William Kyle McLean

Duane's take

The marker tells it this way, and I'm just the one passing it along. William Kyle McLean, born October 14, 1902, and gone September 6, 1971, came from stock that had been putting down roots in Houston County longer than most folks could remember. His people were among the first permanent settlers in this area, and that connection to the land ran deep, real deep.

Now, some families inherit land and let it sit. McLean inherited that same land and asked a harder question: what can this place become? He set to work on the agricultural history of Houston County and East Texas in ways that would earn him recognition clear up to the national level.

The man introduced coastal bermuda grass to the area. Think about that for a moment. A single decision about a single grass, and the pastures of East Texas were never quite the same.

He planted crimson clover and white Dutch clover in those same pastures, and then, here is where the story gets its particular Texas flavor, he brought in the bees. Bees for clover crop pollination. Not a shortcut, not a guess.

A system. Soil conservation awards came his way, numerous ones, and they were earned the slow way, season by season, field by field. Descended from the first settlers of this corner of Texas, William Kyle McLean didn't just work the land.

He changed what the land could do.

What the marker says

(October 14, 1902 -- September 6, 1971) Descended from the first permanent settlers in this area, William Kyle McLean made significant contributions to the agricultural history of Houston County and East Texas. The recipient of numerous soil conservation awards, McLean earned national recognition for the introduction of coastal bermuda grass to the area, the planting of crimson and white Dutch clovers in his pastures, and the use of bees for clover crop pollination.