Clyde Henley Wells (June 22, 1916 – January 26, 1987) was a rancher and long-time

regent In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

of the

Texas A&M University System The Texas A&M University System is a state university system in Texas and is one of the state's seven independent university systems. The Texas A&M University System is one of the largest systems of higher education in the United States, with a ...

. He served as Chairman of the Board of Regents for 12 years.

Early life

Wells was born in 1916 in

Stephenville, Texas Stephenville is a city in and the county seat of Erath County, Texas, United States. It sits on the North Bosque River, which rises nearby. Founded in 1854, it is home to Tarleton State University. Located in north-central Texas, Stephenville' ...

. He was the oldest of two children born to Monroe and Delula Belle (Henley) Wells. His father was the foreman of the Tarleton College farm, now known as the Tarleton Agricultural Center.

Tarleton State University Tarleton State University is a Public university, public research university in Stephenville, Texas, United States. It is a founding member of the Texas A&M University System and enrolled over 15,000 students in the fall of 2022. It is Carnegie C ...

is a member of the Texas A&M University System dating to 1917. Wells and his sister, Elizabeth Marie Wells (Johnson) grew up on the college farm. Both graduated from

Stephenville High School Stephenville High School, or SHS, is a public high school located in Stephenville, Texas and classified as a 4A school by the University Interscholastic League. It is part of the Stephenville Independent School District located in central Erath ...

and attended John Tarleton Agricultural College, later re-named

. The farm remains both a working agricultural enterprise and educational facility. Wells went on to also graduate from

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 ...

in College Station in 1938. Wells married Marie White of Weatherford in 1940.

Career

Wells became the general manager of Black Ranch Texas beginning in the 1950s. The ranch originally encompassed 25,000 acres and was the largest in Hood County. He was director for the

Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, Inc., is an organization established in 1877 by forty Texas cattlemen for the purpose of combating unbridled livestock theft. The association headquarters is located in Fort Worth. History The T ...

, the Southwestern Exposition and Fat Stock Show, and the Texas A&M Research Foundation. Wells was appointed to the governing body of the Texas A&M University System in 1961 by Governor

Price Daniel Marion Price Daniel Sr. (October 10, 1910August 25, 1988), was an American jurist and politician who served as a Democratic Party (United States), Democratic United States Senate, U.S. Senator and the 38th governor of Texas. He was appointed by Ly ...

. He served until 1985 and is the longest serving regent to date being re-appointed by four subsequent governors. Wells was chairman of the board for 12 years. Wells served as chairman of the Council of Governing Boards of Texas Colleges and Universities.

Honors

Dedicated in 1980, The Clyde H. Wells Fine Arts Center on the Tarleton State University main campus in Stephenville is named for Wells. Wells Hall on the campus of Texas A&M University-College Station is also named in honor of the alumnus. Wells was named “Man of the Year in Texas Agriculture” in 1967 by the Texas County Agricultural Agents Association. The Clyde H. Wells Golf Tournament is held annually by th
Tarleton State University Alumni Association
Wells and his father are both mentioned in the Tarleton "Purple Book" for their contributions to the university.

Personal life and death

Wells and his wife, Marie White Wells (1913–2008), are interred in Stephenville West End Cemetery near the Tarleton State University campus. Their daughter, Lana Wells Collier (1942–2017) and husband Benjamin Raye Collier (1929–2019) formerly of

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

; parents Monroe and Delula Belle (Henley) Wells; sister Marie Elizabeth (1921-2017) and husband William "Bill" Franklin Johnson (1922-2000) are also interred nearby. The family's papers are housed in the Dick Smith Library at Tarleton State University.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Well, Clyde H. Ranchers from Texas 1916 births 1987 deaths Texas A&M University System regents Tarleton State University alumni Texas A&M University alumni People from Stephenville, Texas 20th-century American academics