Tarrant County Administrator Collection
Historical Note
The Tarrant County Administration Office was established in 1988. The County Administrator is appointed by the Commissioners Court, and the position serves as the Chief Administrative Officer supervising various county departments including: Budget and Risk Management, Community Development and Housing, Facilities Management, Fire Marshal, Human Services, Human Resources, Information Technology, Medical Examiner, Office of Historic Preservation and Archives, Public Health, Resource Connection, Texas AgriLife Extension, Transportation, and the Law Library.
G. K. Maenius served as the first County Administrator, from the creation of the position in 1988 through his retirement in 2023. The second County Administrator is Chandler Merritt, appointed in 2023.
Scope and Contents
Materials in this collection were donated by the Tarrant County Administration Office from 1994 to present. Materials in the collection relate to the Administrator's office and Tarrant County in general. A large portion of this collection relates to the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Tarrant County Courthouse, and to District Attorney Tim Curry. The date range for materials in this collection is 1920s through 2014, including some undated materials. The majority of materials were created around the 1990s through early 2000s.
Materials in this collection consist of the following:
Artifacts
- Ceremonial ribbon-cutting scissors, Lon Evans Correction Center, September 18, 2012
- Ceremonial ribbon-cutting scissors, Tarrant County Family Law Center, July 22, 2005
- Tarrant County Administration Building, Fifth Floor, sign, undated
Digital Images
- Scans of County Judge portraits on display in the Administration Building. Including the following:
- George Washington Armstrong; Charles W. Atkinson; Gus Brown; Jesse M. Brown; Roy English; Maynard Bartow Harris; Howard L. Green; Robert Gillis Johnson; Clarence O. Kraft; R. F. Milam; Dave Miller; Mike Moncrief; Emmett Moore; S. D. Shannon; Marvin B. Simpson; Hugh L. Small; John L. Terrell; Tom Vandergriff; Glen Whitley
- Tarrant County Judge Tom J. Vandergriff retirement events, December 2006
Documents
- Certificates of Appreciation presented to Tim Curry, 1997-2007
- Commemoration of the Signing of the Project Partnership Agreement for the Trinity River Vision Central City Project, September 5, 2008
- Proclamation for Law Enforcement Appreciation Day for the creation of a Law Enforcement Memorial Monument, Commissioners Court of Tarrant County, June 21, 1994
- Proclamation for Tom Vandergriff Day, Commissioners Court of Tarrant County, April 21, 1997
- Resolution to name the justice center for Tim Curry, May 5, 2009
Images
- Seven color drawings by William B. Potter of Old Fort Worth, 1990-1994
- Sundance Square Plaza Opening Celebration, 2013
Negatives
- Costume contest, Roll 42397 black and white negatives, 1990s; undated
- Tarrant County Clerk's office event with costumes, Roll 42398 black and white negatives, 1990s; undated
- Tarrant County confinement officers dining room, paintings, and murals, Roll 51567 black and white negatives, 1990s; undated
- People at meeting and conference table, Roll 51568 black and white negatives, 1990s; undated
- Visions of the Future event sign and carpentry work, Roll 53342 black and white negatives, 1990s; undated
- People using microform machines, meetings, and presentations, Roll 66330 black and white negatives, 1990s; undated
- Man in front of bookshelves, meeting, and man with manual dexterity boards, Roll 66331 black and white negatives, 1990s; undated
- People in warehouse with stacks of computer printouts, Roll 87877 black and white negatives, 1990s; undated
- Building exteriors and street scenes, man with bicycle, and people with canned goods and Christmas tree, Roll 87880 black and white negatives, 1900s; undated
- Facilities staff at work and children at Commissioners Court meeting, Roll 9332 black and white negatives, 1990s; undated
- Children at Commissioners Court meeting and outdoor employee event, Roll 9333 black and white negatives, 1990s; undated
- Exterior and interior views of Tarrant County Courthouse, man playing keyboard, and office shelving, Roll 9800 black and white negatives, 1990s; undated
- Man posing with plaque, scaffolding on old Civil Courts Building, and Tarrant County Courthouse exterior and roof views, Roll 9801 black and white negatives, 1990s; undated
Photographs
- Bell Helicopter photographs, requested and sent 1996
- Commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of General Motors in Arlington, Texas, undated
- Courthouse photographs, reproduction prints, undated
- Photographs (and negatives) taken on the occasion of the 100th Anniversary of the Tarrant County Courthouse, October 10, 1995, at the Commissioners Court meeting held in the 1895 Courthouse in the State Court of Appeals Courtroom. Photographs include the following individuals:
- Dionne Bagsby, Commissioner; Kim Brimer, Senator; Roy C. Brooks, Commissioner; Jim Duff; Barbara Ferrell, Justice of the Peace Judge; Justice Terrie Livingston; Pete Geren, U.S. Representative; Howard Green, former County Judge; Bob Hampton, Commissioner; Suzanne Henderson, County Clerk; J. D. Johnson, Commissioner; Rev. B. L. McCormick, Baker Chapel; Mike Moncrief; Debbie Schneider, Budget Analyst; Lenora Rolla; Harold L. Valderas, Senior District Judge; Tom Vandergriff, County Judge; Marti Van Ravenswaay, Commissioner; Madeleine Williams; Doyle Willis, Representative; G. K. Maenius
- Portraits of Tarrant County Elected Officials and Administrator, undated
- Tarrant County Prosecutor Council Members, 1982
- Tim Curry portrait on foam board, undated
- Maintenance workers working on an unmarked road, 1990s
- Monuments, plaques, and architectural details of the interior and exterior of the Tarrant County courthouse, 1990s
- Tarrant County Courthouse images used for posters and publications, color negatives, 1990s
- Employee Appreciation Day, 1990s
- Tarrant County employees and commissioners at outreach events: Kick the Can food drive, GED Graduation Gala, youth outreach, golf competition, blood drive, 1990s
- Tarrant County employees at an event with Patriot soldier reenactors and mounted police officers, 1990s
- General Motors Corporation - Arlington Assembly Plant 50th Anniversary, photographs of the original 1954 plant and the enlarged plant of 2004
Slides
Approximately (565) 35mm color slides from 1968 to the 1990s. Scenes and topics include:
Arlington Stadium; Bedford residential street; Charity drives; Construction equipment and work; Employee events including meetings, holidays, and celebrations; Employees in offices and assisting the public; Downtown Fort Worth aerial views, street scenes, and skyline; Freeways, highways, roads, and streets; Maintenance workers; Outdoor spaces, parks, playgrounds, and playing fields; Unidentified presentation slides; Unidentified residential streets; Security personnel; Six Flags Over Texas; Surveying; Tarrant County Commissioners Court meetings; Trinity River; Voting booths.
Buildings include:
Arlington sub-courthouse; Casa Manana; Unidentified courtroom interiors; Old Civil Courts building; Old Criminal Court building; Fort Worth Police Department and Tarrant County Jail; Aerial views of Fort Worth State School (now Tarrant County Resource Connection); Kimbell Art Museum; Lynn W. Ross Juvenile Detention Center; Senior Citizen's Center; Tarrant County Administration Building rendering by Albert S. Komatsu and Associates (now G. K. Maenius Administration Building); Tarrant County Convention Center (now Fort Worth Convention Center); Tarrant County Corrections Center; Interior and exterior of Tarrant County Courthouse; Tarrant County Criminal Court/Criminal Justice building; Tim Curry Criminal Justice Center.
Tarrant County departments include:
Auditor's Office; Commissioners Court; Community Supervision and Corrections; County Clerk; Courts at Law; County Services; Criminal Court; District Attorney; District Clerk; District Judges; Facilities; Fire Marshal; Health Center; Human Services; Information Systems; Juvenile Services; Personnel; Planning; Probate Court; Public Works; Purchasing; Sheriff; Tax; Texas Agricultural (AgriLife) Extension Service; Veteran Services; Welfare.
Tarrant County Commissioners Court, October 10, 1995
Marti Van Ravenswaay, Hon. Tom Vandergriff, Dionne Bagsby, J. D. Johnson, and Bob Hampton
Tarrant County Prosecutor Council Members, 1982
Hon. Tim Curry, Hon. Bill White, Hon. George Rodriguez, Hon. Dick W. "Speedy" Hicks, Hon. Claude J. Kelley, Jr., Hon. Chris Mealy, Hon. Timothy D. Eyssen, Hon. Joe L. Schott, Hon. Howard C. Derrick, and Andy Shuval
Plaques and Awards
- Male Newsmaker, Tim Curry, Press Club of Fort Worth, 1972
- Investigators Section, T.D.C.C.A., recognition of Tim Curry, 1978
- Recognition of Tim Curry, Texas District and County Attorneys Association, 1979
- Appreciation of Tim Curry, Criminal Law Section State Bar of Texas, 1984-1985
- CLEAT award dedicated to Tim Curry, 1991, 1994
- Recognition of Tim Curry as Life Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation, 1994
- Oscar A. Sherrell Memorial Award to Tim Curry, Texas District and County Attorneys Association, September 2001
- Blackstone Award presented to Tim Curry, Tarrant County Bar Association, 2007
- Tarrant County 1895 Courthouse Clock Tower Rededication Ceremony, October 23, 2012
- Appreciation of Tim Curry, Tarrant D.W.I. Task Force, undated
- Century Member, Boy Scouts of America, Tim Curry, Longhorn Council, undated
- General Motors 50th Anniversary, Arlington, undated
Posters
- Tarrant County Community Development Block Grant, 1974-1994, U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), 1994
- 76th Annual State Conference of County Judges and Commissioners Association of Texas, Tarrant County, Texas, 1998
- Sunrise at Sundance: Community Revitalization and Development, Texas Association of Local Housing Finance Agencies (TALHFA), 1998
Publications
- Fort Worth Star Telegram, three issues from 1992-2009
- "Tarrant County News and Information" - a monthly publication produced by the Tarrant County Public Information Officer and placed in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram since 1999
- Trends Update 1987: An Economic, Demographic, and Financial Update; Tarrant County Facts, Figures, and Trends prepared by Howard Friedman, Management Research Services