Selden B. Hale III

Selden B. Hale, III, was a member of a pioneering family of the Northern Panhandle of Texas. He attended school in Spearman and Gruver before enlisting in the United States Marine Corps in 1960, serving with the Amarillo Reserve Unit on active and reserve duty.

After his military service, Hale worked for several years as a writer for the Amarillo Daily News while completing his education at West Texas State University, where he graduated in 1965. He went on to earn his Juris Doctor degree from St. Mary's University School of Law in San Antonio in 1967.

Hale practiced law for 50 years, primarily as a criminal defense attorney. He also served as a cooperating attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union in the Texas Panhandle, representing clients in cases involving free speech, capital punishment, freedom of association, and political representation. Although a lifelong defense lawyer, he also represented District Attorney Tom Curtis and Judge Morris Overstreet during the controversy known as "Potter Gate" and represented dozens of Panhandle law enforcement officers throughout his career.

An old-fashioned, colorful trial lawyer with a booming bass voice and a commanding courtroom presence, Hale often held juries spellbound. His career included some memorable courtroom moments. On one occasion, when a robbery defendant attacked a bailiff and attempted to take his firearm in Judge Sam Kiser's Potter County courtroom, Hale joined the physical struggle to secure the weapon and subdue the defendant.

At the beginning of Governor Ann Richards' administration, Hale was appointed chairman of the Texas Board of Criminal Justice, becoming the first criminal defense attorney to hold the position. During his tenure, he helped advance the construction of state prison facilities in Amarillo, Dalhart, Plainview, Pampa, and Tulia. He also championed significant drug and alcohol treatment programs for prisoners and helped develop the Texas Sentencing Standards Commission. His efforts focused on rehabilitation and reducing the growing prison population.

Hale also pushed for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) to comply with federal constitutional requirements, contributing to the eventual settlement of the landmark Ruiz prison litigation. He advocated for women to serve as prison wardens and relied on women legal advisors during negotiations before federal Judge William Wayne Justice. He ultimately resigned his TDCJ chairmanship over concerns involving financial conflicts of interest in prison construction and the growing use of private, for-profit prisons.

His commitment to corrections and law enforcement continued long after leaving the board. Hale traveled throughout Texas training corrections officers and police personnel in firearms use and safety, providing weapons and ammunition through funding primarily supplied by former Amarillo Mayor Jerry Hodge. He also taught criminal justice and firearms courses at Amarillo College, training hundreds of corrections, law enforcement, and military personnel. Using grant funding, he provided training at no cost to state government and established a Corrections Officer Scholarship at Amarillo College using a portion of his teaching salary.

A proud Marine, Hale also worked with a small group of fellow Marines and then-Congressman Mac Thornberry to have the Amarillo VA Medical Center named in honor of Marine Thomas E. Creek, a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient who grew up on Amarillo's north side.

In 2010, West Texas A&M University named Hale a Graduate of Distinction, despite the nine years it had taken him to complete his undergraduate degree. Throughout his life, he remained active in numerous civic, charitable, and community organizations, including the Potter County Merger Study Committee, Amarillo Rape Crisis Service, Amarillo NAACP, Texas Civil Liberties Union, Catholic Family Services, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, and Amarillo Rifle and Pistol Club.