Kerr County Stories by Lanza Teague

  Local women make history with police force Published in the Kerrville Daily Times on September 20, 2025 Today I am going to tell you the story of two women who broke gender and race barriers in Kerrville’s law enforcement community. While these ladies were completely different in attitude and life experience, they did have one thing in common: In spite of having initial doubts that a woman would be successful as a police officer, their spirit and approach in the way they treated the citizens of Kerrville made them excel in their law enforcement positions. These two women were Rosie McCray and Annie Mosty. Rosie McCray Rosie Kelly McCray was born in Kerrville in 1929 and graduated from Doyle High School — Kerrville’s school for black youth during segregation — in 1946 as valedictorian. She earned a bachelor’s degree in music with a minor in education from Houston-Tillotson College in Austin in 1950.  McCray earned her place in Kerrville history, not only for being Kerrville’s...

  The Fighting Parson and his connection to the Hill Country Published in the Kerrville Daily Times on September 6, 2025 Andrew Jackson Potter in the pulpit, with a gun resting nearby. This week, I’ve been researching a topic for a speaking engagement, the history of a local church. While researching the church, I came across a pastor with an interesting nickname and had to know more. Andrew Jackson Potter, the “Fighting Parson,” was mentioned in a lot of the materials I was using, but none of them gave clues as to how he earned that title. Of course, I had to drop everything and find out more about the Potter. It wasn’t long before I discovered a man who led an incredible, action-packed life and a story of redemption. While Andrew Jackson Potter only lived briefly in Kerrville, he played a vital role in the spiritual growth in early Kerr County. As a matter of fact, he played that role in many communities across the Texas frontier and deserves to be remembered. In the biograp...