William Richard Tidwell, Jr., the Marshal for the Village of Jones Creek, graduated in 1974 from Brazosport High School. Tidwell and his sister Sandra Tidwell Shaw grew up in Jones Creek learning the importance of giving back to their community and serving others from their parents. Tidwell’s father worked for the city and his mother was a dedicated volunteer for the hospital.
William Tidwell attended Stephen F. Austin Elementary and Freeport Intermediate schools before graduating in 1974 from Brazosport High School. While at Brazosport, William was a member of the newspaper staff and involved in the technical trades program, but he always had an interest in law enforcement. After graduation, William went to work at Dow Chemical where he stayed for six years. When he was offered the opportunity to become a deputy in the Jones Creek Marshal’s Office, he jumped at the chance. Well, 35 years later, Tidwell is now at the helm of the department, serving as the village’s elected marshal for the past eight years. Law enforcement continues to be his passion, giving him the opportunity to serve his friends and neighbors each and every day.
Along with running the day to day activities for the community, Marshal Tidwell has served on the city council for four years, served two years as mayor pro tem and was the fire chief for the Jones Creek Volunteer Fire Department for seven years.
Amongst his honors and accolades, Marshal Tidwell was named Officer of the Year in 2011 and has earned three prestigious lifesaving awards. Certified to teach law enforcement, Tidwell gives back to those coming in to serve behind him.
Although his career has had numerous challenges, the floodwaters spilling into the village in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, damaging exactly 100 homes has been the most difficult, working to keep citizens safe during the flooding. In the aftermath, Tidwell has continued to help families rebuild their homes and lives through seeking donations, partnerships and volunteers.
Besides serving as the marshal, a more than full time job, and as the unofficial Jones Creek spokesman, William has established many free programs to bring the citizens of Jones Creek together for fun and fellowship. Events and programs such as the yearly celebrated Jones Creek Pie Day where residents bring their best pie for blue-ribbon judging, Christmas in the Creek where neighbors compete with the best decorated tree. Most importantly, Tidwell established the Outreach Program. This program utilizes an automated phone system to contact residents who are homebound with a medical condition or with limited mobility and have no one to check on them. The system calls residents and if a resident doesn’t answer or call back, the marshal’s office will go check on them to ensure their safety.
Marshal Tidwell can be found on any given day checking up on a neighbor, assisting someone in need in the community or helping out at Stephen F. Austin STEM Academy. He is an avid supporter of area 4H clubs, youth baseball, soccer and football organizations.
William and his wife Susie have two daughters and four sons, all graduates of Brazosport High School.