Vernie Caldwell "V.C." Marshall

Coming out of the devastation of the Dust Bowl, V.C. Marshall played a key role in the creation of the Soil and Water Conservation District Program in Texas. Having served as a member of the Texas Agriculture Association legislative committee, Marshall was familiar with policy, and was well prepared when he convened a Committee of One Hundred, a group of powerful Texas farm and ranch leaders, in 1937. They modified the federally-developed “Standard Act” of 1936 to fit the political realities of Texas, creating a theme of local landowner control. Marshall went on to serve on the Texas Soil and Water Conservation board and to act as its first director. Over the years, the Board has helped construct over a billion feet of terraces to prevent soil erosion.