One man's crazy! dream: despite the naysayers, one family turned 325 neglected acres into a haven for families and Texas tech students.

The good people of Lubbock, Texas, came to a unanimous conclusion in 1999: Delbert McDougal had gone crazy. The former General Electric salesman announced at a press conference that he--and the rest of McDougal Cos.--intended to completely renovate the 325 acres that made up North Overton, a section

"There was an uproar," Delbert said. "They couldn't believe that I was going to, as they said, risk my family's assets when this project was an obvious failure." Delbert smiled at the memory.

Delbert has every reason to smile. The CEO of McDougal Cos. has watched his piece of Texas flourish for the past seven years and, as a result of his meticulous planning and solid vision, he has seen a crime-infested area become a haven for families and Texas Tech students in what is believed to be the country's largest privately funded redevelopment project.

Demolishing the 'Tech Ghetto'

North Overton was established in 1907 and developed in the 1920s, but by the late 1960s the area was beginning to suffer the effects of neglect. Lax building codes and absent property managers fueled the neighborhood's steady deterioration. The crime soon followed.

Mike McDougal, Delbert's son and President of McDougal Properties, a division of McDougal Cos., said that although only 2 percent of Lubbock's population lived in North Overton, more than 25 percent of the crime was committed in that area, The high crime rate inspired North Overton's unflattering nickname, "The Tech Ghetto."

"Texas Tech officials were actually warning incoming freshman to stay away from east of University Avenue, the street that runs between Texas Tech and North Overton," Mike said. "Even Reese Air Force base told recruits to stay away from that area. It just wasn't safe."

Professional writer Tony Privett is currently writing a book about Delbert and his family. During the past 5 years, he has become well acquainted with the story of the crazy man with the big vision.

"North Overton was a threat to Tech and to downtown," Privett said. "It was a cancer in the heart of Lubbock. Everyone recognized that, but Delbert had a soft spot for the area and it was a challenge to show he could do it. It was a risk, but he's a gambler at heart."