WACO, Texas — It's a story you find here in Waco, at the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum.
"Since the museum opened in 1968, we've had about four and a half million people that have come through the facility and literally from all over the world," said Director Byron A. Johnson, Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum.
For Director Byron Johnson, the story began with a phone call from a gentleman by the name Stanley White. Mr. White called to Johnson about legendary Texas Ranger Captain Manuel T. "Lone Wolf" Gonzaullas.
"His family had been friends with Gonzaullas for years, and he inherited a collection of Gonzaullas's personal effects and equipment, and materials, one incredible set of decorated colt 1911 pistols," Johnson said.
The first Hispanic captain of the modern rangers, Capt. Gonzaullas or "Lone Wolf" is well known by Director Johnson. In discussing the collection of the collection items, what happened next was a surprise.
And now at the museum, 15 items help tell the story of lone wolf's impressive career in law enforcement.
Starting in the 1920s during prohibition, to defending the oil fields in East Texas and communities like Kilgore, living up to his nickname," Johnson said.
"He pursued things on his own and because he was alone. the name lone wolf was applied to him, and it kind of stuck over the years."
A lifetime of achievements with the Texas Rangers.
"He introduced such things as modern fingerprint cataloging and analysis into it so they could run fingerprints pretty quickly," Johnson said.
And in the 1930s when the legislature created the Department of Public Safety, Gonzaullas was appointed superintendent of the Bureau of intelligence.
"Under his supervision, the Texas Department of Public Safety crime lab became what is now one of the top ones in the United States," Johnson said.
Even in retirement in the 1950s, Gonzaullas tie to the Texas Rangers was on display.
"He became a consultant to radio, television and movies with 1950s television programs like tales of the Texas Rangers,"
The lone-wolf, Capt. Gonzaullas , the first Hispanic captain of the modern ranger troop. One of the last of the roaring and depression era Texas Rangers, and a star in law enforcement and some would say in Hollywood, passed away in 1977.
"When this museum was founded, he was one of the last of the, you can say, old time rangers alive to see that. and he saw the museum founded," Johnson said.
Long enough to see this special place, one already with a wealth of action, and culture. but made more rich preserving his memory, his life, his story.
Per the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame & Museum, the "Lonewolf" collection donors are Leon Stanley White and Sara White Morrison. Donated in memory of Carroll A. Green and Great-uncle Harroll H. (Pat) Green.
