Speeches of John Ben Shepperd

John Ben Shepperd was a well-known and sought after public speaker. He made hundreds of speeches during his career, a few of which are available here.

August 28, 1956: Annual Meeting the National Conference of Bar Examiners and the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar – “Open the Door, Blackstone” (opening remarks only)

October 23, 1956: Argument in State v. NAACP (Tyler, Texas)

January 10, 1957: Chamber of Commerce Banquet (Post, Texas)

January 21, 1957: Kiwanis Club (Odessa, Texas)

January 21, 1957: Junior Chamber of Commerce (Monahans, Texas)

February 6, 1957: Annual Awards Dinner of the Area Officials, 4-H Club (Kermit, Texas)

February 9, 1957: Illinois Bar Association Lincoln Day Luncheon (Peoria, Illinois) – “The Lawyers—Freedom’s Advocate”

February 16, 1957: Daughters of the American Revolution luncheon (Nacogdoches, Texas)

February 21, 1957: Chamber of Commerce Banquet (Levelland, Texas)

March 5, 1957: Joint Luncheon of the League of Women Voters and the Junior Chamber of Commerce (Odessa, Texas) – “The Future of State Government—If Any”

March 7, 1957: Kick-off Banquet for the Y.M.C.A. Fund Drive (Longview, Texas)

April 6, 1957: Gulf Coast Press Association (Richmond, Texas)

April 8, 1957: Christian Men’s Fellowship (Paris, Texas) – “Our Debt to God and Caesar”

April 11, 1957: Spring Conference of the Seventeenth District of the Texas Congress of Parents and Teachers (Odessa, Texas) – “No Place for Silent Partners”

April 18, 1957: Eastern New Mexico and South Plains Peace Officers Association (Lamesa, Texas)

April 19, 1957: National Federation of Press Women (San Antonio, Texas)

May 10, 1957: Desk and Derrick Employers Appreciation Banquet (Odessa, Texas)

May 14, 1957: Chamber of Commerce Installation Benefit (Marshall, Texas)

May 24, 1957: 1957 Arizona State Bar Convention

May 28, 1957: Commencement Exercises of Knox City High School (Knox City, Texas) – “The Sign on the Door”

May 30, 1957: Odessa College Commencement (Odessa, Texas)

June 26, 1957: National Association of Attorneys General (Sun Valley, Idaho)

July 2, 1957: Joint Civic Club Luncheon on the occasion of millionth person visiting the Crimemobile (Mineral Wells, Texas)

July 22, 1957: Texas Sheriff’s Association and Crime Seminar (Houston, Texas)

July 26, 1957: United States Junior Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors (Tulsa, Oklahoma) – “Young Man with a System”

August 21, 1957: Sul Ross State College Summer Commencement (Alpine, Texas) – “The Sin of Silence”

September 21, 1957: Oklahoma Bar Association (Lake Murray, Oklahoma) – “The Lawyer – Freedom’s Advocate”

September 23, 1957: First Model Library of Criminology in the State of Texas (Abilene, Texas)

October 24, 1957: Chamber of Commerce Annual Banquet (Rapid City, South Dakota)

November 22, 1957: Panhandle Plains Regional Meeting of the Natural Gasoline Association of America (Amarillo, Texas)

November 11, 1982: ECISD ceremony honoring Alfred Wilson and Marvin Young – “Why We Are Here”

If you notice typographical mistakes in these transcripts, please email us at jbs@utpb.edu.

Please note: The views expressed in these speeches were those of John Ben Shepperd, and do not necessarily represent the views of the John Ben Shepperd Public Leadership Institute or the University of Texas Permian Basin