Essays
in Appreciation of His Life and Legacy
Leslie A. Elam was Executive Director of the American Numismatic Society in
New York.
Part One
Harry W. Bass Jr. - Life and Legacy
Leslie A. Elam
COMING OF AGE
Harry Wesley Bass Jr., born on January 6, 1927 in Oklahoma City, was the first
son of Wilma (Schuessler) and Harry Wesley Bass Sr. His brother Richard D. was born
two years later. Harry's father was an adventurous driller and producer of oil and
gas as well as a pipeline operator.
Harry Bass Sr. was born in Enid, Oklahoma, in 1895, served in the 82nd Field Artillery
during World War 1, studied banking at the University of Oklahoma, and took a job
in a bank. Soon thereafter, in 1919, he struck out for the oil fields during the
early Texas boom days. By 1925, be had formed his first company, Champlin & Bass,
oil operators and drilling contractors. In 1928, Bass Sr. developed the first portable
drilling mast, the A-frame derrick still in use today.
In 1932. the Bass business and family moved to Dallas, Texas, a city more centrally
located for the management of the various companies created by Bass Sr. that owned
and developed oil and -as properties then spread across five southwestern states.
He formed the Trinity Gas Corporation in 1939 and was one of the first entrepreneurs
to build a natural gas recycling plant, a conservation operation that quickly proved
a wise business decision. Other family companies included Can-Tex Drilling,, Ltd.,
begun in 1941 for exploration in Alberta, Canada; Wilcox Trend Gathering System,
a 150 million cubic-feet-per-day pipeline serving, SouthTexas; and Goliad Corp. for
the construction and management of natural gas processing plants.
A generous supporter of scientific, religious, and educational institutions, Mr.
Bass Sr. established the Bass Foundation in 1945 for charitable purposes. Following
the death of Wilma Bass in June 1963, the foundation, together with Harry Sr. and
his sons, Harry Jr. and Dick, provided half of the $1 million construction fund to
build the women's dormitory at the Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, containing
the Wilma Bass Memorial Hall. Harry Bass Sr. died in 1970.
From his arrival in Dallas in 1932, Harry Bass Jr. called that city his home for
the rest of his life. Summers often were spent at the family-owned Delmar Ranch,
a spread on the Bosque River near Waco that eventually grew to be the largest working
ranch in Central Texas. Following graduation from Texas Country Day School (now St.
Marks Academy) he briefly attended the University of Texas and Southern Methodist
University.
Harry W. Bass, Jr. in Yokosuka, Japan, 1946
Between "semesters" at SMU, he served for two years in the U.S. Navy during
World War II, spend-ing most of the time in the South Pacific. Soon after returning
to Dallas, he married Mary
Mathewson in 1947 and the couple immediately left for Calgary. They spent three years
in Canada where Harry gained first-hand experience working for the family firm, Can-Tex.
His progress was rapid; by the time he was 30, Harry was President of two corporations,
H.W. Bass & Sons, Inc. and the Harry Bass Drilling Co., and a director of two
others, the Great National Life Insurance Co. and the Texas Bank & Trust Co.
Of interest, he was elected a Junior Director of Texas Bank in 1951 when he was only
24, becoming a full Director in 1956. In 1960, Goliad Oil & Gas Co. was added
to the list of family businesses, witnessing a shift from the emphasis on drilling
and producing. As Harry noted at the time, "Our newest projects involve extraction
of butane, propane and natural gasoline and then marketing these products. Our companies
that handle these products are Goliad Oil & Gas Co. and Goliad Corporation. These
interests range from Northern Canada to South Texas and Louisiana."
Two sons, Harry W. 111 (1948) and John H. (1950) were bom in Canada before the Basses
returned to Dallas in 1950. Three additional children were bom in Dallas: Carol Ann
in 1952; Robert S. in 1954; and Beverly Lynn in 1958. The Basses were divorced in
1974 and in 1979, he married Doris Calhoun,adding two grown stepsons to the family,
Michael and David Calhoun. Harry III died in 1987.
Richard, Harry Sr. and Harry Bass, Alberta, Canada, 1950
An active member of the Dallas social scene, Harry was elected President of the Sertoma
Club in 1954 and continued to serve as head of this leading Dallas men's civic group
for several years. In 1955, he organized and served as the first President of the
Dallas Ski Club. He held memberships in several clubs including the Dallas Country
Club, Brook Hollow Golf Club, and Idlewild and Calyx social organizations.
Unable to vote in the 1948 presidential election due to his Canadian residency, Harry
took an active role in the 1952 Republican campaign that led to the election of Dwight
D. Eisenhower to his first term. He attributed his interest in politics to "a
deep seated respect for conservative politics" gained from his close association
with Bass Sr., and to "a sincere desire to take a part in deciding what philosophy
of government this country is to follow."
Early successes in raising money to support campaigns and promote Republican programs
led to his appointment as precinct treasurer in North Dallas and a member of the
Dallas County Finance Committee. Then, in January 1957, at age 30, he leapt over
intermediate positions to be elected Chairman of the Dallas County Republican Committee,
considered "the most potent Republican organization in Texas and perhaps the
South." At a time when computers were in their infancy, Harry developed computerized
records of voters by precinct, including giving patterns. Often, he personally wrote
the software to set up and run applications and even spent untold hours keying in
the personal data himself.
Following his term as Chairman, he continued active in the Republican Party as Chairman
of the Dallas County Republican Finance Committee and Vice-Chairman of the Texas
Republican Finance Committee, as well as State Committeeman for Dallas County, in
which capacity he attended the 1964 GOP convention in San Francisco.
Next >
Part Two - Bass Buys A Mountain
Part Three - The Lore of Numismatics
Part Four - The 1989 ANS COAC Exhibition
Part Five - The Harry Bass Era at ANS
Part Six - Harry Bass Foundation