Our “Top” Texas Ranger Associates

The Frontier Battalion Texas Rangers Exhibit pays tribute to these active and retired Texas Rangers. We hope we have done justice to these “TOP” Texas Rangers with many being our friends.

Texas Ranger Johnny Aycock

FIRST AWARD
JANUARY 1987

John Retired serving in the Texas Rangers Company “F” in 2001 after 19 years with the Texas Rangers. As a young 9 year old living in San Angelo, Texas John always wanted to be a Texas Ranger. John served in the United States Army in Vietnam and served four tours where he distinguished himself in combat and in his service to his beloved country. A finer man and Ranger you will ever know..John Aycock a good friend and certainly a Top Ranger.

Johnny Aycock is the most highly decorated Ranger in Ranger history. He has been awarded two Medals of Valor both dealing with the kidnapping of young children."Awarded in recognition of the gallant and courageous manner in which he effected the rescue of a kidnapped child being held for ransom at the risk of his own life. We consider Johnny Aycock a personal friend and a top Ranger.

Texas Ranger Johnnie E. Aycock, along with Texas Ranger Stanley Keith Guffey, on January 22, 1987, in Llano County, Texas, volunteered to be the arrest and rescue team in a high-risk tactical operation. It had been determined that a kidnapper holding a two-year-old-girl for ransom could not be permitted to depart a designated ransom-exchange area with the kidnapped child, as it was believed he would attempt to murder her. He had claimed to have murdered a second victim, which claim was subsequently determined to be true.

Ranger Aycock, along with his fellow Ranger, concealed himself in an automobile that was to be delivered to the kidnapper at the exchange point. The subject appeared and, rather than releasing the child, placedher and the ransom money in the vehicle where he was confronted by the Rangers, who identified themselves in an effort to effect his surrender and avoid bloodshed. The kidnapper commenced firing and, in an ensuing exchange of gunfire between the Rangers and the suspect, the suspect was killed and and Sgt. Guffey was mortally wounded. These heroic actions rescued the kidnapped victim from certain death. Ranger Aycock’s dedication to duty, his concern for human life, and gallantry and courage exhibited while fulfilling the responsibilities of his chosen life role brought much credit to himself and to the cause of law enforcement.

SECOND AWARD
JANUARY 1995

“Awarded in recognition of his valorous performance and extraordinary skill exhibited during the successful conclusion of a life-threatening hostage situation.

Sergeant Aycock was involved as a “hostage negotiator” during a situation where an individual was holding a 14-month-old child at gunpoint and law enforcement officials in a standoff in a field in rural Mills County. The individual had kidnapped the child earlier in the day, firing a 12-gauge shotgun through a door of a residence threatening to kill the child’s mother. A high-speed chase ensued and the individual’s stolen vehicle was disabled. Continuously threatening the life of the child, the individual indicated that he might attempt suicide.

Over approximately a four hour period, Sgt. Aycock at great personal risk, exhibited extraordinary courage, skill, and judgment in negotiating with the individual and finally successfully rescued the child and arrested the individual.

His performance exemplifies the high standards of the Ranger Division and reflects credit upon him, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and the law enforcement profession."

Texas Ranger Stanley Guffey

Stanley Keith Guffey was born in November of 1946 at Perryton, Texas. He joined the Texas Department of Public Safety as a patrolman in 1968 and served with distinction. In 1979 he was commissioned a Texas Ranger and his duty stations included Company D in Laredo, Texas and Company F, in Waco.

In January of 1987, Brent Albert Beeler, a parolee from Houston wanted for forgery, made his way to Horseshoe Bay, Texas. He kidnapped two-year-old Kara- Leigh Whitehead, daughter of local rancher Bill Whitehead and his wife Leigh, and their maid, 22-year-old Denise Johnson. Beeler barricaded himself in a house, killed Johnson, and demanded $30,000 and a car to release Kara-Leigh Whitehead. Determined not to let Beeler escape with the child, Texas Rangers Stanley Guffey and John Aycock volunteered to hide in the back of a Lincoln Town Car with the rear seat removed.

When the car was delivered, Beeler placed the girl in the front seat and threw a briefcase with the money in the back. In so doing he spotted Guffey, who identified himself as a Texas Ranger, and ordered Beeler to surrender. In the seconds it took Guffey to identify himself, Beeler fired a .44 Magnum revolver, fatally wounding Ranger Guffey. Guffey was able to fire one shot before collapsing, but it missed Beeler. Ranger Aycock returned fire through the car window, fatally wounding Beeler. He quickly pulled Kara-Leigh Whitehead to the rear of the car out of harms way before leaving the vehicle to approach Beeler.
Rangers Guffey and Aycock were later awarded Department of Public Safety Commissioner’s Medals of Valor for their actions in saving Kara-Leigh Whitehead. The 70th Texas State Legislature memorialized Stanley Guffey with a resolution recognizing his sacrifice. More than 750 mourners attended Stanley Guffey’s funeral. We consider Stanley Guffey as a “TOP-TOP” Ranger…
h2. Texas Ranger Danny V. Rhea

Texas Ranger Sgt. Danny V. Rhea
June, 1998

“Awarded in recognition of his valorous and professional response exhibited during a crisis situation where he faced a deranged individual holding what was believed to be an explosive device in a Texas Department of Public Safety building.

On January 6, 1998, Ranger Sergeant Danny V. Rhea assisted Trooper Cody Sanders and Trooper George K. Harris in dealing with a man who was carrying what was identified as a bomb at the Sulphur Springs Texas Department of Public Safety office. The man told Trooper Harris to evacuate the building because he was going to blow himself up. The building was evacuated and the officers negotiated with the man for almost an hour believing he was holding an explosive device and intended to detonate the device. The man eventually displayed a handgun and pointed it at Trooper Harris. Ranger Sergeant Rhea then fired one shot, fatally wounding the man.

Ranger Sergeant Rhea’s courage, decisive action, and dedication to duty in this tense and volatile situation bring great credit to him, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and the profession of law enforcement." We consider Rhea as a Top Ranger.

Texas Ranger Sgt. William R. Gerth
1983

“Awarded in recognition of the gallant manner in which he risked his own life to preserve that of a fellow law enforcement officer.

Ranger William R. Gerth, on May 19, 1983, in Wichita Falls, Texas, responded to a police department radio broadcast advising that an alleged bank robber was travelling on Sisk Road in that City. Ranger Gerth observed the suspect vehicle and requested backup support from a DPS trooper. As the trooper joined pursuit, the suspect vehicle came to an abrupt stop.

The robbery suspect exited his vehicle and immediately opened fire with an automatic weapon on the trooper causing minor lacerations and pinning the trooper inside his vehicle. As the armed suspect approached the trooper’s vehicle, Ranger Gerth became involved in an exchange of gunfire with the suspect which resulted in the suspect being killed. Gerth we consider as a top Ranger.

As a result of Gerth’s positive, timely, and gallant actions, the life of the DPS trooper was spared."

Texas Ranger Joaquin Jackson

Jackson’s view of the 2nd Amendment.

Joaquin Jackson was the Ranger who responded when riots threatened, violence erupted, and criminals needed to be brought to justice across a wide swath of the Texas-Mexico border from 1966 to 1993. Defying all stereotypes, he was the one Ranger who ensured a fair election—and an overwhelming win for La Raza Unida party candidates—in Zavala County in 1972.

He followed legendary Ranger Captain Alfred Y. Allee Sr. into a shootout at the Carrizo Springs jail that ended a prison revolt—and left him with nightmares. He captured “The See More Kid,” an elusive horse thief and burglar who left clean dishes and swept floors in the houses he robbed. He investigated the 1988 shootings in Big Bend’s Colorado Canyon and tried to understand the motives of the Mexican teenagers who terrorized three river rafters and killed one. He even helped train Afghan mujahedin warriors to fight the Soviet Union.

Jackson’s tenure in the Texas Rangers began when older Rangers still believed that law need not get in the way of maintaining order, and concluded as younger Rangers were turning to computer technology to help solve crimes. Though he insists, “I am only one Ranger. There was only one story that belonged to me,” his story is part of the larger story of the Texas Rangers becoming a modern law enforcement agency that serves all the people of the state. It’s a story that’s as interesting as any of the legends. And yet, Jackson’s story confirms the legends, too.

With right at 144 Texas Rangers to cover a state with 267,399 square miles, any one may become the one Ranger who, like Joaquin Jackson in Zavala County in 1972, stops one riot.

Jackson has been in several movies, namely as the character Wes Wheeler in the motion picture The Good Old Boys with Tommy Lee Jones, in a 1997 made-for-TV movie Rough Riders, and in a 1997 TV mini-series, Streets of Laredo based on author Larry McMurtry’s book by the same title. Jackson also played the fictional Sheriff Jackson in the 2008 movie Palo Pinto Gold, starring singer Trent Willmon, and appears as Archie in the motion picture Poodle Dog Lounge, released in late 2008.

Jackson retired from the Texas Rangers in 1993. He currently lives in Alpine, Texas with his wife Shirley, where he is the owner and operator of a private investigations firm. Joaquin is a good friend of 37 years and we consider him a TOP RANGER.

Texas Ranger A.L. Mitchell Company “E” Midland, Texas

AL Mitchell joined the Texas Rangers, Co. E in Midland, Texas, in 1970 after serving with the Texas DPS Narcotics Division, New Mexico State Police, New Mexico State Cattle Inspector, Army National Guard, and Carlsbad Fire Department.

As a New Mexico State Policeman, Officer Mitchell was responsible for a stretch of US Hwy. 66 just west of the Texas-New Mexico State Line for several years. He then moved into the Special Investigation Intelligence Division of the New Mexico State Police and was stationed in Hobbs, New Mexico. During the two and a half years he was stationed in Hobbs, he worked closely with the Texas Rangers to bring over 61 major criminals from West Texas/Eastern New Mexico to justice.

When Officer Mitchell became Ranger Mitchell, he continued to close relationship between New Mexico law enforcement and the Texas Ranger Service and continued to bring criminals to justice all along the Texas/New Mexico border, from the northern panhandle, all the way to El Paso, Texas. Ranger Mitchell was the first law enforcement officer to use the federal mail fraud statute in the prosecution of an oilfield crime.

In 1978, AL Mitchell left the Texas Ranger Service in order to work in the private sector as an expert in the investigation and prosecution of oilfield crimes and cases. He has since worked for companies such as Tom Brown, Inc., TMBR/Sharp Drilling, Patterson UTI, and Arrington Oil & Gas. He now operates his own private investigative firm, Ranger Professional Services, Inc., through which he provides expert investigative service to law firms and companies. He still specializes in oilfield-related matters and works closely with insurance companies and their defenders, as well as with law enforcement, including the Texas Rangers.

AL Mitchell is also closely associated with the Former Texas Ranger Foundation and the Former Texas Ranger Association. He has served as an officer and director in both organizations. He is one of the individuals responsible for the Ranger Memorial Cross Program currently on its way to placing a memorial cross on the grave of every deceased Ranger across the State of Texas. It is with pleasure that Al be recognized as a “Top Ranger” as well as a friend and gentleman.

Ranger Captain Robert “Bob” Mitchell

Captain Robert Mitchell was born May 17, 1934 in Troup to the late Erby D. and Ruth Skillern Mitchell. He graduated in 1952 from Elkhart High School and attended Henderson County Junior College. He served in the Army during the Korean War and joined the Texas Department of Public Safety in April 1958.

He served as a state trooper in New Braunfels until becoming a Texas Ranger on Dec. 1, 1967. As a Ranger, he served in Tyler, Austin and Waco, where he was captain of Company F, Texas Rangers, for 18 years. He retired in 1992 after 35 years and then served on the Fort Fisher Advisory Board and on board of Texas Ranger Association Foundation. Capt. Mitchell was a “follow me” Ranger a friend and we consider him as a Top Ranger.

Texas Ranger Senior Captain Bruce Casteel

Bruce Casteel Served as the Assistant Senior Captain and Chief of Texas Rangers after moving from Lubbock Co. “C”. Within a short time Bruce became Senior Captain and Chief of Texas Rangers. Casteel retired from the Texas Rangers in 2001 and has
served as President of the Former Texas Ranger Association and servers as one of the directors for the Former Texas Ranger Foundation based in Fredericksburg, Texas. Bruce is another TOP RANGER and is considered a good friend and a supporter of our organization.

Texas Ranger Capt. Caver co. E.

Ranger Captain Barry Caver Company “E” retired after 19 years with the Texas Rangers. As Captain of Company “E” he was based in Midland, Texas and was in charge of the largest land area in Texas. This included the huge Big Bend area. Barry was a
well liked and effective Ranger Captain and we consider him as a TOP RANGER and a special friend.

Article by Bob Campbell

“Four new ranging companies have been organized and taken their stations on our frontier. We are much pleased. They are true men and know exactly what they are about” – Victoria Advocate, Nov. 16, 1848.

It’s an understatement to say there is a lot to live up to when you put on a Texas Rangers badge.

Their 185-year tradition makes it a tough job, which Barry Caver did not fully appreciate until it happened for him in 1989.

Now retiring as the captain of Company E to work in executive security for an oilfield service company, the native East Texan said, "A lot of respect and responsibility come with it and it’s instantaneous the day you pin it on.

“I thought, am I worthy of the badge? It doesn’t take long to figure out, just work hard and do your job. Never do anything to compromise your integrity. A lot of cases are so high profile and sensitive that it’s a lot of pressure. In situations like Waco, Fort Davis and Eldorado, the entire world is watching every move.

“I have always said the honest, law abiding citizen doesn’t have a clue as to what goes on in the real world. They shy away from the drug dealers and perverts, so they’re not exposed. It’s hard to describe how to distance yourself and not take a bad day at work home to the family.”

Leaving the Rangers on June 30 to work for Frac Tech Services in Weatherford, Caver had been a Ranger for four years in Huntsville when a U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms raid on the Branch Davidian compound north of Waco left four ATF agents dead.

He commanded a week-long standoff with Republic of Texas separatists south of Fort Davis in 1997 and recently directed officers at a polygamists’ center south of San Angelo.

“We felt it was not in our best interest to get involved at Waco because it was a federal operation that had gone badly,” said Caver, 50. "But it went to Gov. Ann Richards and back to Col. Jim Wilson and he said, ‘Yeah, you are going to do it.’

“They wanted a separate entity to look into what happened and where the shots came from. When the FBI took over, it was my job to act as liaison between the FBI and Rangers. We offered our services many times, but they refused to let us intervene or assist them.

“At one point David Koresh wanted to speak to the Rangers about surrendering, but the FBI wouldn’t have it. It was their turf and they were not willing to bend the rules. After 60 days in a fire we believe was started by the Branch Davidians, the compound burned to the ground.

“It’s hard to work a crime scene when there is no crime scene left, but we sifted through every ash. I’d never worked a case involving 80 some-odd dead people. We loaded the remains into refrigerated trailers. A lot were difficult to identify. It was very tough and emotional.”

Caver took those lessons to Fort Davis and a half-dozen Republic of Texas members who had shot a neighbor and held him and his wife hostage. “You treat people with dignity, use your patience and do whatever it takes legally and morally,” he said.

“I didn’t want to be branded like the FBI for causing it to go wrong. I was determined to resolve it peacefully, which is what we did.”

Caver and the 22 other Company E Rangers in 43 counties from El Paso to the Mexico border, Eastland and Andrews had known for four years Eldorado would one day be trouble because of now-imprisoned polygamist leader Warren Jeffs’ reputation.

“It was just a matter of when,” he said. “We’d been trying to develop relationships with them so we would know who to talk to. But we had no idea how many were in there. We had thought maybe 150, not 600-700. It was overwhelming.”

An outdoorsman who hunts quail and scuba dives, Caver has an ornate saddle made by a prison inmate but rarely rides anymore, having put in his time chasing fugitives on horseback in the Huntsville region.

“There’s nothing more exhilarating than a manhunt with dogs,” he said. "The Big Thicket is the darkest, most thickly wooded area you’ve ever seen and when the horse ducks, you’d better duck because his job is to keep up with the dogs.

“In a pack of 10-12 dogs, they have good bayers, treers and trackers and work as a team. You can hear them barking and when they change pitch, they’re on the trail. The other guys told me that if you wear pantyhose under your jeans, it won’t cause blisters. But I just never was man enough to put on a pair of pantyhose.”

He is one of seven captains who supervise 134 Rangers – Tony Leal, Company A-Houston; Richard Sweaney, B-Garland; Randy Prince, C-Lubbock; Gary de los Santos, D-San Antonio; Kirby Dendy, F-Waco; and Skylor Hearn, G-McAllen.

Son of Bobby Caver, a copier and printing technician who died in 2002, and Janet Partin, who lives on her family ranch in Nacogdoches County, Caver credits a strict upbringing and his dad’s example as a reserve Angelina County deputy for inspiring his career. He also admired Lufkin Ranger Charlie Neel.

Caver and his wife Tammy Hicks have three children: Tiffani Brantner of Lufkin, Chris and Chad, who are computer science and h3, criminal justice students at Stephen F. Austin State in Nacogdoches and Texas State in San Marcos.

His best friend is Lufkin Constable Tom Selman, who rode with him when they were highway patrolmen in Livingston and Diboll. Hudson High-Angelina College graduates, they began as sheriff’s dispatchers and attended the Texas Department of Public Safety Academy.

“If you want to abuse people you can generate a negative response, but Barry never did that,” said Selman, who teamed with Caver for a series of TDPS championships with .357 magnum revolvers. "You never had to worry about him. If you got in a jam on the side of the road, he’d hang in there with you.

“Barry is a quiet guy – a thinker. He has set the bar high for whoever follows him.”

Lt. Bob Bullock said Caver is one of several senior Rangers who regrettably have left for better paying jobs. “He was fair h3. with people whether it be his own officers, the public or people we wanted to talk to,” Bullock said.

“He was never overbearing and didn’t just rely on his position to get something done. Some of that stuff you can’t teach. I’m sorely going to miss him.”

Texas Ranger Former Sr. Captain Ray Coffman

Ray Coffman was Assistant Senior Captain to Senior Captain Earl Pearson. Ray was appointed the Senior Captain in Sept. 2005. Before Ray went to Austion he searved as Captain of Co. D based in San Antonio. Coffman served in the DPS for 29 years in which he was a highway Patrol Trooper, DPS Narcotics Lieutenant, promoted to the Texas ranger in 1986, promoted to Ranger
Lieutenant in 1996. In 2001 he was promoted to Captain of Company D. Ray is a native of McAllen, Texas. Ray Coffman retired in 2008. Ray was a TOP RANGER and we are happy to have him as a friend and supporter. We consider.

Retired Tex Ranger Capt. Grady Sessums

Grady Sessums Texas Ranger Capt. Company “A” Retired served in the DPS for 29 years and 13 of those years as a Texas Ranger. Grady has served as a director for the Former Texas Rangers Association and as a Director for the Former Texas Ranger Foundation. Grady served as a High Patrol Trooper in Eagle Pass and covered an area which included Brackettville, Texas. Grady has been a good friend and we consider him as being a TOP RANGER.

Retired Texas Ranger Capt. Co. “D” Jack Dean

DEAN, JACK O’DAY (1937~) Jack O’Day Dean, Texas Ranger captain and United States Marshall, is one of "only six Rangers [to] have ever been named a United States Marshal: Ben McCulloch, Dick Ware, John Rogers, Bill McDonald, Clint Peoples, and Jack Dean. Only Peoples and Dean have become marshals since the formation of the Department of Public Safety in 1935.

Jack Dean is the eldest child of William Hershel and the late Juanita Day Dean. He was born in the Green Valley community, just north of Denton, Texas, on June 16, 1937. Jack graduated from Fort Worth’s Diamond Hall High School and then attended Tyler Junior College in Tyler and TCU in Fort Worth. While a Ranger several years later, he attended Pan American University in Edinburg.

Over the years, Jack has had to make many decisions, but the best one he ever made was marrying Janie Hill [on December 20, 1955]. Through thick and thin, she has been Jack’s most loyal supporter. They have one daughter, Kelly, and two sons, Cody and Kyle. Jack and Kyle are one of the few father-son combinations in Ranger history. Kyle has been in the DPS for twenty-one years – ten as a Highway Patrolman in Crockett and eleven as a Ranger in Denton and Kerrville.

In 1960, Jack applied for and was accepted into the DPS. Like all new recruits, he attended the DPS Academy in Austin. He began on December 7, 1960, and graduated on March 31, 1961. In those days, school was five and a half days a week – and no overtime.

For the next nine and a half years, Jack worked as a Highway Patrolman. He was first stationed in Pecos in West Texas until the opportunity presented itself four and a half year later to get closer to Fort Worth. He transferred to the East Texas city of Tyler. He remained in Tyler until he was accepted into the Rangers in 1964.

Reflecting on his Highway Patrol years, Jack said, “I loved every moment of it.” And why not? He was doing a job he loved – serving the people of Texas. As an added bonus, he had four great partners. His first was Charlie Bolinger, a veteran who was a fine teacher for the rookie patrolman. Two other partners, Dale Bryce and Kelly Whitehead, would join Jack in the Texas Rangers. [Tragically both Dale and Kelly died much too young of cancer.] Another partner, Orville Shepherd, is currently the sheriff of Titus County in East Texas.

When Jack transferred to Tyler, the flame to join the Rangers was lit. He recognized that there were some great Rangers in that area: Jim Ray, Red Arnold, and Glenn Elliott.
h3. In 1968, Jim Ray left Tyler to become the Ranger sergeant of Company “E” in Midland. Bob Mitchell became the Ranger in Tyler. It didn’t take Jack long to realize what anyone who comes into contact with Bob Mitchell knows: he is someone very special. Jack explains, “I always say that he [Mitchell] is my hero. [He] became my mentor but, most of all, he became my friend. Now thirty-five years later, he still is.”

There was another man who greatly influenced Jack’s career: Ranger Captain Bill Wilson. Wilson and Bob Mitchell encouraged Jack to apply for the Texas Rangers. Fortunately for the Rangers and the citizens of Texas, Jack became the newest Ranger on September 1, 1970. He was stationed along the banks of the Rio Grande in the Deep South Texas city of McAllen.

Jack says he learned many things from Ranger captains that he tried to pass on to his own men. From John Wood, the man he succeeded as captain of Company D, he learned that when you have a man doing a good job, leave him alone and let him get it done. Unless he asks for your help, don’t offer him any. Bob Mitchell taught Jack to take care of his people. From Bill Wilson, Jack learned that if he took care of the little things, the big ones would usually take care of themselves. Good advise for anyone in a leadership position, not just a Ranger captain.

Obviously, Jack learned these lessons well. Three of his former sergeants/lieutenants advanced to the top. Bruce Casteel, Lefty Block, and C.J. Havrda became Senior Ranger Captains. A fourth, Gene Powell, became the Assistant Senior Ranger Captain.

Not surprisingly, Jack says that he is really proud of the people he worked with during his Ranger years. Reflecting on his years as a Ranger, he says they were the most fun of his life. “The best is being a working [field] Ranger. Those were the happiest four years of my life, but it sure isn’t bad being Bob Mitchell’s sergeant or being a captain. In twenty-three years, the Rangers gave me a lot of enjoyment, some heartache, and friends that will always be in my heart.”

In closing, Jack sums up what he is most proud of: “You get to be a Ranger, then your son (Kyle) becomes a Ranger. It doesn’t get any better than that. Just ask Bob Prince, John Dendy, Richard Bennie, or Buster Collins.”

Jack Dean has been a long time friend and we consider him as a TOP RANGER and U.S. Marshal.

Texas Ranger Glenn Elliott

Glenn Elliott: A Ranger’s Ranger. Elliott was born in Flat Springs, Texas, near Bonham and the Oklahoma border, in 1926. He was educated in the Windom schools and received an appointment to West Point, but did not attend because “at fifteen I was too young…and by the time I was old enough I didn’t want to go.” Instead he served in the Army, married, and worked in various jobs before settling on a career in law enforcement.

Elliott became a Texas Highway Patrol officer in 1949 and a Ranger in 1961; primarily he worked in the Longview-Marshall area. Elliott turned down opportunities for advancement to captain, choosing instead to remain in field work where he felt he was effective.

Elliott helped solve murders and apprehend fugitives, as one would expect, but he also was involved with school integration cases and maintaining law and order during labor disputes at Lone Star Steel. He helped protect presidents, senators, and governors when they visited his area.

When Elliott retired from the Rangers in 1987 he was given a tribute by Paul Harvey, who had become a fishing buddy of Elliott’s, on his nationally syndicated radio show.

Attitudes toward Texas Rangers among other Texans depends on many things, especially whether or not one is a law breaker or a law abider. Both sides respected Glenn Elliott. Glenn is a friend and we consider him as being a TOP RANGER.

Texas Ranger Captain Clint Peoples

Clint Peoples and James Arness

1910 – 1992

Clinton Thomas Peoples was born in Bridgeport, Texas on August 25, 1910.During the height of the oil boom in Conroe, Texas, Peoples served as a deputy sheriff and was promoted to chief deputy. Also, while in Conroe, Peoples was appointed a Special Texas Ranger by Governor Miriam “Ma” Ferguson to police the state’s four horse racing tracks.

In 1941, Peoples joined the Texas Department of Public Safety as a highway patrolman. IN 1946 he was appointed to the Texas Rangers and assigned to Headquarters Company in Austin. In 1953, Peoples was promoted to Captain of Company F.

During his years in the Rangers, Peoples worked a variety of cases including those involving Billie Sol Estes, the Maceo brothers gambling syndicate in Galveston, the La Grange Chicken Ranch, and George Parr, the “Duke of Duval.” In 1969, Peoples was made the Senior Ranger Captain for the Texas Rangers and transferred to Austin. He retired from the Rangers on March 31, 1974. Peoples was appointed U. S. Marshal for the Northern District of Texas by President Richard Nixon in 1974.

He held this position for 14 years. He served as an Executive Marshal during the bicentennial celebration for the U. S. Marshal’s service in 1989.

Clint Peoples was killed in an automobile accident on June 22, 1992. We consider Clint Peoples as a TOP RANGER.

Texas Ranger Sr. Captain Maurice Cook

Maurice C. Cook, Sr. was born and raised in Texas; joined the U.S. Air Force at age 17 with duty of 1 year in South Viet Nam during the war years. Fresh out of the service, the applicant worked as a policeman in 3 Texas cities before joining the Texas Department of Public Safety. For the next 29+ years, the applicant served in some capacity in the DPS with the last 23 years as a Texas Ranger. After 6 years in the Rangers, Cook was promoted to Sergeant, 2 years later to Captain, and 2+ years later to the Assistant Commander of the Texas Rangers and then to Chief of the Texas Rangers (same position as Senior Ranger Captain). Since retirement in 1996, Cook has taught on the faculty of a community college and later completed law school. Cook holds an AA, BS, MA, and a JD degree and has been recognized as a distinguished Alumni from Sam Houston State University. He assisted with the formation of the Texas Ranger Law Enforcement Association and continues to support the mission of the Texas Rangers and the Texas Department of Public Safety. He is married to Sherry Cook of Bastrop, a 30 year veteran of state government who currently serves as the Assistant Administrator of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission. Ranger Cook worked with our living history group during our first formation some 16 years ago and we consider him as one of our top Rangers.

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