Historic Walker County

nationally known university. Today, Sam
Houston State University’s student population is
more than 17,000, and the school offers 80
bachelor’s degrees, 59 master’s programs, and 6
doctoral programs. In 2011, Dana L. Gibson
became the first woman to serve as president of
the university, and SHSU now holds the
distinction of being named a “Doctoral Research
University” by the Carnegie Commission on
Higher Education. 104
Down the hill from SHSU sits the
headquarters of the Texas Department of
Criminal Justice (TDCJ), which operates the
second largest prison system in the United
States. TDCJ provides thousands of jobs and
vital income for many Walker County residents
who work at the nine prisons in the area. Indeed,
Huntsville has long been known as “prison city,”
and many outsiders still remember the infamous
prison siege that took place at the State
Penitentiary in 1974. On July 24 that year,
prisoners Federico Gomez Carrasco, Ignacio
Cuevas, and Rudolfo Dominguez captured
fifteen hostages and held them in the prison
library for eleven days. Hostage and former
prison guard Bob Heard appealed with the
officials, "Give them whatever they want, and at
least we'll know we tried, that we didn't die
cooped up in here like a slaughterhouse—and
that's what it will be." A botched escape attempt
occurred and two women, both Walker County
residents, Elizabeth Beseda and Judy Standley,
were murdered. Currasco and Dominguez were
killed in the attempt. The State of Texas executed
Cuevas for his role in 1991. Father Joseph John
O’Brien was also severely wounded in the ordeal.
The 1974 Prison Siege changed many
procedures at TDCJ, and ushered in a new era in
the debate over capital punishment. 105
Despite such a historic event, Walker County
residents take pride in the TDCJ and generally
resist the pained topic of executions. Huntsville
has remained in the spotlight during the past
forty years, however, with the notable
executions of Karla Faye Tucker, “Candy Man”
❖
Above: The ruins of Old Main after
the 1982 fire that destroyed the
building.
COURTESY OF THE SAM HOUSTON STATE
UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES.
Below: Dr. Dana Gibson, President of
Sam Houston State University.
COURTESY OF THE SAM HOUSTON STATE
UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES.
C h a p t e r V I I I ✦ 4 9