Robert and Melba Gafford
.5 linear feet and 304 photographs
A2018-052
1890-1945 (unknown)
Robert Howard “Bob” Gafford served in the Texas State Guard during the World War II years of 1941-1945. He also was attending Kingsville High School. The drills were held each Monday night at the Mopac Building located at the 200 block of West Yoakum. Orientation and instruction took place inside the building; drills took place on the block area around the building. Sgt. Bob Gafford was honorably discharged in June 1945, at that time he intended to join the U.S. Maritime Service, he was 17 years old. The war ended and Bob chose to enroll at Texas A&I University in September 1945. Howard B. Gafford, Bob’s father, was working as the manager and partner of Kingsville Super Market when World War II began; he was drafted into the U.S. Navy in 1943. He served nearly a year before being honorably discharged in 1944. Jim Bentley, his partner, and Thelma, his wife, had managed the super market in the time he was gone. Bob graduated from Texas A&I in 1949 with a B.S. in Chemistry; he obtained a B.S. in Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering in 1950. He joined the Air Force and went to Officers School, then did post graduate electronic work at Keesler AFB in Biloxi, Mississippi. Bob met Melba Faye Wilcox while in Mississippi and they were wed on March 13, 1952 in Gulfport. Bob was then stationed at Sandia Base, Albuquerque, New Mexico where he trained in Special Weapons Training. In 1953 he was honorably discharged when he was serving as the Nuclear Weapons Officer for the 92nd Heavy Bomb Wing at Fairchild AFB, in Spokane, Washington. The couple returned home to Kingsville, Texas. In Kingsville the family operated the Gafford Super Market until 1978. They also owned a ranch in Ben Bolt and one in Uvalde County on the Frio River. At this time they spent more time at the ranches and worked in real estate. In 1985 the family bought a herd of Texas Longhorns and the herd still roams the Ben Bolt ranch today. The Gaffords raised three daughters, and four sons. The children are listed in birth order, Cynthia Diane Gafford McCauley, Robert Howard Gafford, Jr., William Lester Gafford, Howard Bascom Gafford II, Stephen Scott Gafford, Catherine Suzanne Gafford Trevino, and Carolaine Michelle Gafford Topacio. Both Melba and Bob served in many civic organizations including for Bob, the Kingsville Boy Scouts, Troop 374, Wood Badge Adult Training and the Society of the Order of the Arrow. He served as the District Commissioner for Boy Scouts in the Venado District and was chairman of the successful Capital Fund Drive Committee raising funds for the building of the Episcopal Church in Kingsville. Melba is a longtime member of both the Christus Spohn Hospital Kleberg Memorial Hospital Auxiliary and of the Woman’s Club, FLAIR Group. When their children were young Melba played a major role in all of their activities including serving as Den mother to the Cub and Boy Scouts, Leader for the Blue Birds and Camp Fire Girls, member of little league baseball and PTA. For the betterment of the community, Melba has served on the boards of the TB Seals as chairman, United Way, Friends of Kleberg Library, Friends of the Conner Museum at Texas A&M University-Kingsville, Resthaven Cemetery, and Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA.) Community activities include being a member of the Episcopal Church, Vice-president of the Women of the Church and a member of St. Anne’s Guild. The Episcopal Diocese of West Texas recognized Melba as one of the “Most Honored Women,” in the county. She has served in the Christus-Spohn Hospital Kleberg Auxiliary for fifty-five years, has 19,500 volunteer hours in the Gift Shop and is a member of the Board. Melba has received many honors from her service in the Woman’s Club of Kingsville including the Outstanding Clubwoman Volunteer for district and state, Golden Girl Award for fifty years of service, and the prestigious honor of being named a GFWC-Texas Jennie Award winner. Lastly Melba was awarded the Mattie Gaston Lifetime Achievement Award, the highest award that the Woman’s Club of Kingsville gives, in 2011. Other memberships in GFWC-TFWC Clubs include the Book Lovers Club of Alice, the President’s Council of Corpus Christi and the Corpus Christi City Federation. The awards bestowed upon Melba indicate her generous and caring service to the community in which she lives. Both Gaffords work tirelessly for the organizations in which they are members. At one time Bob was asked to run for Mayor of Kingsville, they discovered he was not eligible due to the location of the Gaffords home being outside the city’s limits. Bob corresponded with many Congressional leaders including Ambassador Ann Armstrong, William P. Clements Jr., Lloyd Bensen, John Tower, Solomon P. Ortiz and E. (Kika) de la Garza in support of bills and political rulings.
The collection consists of political correspondence, grocery store reports, programs of graduation ceremonies, newspaper clippings of local people and events of Kingsville, Texas, and 303 photographs.
Series I: Gafford Family History Series II: Newspaper Clippings Sub-Series A: Local Events and People Sub-Series B: Kenedy Ranch Sub-Series C: King Ranch Sub-Series D: Richard E. Cavazos Series III: Photographs
South Texas Archives, James C. Jernigan Library, Texas A&M University-Kingsville
Open for Research
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Robert and Melba Gafford Family Collection, A2018-052.XXXX - South Texas Archives, James C. Jernigan Library, Texas A&M University-Kingsville.
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Robert and Melba Gafford donated their documents and photographs to South Texas Archives in October 2018.
The collection was processed by Lori Atkins and Carmen Martinez, digitized by Paulina Morales, the finding aid was created by Lori Atkins and the EAD document by Daniel Thacker in January of 2019.