DUANE
Duane's take
Here's the story as the official marker tells it — and this one's worth every word. W. Goodrich Jones.
Born 1860, died 1950. The marker calls him the Father of Forestry in Texas, and by the time I'm done, you'll understand why that title fits like a pair of well-worn boots. Jones rolled into Temple in 1888 as a banker.
A banker, mind you. Not a forester, not a botanist, not some government man with a clipboard full of conservation policy. A banker.
And what did he do when he got to town? He planted a tree. One pecan tree.
Now you might think, well, that's a nice enough gesture — shade for the summer, pecans in the fall, everybody goes home happy. But here's where it gets interesting. That single tree set off a chain of events that would reshape the landscape of an entire state.
That planting led to establishing Arbor Day in Texas in 1889, through legislation introduced by Senator Geo. W. Tyler.
One man, one pecan, one senator, and suddenly Texas has its own Arbor Day. Jones wasn't finished. Not even close.
He let a quarter century roll by, kept his eyes on the forests, kept his convictions sharp, and then in 1914 he organized the Texas Forestry Association. The very next year — 1915 — Governor James E. Ferguson signed into law the creation of the Texas Department of Forestry.
A banker from Temple had just built the institutional backbone of forest conservation for the state of Texas. For sixty years, Jones advocated conservation. Sixty years.
A state forest at Conroe carries his name. The park you might be standing near right now carries his name. And his family established a fellowship in Forestry Conservation and Research to make sure his work keeps growing long after the man himself was gone.
One pecan tree, Temple, 1888. Sometimes the seed really does tell the whole story.
What the marker says
Known as "Father of Forestry in Texas." Came to Temple, 1888, as a banker. Planted first tree (a pecan) in town; this led to establishing Arbor Day in Texas in 1889, through legislation introduced by Sen. Geo. W. Tyler. In 1914 Jones organized Texas Forestry Association, which saw creation of Texas Department of Forestry, signed into law in 1915 by Gov. James E. Ferguson. For 60 years, Jones advocated conservation. A state forest at Conroe and this park bear his name. A fellowship in Forestry Conservation and Research has been established by his family. (1970)