Frank Willis, Sr.

Duane's take

Here's how the marker tells it, and I'm taking it from there. Frank Willis, Senior. Born January 23, 1842, in Indiana.

Died August 5, 1894. Now that's the frame, but what goes inside the frame is something worth sitting with a while. Frank Willis came to Texas in search of new horizons, which is about as honest a reason as a man can give for pulling up roots and heading somewhere bigger.

And they don't come much bigger than the Texas Panhandle. He became the first judge of the 35th District, and at the time that district comprised the entire Panhandle. The entire thing.

One judge, one enormous stretch of Texas. He held that bench from 1881 to 1890, and in that stretch of years, three things defined him: his honesty, his keen wit, and, the marker is kind enough to mention, his ample figure. Now when a man's physical presence makes it into the official historical record, you can bet it made an impression in the courtroom first.

Those three qualities together, honesty, wit, and a commanding frame, inspired many anecdotes. The marker doesn't give us the anecdotes. It just lets us know they existed, which is its own kind of storytelling.

And then there's this: his two sons, Newton and Frank Junior, also became judges. The whole family. Maybe new horizons, when you find the right ones, have a way of running in the blood.

What the marker says

(January 23, 1842 - August 5, 1894) First judge of the 35th District, then comprising entire Panhandle. Born in Indiana, he came to Texas in search of new horizons. As judge, from 1881 to 1890, his honesty, keen wit, and ample figure inspired many anecdotes. His two sons, Newton and Frank, Jr., also became judges. (1968)