August 12 

First meeting organized was by Dr. Olen Brown, who was also elected the first President of the Lone Star Basset Hound Club, and a package of materials was sent to AKC and BHCA.  Club members were from near  and as far as San Antonio and Waco. Attendance at the monthly meetings no only required a lot of stamina but time for travel.  Some of the meetings of necessity were therefore held at the home of the PrenticeYerbys in Waco.

While most of the enthusiastic workers for the club were those who never set their goals beyond house pet  activities, almost all early club members seemed eager to learn about bassets, latching on to almost anyone who could add to their meager store of information about conformation and fieldwork.

Some of the first to wet their feet in these new endeavors were Robert and Marge Frazier from Houston and the Prentice Yerbys of Waco, the Fraziers raising both dachshunds and bassets.  One of the Fraziers' first basset hounds would become Ch. Bayard's Rowena, purchased from Paul Nelson, followed by a beautiful lemon and white stud dog named Ch. Dewey of Mandeville.  The Fraziers also later became known as the breeders of other champions including Ch. Sherlitt's Wilson's Miracle.   Rowena became the first or second  Champion basset in the State of Texas, the other being another dog bred by Paul Nelson.

The Prentice Yerbys bought a red male with a white chest, whelped 10 February 1954, named Ch. Santana Cadichon.  His sire was the famous Ch. Belbay Chevalier and his dam the equally famous producer Ch. Beautiful Minnetonkie.  Cadichon would be later advertised as the Club's first member-owned Champion.

1955

The First Champion Basset hound bred in Texas was Ch. Gay Coquette's Theresa, UD, whelped 11 November 1955 by Buck's Gorgeous George x Puddington's Gay Coquette, CDX and bred by Mrs. Patricia Puddington.   Theresa finished her bench championship 9 October 1956 and was the second Basset Hound in the US to earn both a championship and the coveted Utility degree in obedience.   She was owned by Dottie Bourke of Ft. Worth who became a Club member in 1958.

In the Spring of 1955, the Club requested permission from the AKC to hold their first sanctioned match, only to learn that they had left out a copy of the Club's Constitution in the materials they had sent to AKC the previous year.  A suggestion from the BHCA Secretary was also received to delete a paragraph which barred membership to Professional Handlers, which was deleted in a 1958 Constitutional change.

But AKC trouble were not over.  The name Lone Star Basset Hound Club was not accepted even though there was a Lone Star Bulldog Club and  Texas Chihuahua Club.  In March 1955, the name of Cen-Tex Basset Hound club was submitted to AKC, but was also deemed unacceptable.  Finally Dal-Tex Basset Hound Club was officially accepted.

1957

First Sanctioned "B" match held on 9 June.

1958

Spring.  Official recognition by the Basset Hound Club of America

16 June.  First Club newsletter under the banner of "Basset Bays". Later in the mid 60s under Jean North's direction, the publication became known by its current name "Behind the Crates".

June 29.  First "A" match, with Herman G Cox of Ft. Worth picking the Best in Match winner, Lyn-Mar Acres Riot Squad, owned by club members Benjamin A. and Helen Bennit.  Best of Opposite Sex in Match went to KoKo's Pocahontas.

1959

15 February.  Second "A" match held at Bachman's Lake, with judging by Louis Spence of Dallas. Best in Match winner was Sherlitt's Lemon Drop K.O., whelped 11 July 1958.  Best of Opposite Sex in Match was Sherlitt's Dominette, both owned by the Fraziers.

1960

March.  First Dal-Tex Basset Hound Club Specialty.  The Texas Kennel Club's basset hound entry was designated as the first Dal-Tex Specialty show with 17 in competition. Best of Breed went to CH. Lyn-Mar Acres Impervious, owned by Mr. and Mrs. Richard E. Patton of Ft. Worth, with BOS to Crutchfield's Fancy Free.

1965

Autumn.  The Club joins the Combined Specialty Clubs of Dallas and continued to be a member until 1972.

1972

First independent Spring Specialty Show to go along with the fall Combined Show.

Field Trialing.  Club Member Earl Clevenger got to work and did most of the early work to get the club members into the field.  Then along came Lewis Fox, giving us two super-charged guys....so into the field we went!

1973

November 4.  First "Field Trail" held at Grapevine, and for the first time large numbers of other club members showed up with an array of untrained hounds.  What followed must have had judges Jim Whitehurst and Merl Eby in a state of shock! Mass confusion, resembling a Mack Sennet comedy or Chinese Fire Drill . . . take your pick.  What Earl wanted, however, was accomplished. Dal-Tex now had Field Trial Fever, and many members settled down and began to train their dogs in earnest.

1974

With AKC sanction, the Club held its first licensed Field Trial on 2 February, with 18 entries showing fine progress from the previous Autumn's attempts.  One more "B" trial was held in the late Spring, then the Club progressed to the first of their "A" trials on 20 October at Wills Pond, with the entry being the largest to date . . . 29 hounds!

Thus far, Earl had no yardstick to gauge the progress of our hounds, for he had never competed in a licensed trial or against veteran handlers nor the dogs.  So, he traveled to the Kentuckiana Basset Hound Club event in the fall of 1974 with several dogs, other's as well as his own.  The results were gratifying and showed that Dal-Tex training had made the Texas hounds competitive with some of the best in the country.  Lewis Fox's male, Aimer Pour Vivir, even  getting his first field Championship points by placing 4th in a class of 25.

1975

April 12-13, last "A" Field Trial held with 16 dogs and 19 bitches.

The Club holds it's Spring and Fall conformation Specialty shows, with the Fall shows including obedience.

1976

First Basset Hound picnic is held in September with contests, food and lots of fun, for club members and the public.