Who is Thurber Mingus & what is he doing in Texas?

Is it just the name of two neighboring towns on I-20 in West Texas or is it the alter ego of a famous or perhaps infamous, international spy who has blended in with the town folks in the area. To conceal his identity they now refer to their two towns as Thurber, Texas and Mingus, Texas, rewriting their entire history to conceal his identity. Will we ever really know the truth?? Only time will tell.