Three Rights Make a Left

I have been a part the planning of a historic event since last September.

On Saturday June 19th at 5:30, the First Annual William Madison McDonald Vision award will take place at the Rusted Rail Event Center in Crandall. The guest speaker for the evening will be Lt Colonel Alan West (Retired), the Chairman of the Republican Party of Texas. The event promises to be a celebration of our history in a time when we need a chance to be inspired.

Some background on William Madison McDonald. He was born June 22, 1866 to parents who had been slaves. His father was actually owned for a time by Civil War Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forest. His parents wound up in Kaufman County, and William was born near College Mound here in Kaufman County.

He was a brilliant student and soon after graduation from High School in Kaufman, he became principal of the black school in Forney. He gained a PHD but seldom used the title he had earned. He got into politics after he made friends with E.H.R (Ned) Green who ran the Texas Midland Railroad. McDonald was elected County Chairman of the Kaufman County Republican Party. He was elected a delegate to twelve National Republican Conventions and in 1896 he became the State Chairman of the Republican Party of Texas. He was the last Black State GOP Chairman until Alan West over 120 years later.

He was even more successful in business. He later moved to Fort Worth and became the first Black Millionaire in Texas. He was also the first Black bank owner, the first hotel owner, drugstore owner and night club owner. Though he didn’t run it, he owned a very popular night club called “The Jim Hotel” where acts like Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway and others played.

His bank was the only Fort Worth Bank that remained solvent during the Great Depression in the 1930s. As a matter of fact, he provided loans to other banks to keep them afloat. A large portion of deposits in his bank came from Black Masonic Lodges that he organized across Texas. They entrusted their funds in his bank and McDonald in turn used them to finance black owned businesses.

His vision will be the basis of the first award that will bear his name. The keynote speaker will be Alan West. Organizers point out that the event really isn’t intended to be a fundraiser because ticket prices have been set to break even. The $15 per person or $25 per couple tickets are primarily to pay for the venue and food that will be served via “grazing tables”. Members of the Tarrant County Black Historical and Genealogical Society have graciously accepted an invited to set up a table at the event and share some of their collection of William Madison McDonald materials.

Although the event is being sponsored by the Kaufman County Republican Party, organizers stress that it is open to anyone who loves our Kaufman County Heritage and would like to be part of this historic event.