There is a Christian hymn entitled “Count Your Blessings.” One of the hymn’s verses goes like this: “Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your blessings, see what God has done.” Bobbie Vickery, our County Sheriff, recounted some highlights since he became Sheriff January 1, 2017. That was the year of Hurricane Harvey. Here is what he had to say.

“It was a trial by fire!”

The first major thing Sheriff Vickery had to encounter since taking office was Hurricane Harvey. The hurricane hit in August of 2017 and had sustained winds of 130 mph. The storm packed a big punch. The county was told to evacuate. The Sheriff’s Department was extremely busy with security checks on all businesses, residences, and checking on those who stayed. The Courthouse generator went out during this time. Sheltering in place at the Courthouse were not only the Sheriff’s Department, but elected officials, volunteers, and the Texas National Guard. The situation looked grim, but all ended up going well when a call was made to a generous benefactor who sent over a new generator in no time! The good thing Sheriff Vickery saw during the hurricane was the way everyone came together and the donations that came in from all over.

The Freeze of 2021

The next major event that Sheriff Vickery had to encounter was the freeze of 2021. It was named Winter Storm Uri and hit in February of 2021. It was more of a challenge than Harvey because not only did everyone in the county lose power for several days, but the Sheriff’s Department was tasked with meeting the needs of an unevacuated population as opposed to the evacuated population during Harvey. Again, Sheriff Vickery saw people pull together during a very difficult situation.

Unity Among Other Departments

Since Bobbie took office, he has sought unity with other departments in the county, wanting their input on decisions that must be made. Bobbie also has a great working relationship with other elected officials. In addition, he works closely with the school district’s superintendent, teachers, and the school’s police department. It’s just as Sheriff Vickery says, “The working relationship we have with everyone in the county has more than doubled the safety, security, and service to the people we serve.”

Our hats off to Sheriff Vickery and all his staff on their great work in securing our citizens from harm! Indeed, we count our blessings!

Did you Know?

1. The Calhoun County Sheriff’s Department has 87 employees! That includes jail staff, day staff, patrol, and investigations.

2. Sheriff Vickery comes from a family of musicians. He and his “granddaddy” are fiddle players. Bobbie’s dad played guitar with the band “Bobby Lee and the Nightriders.”

3.Bobbie’s wife Rhea is a third-generation schoolteacher! Her great-grandmother “Mommy Coffee” named Seadrift!

4.Bobbie and Rhea have a daughter Hayley who married Tony who is in the Army Infantry and is stationed in Georgia. Their son Blayne is married to Kayleigh. He is in Army Military Intelligence and is currently stationed in San Antonio. Hayley and Tony have a daughter named Valerie. Blayne and Kayleigh have a son named Bennet.

Sheriff Vickery would like to leave the readers with these thoughts: “It’s been an absolute honor to serve as Calhoun County Sheriff for the past seven years. I hope to continue my service in many years to come. Being that my wife and I are from Calhoun County and having raised our kids here, this always has been and always will be home.”

-Tanya DeForest