nization that two years later Tarrant
County elected a Republican as its
first Republican state senator. I was
the county yard sign chairman for
U.S. Rep. George H.W. Bush, our
Republican candidate for U.S. senator
in 1964.”
Upon moving to Parker County
in 1984, and primarily to restrict the
sale of pornography, King set his
sights on a Weatherford council seat,
winning it in 1986. He won three
consecutive terms.
A review of Earl King’s partial
resume reveals not only a successful life in business but one dedicated
to public and community service.
Beginning his public service in
1961with the Fort Worth City Attorney’s office, over the years he also
served as associate judge for the
Weatherford Municipal Court (twice),
on the Weatherford Utility Board, as
a Weatherford City Council member,
and as Weatherford’s Mayor Pro tem.
From 1965 to the present, King
has remained engaged with his
community, serving as member, offi-
cer and director of various clubs and
organizations: the East Fort Worth
Optimist Club, the Tarrant County
Drug Advisory Public Speaking Panel,
Parker County Citizens for Public
Decency, the Parker County Crime
Commission, the Economic Foundation of Parker County, Parker County
Citizens for Responsible Government
and the Weatherford Rotary Club.
King uses the word “blessed”
often, usually to describe the good
things or accomplishments in his life.
He is unabashedly Christian and has
been most of his life.
“My father’s family were members
of the Church of Christ and my
mother’s family were of the Baptist
doctrine,” he explained. “Neither of
my parents attended church services
other than the Christmas programs
for free food handouts. As a result of
such lifestyle, until I left home at age
12, I knew very little about Christ.”
As mentioned earlier in this piece,
after leaving home King lived with
other Oklahoma farm families while
working on their farms. Perhaps the
most influential of these was the
John Kimble family. The Kimbles
were very involved in a small Southern Baptist Church and served as
strong witnesses for the young King.
“During my first summer living with
that wonderful Christian family,
during one of the church services I
went through the motions of accepting Christ as my savior,” King said.
“Thereafter, I induced several of my
friends to do likewise. From that time
forward, I was always active in some
church regardless of where I was
living. …” He currently attends North
Side Baptist Church.
But about his retiring — is he or
isn’t he?
“I’ve had trouble getting away,”
he said frankly. “September 1st was
my deadline to do it, and it hasn’t
worked so far. I’m trying to wrap up
things.” He finished with a wry smile
that suggested he was not overly
concerned with the self-imposed
deadline or for that matter, retirement. All in good time. All in good
time.
NOVEMBER 2016
PA R K E R C O U N T Y T O D AY
67