Sgt. Steven Watts Legacy Scholarship

05/05/2026

We are proud to announce that $2,100 was raised for the Sgt. Steven Watts Legacy Fund from last week's cookout and celebration of Steven's service to the Stephenville community. The proceeds from this year's fund have gone towards helping our Erath County Tarleton Criminal Justice majors meet the cost of participating in the study abroad experience. Thank you to all who attended and donated! You are the reason Steven loved serving this community. -Jenny Watts

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04/30/2026

Sgt. Steven Watts Day was extraordinary! Best turnout yet. Thank you to everyone who showed up to celebrate his legacy and donate to his legacy fund. We will have an update tomorrow on the donation amount collected. Again, thank you for your generosity!

Thank you to the Stephenville Police Department and Fire Department for contributing their time and energy to make this event a success.

A special thank you to HEB, Walmart, Greer's Ranch Cafe, and Thompson's Custom Meats and Processing for the very generous donations. This event would not have happened if not for your generosity. It is community partners like you that make Stephenville a wonderful place to life. Thank you so very much!

04/24/2026

Update on proceed designation for Sgt. Watts Legacy Fundraiser:

Proceeds from the $10/plate hamburger cookout will go to Tarleton State University's Criminal Justice Study Abroad Experience. Your support is very much appreciated!

The study abroad experience is truly an opportunity of a lifetime, especially for our Erath County students who are studying Criminal Justice at Tarleton State University. Students who study abroad connect with new cultures and languages, see the world, gain new perspectives, and engage in unique excursions that bring their studies to life. Your donation will directly help offset costs for criminal justice students participating in study abroad experiences provided through Tarleton’s Department of Criminal Justice. Thank you for supporting our Criminal Justice students in pursuit of this life-changing experience!

Upcoming- Summer 2026:

Comparative Crime and Justice in Prague; Prague, Czechia

Pre-Law in Wales: Legal Skills and Law Clinic Experience; Cardiff; United Kingdom

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04/22/2026

Updated flyer for Sgt. Steven Watts Day which is next Tuesday, April 28.

04/09/2026

UPDATE: Proceeds from the Sgt. Steven Watts Legacy Fund will go to Tarleton's Department of Criminal Justice study abroad experience. More information on Tarleton's CJ study abroad experience will be posted next week, along with ways you can donate through the Sgt. Steven Watts Legacy Venmo or directly to Tarleton State University.

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We will be celebrating our favorite Sergeant on April 28th. All proceeds from the cookout will go to the Sgt. Steven Watts Legacy Fund. The recipient of the funds is still being sorted out but as soon as we confirm the organization/agency that will be receiving the funds, we will announce and post it here.

We hope you can join us for this special event.

It is hard to believe that this year marks 5 years since Steven passed. He is dearly missed.

12/02/2025

We are proud to announce that the 2025-2026 recipient of the Sgt. Steven Watts Legacy Scholarship has been awarded to Kimberly Rodriguez. Kimberly is a junior Criminal Justice major at Tarleton. She is a graduate of Huckabay High School. Hannah and I had the pleasure of spending time with Kimberly at Tarleton’s annual scholarship luncheon. I actually met Kimberly last year at a first generation college student event. She is a compassionate young woman who is interested in shaping the lives of young people through the juvenile probation system. Congratulations to Kimberly!

04/23/2025

Thank you Stephenville Police Department for celebrating our favorite Sergeant. I hope folks can make it! All proceeds this year are going to the SPD Honor Guard. I know how much an Honor Guard can contribute to ensuring that fallen and retired law enforcement officers are laid to rest with the respect they deserve. The Honor Guard also represents the SPD in various other ceremonies. A worthy cause, for sure.

12/16/2024

We are proud to announce that Brett Ross is the 2024-2025 Sgt. Steven Watts Legacy Scholarship recipient. We've had the opportunity to get to know Brett and he is so worthy of this scholarship. No doubt he will greatly contribute to the law enforcement field. We also want to congratulate Brett on his graduation from Tarleton State University this past Friday! We are excited for what the future holds for you, Brett!

09/24/2024

Happy heavenly birthday to our favorite Sergeant. You are dearly missed.

04/26/2024

Scholarship Update: We are proud to announce that Steven's scholarship is now an endowment that will be sustained here on without need of additional financial contributions. We have also revised the scholarship to go to Tarleton criminal justice students in their junior and senior year, giving first preference to students who graduated from a high school in Erath County. Below is the preface on the scholarship agreement. -Jenny Watts

Sgt. Steven Watts served the city of Stephenville for 25 years before his passing from a short and unexpected illness. His service was exemplary and community based. Sgt. Watts believed that serving and protecting the community started with getting to know and spending time with those in the community. He preferred to spend his time in his patrol car instead of his desk. He was loved and respected by his community and by all of those that worked with him whether it be through other law enforcement agencies, social service agencies, probation offices, or the court system.

Sgt. Watts attended the Texas Sergeants Academy a few years before his passing. One of the assignments from this academy was to write a legacy letter. Below is an excerpt from his legacy letter that encompasses the legacy he wanted to leave behind.
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Legacy can be something tangible such as monetary wealth or something intangible such as knowledge or experience. Legacy is important because our progress and lessons in life should be passed on to our future generations so they can benefit and learn from our experiences.

In my personal life I have strived to live a life where I could contribute to society in a meaningful way. I believe many of our efforts and accomplishments will go unnoticed but this does not lessen the meaning of them. The important thing is to give without the expectation of reward or recognition and this will in turn enrich others lives as well as our own.
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As Sgt. Watts’ wife and a long time employee of Tarleton, I cannot imagine a better way to honor his life and legacy than to support and encourage our next generation of law enforcement officers, probation officers, and countless other professionals who work in the criminal justice field. It is also important to our family that, whenever possible, the scholarship go to a student from the Stephenville or surrounding communities. We love this community, we love Tarleton, and we are honored and privileged to see our beloved Sergeant’s legacy live on through the education and experiences students receive through the Criminal Justice Program at Tarleton State University.