Tarrant County Administrator Collection

Historical Note

The Tarrant County Administration Office was established in 1988. The County Administrator is appointed by the Commissioners Court, and the position serves as the Chief Administrative Officer supervising various county departments including: Budget and Risk Management, Community Development and Housing, Facilities Management, Fire Marshal, Human Resources, Human Services, Information Technology, Medical Examiner, Office of Historic Preservation and Archives, Public Health, Resource Connection, Texas AgriLife Extension, Transportation, and the Law Library.

G. K. Maenius served as the first County Administrator, from the creation of the position in 1988 through his retirement in 2023. The second County Administrator is Chandler Merrit, appointed in 2023.

 

Scope and Contents

Materials in this collection were donated by the Tarrant County Administration Office from 1994 to present. Materials in the collection relate to the Administrator's office and Tarrant County in general. A large portion of this collection relates to the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Tarrant County Courthouse, and to District Attorney Tim Curry. The date range for materials in this collection is 1920s through 2014, including some undated materials. The majority of materials were created around the 1990s through early 2000s.

Materials in this collection consist of the following:

Artifacts

  • Ceremonial ribbon-cutting scissors, Lon Evans Correction Center, September 18, 2012
  • Ceremonial ribbon-cutting scissors, Tarrant County Family Law Center, July 22, 2005
  • Tarrant County Administration Building, Fifth Floor, sign, undated

Digital Images

  • Scans of County Judge portraits on display in the Administration Building. Including the following:
    • George Washington Armstrong; Charles W. Atkinson; Gus Brown; Jesse M. Brown; Roy English; Maynard Bartow Harris; Howard L. Green; Robert Gillis Johnson; Clarence O. Kraft; R. F. Milam; Dave Miller; Mike Moncrief; Emmett Moore; S. D. Shannon; Marvin B. Simpson; Hugh L. Small; John L. Terrell; Tom Vandergriff; Glen Whitley
  • Tarrant County Judge Tom J. Vandergriff retirement events, December 2006

Documents

  • Certificates of Appreciation presented to Tim Curry, 1997-2007
  • Commemoration of the Signing of the Project Partnership Agreement for the Trinity River Vision Central City Project, September 5, 2008
  • Proclamation for Law Enforcement Appreciation Day for the creation of a Law Enforcement Memorial Monument, Commissioners Court of Tarrant County, June 21, 1994
  • Proclamation for Tom Vandergriff Day, Commissioners Court of Tarrant County, April 21, 1997
  • Resolution to name the justice center for Tim Curry, May 5, 2009

Images

  • Seven color drawings by William B. Potter of Old Fort Worth, 1990-1994
  • Sundance Square Plaza Opening Celebration, 2013

Photographs

  • Bell Helicopter photographs, requested and sent 1996
  • Commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of General Motors in Arlington, Texas, undated
  • Courthouse photographs, reproduction prints, undated
  • Photographs taken on the occasion of the 100th Anniversary of the Tarrant County Courthouse, October 10, 1995, at the Commissioners Court meeting held in the 1895 Courthouse in the State Court of Appeals Courtroom. Photographs include the following individuals:
    • Dionne Bagsby, Commissioner; Kim Brimer, Senator; Roy C. Brooks, Commissioner; Jim Duff; Barbara Ferrell, Justice of the Peace Judge; Justice Terrie Livingston; Pete Geren, U.S. Representative; Howard Green, former County Judge; Bob Hampton, Commissioner; Suzanne Henderson, County Clerk; J. D. Johnson, Commissioner; Rev. B. L. McCormick, Baker Chapel; Mike Moncrief; Debbie Schneider, Budget Analyst; Lenora Rolla; Harold L. Valderas, Senior District Judge; Tom Vandergriff, County Judge; Marti Van Ravenswaay, Commissioner; Madeleine Williams; Doyle Willis, Representative; G. K. Maenius
  • Portraits of Tarrant County Elected Officials and Administrator, undated
  • Tarrant County Prosecutor Council Members, 1982
  • Tim Curry portrait on foam board, undated
  • Maintenance workers working on an unmarked road, 1990s
  • Monuments, plaques, and architectural details of the interior and exterior of the Tarrant County courthouse, 1990s
  • Tarrant County Courthouse images used for posters and publications, color negatives, 1990s
  • Employee Appreciation Day, 1990s
  • Tarrant County employees and commissioners at outreach events: Kick the Can food drive, GED Graduation Gala, youth outreach, golf competition, blood drive, 1990s
  • Tarrant County employees at an event with Patriot soldier reenactors and mounted police officers, 1990s
  • General Motors Corporation - Arlington Assembly Plant 50th Anniversary, photographs of the original 1954 plant and the enlarged plant of 2004

Marti VanRavenswaay, Tom Vandergriff, Dionne Bagsby, J.D. Johnson, and Bob Hampton, 1995

Tarrant County Commissioners Court, October 10, 1995

Marti Van Ravenswaay, Hon. Tom Vandergriff, Dionne Bagsby, J. D. Johnson, and Bob Hampton

Tarrant County Prosecutor Council Members, 1982 

Tarrant County Prosecutor Council Members, 1982

Hon. Tim Curry, Hon. Bill White, Hon. George Rodriguez, Hon. Dick W. "Speedy" Hicks, Hon. Claude J. Kelley, Jr., Hon. Chris Mealy, Hon. Timothy D. Eyssen, Hon. Joe L. Schott, Hon. Howard C. Derrick, and Andy Shuval

Plaques and Awards

  • Male Newsmaker, Tim Curry, Press Club of Fort Worth, 1972
  • Investigators Section, T.D.C.C.A., recognition of Tim Curry, 1978
  • Recognition of Tim Curry, Texas District and County Attorneys Association, 1979
  • Appreciation of Tim Curry, Criminal Law Section State Bar of Texas, 1984-1985
  • CLEAT award dedicated to Tim Curry, 1991, 1994
  • Recognition of Tim Curry as Life Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation, 1994
  • Oscar A. Sherrell Memorial Award to Tim Curry, Texas District and County Attorneys Association, September 2001
  • Blackstone Award presented to Tim Curry, Tarrant County Bar Association, 2007
  • Tarrant County 1895 Courthouse Clock Tower Rededication Ceremony, October 23, 2012
  • Appreciation of Tim Curry, Tarrant D.W.I. Task Force, undated
  • Century Member, Boy Scouts of America, Tim Curry, Longhorn Council, undated
  • General Motors 50th Anniversary, Arlington, undated

Posters

  • Tarrant County Community Development Block Grant, 1974-1994, U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), 1994
  • 76th Annual State Conference of County Judges and Commissioners Association of Texas, Tarrant County, Texas, 1998
  • Sunrise at Sundance: Community Revitalization and Development, Texas Association of Local Housing Finance Agencies (TALHFA), 1998

Publications

  • Fort Worth Star Telegram, three issues from 1992-2009
  • "Tarrant County News and Information" - a monthly publication produced by the Tarrant County Public Information Officer and placed in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram since 1999
  • Trends Update 1987: An Economic, Demographic, and Financial Update; Tarrant County Facts, Figures, and Trends prepared by Howard Friedman, Management Research Services