Lon Garner

  Lon Garner is a man you should know. He is truly our 12th man.
  There are four candidates vying for the seat being vacated by Judge Chris Oldner.  With the backlog of cases stacking up, this is no time for learning!

  Only one candidate for the Collin County District Court #416 has prosecuted and defended Criminal, Family, and Civil law cases.
  

Still the same, but better every day!

j.b. blocker

A letter from Mom
   Hello.  My name is Katherine Garner and I'd like to tell you a few little known facts about Lon L Garner, who is running for Judge of the 416th Judicial District Court.

   Lon was born during the Vietnam era while his father was in the Air Force, stationed in San Antonio. We later moved back home, to Jacksboro, Texas where he attended and graduated from Jacksboro High School. An honors graduate, he then attended Texas A&M University, was a member of its Corp of Cadets, and graduated with a degree in Political Science.

    He is one of the most dedicated, loyal and focused individuals I know and I have the pleasure of calling him my son.  Dedicated to God and his family and loyal to his clients and friends, Lon has maintained focus on a career path providing a service to the people of Collin County.

  Lon's interest in law was apparent when at the ripe old age of 5, he threatened to "sue" a doctor who held him down to give him a shot.  I'm still in a quandary about where that idea came from, although we have laughed about it for years.

  He is a natural leader who was always elected to leadership rolls by his peers whether on the athletic field or in the classroom. From Team Captain to Student Body President, Lon was a leader among his peers.  His leadership rolls enhanced his college career at Texas A&M and St. Mary's where he continued to lead by example.

  Only Lon could graduate from law school, get married, take the State Bar Exam, go on his honeymoon, and move from San Antonio to McKinney in a little more than two months and make it look easy!  After a brief honeymoon, Lon and his new bride, Roslyn, moved to Collin County where he had been offered a position in the Collin County District Attorney's Office. 

                                                                                     

  After 4 years as an ADA, Lon accepted a position with the law firm Touchstone Bernays, an insurance defense firm in Dallas, Texas.  During the time he was at Touchstone Bernays, Lon noticed his infant daughter was beginning to treat him as if he were a stranger when he came home after a long day at the office.  Believing that family was more important than a job, Lon resigned and has been self-employed ever since.

  I am very proud of my son.  I hope you will join me in supporting him as he runs for judge!!

When it was time for pre-school immunizations, 5 year old Lon Garner was not happy! He threatened to sue his family doctor! 

 “My name is Shellye (Berry) Harvey and I grew up with Lon Garner. In fact, it was my father Dr. Neil Berry that Lon threatened to sue! Dad fondly remembers Lon and his character. Looking back, Lon’s surprising defensive threat at being forced to be vaccinated was an early signal as to where his path lay.  It shows Lon’s logic and his desire to effect change and right the wrongs of injustice, even as a boy of 5 years! He has been that way throughout his life.

 We attended the same small-town public school in Jacksboro, Texas. I was a year ahead of him with around 50 students in each class. Jacksboro is a conservative, buttoned-down town where Lon always stood out. I knew him through school activities including band and Student Council. We were both drummers in our small high school band.

 He was a young man who consistently demonstrated achievement with a subdued confidence. A guy who knew how to do things the right way, and did it with a smile. Lon’s balanced sense of justice and responsibility combines with strong conservative values. Those embedded traits make him a uniquely qualified man to facilitate justice and evenhanded enforcement of our laws. I can’t imagine a better servant for the citizens Collin County!

  I live in Allen and am a key account manager for KC Distributing Red Bull. When I saw that my long-time friend Lon announced his intention to run for District Court Judge of the 416th, I was pleased but not surprised in the least. I instantly knew I’d be at his campaign kickoff to show my support.”

Texas A&M and the 12^th Man

This tradition took on a new look in the 1980's when Coach Jackie Sherrill started the 12th Man Kick-Off Team composed of regular students through open tryouts. This 12th Man team performed very well and held opponents to one of the lowest yards per return averages in the league. Later, Head Coach R.C. Slocum changed the team to allow only one representative of the 12th Man on the kick off team.

There are few honors at Texas A&M greater than being selected as the 12^th man!

  “Let’s go workout!” One of Lon Garner’s upperclassmen in the Corps of Cadets urged. “There must have been 100 young men who showed up at the annual tryouts, recalls the soft spoken judicial candidate. I never intended to try out but you don’t say no to your upperclassmen.”  The 5’7” 145 pound running back from Jacksboro didn’t even bother to check the results list when they were posted on the locker room door.

  “I will never forget the memory of the stands swaying in Kyle Field as the team entered the stadium for my first home game! It remains one of my proudest moments! I played my junior year among future pros and have the last Southwest Conference Champion ring that Texas A&M ever received to show for that amazing experience.”

  Lon Garner would go on to become the Scholastics Officer in Squadron 16, his outfit in the Corp of Cadets.  As the Scholastics Officer, Lon was responsible for making sure the younger cadets developed the proper study habits to allow them to achieve the best grades possible during their time at Texas A&M.  After graduation, he headed to St. Mary’s to pursue his law degree.

  Lon met his future wife, Roslyn, at Texas A&M.  Although he proposed on several occasions, she insisted that he complete his law degree first.  They married on the Saturday before Lon took the bar exam to become a licensed attorney.
  After a brief honeymoon, they packed up and moved to McKinney, Texas where Lon had accepted a job with the Collin County District Attorney’s Office as an Assistant District Attorney under Tom O’Connell. 
  “Over the next 4 years I tried every kind of case from barking dogs to murder.” said the candidate.  After leaving the District Attorney’s office, Lon went to work at Touchstone Bernay’s, an insurance defense firm in Dallas, Texas.  While grateful for the time at Touchstone that allowed him to work on complex civil cases, Lon left the office and opened a law firm here in McKinney where he has garnered a reputation in the legal community based on honesty and integrity. 
  Since opening his general practice firm, he has gained valuable experience while working on exactly the types of cases heard in the 416^th District Court. As with most things in his life, Lon has applied the same pursuit of excellence to gaining skills in a wide variety of cases.

Responsibility

  “We grew up in a two bedroom house with one bathroom for six of us. Still, in my household, we were all expected to do our best.  Failure was not accepted and excuses were not tolerated.”  Lon developed his work ethic at an early age.  From the time they could walk behind a lawnmower, Lon and his brothers worked mowing lawns and other tasks in their father’s landscaping business.  

   Lon had his first job at Texas A&M before he attended his first class.  During the summers while his friends went on trips, he returned home to mow yards and do other odd jobs to earn money to help pay his college expenses.  The closeness and bonds formed mowing yards together carries over today where the brothers share working with their own cattle in Collin and Fannin County.

  “My life revolves around my family, church and community.  It is my responsibility to make sure my children are raised to know and love the Lord.  I try to lead them by example and make sure they are involved in the church.”  One of the best parts of the day for the trial lawyer is coming home to family dinner where his daughters, Vivienne and Grace, tell him about their day.

A Word from his Better Half

                                      

  When I met Lon as a freshman, he said he was majoring in Political Science and planned to go to Law school after he graduated. So many people that I met during that first year of college were pre-Law or pre-Med that I was initially not impressed by his statement.

  As time went on and I saw how focused Lon was on reaching his goal, I realized that he was not just saying this to impress me or other people, but this was his true passion and purpose in life. Lon initially went to law school with the idea of working for a Health law company, but soon changed his mind after working in the pro-bono clinic while at St. Mary’s school of Law.

  After the first experience with helping people understand the law and understand how the legal system works, he was hooked and has loved being in the court room since that time.

  Over the years, I have watched him study harder than when he was in law school when preparing to take a case to court. When he first started his own practice, he would often come home to eat dinner with me and our daughters, and then head back to work to make sure he was as prepared for his client as possible.

  Lon’s passion for his job and his drive has never diminished, if anything it is stronger now than ever. Lon has always strived to be the best attorney for his client, and I believe that if he is elected as a judge, he will have the same drive and dedication for the citizens of Collin County. Roslyn Garner

 

Why become a Judge?

  “Whenever I have the opportunity to speak to our youth, I always challenge them to dream bigger and strive to move to higher ground.  I encourage them to aim for the moon because even if they miss, they will still land among the stars. 

  Now I am just following my own advice.  I have a successful law firm, but I feel the experience I have gained over the years have provided me with the skills to be an excellent judge.”

Learn more about Lon at the following links.

Lon Garner for Judge on Face Book

Lon Garner on-line 

paid for by Lon Garner for Judge 

- J.B. Blocker is a media consultant based in Collin County in North Texas. Advertise with J.B. by calling 469-334-9962.