biography – Texas History Notebook

Dr. Charles W. Graham

Charles Wesley Graham was born on July 13, 1932 in Thorndale, Milam County, Texas to John Wesley Graham and Iva Lee Clark Graham. He was the oldest of three children born to the couple. Dr. Graham was among the fourth generation in the Graham family to have been born in Texas. As a youth, he showed livestock though FFA and 4-H. He attended Wharton Jr. College and later earned his undergraduate degrees in animal husbandry and animal science from Texas A&M (Class of 1953). After serving in the United States Army and working at a summer job for a veterinarian in Elgin, he returned to Texas A&M where he earned a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree in May, 1961, graduating with honors.

Dr. Graham became well known in the industry for his work in equine medicine. He settled in Elgin, on the border of Travis and Bastrop counties, where he was a co-founder along with Dr. Wallace H. Cardwell (also an A&M veterinary school graduate) to organize the Elgin Veterinary Hospital which specialized in large animal medicine, bovine and equine. At the time, it was the largest facility of its kind in Texas. Dr. Graham became sought after for his experience in breeding as well. Soon, he as able to establish the business known as Southwest Stallion Station, also located in Elgin. One of the early successes of Southwest Stallion Station was a race horse named Three Ohs, Ruidoso Downs’ winning horse from 1968 which helped to establish the reputation of the facility. His other business interests included Graham Land and Cattle Co., a Gonzales County feed lot for cattle, and an interest in Heritage Place Sale Company, a sales facility for horses, in Oklahoma City.

He was a speaker at quarter horse meetings on various subjects including chronic lameness, mosquito-borne equine encephalomyelitis, etc. Dr. Graham was involved in the American Quarter Horse Association, American Association of Equine Practitioners, Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas Horsemen’s Partnership, Texas Horseracing Association, Texas Veterinary Medical Association, Texas Quarter Horse Association, Texas Thoroughbred Association and many others. He served as an officer of many of these organizations.

He had a keen interest in racing and was known for having bred dozens of winners and starting horses for his own account, as well as for other owners. He is known to have promoted the racing business to various elected officials back in the 1970s when Texas was considering the allowance of pari-mutuel horse racing. Biographies also note that he served on the AQHA’s Equine Research Committee and found time to be an adjunct professor at Texas A&M’s veterinary college. He was also actively involved in the development of youth programs and was interested in performance and ranch horses. He also served as race track veterinarian from time to time. His co-owned Southwest Stallion Station handled the breeding of horses from well known bloodlines, such as the son of famed racing horse Secretariat. Dr. Graham was also an owner in the syndicate for that horse.

His many honors include being inducted into the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame, the Texas Horse Racing Hall of Fame, the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame and the Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame. Texas A&M has honored him in many ways. In 2016 he was named as a Texas A&M Distinguished Alumnus. In 2013, he received the Texas A&M AgriLife Distinguished Texas in Agriculture Award. In 2010, he was named an Outstanding Alumnus by the College of Agriculture & Life Sciences and in 1991 he received the Outstanding Alumnus Award from the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. In addition, the Charles W. “Doc” Graham ’53 DVM, The Texas A&M University System Center on the West Texas A&M University campus in Canyon, Texas was named for him. Austin’s Star of Texas Fair and Rodeo offices are named for him.

He was personally known for being an early riser and typically was at his office before sunrise each work day. Articles also mention his strong work ethic. He was quoted as saying “My dream was to own a horse facility and be in the stud business. If I was going to succeed, I figured I’d have to impress them with my work.” he said. “I thought it was possible, because I didn’t know a person who could outwork me.” He was proud of his association with Texas A&M and wore his Aggie ring every day.

In 1956, he was married to the former Nancy Ellen Smith who predeceased him in 2017. The couple had three children. Dr. Graham passed away on June 21, 2025, at the age of 92 in his home in Elgin, Texas, after suffering with cancer.

Visitation was held at Providence-Jones Family Funeral home in Elgin and a celebration of life service was held at the Travis County Exposition Center’s Luedecke Arena in Austin. Memorial contributions were directed to Race Track Chaplaincy of America, South Texas Council.

Sources include various newspaper articles, https://www.findfarmcredit.com/landscapes-articles/tall-in-the-saddle, https://www.providencejonesfuneralhome.com/obituaries/charles-graham, https://www.aqha.com/-/dr.-charles-graham, and others.

Ricky Nelson

Eric Hillard “Ricky” Nelson was born on May 8, 1940 in Teaneck, New Jersey to Oswald George “Ozzie” Nelson and Peggy Louise “Harriet” Snyder Nelson. Ricky was their youngest child, about four years younger than his brother David Oswald Nelson. Ricky and six other individuals died in an aircraft accident near DeKalb, Texas on December 31, 1985. The aircraft was on its way to Dallas for a performance which had been scheduled for that evening.

Padgitt Saddle Companies of Texas

It may be difficult to imagine today, there was a time when personal transportation (besides walking, of course) relied on horses and mules, buggies and coaches. For decades, local saddle makers enjoyed a thriving business.

Two such companies were Padgitt Bros. of Dallas and Tom Padgitt, Inc. (also known as Tom Padgitt Company Wholesale Saddlery) of Waco. James Robert Padgitt and Mary Jane Bond Padgitt had three sons who lived to be adults. They were Tom (1846 – 1926), William Clinton (1849 – 1909) and Jesse David (1851 – 1948).

William Hittson

William Bedford Hittson was born October 14, 1834 in Mount Pleasant, Tennessee to Jesse J. Hittson (1801 – 1861) and Mary Ann Beck Hittson (1798 – 1879). His father, Jesse J. Hittson, was born in Virginia but came to Texas with his family in 1855. The Hittsons were a farming family but began raising cattle after settling in Texas. The family consisted of the parents, Aaron H. Hart (possibly a child from a previous marriage of the former Mary Ann Beck). The couple had two sons of their own, John Nathan Hittson and William Bedford Hittson. Both John and William were married by the time that the whole family moved to Texas. Jesse and the families of Aaron, John and William were all living in Palo Pinto County at the time of his death in 1861 at around the age of 60. No cause of death is noted.

After Jesse died, son John is said to have managed the cattle operation for their mother. None of the immediate family appear to have actively served in the Confederate Army during the Civil War though William Hittson was apparently on the roster of a local militia.

Brown County

This county was named for Captain Henry Stevenson Brown. Henry was born in Madison County, Kentucky on March 8, 1793 to Caleb S. Brown and Jemima Stevenson Brown. Both of Henry’s grandfathers had served in the American Revolution. Early in his adult life, he moved to Missouri. He is said to have served in a local militia as they defended their settlements against native tribal attacks. He later served as sheriff and enlisted in the Army for the War of 1812. Around 1814, he married the former Margaret “Peggy” Kerr Jones, a widow and the sister of James R. Kerr, the namesake of Kerr County and Kerrville. The couple settled in Pike County, Missouri located north of St. Louis. There Henry engaged in trading on the Mississippi.