sodas he will be missed as a Pioneer, until then Alexander Troup Urban Historian.

4 years, 10 months ago
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