May 2021
Texas Ranger Hall of Fame Newsletter
Sponsored by the City of Waco
Official State Historical Center of the Texas Rangers
Home of Texas Ranger Bicentennial 1823-2023
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Our new billboard on I-35 is here! A special thank you to Carla Pendergraft at the Waco Convention & Visitors Bureau and the City of Waco for furnishing new artwork and helping to promote the Museum to tourists traveling on I-35 through Waco. |
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1820s Flintlock Shotgun Pistol |
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This early pistol is attributed to the Texas Rangers, marked with Ranging Co. No. 3 and San Felipe de Austin, the settlement which was the headquarters of Stephen F. Austin’s colony. The pistol itself is comprised of pieces from several other firearms. Its locks were manufactured in England by Beckwith. The trigger guard bears the gun-maker’s mark “GABIOLA” for the Spanish gun-maker Juan Andres Gabiola-Eibar. The barrels, which have been cut down, also appear to be of Spanish origin. It has been speculated that the stock was handmade from Texas pecan by the individual gunsmith who assembled the weapon. |
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Records are sparse during the early year of the Rangers. and a full history of this pistol may never be known. While there was only one group of Rangers in 1827, that company, commanded by Captain Hugh B. Johnson, was the third company of Rangers created. |
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New Discovering the Legend
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Discovering the Legend is a series of TV programs about Texas Ranger history, artifacts and art, and modern Ranger duties. It is produced in cooperation with the Texas Rangers, City of Waco, historians, and donors, as part of our mission to disseminate knowledge and inspire an appreciation of the Texas Rangers.
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Episode #40 features a closer look at one of our new exhibits in the Morris Gallery, "The Texas Rangers and Politics: 1900-1935". This exhibit focuses on how three different Texas Governors from this time period influenced and altered the Texas Rangers. During the Ferguson administrations (Jim "Pa" Ferguson, 1915-1917, and Miriam "Ma" Ferguson, 1925-27 and 1933-5), there was misuse of the Ranger force and a diminishing reputation. Gov. James Allred, 1935-39, set out to repair their reputation and in doing so created the Department of Public Safety (DPS) in 1935. |
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Please click here to watch Episode 40 of Discovering the Legend.
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Professional Development Series for Teachers |
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Produced in conjunction with the Dr Pepper Museum in Waco, these professional development videos are geared towards teachers looking to fill their required continuing education credits.
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The first of our joint programming discusses adding general Texas History into your lesson plans. The second video will focus on teaching social studies cross curricularly and will be released in May. We have plans to develop more joint programming in the future. |
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Please click here to access the Professional Development Series.
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Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) |
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In 2018, Company “B” Texas Ranger James Holland began interviewing Samuel Little in a California prison while he was serving three consecutive life sentences for killing three women in Los Angeles County in the late 1980s. DNA linked Little to the murders of the three women. The FBI considers Little to be the most prolific serial killer in U.S. history. After Ranger Holland’s very high-profile interviews of Little, and the subsequent confessions to approximately 93 murders, the Texas Rangers organization became aware of the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI). |
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SAKI is a program funded by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) to assist with furthering collection of offender DNA and identifying and prosecuting violent serial sex offenders. In 2019, the Texas Rangers received two grants from the DOJ BJA. These grants received by the Texas Rangers are for the collection and entry of lawfully owed DNA into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), and the investigation and prosecution of cold case sexually related homicides and sexual assault cases, including violent serial sex offenders. |
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Soon after beginning work on the SAKI grants, the Texas Rangers became aware of the vast deficit of lawfully owed DNA samples owed to the state of Texas by felony offenders and sex offenders. The Texas Rangers are working to eliminate the existing deficit by using SAKI funds to conduct a thorough census of lawfully owed DNA samples from convicted felons and sex offenders, while simultaneously identifying the perpetrators of these unknown offenses in the form of CODIS hits upon sample entry into the CODIS database. Texas Rangers, working with local law enforcement, have identified approximately 3,300 registered sex offenders in Texas who owe the state a DNA sample for entry into CODIS. In instances where a lawfully owed DNA sample gathered from SAKI efforts results in a CODIS hit, Texas Rangers will work in conjunction with law enforcement agencies and prosecutors to assist with investigating and prosecuting these cases. |
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In January 2020, Texas Ranger leadership selected Orlando Salinas to serve as the site coordinator for the SAKI grant. As the site coordinator, Orlando oversees the collection of lawfully owed DNA. Orlando joined the Texas Rangers in 2018 as the non-commissioned program lead for the Border Security Operations Center (BSOC). |
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As of 2019, the state of Texas possessed approximately 35,000 forensic samples in CODIS that have not been associated with a known individual. Additionally, the Texas Rangers have identified unsolved sexual assaults and sexually related homicides in CODIS without an association to a known individual. The Texas Rangers are using SAKI funds to resume investigative efforts on cold cases by outsourcing forensic genetic genealogy testing of DNA samples from unknown offenders linked to sexual assaults and sexually related homicides. The Texas Rangers will use the information obtained from testing to investigate cold cases and to work in partnership with other law enforcement agencies and prosecutors to bring these violent offenders to justice. |
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Headquarters Ranger Staff Lieutenant Trampas Gooding serves as the coordinator for the SAKI cold case investigation and prosecution. He is working with Texas Rangers, law enforcement and prosecutors around the state to bring the perpetrators of these violent cold cases to justice. Ranger Captain James Thomas supervises the SAKI program. |
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Please click here to learn about the National SAKI program.
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Texas Ranger Danny Briley, Company "B" in Stephenville, visited the Museum and had his picture taken with the picture of him taken by photographer Cory Hoover that is hanging in Brownfield Gallery next to the Modern Rangers exhibit. |
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Texas DPS Delivers Vaccines |
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Courtesy, Service and Protection: COVID-19 vaccines are taking flight and making their way to rural Texas thanks in part to DPS’ Aircraft Operations Division. |
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To aid the state in vaccine distribution, particularly in reaching Texas’ rural communities that may have otherwise gone without, DPS pilots have flown 475 flights and delivered 140,200 vaccines to their fellow Texans in need. This is just one way DPS is going above and beyond to protect and serve our state. |
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The Texas Ranger Classic is a series of annual fundraising events benefiting the Texas Ranger Association Foundation (TRAF) and the Texas Rangers. The sporting clay tournaments are open to all firearms enthusiasts looking to have a fun, competitive day of sporting clay excitement. The tournaments vary in format, specialty games, and sponsorship opportunities. |
- July 9, 2021 - Company "E" | Midland, Texas
- July 24, 2021 - Company "C" | Lubbock, Texas
- August 20, 2021 - Company "F" | San Antonio, Texas
- September 24, 2021 - Company "B" | Dallas, Texas
- October 23, 2021 - Company "D" | Edinburg, Texas
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Please click here to register and learn more about an event near you.
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Texas DPS State Trooper Collectible Car |
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Now available in the Gift Shop! Calling all car model collectors and law enforcement officers young at heart. This collectable comes in a study case ready for display.
$27.95 + Tax
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To shop more items available for purchase, please visit our Gift Shop online or in person 9am to 4:30pm daily. You never have to pay admission to shop. Sales from the Gift Shop benefit the preservation and education activities of the Museum. Please call (877) 750- 8631 or email thestore@texasranger.org to order. We ship worldwide. Thank you!
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Texas Ranger BicentennialTM Partners Program
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Be part of the Texas Ranger Bicentennial! The Texas Rangers will commemorate their landmark 200th anniversary in 2023. With a $100 contribution, you will receive:
- A limited-edition enameled bronze pin featuring the official Texas Ranger Bicentennial™ seal
- A certificate signed by an active or distinguished retired Texas Ranger
- Your name or family name on the online roster of Bicentennial Partners™
- A one-time-use family admission ticket (admits 4) to the Museum.
$90 of the contribution qualifies as a charitable contribution. The Texas Ranger Hall of Fame is a 170(c) government-owned nonprofit.
Please click here to learn more about the program.
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Official Texas Rangers Bicentennial Pin
Trademarked by the Texas Dept. of Public Safety Designed by the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum
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Save $1.00 off regular adult admission for up to two adults. Coupon not valid on discounted senior or military admission. No cash value.
The museum is open 9am to 5pm with the last guest admitted at 4:30pm. The museum is located off I-35 and University Parks Drive in Waco, Texas. For more information, call (254) 750-8631 or visit www.texasranger.org.
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Newsletter Compiled by Christine Rothenbush, Marketing & Development Specialist |
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