Rufe Took Care of Gray County

Friends Recall Sheriff Took Care of Gray County

by Mike Haynes
Globe-News Editor
June 20, 1991




"He will he sorely missed."

That thought, often expressed by former Gray County Sheriff Rufe Jordan in times of transition, summarizes the reaction Wednesday of public officials who knew Jordan during his 38 years as the "high sheriff" of Gray County. Jordan, 78, died Tuesday at his home in Pampa.

"He was always saying about someone, 'They'll be sorely missed,' and that's what I would say," said Hansford County Sheriff R.L. McFarlin of Spearman.

Gray County Clerk Wanda Carter added, "I have 38 years worth of memories and lots of stories."

Carter, who has been county clerk almost 21 years, said, "He broke the mold. He took care of Gray County. He did things for the county most people never knew about and will never know about."

Carter recalled a visit by some male insurance adjustors who were rude to women working in the courthouse. She said when Jordan heard of the harassment, he met with the visitors, then told the women:

"They're going to come back up there to check some records, but they WILL he nice"

"If Sheriff Jordan talked to you, you knew you`d been talked to," Carter said.

Martin County Sheriff Dan Saunders of Stanton, Texas' senior sheriff since Jordan left office Dec 31, 1988, said he met the Pampa lawman in 1950 when Saunders was a Department of Public Safety officer.

"He was most impressive, the way he dressed and with his physical appearance. He stood out in a crowd not only because of his stature but because of his reasoning.

"Some officers are just officers, but Rufe was a peace officer. He was in there to keep the peace, to try to keep the tranquility of the community.

"Rufe could be rough and gruff, but he also had a heart as big as his body. He guided many young men and women down the right path. He ruled by the old common cow-lot, horse-sense rule of what's right and what's wrong.

Gray County Judge Carl Kennedy, who worked 11 years with Jordan, said, "As county judge, there have been times in the past when I had situations when the best solution was for me to go visit with Sheriff Jordan and for him to help deal with the situation."

Kennedy said the Gray County Courthouse, where Jordan and his wife, Viola, lived for more than three decades, will he closed from 2:30 to 4 p.m. today to allow employees to attend the grave side and memorial services for Jordan.

"In my dealings with him, he never spoke harshly of anyone." McFarlin said. "I never heard him even take part in a conversation that was derogatory toward anyone.

"His work was with teenagers. He knew a lot of things these books don't teach you, a lot of human kindness. He was a fatherly figure toward a lot of people.

"His way of visiting with them would get them on the right track. He thought he could help them in other ways rather than sending them to the penitentiary."

"He had a lot of impact," said Fred Toler of Austin, executive director of the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Education, "He was one of the original appointees on our commission in 1965. He served a six-year term and part of another one. And when he got off the commission, it was his own request.

"I held him in high regard and continued to seek his counsel even after he was on the commission and after his term as sheriff. He was always one to listen to you, and he had good advice."

"Virtually anyone in law enforcement recognizes him as a real legend in Texas law enforcement," said Mike Cox, a spokesman for the Department of Public Safety in Austin.

Carter said Gray County has not been the same since Jordan was defeated in the 1988 election.

"He was more low-key," she said. "He stayed out of sight and did his work. The sheriff now (Sheriff Jimmy Free) has cars out patrolling, but Rufe took care of things as they came up. He headed them off at the pass.

"They both have had their way of doing things, and who is to say who's right?"

Saunders said, "I'm sure the people in Gray County are proud of him, and it'll be a long time before the name of Rufe Jordan will be forgotten in the annals of Texas law enforcement."





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