Bud Stockton is Still Making Connections in Jarrell

Jarrell voters and drivers can celebrate the work that began on the extension of C. Bud Stockton Loop last month. The new roadway, funded with nearly $6 million in voter-approved road bonds, will connect the loop from FM 487 to CR 305 and includes constructing two lanes of a future four-lane roadway with turn lanes. The goal is to improve connectivity to the north and reduce delays along FM 487 for commuters heading to IH-35. Precinct 4 Commissioner Russ Boles (second from left) says, “We recognize the challenges that commuters face every day, and Williamson County is committed to addressing them head-on. By investing in infrastructure that promotes mobility and accessibility, we can create more opportunities for residents and businesses to thrive. Today's groundbreaking demonstrates this community’s willingness to promote and build a more connected and prosperous community."

THE REAL C. BUD STOCKTON

Charles Allen Stockton (1931-2002), or "C. Bud" as everyone in Jarrell called him, was an embodiment of Texas. Father, veteran, and educator, cowboy and entrepreneur, community servant and business leader, and among those who put wheels in motion to ensure Jarrell would always control its own destiny. Bud and his family moved to Georgetown in 1967, then to Jarrell around 1970. His son, Jeff Stockton, owns Stockton Real Estate at the same location where his parents owned and operated Bud's Western Store, which sold cowboy boots, blue jeans, and all things "cowboy" in the 1970s.

JARRELL, INC.

In the 1980s, without an EDC, Bud canvassed the Jarrell community to gauge their willingness to incorporate, to keep from being annexed by Georgetown. Jeff says, "Dad told them, 'This community can either control its own destiny or it will be controlled by someone else someday; we will become a subdivision of Georgetown.'" In 2000, Bud, Jeff, and a few others did the research, found an attorney, personally surveyed and drew the city lines, and... Jarrell became a City.

When the County began planning for future mobility, Jeff and his mother and sister donated family land for what is now the C. Bud Stockton Loop. When asked, they donated more, and even built a new fence to protect the cattle that still grazed where the road would go through. Jeff says, "When the City realized the totality of the donation we made, they were kind enough to offer to name the road after him. It was a tremendous honor; I believe every leader we've had in this city has been a blessing, and I'm glad our city is very financially sound, thanks to good conservative values and management. I'm proud of what we have accomplished for a city our size."

BUD BLESSED THIS COMMUNITY AND THIS COMMUNITY BLESSED HIM. VERY FEW PEOPLE GET TO SPEND TIME AROUND SOMEBODY THAT COOL.

~JEFF STOCKTON