I spent four and a half hours with Bill Thomas, and I left knowing I had only heard the beginning. That does not happen often. Most interviews eventually settle into a pattern: childhood, career, hardship, lesson learned. Bill does not speak that way. He tells his life as work remembered in motion: cattle gathered, pipe … Read more
STILL STANDING The Scott Carlson Story The first thing you notice about Scott Carlson is that he still carries himself like a firefighter. Even sitting in a chair on the back porch of his Boerne home on a warm May afternoon, there’s a certain alertness about him. Broad shoulders. Thick hands. The posture of a … Read more
Passion and Christ Each time, just before I turn the lights off, I stop and stare. Her uniform is clean and ready for inspection. Belly full of fuel, weapons stowed, and hatches battened down for the haul. She’s ready for battle. The time I spend in my shop prepping the boat for the next round … Read more
The American Dream in Uniform For Deputy Jose Javier Escalante, service has been a defining theme throughout his life. Long before he joined the Kendall County Sheriff’s Office, he was learning lessons about discipline, faith, and perseverance growing up in the mountains of Venezuela. Escalante spent his childhood near the Colombian border, where life revolved … Read more
The Signature We Leave By the time this issue reaches your hands, Independence Day will be just around the corner. Across Kendall County, flags will be flying. Families will gather around backyard smokers and picnic tables. Children will wave sparklers long after sunset, and somewhere over the Hill Country, fireworks will light up the summer … Read more
Earl Wellborn In July of 1948, the government offered a one-year term of enlistment to any 18-year-old who would enlist in the U.S. Army. At that time there was no draft, and very few people were going into the service. Most of the men and women who had served during WWII were getting out, and … Read more
Men of the Hill Country: Kendall County’s Legacy in America’s 250-Year Story Featuring the Kuhlmann, Fabra, Herff, and Dienger Families As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, communities across the nation are pausing to reflect on the people who shaped their corner of the American story. Here in Kendall County — where limestone bluffs … Read more
For Officer Eduardo Murillo, service has always been tied to responsibility. Long before he wore a badge in Kendall County, he was learning what it meant to protect and serve through military service, volunteer work, and helping people in crisis. Murillo was born in San Pedro, Mexico, before his family relocated to Del Rio, Texas … Read more
It’s strange how life speeds up without asking for permission. One moment, I was a freshman walking into high school for the first time, unsure of everything, where my classes were, who I would sit with at lunch, or even who I was going to become. I remember standing in the hallway, trying to act … Read more
Published in 2011, the late John Eddie Vogt’s book, Witches, Bitches, and Other Small Town Folks, brings to life the quirky, unforgettable, and entertaining tales of growing up and living in Kendall County from the 1930s through the 1960s. Thanks to the gracious permission of his family, The Kendall Gentleman is honored to share excerpts … Read more