William Lenard Foster

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'm passing it right along to you. Out here in Sterling County, the story of William Lenard Foster is one of those foundational tales, the kind where a man shows up early enough that the land itself is still being named. Foster was a Navarro County native, and in 1881 he made his way out to this region alongside his brother Robert West Foster.

Two brothers, a new territory, and the kind of open country that either breaks a man or makes him. For W. L.

Foster, it made him. He became one of the region's pioneer settlers, a prominent rancher and landowner, and when Sterling County was organized and needed its first commissioners, Foster was among those elected to the job. That's how early he was here.

The county was so new it was still assembling its own government, and William Lenard Foster had a seat at that table. He also helped found the First Methodist Church, which tells you something about the kind of community he was trying to build, not just in cattle and land, but in the things that hold people together. Then in 1910, the First National Bank of Sterling City opened its doors, and Foster was there from the very founding, serving as president and director.

He held that position not for a year or two, not for a decade. He held it until his death in 1950. Think about that for a moment.

A man who arrived in 1881 to raw, unsettled country, and was still sitting at the helm of that bank in 1950. William Lenard Foster didn't just pass through Sterling County's story. He was part of writing it, from the first chapter to nearly the last line.

What the marker says

Navarro County native William Lenard Foster migrated to this area in 1881 with his brother Robert West Foster. One of the region's pioneer settlers, W. L. Foster was a prominent rancher and landowner and was elected one of the first commissioners of Sterling County. A founder of the First Methodist Church, he served as president and director of the First National Bank of Sterling City from its founding in 1910 until his death in 1950. Recorded - 1982