County appoints Edgington, Stewart to Historical Cmsn

County Commissioners voted unanimously to replace the Young County Historical Commission (YCHC) board of directors with seven new members, ending years of conflict between the Court and the Commission led by retired County Judge John Bullock.

County Judge Win Graham made the motion to replace the existing board with two Olney residents, Robert Stewart, owner of Stewart’s Food Store, and Chad Edgington, the pastor of First Baptist Church of Olney and host of Olney’s radio program “The Wake Up Call with Chad & Friends.”

Mr. Stewart, who studied history at Midwestern State University, said he has “had a lifelong interest in history and welcome[s] this opportunity to help preserve and engender interest in and knowledge of our rich, vibrant local history.”

“We are the product of our history, heritage and culture. Studying and preserving history gives us a stronger identity and connection to our roots while providing better understanding of the past as well as our current world,” he said.

Dr. Edgington said he was “honored to serve on the County Historical Commission.”

“Young County has a rich heritage full of exciting events and amazing people,” he said. “I look forward to learning more about the Commission’s work as I become involved.”

The other new members of the Historical Commission board, approved unanimously by the Commissioners, are Fort Belknap historian Jim Hammond of Newcastle who will serve as chairman, Kim Ligon of Loving, Brady Atwood of South Bend, Texas; Chance Condron of Graham, and Carter Pettit of Graham.

Mr. Atwood, who attended the meeting, said work as a landman, his family’s century-long tenure in Young County and his decade of service on the Fort Belknap Archives board, led to his interest in serving on the Commission.

“In my spare time I like to uncover County history and learn about things I’ve never known about that have been lost to time,” he said. “My work as a landman has led me to research and uncover stories of our County’s history that I enjoy sharing with others and this would be a good conduit.”

The new board members’ terms begin immediately.

Judge Graham said the Commissioners decided to start fresh with a new board after years of conflict over the way the board operated and funded itself.

“I think a fresh start is probably the way to go because there is no communication, there is no interaction, it’s hostile both ways,” Judge Graham said after the vote.

Judge Bullock remarked that the Commission’s decision reflected a hidden plan to tear down the 1921 Jail in Graham’s town center. Preserving the Old Jail has been a priority for the outgoing board, and fundraising to rehabilitate the Jail put the YCHC in conflict with the Commissioners.

“This court has been extremely hostile to the current commission, obviously,” he told the Court. “I really have an issue with disrespect for this board and all that they’ve done,” he told the Commissioners.

Judge Bullock accused Precinct 4 Commissioner Jimmy Wiley and Judge Graham of “trying to get us out of place for a long time.”

“They want that building down,” he said.

Mr. Wiley, who served on the YCHC board, and Judge Graham said the Court has no plans to tear down the building and that the move came from the YCHC’s failure to keep the board informed of its actions.

“It’s nothing to do with that,” Mr. Wiley said. “They don’t care what the [law] says. They are just going to do what they want to do … every time we would try to do something, [Judge Bullock] would not come to the table, he was always trying to get things in through the back door. They had their own agenda, it wasn’t a team effort.”