“Big Ed” Darnell was the “long arm of the law” in Midland County for more than a third of a century — from 1941 through 1976. And even now, 38 years after his death, Darnell is remembered not for his size, but rather for his common sense, his friendly demeanor, and his gentle spirit. A campaign brochure from one of his numerous political forays during that 36-year period referred to Darnell as “Midland County’s and Texas’ Outstanding Sheriff.” He truly was that — a big-hearted man who served the people of Midland County for decades and who enjoyed every minute of it. Born James Edgar Darnell on Aug. 7, 1905, in Grand Saline, many Midlanders may remember when the man known as “Big Ed” drove a bread wagon here, played baseball for a Midland league or operated a hamburger stand called, appropriately, “Big Ed’s.” Frank Westerman, who was related by marriage to “Big Ed,” recalled that Darnell operated a bakery called “My Bakery” and often welcomed young customers into the bakery. He later operated “Big Ed’s Sandwich Shop” on West Wall. At the hamburger stand, the motto was “We may doze, but we never close.” Flipping hamburgers wasn’t Ed’s life ambition, though. He had wanted to be sheriff since he was a boy. But his granddaddy cautioned him that “I ought not to run for it until I was 35 years old. He said a man younger than that didn’t have enough sense to be sheriff.” Ed waited for the years to pass. He once recounted, “I used to go to town with my granddad and we’d visit the sheriff … then I’d go home and play sheriff with the other kids.” In 1941, when he was 35 years old and without even a moment of experience, Darnell ran for the position of sheriff and was elected. His career in law enforcement had begun! “Big Ed,” who by most accounts was “over 6 feet tall” and who, according to Sheriff Gary Painter who knew Darnell, may have been 6 feet 3 inches or 6 feet 4, was definitely a big man who could handle himself if a situation called for physical violence. Yet he operated on the belief that his “greatest treasure is the friendship and trust of the people I serve.” It served him well. Darnell prided himself on having “the cleanest town in the State of Texas” and went out of his way to keep it that way. He didn’t select men for his deputies who were “high tempered” or “drunks.” In fact, he liked men who were slow to anger and were steady, solid law enforcement officers — good old boys. When he retired in 1977, Darnell had 36 deputies. Dewey Lee, who served as one of Darnell’s deputies, once observed that the sheriff was a “great guy, a great person, and a good and fair sheriff.” Lee added, “I am proud to have been one of Big Ed’s ‘good old boys.’ ” Through his years in law enforcement, Darnell had developed a good relationship with his fellow officers in the sheriff’s association and other law enforcement agencies. When he retired in 1977 after being defeated in a reelection race by Dallas Smith, they all joined in a chorus to sing his praises. Col. Wilson E. “Pat” Speir, who was then director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, lauded Darnell as “a real inspiration to all of us in law enforcement.” Others spoke of his professionalism and dedication to law enforcement and the public he served. It was clear that he was an outstanding lawman. In 1985 he had been presented with the Tom Tellepsen Award by the Sheriff’s Association of Texas. Three years before that he was given the Liberty Bell Award by the Midland County Young Lawyers Association for “outstanding contributions” to law enforcement and to the respect he helped kindle and maintain within those ranks. Those were great honors for a public servant who was once called a “gentle giant” by Judge Barbara Culver of 318th District Court. Darnell was a big man — and he was a gentle man. He died on Feb. 5, 1986.
Posted on: Mon, 24 Nov 2014 22:08:31 +0000