Samuel Wallace Sholars, M.D.

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'm passing it straight along to you. Samuel Wallace Sholars came into this world on October 15, 1847, in Talladega, Alabama. Now, that's a long way from East Texas, but in 1858, young Samuel moved with his parents to Jasper County, and Texas had him after that.

He served in the Confederate army, came back from that war, and set his sights on something that would last longer than a battle. He earned his medical degree in 1872, and Dr. Sholars got to work.

He planted himself in Orange, Texas, and what he built there is something worth talking about on a long road. He practiced medicine. He founded Sholars Drugstore.

He served as alderman. He sat on the school board. He rose to president of the Southeast Texas Medical Society.

And if that weren't enough to fill a man's days, he helped organize the Orange Rifles of the Texas Volunteer Guards. You get the sense this was a fellow who simply could not sit still when there was something worth buildin'. The story doesn't end with him, either.

His daughter and his three sons went on to be civic leaders in their own right. Whatever Samuel Wallace Sholars put into the soil of Orange, it took root in the next generation too. He passed on May 13, 1926.

One man, one town, one considerable life.

What the marker says

(Oct. 15, 1847 - May 13, 1926) A native of Talladega, Alabama, Samuel Sholars moved with his parents to Jasper County in 1858. A Confederate army veteran, Dr. Sholars received his medical degree in 1872. He practiced medicine in Orange, founded Sholars Drugstore, served as alderman, school board member, and president of the Southeast Texas Medical Society. He helped organize the Orange Rifles of the Texas Volunteer Guards. His daughter and three sons were also civic leaders. Recorded - 1979