Last Saturday Republicans from Kaufman County as well as points across Texas met to honor Lt Colonel Allen West with the First Annual William Madison McDonald Award at the Rusted Rail Event Venue in Crandall, Texas. Organizers concede a case of fortunate coincidences that it occurred on the first Juneteenth that was celebrated as a national holiday. An ad-hock committee started meeting last September, motivated by the fact that with the election of Shelton Gibbs IV, he would become the first African American District Judge in Kaufman County history. This was after the election of Erleigh Wiley as County Court at Law Judge and then as District Attorney and the election of Rhonda Hughey as District Clerk. Having three African Americans serve in the District office seemed worthy of celebration.
The event was originally planned as a Lincoln/Reagan Day dinner which is traditionally done in February. However when President Trump announced that Juneteenth should be a Federal Holiday, the date for the first William Madison McDonald Vision Award was set for June 19th. Little did anyone know that last week Congress would make Juneteenth a Federal Holiday and President Biden would sign the bill into law.
On Saturday organizers were overwhelmed at the response when the enthusiastic crowd started pouring in filling almost every seat in the beautiful room at the Rusted Rail Event Venue in Crandall.
The program opened by Judge Gibbs and District Attorney Wiley who captivated the crowd with their contagious banter. They were followed by Jana King singing God Bless America, Joe Stewart opening in prayer and Crandall High School led the National Anthem and a flute and drum rendition of Texas Our Texas. Pledges of Allegiance were led by District Clerk Rhonda Hughey and Jimmy Weaver, Chairman of the Kaufman County Republican Party introduced Elected Officials and dignitaries.
Judge Tracy Gray introduced the first speaker, Dr. Tim Westley, Republican Party of Texas Historian. He eloquently laid out the history of William Madison McDonald and why an award in his honor is more than deserved. He pointed out that McDonald started from the humblest of beginnings imaginable. He was born near College Mound southeast of Terrell in 1866, the son of former slaves. He went on to become a High School Principal in Forney and became a dominating force in the Republican Party in Texas. He organized the Republican Party in Kaufman County; he was elected to the State Executive Committee and became The State Chairman in 1896. He partnered with EHR “Ned” Green who had moved to Terrell to run the Texas Midland Railroad. Together they were the driving force in Texas Republican Politics.
In business McDonald became very successful. He became the first Black Millionaire in Texas and used his wealth to improve the lives of his community. A lot of services were simply not available to the Black Community. But McDonald made sure they were served. He founded the First Black owned bank in Texas, The Fraternal Bank and Trust Company in Fort Worth which not only remained solvent during the Great Depression, it loaned money to other banks to keep them afloat. He provided building space for medical facilities as well as a drug store, he built the first black owned hotel complete with a night spot that hosted acts like Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, and Cab Calloway.
Next District Attorney Wiley introduced her friend, the keynote speaker: Lt Colonel Allen West (ret).
Allen West opened by acknowledging three friends in attendance: Olympians Sammy Walker and John McNally as well as Texas hero Stephen Willeford, a common citizen, who heard the shooting at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, and moved toward the sound of gunfire saving over two dozen lives.
Col West pointed out that “There are people who call themselves Republicans that don’t know their history…So it is being stolen. The Bible says: ‘My people suffer for lack of knowledge’”
He went on to say: “The Republican Party was founded in 1854 for one reason: that was to abolish slavery. And their very first president was a man named Abraham Lincoln….then after the bloodiest day in American history Abraham Lincoln decided that now is the time. He was counseled by a man named Fredrick Douglas to free the slaves and allow black men to serve in the armed forces.”
West continued: “On June 19, 1865 Union troops arrived in Galveston to inform Texas slaves that they were free. Two years later on Independence Day in 1867, 150 black men came together in Houston, Texas and formed our party, The Republican Party of Texas, because they refused to define themselves based upon what they had been. They defined themselves based upon what they could be.”
After his keynote speech the entire committee took the stage and announced the recipient of the first William Madison McDonald Award is Lt Colonel Allen West (ret).
He came forward with his brand-new grandson Jackson Bernard in his arms to accept the award. In his acceptance speech he said: “We have to tell this story if we are to continue to be the greatest nation the world has ever known, and this greatest state of men of great character who achieved greatness against the odds like William Madison McDonald.”
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