Gene S. Walker, Sr.
| Gene Simeon Walker Sr. | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
March 15, 1926 Laredo, Webb County Texas, USA |
| Died | January 19, 2015 (aged 88) Vaquillas Ranch at Aguilares in Webb County |
| Resting place | Vaquillas Ranch |
| Residence | Vaquillas Ranch |
| Occupation |
Rancher Landowner Businessman |
| Spouse(s) |
(1) Mary Katherine Haynes Walker (married 47 years; deceased) |
| Children |
Gene "Primo" Walker Jr. |
| Parent(s) | James Oliver and May Haley Walker |
| Relatives | Tano Tijerina (great-nephew by marriage) |
(1) Mary Katherine Haynes Walker (married 47 years; deceased)
Gene "Primo" Walker Jr.
James Patrick "Rick" Walker
Elizabeth Walker
Gene Simeon Walker Sr. (March 15, 1926 – January 19, 2015), was a rancher, landowner, and businessman from his native Laredo, Texas. The Walkers have operated ranches for more than a century in South and West Texas and Mexico. The family has also branched into petroleum, natural gas, real estate, banking, and retail concerns.
Walker family patriarch James Oliver "J. O." Walker Sr. (1888–1967), arrived in South Texas in the early 20th century from Grant Parish in North Louisiana. He had contracted malaria as a young man when he planned to enroll at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. His physician urged him to move to drier country. Walker first came to San Antonio, and in 1910, he followed a brother-in-law to Laredo, motivated by the movement of the railroad into the region. After a series of odd jobs, he became a foreman on a vegetable farm. He managed to purchase a hundred acres of farmland, where he and his wife, the former May Haley (1890–1975), raised their three children., Mary Elizabeth, J. O. Jr., and Gene. This land is now called the "Old Nye Farm". With a subsequent loan from the Federal Land Bank, J. O. Walker Sr. purchased seven thousand acres, which launched the family ranching empire. At the time ranching was paramount to the South Texas economy; it remains important to the history and heritage of the region even with the rise of other businesses and industries. Gene Walker was subsequently a director of the Federal Land Bank.
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Wikipedia