DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'm gonna do my best to do it justice. Now, Madisonville, Texas has sent some notable people out into the world, but few of them left a mark quite like Jubal Richard Parten — J.R. to just about everybody who knew him. Born right here on February 16, 1896, this Madison County boy was going to have a hand in some of the biggest moments of the twentieth century.
You just couldn't have guessed it yet. J.R. went off to the University of Texas, studied government and law, and in 1917 he graduated and married Opal Woodley. Shortly after that, he joined the army, and he didn't stop climbin' until he'd made the rank of major.
When the war was over, he came back and joined his father-in-law in organizing Woodley Petroleum Company in 1919. That was the beginning of what would become an over-seventy-year career in the petroleum industry. Seventy years.
Let that settle for a moment. Now, a man with that kind of staying power doesn't just work — he gets involved. J.R. stayed active in the affairs of his alma mater throughout his career, serving on the University of Texas Board of Regents from 1935 to 1941.
And in 1987, that beloved university turned around and gave him a distinguished alumnus award. Some circles, it seems, you never really leave. Then came World War Two, and the country needed oil the way a fire needs air.
J.R. Parten was named director of the Transportation Division of the Petroleum Administration for War — the man responsible for getting necessary oil delivered for the war effort. That is not a small job.
That is not a quiet desk somewhere. And when the war wound down and the world tried to sort itself out, Parten was there at the Potsdam Conference, participating in the post-war negotiations. But here's the thing about J.R. — the country wasn't done with him.
When the Korean War came along, President Harry S. Truman called on Parten in 1950 to organize the Petroleum Administration for Defense. The president of the United States, picking up the phone, dialing this man from Madisonville.
That's not nothing. Through all of it — the oil fields, the boardrooms, the wartime logistics, the international conferences — Parten held public service positions representing his country, his state, and his county. He was the kind of man who apparently couldn't say no when duty came knockin'.
His personal life had its turns too. He and Opal divorced in 1947, and he later married Patsy Edwards Puterbaugh. Together they had two children.
And through every chapter of that long life, J.R. Parten kept looking back toward home. He gave generously to Madison County whenever donations were asked.
He gifted multiple tracts of land — for an elementary school, for a hospital, and for the Madison County Library. The man who helped fuel a war effort and sat at post-war tables also made sure the folks back home had a place to learn and a place to heal. J.R.
Parten died on November 9, 1992, and he's buried in the Madisonville Cemetery — right here in the county where it all started. Born in Madisonville, resting in Madisonville, and everything in between was the kind of life that makes you realize some places just produce extraordinary people.
What the marker says
Born in Madisonville on February 16, 1896, Jubal Richard "J.R." Parten secured his legacy as a pioneer in the American oil industry and a reputation in local, state and national politics. Studying government and law at the University of Texas, Parten graduated and married Opal Woodley in 1917. Shortly after, J.R. joined the army, rising to the rank of major. After WWI, Parten joined his father-in-law in organizing Woodley Petroleum Company in 1919, thus beginning his over-seventy-year career in the petroleum industry. Throughout his career in the oil industry, Parten stayed active in the affairs of his alma mater and national politics. He served on the University of Texas Board of Regents from 1935-1941 and received a distinguished alumnus award from his beloved university in 1987. During WWII, Parten served as director of the Transportation Division of the Petroleum Administration for War, responsible for delivering necessary oil for the war effort. J.R. also participated in the post-war negotiations at the Potsdam Conference. President Harry S. Truman called on Parten again in 1950, to organize the Petroleum Administration for Defense during the Korean War. He held many public service positions throughout his life representing his country, state, and county. J.R. Parten divorced Opal in 1947, and married Patsy Edwards Puterbaugh and the couple had two children. Parten always generously gave back to Madison County whenever donations were asked. He also gifted multiple tracts of land for an elementary school, hospital, and the Madison County Library. Parten died on November 9, 1992, and is buried in the Madisonville Cemetery. (2017)