Texas Game Warden Memorial to be moved from Athens to Texas Capitol

ATHENS — The Texas Game Warden memorial will be moved from Athens to the grounds of the Texas Capitol. According to our news partner KETK, the Game Warden Peace Officer’s Association has made efforts since 2012 to move the statue from the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center. The memorial shows a life-size game warden made of bronze. It honors the officials that lost their lives in the line of duty. The Game Warden Peace Officer’s Association provided some of the funding and assisted with legislative efforts to relocate the statue. In 2017, a resolution in support of the project passed through the Texas House of Representatives and the Senate. The State Preservation Board also had a hearing last week that finalized the process to move the memorial. A new sculpture will replace the current Athens memorial.

“The Association saw this as a necessary move since other memorials—specifically peace officer memorials—are housed on the grounds of the Texas State Capitol,” said Game Warden Peace Officer Association President and current Texas Game Warden Major, Quint Balkcom. “Housing the memorial on Capitol grounds would also serve a larger audience, many who have never interacted with a Texas Game Warden. This is an educational opportunity to learn more about our history and our critical conservation efforts.”