DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Lucille Nance Jones, out in Randall County. Now, some people leave a mark on a place. And then there are people like Lucille Nance Jones, who leave 2,000 acres, a bronze longhorn steer, and a house full of rococo antiques — and somehow that still doesn't cover half of it.
She came into this world on November 20, 1904, born Bessie Lucille Parker, over in Arkansas, to Thomas M. Parker and Jessie Lay Parker. The family made their way to Texas, the way a lot of families did, and in 1924, Lucille married a man named George E.
Nance — a Hallettsville native, born in 1896. They settled in the Canyon area, and together they established the Nance Hereford Ranch. Now here's where you start to understand what kind of woman Lucille was.
By 1925 — just one year in — the ranch already covered 6,000 acres. Six thousand. And it was primarily dealing in cattle.
Through the 1940s and into the 1950s, the Nance Ranch was producing champion cattle and had become nationally known as a leading purebred Hereford breeder. Nationally known. Out of the Texas Panhandle.
That doesn't happen by accident, and it doesn't happen without somebody who knows exactly what they're doing. George Nance died in 1954, and after that, Lucille operated the ranch herself. She kept it going.
Eventually she leased the land to others, but she never truly stepped away from the life she and George had built. In 1956, she married an investment banker named Lovell Leslie Jones, born in 1899. And together, in 1963, they decided to move into town and build a house — but not just any house.
They worked closely with architect Norris E. Root, II, because Lucille had a problem that most of us would be deeply envious of: she had an extensive antique collection that needed a home. Not a storage room — a home.
Each room in that house was designed to accommodate specific furnishings. Think about that. The architecture bent itself to fit the art.
And what art it was. As Lucille traveled around the world — on vacations, to livestock shows — she had been collecting rococo-style items and pieces from all over. A rancher, a businesswoman, and a world traveler with an eye for beauty.
Later in life, she began donating those pieces — art, antiques, and a bronze longhorn steer — to institutions including the Panhandle Plains Historical Museum. But perhaps the most striking thing she gave away came in 1970. That year, Lucille donated more than 2,000 acres — including the headquarters of the Nance Ranch itself — to West Texas State University, which is now West Texas A&M University, to be used for agricultural education.
The very land she and George had built their legacy on, she handed forward to the next generation. When Lucille Nance Jones died on December 1, 1977, she was laid to rest in Dreamland Cemetery, just outside Canyon, next to George Nance — her first husband, the man she'd started all of it with. Rancher.
Businesswoman. Art collector. World traveler.
The marker calls it a lasting legacy in West Texas, and friend, I don't think that's an overstatement by even a little bit.
What the marker says
(November 20, 1904 - December 1, 1977) Bessie Lucille Parker was born in Arkansas to Thomas M. Parker and Jessie (Lay) Parker. The family moved to Texas and in 1924, Lucille married George E. Nance (1896-1954), a Hallettsville native. Lucille and George settled in the Canyon area and established the Nance Hereford Ranch. By 1925, the ranch covered 6,000 acres and primarily dealt in cattle. Through the 1940s and 1950s, the Nance Ranch produced champion cattle and was nationally known as a leading purebred Hereford breeder. After George died, Lucille operated the ranch, but eventually she leased the land to others. In 1956, she married investment banker Lovell Leslie Jones (1899-1982). They decided to move into town and build a house in 1963, working closely with architect Norris E. Root, II, to retain their extensive antique collection. Each room was designed to accommodate specific furnishings. Lucille Nance Jones collected rococo-style items and art as she traveled around the world on vacations and to various livestock shows. Later in life, Lucille began to donate items to various museums and institutions, including many art pieces, antiques and a bronze longhorn steer to the Panhandle Plains Historical Museum. In 1970, she donated more than 2,000 acres, including the headquarters of The Nance Ranch, to West Texas State University (now West Texas A&M University) to be used for agricultural education. After her death, she was laid to rest in Dreamland Cemetery outside Canyon next to her first husband George Nance. Through her influence as a rancher, businesswoman and art collector. Lucille Nance Jones established a lasting legacy in West Texas. (2020)