Before sharing this article, thank you to the Blackwell family for welcoming me into their family’s history. Their openness made this piece possible, and inspires me to continue visiting with our community to preserve the history that makes Cuero so special.
In DeWitt County, history is never far – it lives in the old roads and bridges that no longer appear on maps, in family sayings and traditions handed down across generations, and in the work of men and women who built the farms, ranches, churches, schools, and banks that knitted small towns together. Few families embody that story more than the Blackwell’s of Cuero. Their history begins in 1846, when Texas was a young state, and continues today in the life and service of Bill and Nancy Blackwell.
Roots in Early Texas Dr. Clayton Blackwell and his brother, Montgomery, first arrived in Texas and DeWitt County in 1846. Dr. Blackwell married Mariam York Bell, the widowed daughter of Capt. John York, cofounder of Yorktown. The Blackwell’s intermarried with other prominent families throughout the years. The Reiffert’s, part of the German immigration that shaped Cuero; the Breeden’s and Pleasants, known for law and public service. Judge Henry Clay Pleasants presided over the Sutton-Taylor feud, with a shotgun across his knees, per stories.
Bill’s grandfather, Will Blackwell, married Alma Reiffert in 1906. She was the daughter of Emil Reiffert, who had risen to lead H. Runge & Co., Texas’ first real bank. Each family added new strands to the Blackwell story, knitting together land, leadership, and community responsibility.
Land, Faith and Family – Growing Up in Cuero
Born January 28, 1943, to Reiffert Forbes and Dorothy Ann “Dot” Breeden Blackwell. Bill and his sisters, Patricia Hedgecoxe and Dee Sager, grew up surrounded by sayings and rhymes passed down through the family, particularly his father.
A particular favorite, as the family piled into the car was “All aboard!” with the family responding, “If you can’t get aboard, get a shingle!” He introduced grandchildren like rodeo contestants, “Ashley coming out of chute number three, riding Armadillo!” and “A Diller, a dollar, a kind of scholar and a pretty fair windmill man named, Steve, coming out of chute number two.” He encourages families to write down their stories, “If you don’t write them down, they’re forgotten.”
Cuero’s landscape shaped how Bill sees things. He remembers stories from his father about Lover’s Lane, Hells Gate Bridge, Devil’s Backbone, and Lord’s Pasture. The saying was “kids drove their cars down Lover’s Lane, over Hells Gate Bridge, across the Devil’s Backbone into the Lord’s pasture,” he recalls.
Bill attended Cuero High School, lettered in football, basketball, track and baseball, and graduated in 1961. He went on to study business at the University of Texas at Austin, where he was a member of Phi Delta Theta Fraternity, earning his BBA in 1966. He joined the Texas Army National Guard in Gonzales, attended officer candidate school and earned his 2nd Lt. commission.
After college graduation, Bill made his first investment with two friends in a start-up company. The venture wasn’t successful, but taught him the value of money, and important lessons like “inspect what you expect.” His second investment was in a beer distributorship, which was successful for several years, and showed the satisfaction of hard work and perseverance.
In 1971, Bill married Nancy Nash Porter. Nancy, a Baylor graduate and teacher, served on the Cuero ISD School Board for 35 years helping the district through growth and change. Bill & Nancy raised three daughters, Ashley, Stephanie, and Courtney. Today, they delight in eight grandchildren who fill their lives. “Our greatest blessing has been watching our girls raise their own families,” Bill says.
Banking as a Calling Bill’s first job after college was as an office manager for a large ranch in Victoria. When the longtime bookkeeper passed away, Bill found himself responsible for 26 sets of books, covering cattle, oil and gas, and investments. “It was like earning a Master’s degree on the job,” he says.
That crash course prepared him for a banking career. He became a Director, an Officer, and then President at Farmers State Bank & Trust Co., later President of Victoria Bank & Trust – Cuero, Norwest Bank – Cuero, and Wells Fargo Bank – Cuero. Bill also served as a director of the Texas Banker’s Association, chaired its Services Company, and sat on the American Bankers Association Community Bankers Council.
Throughout his banking career, what mattered most wasn’t the numbers, but trust and respect. Bill learned early that respect for others, respect for property, and standing up for your beliefs and principles mattered in all areas of life. In banking, Bill insists, “Confidentiality is everything, and your reputation is your capital. If people think you’ll tell their business, you’re in trouble. As a bank, we tried to be more prepared and outwork our competitors. We emphasized respect for everyone.”
Banking helped him realize that when individuals and businesses were successful, the bank was successful. Banking led to many long-term friendships with customers and other professionals. “I still love it when someone thanks me for helping them 30–40 years ago.” This philosophy carried him through the 1980’s banking crisis and beyond.
Lessons from Ranching
Ranching was the family’s livelihood, but banking and education offered stability and purpose. They raised cattle, conserved land, and taught their children the importance of stewardship.
Bill feels his interest in land is best explained by a quote from Aldo Leopold, a wildlife and land conservationist: “The personal gratification and rejuvenation is one of the greatest benefits of owning and working your own piece of land, the value of which cannot be measured.”
While building his banking career, Bill never left ranching behind. He loves old family ranching history, including old pictures. He even recalls photos of his grandfather, Will Blackwell, with Robert Kleberg, Sr. from the 1880’s, and stories of King Ranch.
In the early 1980’s, Bill bought his first 306 acres. He stocked conservatively and managed for drought as his father and grandfather taught him. They said, “It is easy to run cattle in the good years; the question is whether you still have grass in the bad years.” Some of the benefits of ranching conservatively are sustainability from year to year, and better wildlife production if planning for hunting habitats.
“I have loved raising commercial calves from quality cows and bulls, as well as producing and raising heifer replacement cattle for my herd. I have benefited from great employees that made my job in banking and ranching very enjoyable.”
When Oil Changed Everything
If ranching teaches patience, oil teaches humility. For decades, South Texas landowners knew there was oil and gas underground, but the technology didn’t exist to reach it – until the Eagle Ford Shale boom.
Bill recalls families jumping at lease offers, selling outright, or holding on to bet on the boom. “For families who never had much, it was life-changing money. People who’d struggled for generations could suddenly pay off debt, send kids to college, build new homes and barns, and buy new equipment.”
Bill serves on the ConocoPhillips Citizens Advisory Council which is briefed about drilling, safety, and community impact. What impresses him most isn’t the charts, but the company’s commitment to the local communities – supporting fire and police departments, EMS, museums, and schools. “That’s how you build goodwill in a community,” Bill says.
Service to Community Civic leadership has been a constant in Bill’s life. He was twice appointed to the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority board and served as chairman. He helped found the Guadalupe River Conservancy, whose mission is to conserve land for future generations. He has also worked with the Cuero ISD Education Foundation, the Chisholm Trail Heritage Museum, Victoria College Foundation, and the Victoria Symphony Society Endowment Trust.
Bill says, “I have cared and spent a lot of time on any economic development effort that would help the Cuero community.” He continues this support through his work as President of the Cuero Community Foundation, which he helped found. They provide grants and support local nonprofits, schools, and civic projects. Under his leadership, the foundation has become an important partner in strengthening Cuero’s future through philanthropy. “We are building nonprofit partnerships with Donor Advised Funds and Field of Interest Funds that help strengthen the community.”
At Grace Episcopal Church, he served multiple terms as Senior Warden. He is a member of the Cuero Rotary Club serving as club president twice and assistant district governor. Bill has given time as treasurer for the Turkeyfest Association, Cuero Young Farmers, and the Gobbler Booster Club. Bill and his friends led the effort to construct a new building for the Cuero Country Club which opened in 1980, where he also served two years as president.
“The more I got involved with different non-profits over the years, the better I knew people and had the opportunity to help them with their financial needs,” he explains. “When a community gives you opportunities to give back, especially when you have been blessed with the ability to share what you have, you owe it to give back.”
A Philosophy of Stewardship
Looking back, Bill measures his life by principles, not titles. In banking, it was confidentiality, accountability, and respect. In ranching, it was conservation and patience. In service, it was giving back more than you took.
He points to role models who made lasting marks on Texas, like Caesar Kleberg of the King Ranch, who was appointed to the first commission of the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department for his dedication to wildlife conservation. “One person can make a difference, but only if they care. Caesar Kleberg cared, and I hope part of my legacy will be that I cared,” he says.
At 82, Bill reflects not on what he missed but on what will endure: the institutions he strengthened, the land he managed with care, and the example of service he hopes younger generations will follow. Bill wholeheartedly thanks his family for helping him follow his dreams. “I have lived a very full and satisfying life and have no regrets!”
True to form, he circles back to the childhood refrain of “All aboard!” and the reply “If you can’t get aboard, get a shingle!” It’s a nonsense saying but also holds wisdom. Life is a journey meant to be shared. Everyone has a place, if they are willing to climb aboard.
For Cuero, Bill and Nancy Blackwell have been the steady hand on the whistle, guiding Cuero through storms and detours, faithful to the tracks laid down before them, and hopeful for the passengers still to come.
Joe Olive, CFP, MPS, is a 10-year Air Force veteran who works as a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER with Sather Financial Group, a feeonly strategic planning and investment management firm. He holds a master’s degree from Columbia University
