Clarence Scharbauer Jr. (July 6, 1925 – February 21, 2014) was an American rancher, oilman, banker,

horse breeder Horse breeding is reproduction in horses, and particularly the human-directed process of selective breeding of animals, particularly purebred horses of a given breed. Planned matings can be used to produce specifically desired characteristics in ...

and philanthropist. He was inducted into the

American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame The American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame and Museum was created by the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA), based in Amarillo, Texas. Ground breaking construction of the Hall of Fame Museum began in 1989. The distinction is earned by people and ...

and the Horse Racing Hall of Fame.

Early life

Clarence Scharbauer Jr. was born on July 6, 1925, in

Midland, Texas Midland is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Midland County with small portions extending into Martin County. The population was 132,524 as of the 2020 census. Located in the Permian Basin in West Texas, Midland is a ...

. His father, Clarence Scharbauer Sr., was a rancher. His paternal great-uncle was a large rancher from New York. His paternal great-great-grandfather was an immigrant from

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. Scharbauer attended

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...

for one semester, until he dropped out in 1942 when his father was diagnosed with

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

Career

Scharbauer inherited his father's 350,000-acre ranches, including Valor Farm in

Pilot Point, Texas Pilot Point is a city in Denton County, Texas, United States. Its population was 3,856 at the 2010 census, increasing to 4,381 at the 2020 census. Geography Pilot Point is located at (33.396350, –96.958719). According to the United States Ce ...

, which cumulatively has "produced more than one billion barrels of oil", and oil investments. He was the recipient of the Golden Spur award for ranching. Scharbauer served as the chairman of the First National Bank of Midland, but the bank failed. Scharbauer was a horse breeder. He was the owner of the

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby () is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The race is run by three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of . Colt (horse), Colts and geldin ...

winner

Alysheba Alysheba (March 3, 1984 – March 27, 2009) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse that won two legs of the Triple Crown in 1987. A successful sire, he produced 11 stakes winners. A bay colt, Alysheba was sired by Alydar out of the mare Bel S ...

. Another horse he owned, Fiftyshadesofgold, won the Texas Stallion Stakes at the

Sam Houston Race Park Sam Houston Race Park is a horse racing track located in unincorporated northwest Houston, Texas, United States. The park hosts both Thoroughbred and American Quarter Horse racing each year. The track strives to be a multi-purpose venue, hostin ...

on February 15, 2014. He was inducted into the

and the Horse Racing Hall of Fame. He was the recipient of the lifetime achievement award from the Texas Thoroughbred Association in 2007.

Philanthropy

Scharbauer made charitable contributions to

Midland College Midland College (MC) is a Public college, public community college in Midland, Texas. It was established as an independent junior college in 1972 and held its first classes on campus in 1975. Since that time, the campus has expanded to a main ...

(where the Scharbauer Student Center is named in his honor) and the Midland Memorial Hospital (where the Dorothy and Clarence Scharbauer Jr. Patient Tower is named after he and his wife). Additionally, the Scharbauer Sports Complex was named after him after another donation he made. Scharbauer was also the founder of the Scharbauer Foundation, a philanthropic foundation.

Personal life

Scharbauer married to Dorothy Turner, whose father, Fred Turner Jr., won the 1959

with a horse named Tomy Lee. The couple had four children: sons Clarence Scharbauer III, Douglas, and Chris, and daughter Pamela. He was widowed in 2005.

Death and legacy

Scharbauer died on February 21, 2014, of complications following emergency surgery. He was eighty-eight years old. Scharbauer's children are active in business and politics. Clarence Scharbauer III, serves as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of

Texas Christian University Texas Christian University (TCU) is a private university, private research university in Fort Worth, Texas, United States. It was established in 1873 by brothers Addison Clark, Addison and Randolph Clark as the AddRan Male & Female College. It i ...

as of 2018–2019. Douglas Scharbauer continues to race horses and purchase mineral rights. In the 2018 election cycle, he was the top donor to Texas Attorney General

Ken Paxton Warren Kenneth Paxton Jr. (born December 23, 1962) is an American politician and lawyer who has served as the attorney general of Texas since 2015. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served in the Texas Senate representing the e ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scharbauer, Clarence Jr. 1925 births 2014 deaths American people of German descent People from Midland, Texas Texas A&M University alumni United States Navy personnel of World War II Ranchers from Texas American bankers American racehorse owners and breeders Philanthropists from Texas AQHA Hall of Fame (members) 20th-century American philanthropists