About the Editors - Coleman County, Texas

(From A History of Coleman County and Its People, 1985
edited by Judia and Ralph Terry, and Vena Bob Gates - used by permission.)

     Ralph Terry was born and raised in Coleman County, attending Coleman Schools, graduating from Coleman High School in 1965. He attended Texas Tech and graduated from Sam Houston State University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Photography in May 1969; did post graduate work in photography at the University of Houston and the College of the Mainland, Texas City. He first became interested in photography while in high school and served as the Coleman High School annual staff photographer. Ralph worked for Jack F. Laws and Associates o Houston while still in college, doing table-top layout and jewelry photography, graphic arts work, halftones and line copy. After graduation, he worked for the Monsanto Company of Texas City as the head of their industrial photographic department and was instrumental in layout and production of the Plant News. Ralph resigned from the company in September 1974, and returned to Coleman where he purchased the Hugh Capps Studio. In 1961, Ralph began working on a family tree project, which he still actively pursues. Ralph has been chairman of the Coleman County Historical Commission since 1981. He is responsible for the overall organization and layout of this book; editing and refining family histories; general, school, and community history research and the writing of many of these; writing the publicity for solicitation and sales o the book; and copying, taking, and borrowing many of the photographs in this book. Copies of any photos in this book may be purchased from Ralph Terry Studio.

     Judia Kemper Gaines graduated from Coleman High School and studied art for rive years with Winona Pierson. She majored in art at McMurry College and worked many years as a commercial artist. Judia moved to Brussels, Belgium where she painted and had numerous exhibitions. Several books have been illustrated by her, and she has a line of prints on the market. Portraiture is her specialty, and she teaches art in Coleman as well, having returned here in 1982. Judia established a display design business twelve years ago in Austin, which she still runs on a part time basis. Becoming interested in genealogy in 1971, she now does research for others, as well as working on her own family. She is delighted to have been involved in this labor of love, doing most of the illustrations as well as much of the editing and research of family and general histories and the business histories and organizing the photographs.

     Vena Bob Le Sueur Gates graduated from Coleman High School and Western Union Telegraph School in Springfield, Missouri. She has been a resident of Coleman County most of her life. She worked for Coleman Life Insurance Company (later Life Insurance Company of the Southwest) for six and a half years. During this time she was reacquainted with many families in the county in preparing their hospitalization and life insurance policies. She has always been interested in history and the preservation of cemeteries. Through the years, she has cataloged cemeteries and researched unmarked graves, being able to verity many. She has enjoyed doing genealogical research for herself and others for several years. She belongs to the San Angelo Genealogical Society, Cass County Genealogical Society and the Coleman County Historical Commission. In preparing this book, she has done extensive research on some of the schools and towns, and many of the families; cross checking, editing and retyping and has enjoyed her involvement in this enormous project.