Autry legacy recognized in naming of Agriculture Building

In 1998, Tarleton’s lynchpin agriculture department named its venerable campus building in honor of former department head Dr. Joe Autry, who had participated in dedicating the same building 47 years earlier.

The building, used since 1951, houses classrooms, laboratories, office space and a small auditorium for agriculture students.

Like so many of the school’s early supporters, Autry was a product of Stephenville schools prior to beginning his higher education at Tarleton, then a two-year college.

After studying at Tarleton, he earned his bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M before joining the Navy to serve in World War II. In 1947 he began a more than three-decade relationship with Tarleton, starting as an associate professor in 1947 and becoming the head of the Agriculture Department just four years later, a position he held for 16 years.

After earning his doctorate, Autry moved into the newly-created position of Vice President and Dean of Instruction in 1971. Additionally, he was part of a Tarleton contingent that traveled to Austin to witness the signing of the 1973 proclamation changing the name of the school to Tarleton State University.

His association with the Purple and White continued even after his retirement with part-time teaching assignments in the business administration department. Dr. Autry was chosen Distinguished Faculty Member in 1982 and was named Vice President Emeritus by the Texas A&M Board of Regents in 1984.