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| Sheriff Keith Gary, 2nd from the left |
You Can Always Learn
Behind his desk, Sheriff Keith Gary of Grayson
County leans toward me and says, “You
can quote me on this, I was wrong!”
Keith was a
5’7” former drum major in college and after graduation, an insurance agent.
Somehow by fate, accident, or an act of God he found himself sporting the badge
of a U.S. Marshall assigned to East Texas.
You can call
Keith a conservative. He served under Nixon but resigned rather than serve
under the Carter administration. With the election of Reagan, he was
reappointed. When Clinton was elected, he resigned again and was again reappointed
by Bush.
Now, truth
be told, he might have been replaced or not. It doesn’t matter because he didn’t
wait around to find out.
In 1996, he
was urged to run for sheriff in a county that had never elected a Republican.
He ran against a long-seated incumbent and along with two other Republicans
began a trend. In 2013, all 23 elected county officials will be GOP!
The sheriff's GOP win was so unexpected that the Texas Rangers were called in to investigate!
To say he is
beloved in his county is a statement that I have found can be said for many long-serving Texas Sheriffs. Keith is a gentle-natured soul who displays courtesy
and respect with the ease of a guardian angel.
As a matter
of fact, as I sit across from him in his office, attend his Rotary luncheon,
or wander around with him., I am ever fascinated by his frankness as we get to
know each other. I think of a younger George Burns. I want to stick a short,
fat cigar in his hands and take a picture, but he is not going for it.
The
G-Man Look
