Dedman’s dad built the world’s biggest golf resort chain. Dedman, Sr. was a golfing pal of President Bush, who invited him to Camp David. The elder Dedman gave $3 million to the University of Texas in ’97 for stadium improvements. UT’s publicists usually trumpet such gifts but were mum about this one, which came at a time when ClubCorp was the sole bidder for a $10 million contract to run a private club at UT’s football stadium. ClubCorp got the contract. After Dallas’ First Republic Bank failed in the late ‘80s at a record taxpayer cost of $3.6 billion, Dedman and other ex-directors and officers of the bank agreed to pay $17.5 million in ’93 to settle charges related to their roles in this colossal failure. They got off “too goddamned cheap,” according to a federal lawyer who worked the case. “Those were very rich, very important, and some very self-important people,” he said. “They don’t understand that when you have enormous problems you have to do something about it or quit the bank. It is endemic among directors across the country. But there is a peculiar brand of it in Texas.” Another fat cat ensnared in this scandal was H.R. “Bum” Bright, the ex-employer of head Pioneer James Francis.