For former Texas Governor Dolph Briscoe Jr., the Hill Country represents home. Since 1939, four generations of the Briscoe family have greatly enjoyed their Rio Frio Ranch north of Uvalde.

Born in Uvalde on April 23, 1923; Briscoe grew up wanting to be a rancher. Following graduation from Uvalde High school, Briscoe hoped to stay at his father’s Las Margaritas ranch in Mexico. But the senior Briscoe had a different plan and brought his son home in time to enroll at the University of Texas in Austin.

Briscoe graduated from UT in 1942, just a year after the beginning of World War II. He and Janey Slaughter of Austin were married on Dec 12, 1942. A few weeks later, he was on the way to join the U.S. Army.

After basic training in Wyoming, he was assigned to the Ordinance Department, and Janey was able to accompany him. He graduated from Officers Training School as a second lieutenant and was sent to Pennsylvania. Janey lived nearby at Hershey, a city famed for its chocolate, something that he would have reason to remember when he made it to the war zone.

His Ordinance group was told they were being trained for the war in Europe and were issued extra-heavy clothing. As fate would have it, though, the men were sent to Long Beach, California, still wearing their heavy clothing. From the West Coast, they shipped out to the China, Burma, India (CBI) Theater.

“Speaking of Hershey, chocolate was really rationed at that time,” Briscoe recalled. “Janey was able to talk some of the people in Hershey out of a little bit of chocolate for me. I got it over to India, had it in a footlocker; and, of course, it all melted. When it came time to get off the ship, my dress uniform was all covered with chocolate. I do remember that because I was out of uniform that day.”

In Calcutta, Briscoe continued in Ordinance, which supplied vehicles for troops in Burma and China. He remained in India until the war was over.

After the war, Dolph and Janey moved to the Rio Frio Ran ...

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