| James Travis Roberts, Jr.
(Texas engineer, surveyor, rancher, and historian) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Born | May 11, 1937 Alpine, Brewster County, Texas, USA | ||
| Died | June 3, 2021 (aged 84)
death_place=Marathon, Brewster County | ||
| Spouse | Not mentioned in obituary 'Children: | ||
| Military Service | |||
| Service/branch | United States Army Corps of Engineers Army Reserves | ||
| Rank | Lieutenant | ||
James Travis Roberts, Jr., known as Travis Roberts (May 11, 1937 – June 3, 2021)[1] was a rancher, engineer, surveyor, and historian, from rural Marathon in Brewster County in southwestern Texas.[2] Marathon bills itself as "where the Big Bend and Dark Skies Meet."[3] Roberts was born in Alpine, the Brewster County seat of government, to James Travis Roberts, Sr. (1905-1990), and the former Annie Pauline Bierschwale (1913-1997)..He and his brothers, John and Ike Roberts, worked the family ranch and the large Catto-Gage Ranch.in Kendalia in Kendall County in the Texas Hill Country.
Beginning in 1955, Roberts attended Texas A&M University in College Station, at which he was a member of the Fightin’ Aggie Band. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering. After college, he served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and in the Army Reserves. After a short stint with the Texas Highways Department, he joined Hunter Associates in Dallas as a professional engineer and registered surveyor. In this capacity, he designed and helped develop various cities in North Texas. Following retirement, he returned full time to the Maravillas Creek Ranch, just south of Marathon, and continued his engineering and surveying work.[2]
Roberts had a lifelong passion for Texas history, specifically the southwest region and Brewster County. He served as chairman on the Brewster County Historical Commission and the Center for Big Bend Studies Advisory Board at Sul Ross State University in Alpine. He was a past president of the West Texas Historical Association, based at Texas Tech University in Lubbock. He was on the board of Preservation Texas and a member of the Marathon Museum Board and the cemetery association.[2]
The Texas Historical commission awarded him the George Christian Award for Outstanding Volunteer, of the Year, named for Lyndon B. Johnson's press secretary of the Year. He also received the Sammy Baugh Award for Outstanding Service from Sul Ross Universit, and a letter of commendation from the governor for his fifty years as a professional engineer.[2]
Roberts had a son, James Travis Roberts, III, and his wife, Katie of Sanderson, Texas, and a daughter, Teresa "Terri" Ann Harkey and husband, Alan, of McKinney, Texas. He was also survived by his brother Ike Roberts of Marathon and a sister, Betty Hargus of Fort Stockton, Texas. He died of a brief illness at the age of eighty-four. He is interred at Marathon Cemetery.[2]