DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say — and this one's worth your full attention. Now, some men leave a mark on a place. John Ben Shepperd left a mark on the whole state of Texas — and I mean that more literally than most.
Born October 19, 1915, in Gladewater, Shepperd came up in that East Texas oil country and didn't waste a moment of it. He graduated from the University of Texas Law School in 1941, hung out his shingle in Longview soon after, and then — well, the world had other plans for a good many young men right about then. He served in World War II.
When he came back, he channeled that energy into something called the Jaycees, and he didn't just join — he rose all the way to national president. But public life had its hooks in him early. In 1946, he was appointed to fill his father's unexpired term as county commissioner.
That's where it started. By 1950, Governor Allan Shivers was calling on him to serve as secretary of state. And then, in 1952, the people of Texas elected him attorney general.
They liked what they saw, because they sent him back in 1954. As attorney general, Shepperd didn't tiptoe around trouble. He went straight at political corruption in Duval County.
He went after the misuse of state veterans land funds. That is not a man who came to Austin to keep a low profile. He retired from public office in 1957 and moved out west to Odessa, where he kept practicing law and poured himself into civic and charitable work.
He was appointed to state and national boards and commissions — among them the Texas State Historical Survey Committee, the body that would eventually become the Texas Historical Commission. And here is where the story turns toward something lasting. Shepperd became the driving force behind the growth and development of the Historical Marker Program.
That program — the very kind responsible for the marker you're hearing about right now — became nationally recognized during his time as chairman. The man didn't just make history. He made sure history got marked, recorded, and remembered.
In his later years, he went back to where it all began. He renovated the boyhood home and farm in Gladewater where he'd grown up. He died March 8, 1990, and he is buried in the family cemetery south of town.
South of Gladewater. Right where he started. There's something quietly right about that.
What the marker says
(October 19, 1915 - March 8, 1990) A native of Gladewater, John Ben Shepperd began a law practice in Longview soon after his graduation from the University of Texas Law School in 1941. After service in World War II, he gained prominence as national president of the Jaycees. His public service career began in 1946, when he was appointed to fill his father's unexpired term as county commissioner. Governor Allan shivers appointed Shepperd secretary of state in 1950. He was elected attorney general in 1952 and was reelected in 1954. As attorney general, he attacked political corruption in Duval county and the misuse of state veterans land funds. After retiring from public office in 1957, Shepperd moved to Odessa where he practiced law and supported numerous civic and charitable endeavors. He was appointed to a number of state and national boards and commissions, including the Texas State Historical Survey Committee (now Texas Historical Commission). He was the driving force in the growth and development of the Historical Marker Program, which became nationally recognized during his term as chairman. He renovated his Gladewater boyhood home and farm after his retirement. He is buried in the family cemetery south of town.