Gary Blevins Collection

Tarrant County Archives > Holdings > Named Collections > B > Blevins, Gary

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

Gary Blevins was born in Fort Worth and graduated from Texas Christian University in 1962. He worked as an editor, writer and photographer for about 35 years. During that time, he was employed by various companies including TESCO, Bell Helicopter, and The Boeing Company. He also volunteered for Historic Fort Worth, Inc. and the Junior League of Fort Worth.

Gary's father, Herbert Leslie Blevins, worked as a chauffeur and shortly as a movie extra under the name Tex Price. Gary's grandfather, George A. Nelson, was a conductor for the Texas and Pacific Railway Company for forty years. 

SCOPE AND CONTENTS

The Gary Blevins Collection contains photographs, post cards, documents, family memorabilia, books and artifacts from the Blevins family collection. The materials mostly date to the early 20th century. Blevins also donated photographs he took while volunteering for Historic Fort Worth, Inc. and the Junior League of Fort Worth in the 1960s and 1970's. 

 

View the Gary Blevins Collection image gallery.

Materials in this collection consist of the following:

Artifacts

  • Metal business invoice hook, Stork's Nest and Specialty Shop, 108 West Sixth St., Lamar 4238, circa 1920. The Stork's Nest was a children's clothing shop owned by Mrs. Jessie V. McKinley that specialized in hand sewn fine children's wear according to the 1920 Fort Worth City Directory. (Image shown)
  • Pin: Texas Licensed Chauffeur, No. 98229, 1936
  • Pin: Texas Licensed Chauffeur, No. 76252, undated
  • Pin: "Shoo" Fly, undated
  • Pin: Southwestern Exposition and Fat Stock Show, Fort Worth, 1920

Postcards

  • "Beautiful Lake Erie. On the Interurban between Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas." Post mark date on back: 1911. Card addressed to Mr. T. L. Snow
  • "High School, Fort Worth, Texas." Postmark 1911. Card addressed to Mr. T. L. Snow, Quanah, Texas. Note: This building burned December 2, 1910.
  • "Sanatorium from airplane." Undated. Note: Fort Worth had Elmwood Sanatorium at this time, but the buildings and site don't match the known plans for Elmwood.
  • St. Nicholas standing in front of a fireplace decorated with stockings. On back is message from the officers and directors of the Stockyards National Bank, Fort Worth. Dated early 1900s.

Stork's Nest and Specialty Shop invoice hook, 1920

Stork's Nest and Specialty Shop Invoice Hook, 1920

Family Documents and Memorabilia

  1. Chauffeur's License No. 87558, Department of Public Safety, Texas, for Herbert Leslie Blevins, 1941-1942
  2. War Ration Book One, U. S. A., for Mary L. Kimberling (donor's great aunt), 1942
  3. Riverside Junior High School report card for Herbert Blevins, 7th grade, 1931-1932
  4. Business card: George Nelson, Retired Conductor, Texas and Pacific Railway Company, circa 1945
  5. Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen Traveling Card, for G. A. Nelson, Paris, Texas, May 16, 1905, Paris Lodge No. 584
  6. Southern Pacific Company Trip Pass for G. A. Nelson and wife, from El Paso to Los Angeles, 1946
  7. Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway System pass for G. A. Nelson and wife, from San Diego to Los Angeles, March 1946
  8. Texas and Pacific Railway Company Employee's Trip Pass for G. A. Nelson and wife, from Fort Worth to El Paso, 1946
  9. Identification card for G. A. Nelson
  10. Registration Certificate (draft) for G. A. Nelson, September 1918
  11. Great Northern Railway card calendar, 1940
  12. Postcard: "27 Years of Progress of T & P RY. Co.," showing image of Texas and Pacific locomotive No. 904, c. 1896
  13. "Conductor Bids Goodbye to #11 after 40 Years", Fort Worth Star-Telegram, November 1, 1945
  14. "George Nelson, 70, retired T and P Conductor, is Dead" newspaper clipping, April 16, 1946
  15. "George A. Nelson" obituary, hand-dated April 16, 1946
  16. Explanatory note of family names with a Xeroxed copy of Nelson obituary
  17. "Gray Gets 5 Hits for His Young One-Armed Fan" September 14, 1944
  18. Correspondence: W. G. Vollmer to George Nelson, November 5, 1945
  19. Correspondence: A. J. Chester to O. W. Blocker, August 1, 1933, and O. W. Blocker to A. J. Chester, July 29, 1933
  20. Correspondence: V-Mail Christmas 1943, from Lt. Lloyd S. Blevins to Gary Blevins, from Australia. Writer was a member of the 8th Cavalry.
  21. "Memories better with age" by Gary Blevins Class of 62. The TCU Magazine, Winter 1997
  22. "He sang to me" by Gary Blevins Class of 1962, TCU Magazine, Fall 2000
  23. "Part of the People Power team at Texas Electric"  advertisement photographs by Gary Blevins

Family Photographs

  1. George and Bessie Nelson, sepia, written in ink on back: Geo/Bessie Nelson
  2. Bessie Nelson with son, Bobby, sepia. Written in black ink on back: 3-15-31, Bobby and Bessie Nelson
  3. Eileen Blevins (donor's mother) 5 years old, December 29, 1924
  4. Sailors on a train (going home for a 10-day leave), Herb Blevins is pictured, 1940s
  5. Herb and Eileen Blevins, street snapshot
  6. Gary Blevins on a pony, at 3729 Race Street, late 1930s
  7. Gary Blevins with mother Eileen, on downtown street, October 10, 1943
  8. Gary Blevins with grandmother Elizabeth Zwatchka Blevins, undated

Documentary Photographs: The following photographs were taken by Gary Blevins while volunteering for a project of Historic Fort Worth, Inc. and Junior League of Fort Worth in the early 1970's:

  1. Robert McCart House, 5028 Bryce, black and white photo
  2. Robert McCart House, portion of porch with Texas historical marker
  3. Robert McCart House, view from window showing broken panes
  4. Detail along floor of cabinet, showing locked cabinet. Location is unknown
  5. Stairwell at Ball, Eddleman, McFarland House, 1110 Penn Street
  6. Ball, Eddleman, McFarland House, 1110 Penn Street, exterior
  7. Knights of Pythias Building, 315 Main Street, showing knight in his niche and part of upper windows
  8. Land Title Block Building, 111 E. Fourth Street (at Commerce), detail of bas-relief over doorway on Commerce Street
  9. Texas Electric plant on N. Main Street, with smokestacks and Reddy Kilowatt
  10. Westbrook Hotel barber shop with Shorty the shoeshine man
  11. Corner of Fourth and Main Streets, from corner of Westbrook Hotel, looking east in mirror at Prince Jewelry
  12. Texas Electric public relations team: George Hedrick, Myron Reed, Jim Byrd, Hooper Sanders, and Jack A. Harris. 4th floor in Texas Electric Building, early 1970's
  13.  Beeman Fisher, president of Texas Electric