Every year since 1943, except for one year during World War II, Texas Longhorn enthusiasts attended the annual surplus Longhorn sale at the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. They would gather to swap tales of the trail and buy a few head of Texas Longhorns. Among these was Charlie Schreiner III of Mountain Home, Texas. His grandfather had stocked the YO Ranch with Texas Longhorns in the 1870s and since that time, except for a few years from 1940 to 1957 when Schreiner started rebuilding his Longhorn herd, the famous ranch had never been without the breed. At the sale in 1963 Harry Pon, from Burns, Oregon, mentioned that he might start a Longhorn Association. This sounded like a good idea to Mr. Schreiner, but he felt the Association should be based in Texas. He came home and got the ball rolling, involving such men as Carter McGregor of Wichita Falls, Texas, an expert in the branding laws of Texas, Julian Howard, manager of the Wichita Refuge at that time and Scotty Light, a San Antonio real estate man. On May 8, 1964, a Certificate of Incorporation was issued by the State of Texas, officially forming the Texas Longhorn Breeders Association of America. An office was established in San Antonio, Texas.
The first membership meeting of the new Texas Longhorn Breeders Association of America (TLBAA) was held in September 1964 at Lawton, Oklahoma in conjunction with the Refuge Sale. About 30 members gathered to elect officers and ratify the by-laws. Appropriately Charlie Schreiner, III was elected the association’s first President, an office which he held for three years.
In order to determine what cattle were eligible for registration, the new association hired Claude "Heck" Shrader to visually inspect any animal offered for registration. Mr. Shrader was about to retire from the Refuge and was reputed to have the ability to see a cow years after having seen it as a calf and be able to remember its pedigree without seeing a brand or other manmade marking to refresh his memory. At $2.00 a head, Heck traveled the country inspecting Texas Longhorns.
The first herd inspected was Schreiner's. Holding cow registration #1 was YO Carmela, sired by a Peeler dam and sire, and registered by Charles Schreiner III. Bull #1 was YO Sam Houston, and Schreiner's YO Big Yeller was designated Steer #1. Establishing his credibility and displaying the keen eye that had gained him his reputation, Shrader culled several of Schreiner's proposed Longhorns. That was okay with Schreiner as it established the procedure for the future. Also helping make the registry credible, Julian Howard of the Refuge agreed to allow the now famous WR brand to be burned into the hide of Refuge Longhorns and registered their herd.
In 1965, famous western cartoonist Ace Reid from Kerrville, Texas, suggested a trail drive re-enactment from San Antonio to Dodge City commemorating the 100th year of the first trail drive that started after the Civil War. After a huge send off in San Antonio and stops at President Lyndon Johnson's ranch near Stonewall and a re-enactment at the famous Doan’s Crossing on the Red River, 100 Texas Longhorn steers and more than 100 riders traveled to Dodge where the cattle were driven into town and a sale was held. Jim Thomas handled the publicity for the event that put the eyes and thoughts of the country on the Texas Longhorn.
During Schreiner's presidency, the association had grown and the promotion of the breed was begun. Now came the task of keeping the enthusiasm level up in existing members as well as gaining new members. Getting members to register their new cattle was necessary because, as it is now, the fee for registration was the main source of income for the fledgling organization. Walter Riedel of Kames City, Texas, was elected TLBAA President in 1967, and his approach was to shut down the office in San Antonio and move all the association records to his store at Karnes City. Using his own secretary at little or no expense to the TLBAA, Mr. Riedel nurtured the organization. By the time he turned over the reins to Jack Phillips in 1969, the breed registry had grown to nearly 4,300 cows, bulls and steers, and the membership had grown to 150. Mr. Phillips went to Karnes City and brought the records and everything to his house in West Columbia, Texas, and his wife, Carolyn, took over the books. Through Phillips’ diligence, the association had $2,000 in the kitty and very little debt, when Walter Scott of Goliad, Texas, became president in 1971. During his administration, a double entry bookkeeping system was established, the association was on a solid financial footing, and the foundation for breed research at the university level was set.
As Scott handed the gavel to Jim Warren of George West, Texas, in 1973, the TLBAA was approaching its 10th birthday. Appropriately the membership had increased 10 times over the first year with nearly 350 active, associate, and lifetime members and more than 7,000 Texas Longhorn cattle had been registered. During this time, the first full-time Executive Secretary Manuel Gustamente, was hired, and the breed registry was closed. As of June 30, 1975, only the progeny of registered Texas Longhorn sires and dams were eligible for registration.
J.W. Isaacs of Alvin, Texas, took over in 1975, as the United State Bicentennial was approaching. He followed up on research projects that had been started the year before on breed fertility, and was president when the famous Goliad Stampede took place in Goliad, Texas. Intended as a parade, more than 100 Texas Longhorn steers spooked by a sudden noise and tore down one house, ran trucks off the highway and landed Jack Phillips on the ground after his horse slipped on the pavement. Also under the administration of Mr. Isaacs, the Sanctioned Sale came into being. With the idea that only the best animals should be offered for sale at public auction, the TLBAA required that all sales be sanctioned by them and that the cattle be inspected as to worthiness. (This practice was abandoned in later years as the number of sales increased, the geographical distances to some of the sales increased, and a general improvement in the cattle was seen.) The administration overcame the loss of Manuel Gustamente who died suddenly.
James T. "Happy" Shahan was elected president in September, 1977. He worked hard on publicity and the results showed as the membership increased by almost 300 during his one-year administration. As the association approached its 15th year, John R. Ball of Arlington, Texas, was elected President in 1978. The TLBAA membership now exceeded 800 and total registrations were over 23,000. By 1980, the membership topped 1,000. The energy boom was underway and the price of cows and heifers ranged from $4,000 to $40,000 and bulls were reportedly syndicated for over $1,000,000. Mr. Ball pushed breed research programs, believing that the breed should not overlook its contribution to the crossbred industry.
Next came Bill Anthony of Ardmore, Oklahoma (1980-82). By electing its first president from outside the state of Texas, the association recognized the truly nationwide organization it was becoming. At that time, the TLBAA began looking for a permanent home. Headquarters had been moved around, generally staying in San Antonio, but as the membership increased outside of Texas. A selection committee was appointed and the final decision went to placing the national headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas. During the summer of 1981, temporary officers were established there. A building fund was established and a site was purchased in the Stockyards area. A change in the economy forced postponement of the building, but the site is the location of the Texas Gold bronze sculpture.
Next came another Oklahoma president, Dr. L.V. Baker of Elk City, Oklahoma (1982-84) Membership had grown to around 2,500. Affiliate organizations grew from five to 18 during Dr. Baker’s term, and the Texas Longhorn Breeders of Tomorrow was organized. Following Dr. Baker came Dr. W.D. "Bill" Clark of Nacogdoches, Texas (1984-86). The breed research program at Texas A&M was continued, and the Texas Gold monument was dedicated. In 1986, Richard Carlson of St. Marys, Kansas became president. During the next two years, the successful World Show Circuit was begun with the first Texas Longhorn Exposition held in Fort Worth in July, 1988. The Breed Evaluation System was started during that time (the first attempt to gain weight and measurement information from Texas Longhorns on a nationwide basis and the Brain Trust Council (later renamed the Breed Advisory Council) was created, which brought the knowledge of nationally known and respected animal scientists to the aid of the association in developing and moving the Longhorn forward into the cattle industry.
In 1988, John T. Baker of Liberty Hill, Texas, became president, continuing the previous programs and bringing them to a new high. During his term of office, publication of an an official publication, The Texas Longhorn Trails, was begun. Next came the first president from Louisiana, Riemer Calhoun, Jr. from Mansfield, Louisiana (1990-92). Communication was the keyword of his administration, and the Outreach Program was established to improve communications. Mr. Calhoun's credo was to "Tell the Longhorn story".
In 1992, Glen Lewis of Ordway, Colorado, was elected president. During his presidency, the educational Cow College lO1s were instituted, the number of affiliates grew to 33, and the Trails moved into a new "glossy" format. On October 26, 1995, Tim Miller of Great Bend, Kansas, became the sixteenth president of the TLBAA. During Mr. Miller's term, regional representation and mail-in balloting were successfully initiated and the association was kept on a sound financial basis. In addition, a Membership Services Coordinator was hired in order to provide efficient and personal attention to the growing number of members and affiliates.
Sherman Boyles of Waynesboro, Mississippi, was elected to lead the TLBAA on November 13, 1998. During his term, the Outrider Membership Program was begun and new TLBT programs were initiated. The number of Texas Longhorn cattle registered topped the quarter million mark, and the TLBAA formed a close alliance with the Fort Worth Herd.
Boyles term also saw the addition of the "Bonus Membership Coupon" program to promote membership in the TLBAA and for the Hall of Fame for youth members and the addition of the Autobahn Motorcar Group Youth Scholarship Tour which affords funds for those TLBT youth attending college. TLBAA membership sales were begun, affording members an economical way to market their cattle. The exciting Horn Showcase measuring contest and the premier Horn Showcase Sale were also begun during Boyles five-year tenure.
Since 2003, the following have served as President or Chairman of the TLBAA:
Bob Moore, Gainesville, TX, 2004-2005
Joel Lemley, Blackwell, TX, 2006-2007
Ben Gravett, Catlett, VA, 2007
Fritz Moeller, Socorro, NM, 2007-2008
Maurice Ladnier, Perkinston, MS, 2008-2009
Robert Richey, TX, 2010
Steven Zunker, TX. 2010
Currently serving as Chairman of the Board is Brent Bolen, AZ.