TWAF

Gary Farmer

Article by MEG GUERRA Photos by JUSTIN WALLACE

2020 Outdoorsman of the Year Gary Farmer and family with Governor Greg Abbott. On Wednesday, March 31, 2021, Gary Farmer was finally honored as the 2020 Texas Outdoorsman of the Year, after the event had been postponed due to the pandemic. Previous Outdoorsmen Steve C. Lewis and Richard Hill served as event chairs and gathered more than 230 friends and family, including Governor Greg Abbott, to celebrate Farmer’s contributions to the outdoors, conservation and his well-known reputation as an outstanding and entertaining sportsman. It was evening to celebrate!

Farmer is a pillar in the Austin community. His leadership and vision for development in and around the Austin area, as well as his philanthropic endeavors have earned him accolades across the city and the state. Farmer is President of Heritage Title Company of Austin, Inc., a commercially oriented title insurance agency operating throughout the major markets of Texas.

He has been in the title insurance business since 1985. During Farmer’s tenure, Heritage has been recognized for its excellence in the commercial title insurance arena as it has grown to be among the largest independently owned title agencies in Texas. Farmer and his wife Susan are graduates of The University

2020 Outdoorsman of the Year Gary Farmer, 2019 Outdoorsman of the Year Richard Hill and Congressman Roger Williams.

Honoree Gary Farmer and Governor Greg Abbott.

Honoree Gary Farmer receiving the Outdoorsman knife from Past Outdoorsmen. of Texas. They have three daughters and four grandchildren and are members of Tarrytown United Methodist Church.

Farmer got involved with the Texas Wildlife Association as a Life Member in 1993 and since then, he and wife Susan have generously supported TWA programs and are especially passionate about the Texas Youth Hunting Program. Farmer stated that getting kids out of the city and into the outdoors to experience their first hunt is so important, as it exposes these children and their guardians to the importance of land and wildlife conservation, creating future generations who will protect and nurture our natural resources.

During the event, Farmer committed to support the Texas Outdoorsman of the Year for the next 10 years! A tremendous thank you to Susan and Gary for their generous support and for continuing to share their passion for hunting and land stewardship with Texas youth.

Congratulations, Gary Farmer, for being inducted into the distinguished Texas Outdoorsmen. It was a memorable evening full of fellowship and fun as we toasted to a very deserving honoree.

HISTORY OF THE OUTDOORSMAN

In 1959, the Anglers Club of San Antonio began a tradition of honoring individuals who demonstrate superior outdoorsman skills and exhibit an equal dedication to giving back to conservation and/or hunting heritage in Texas. In 2006, the former Outdoorsmen decided to rename the honor as Texas Outdoorsman of the Year expanding the program to include outstanding sportsmen from across the entire state. When making the award, the selection committee places 50 percent on the candidate’s outdoors skills and 50 percent on the candidate’s contributions to conservation and/or hunting heritage in Texas.

In conjunction with the name change and the expansion, the role of the host and benefactor was undertaken by TWAF, which supports TWA’s education programs.