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.
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."
Information provided by Texas Ranger Dispatch Magazine. |
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