10th Heritage Award Dinner

10th Heritage Award Dinner
Saturday, April 18, 2026

The 10th Heritage Award Dinner honored the 2026 Museum of the Big Bend Heritage Award inductees, Tom and Val Beard. The Beards are longtime supporters of the Museum of the Big Bend and regard the museum as a critical introduction to the colorful history of our region and to the history of ranching in Far West Texas.

Tom and Val Beard have lived on, operated and worked together on Leoncita Ranch for the past 53 years. Leoncita has been in Tom’s Kokernot family for over a hundred years. While Tom grew up in San Antonio and Dallas, he spent his childhood summers on family ranches, learning the skills required to manage a large Far West Texas Ranch. Beard graduated from St. Marks High School in Dallas, earned a B.A. from Yale University and then worked on Wall Street. He returned to Texas, attaining a J.D. from the University of Texas in 1973. Tom, while still in law school founded Leoncita Cattle Company and remains its President. Today, Leoncita Ranch is a commercial cow-calf, Red Angus operation with an active Wildlife Management program.

Tom and Val met at the University Of Texas Law School. Val had spent much of her childhood in a little town, but graduated from huge Brazosport High School in 1966. She graduated with honors from U.T. Austin in 1970, with a B.S. in education. She attained a J.D. from U.T. Law School in 1972.

In 1973, Tom and Val married and moved to Far West Texas and Leoncita. Tom began operating Leoncita Ranch at the same time the Beards literately “hung out a shingle” in Alpine and began a law practice together.

When Tom and Val first moved into Leoncita Ranch headquarters, the home lacked even as functioning doors and windows and had rudimentary electricity and plumbing. Nevertheless, the Beard’s loved the old house and it became the first of a series old building which they restored.

Their daughter, Martha Margaret, arrived in 1975, and grew up on the ranch. She is an attorney, and she and her husband, Michael, who is also an attorney, are the parents of Tad Duncan, now in his first year of Middle School.

In addition to his work on the ranch and a law practice, Tom has been involved in a number of Cattle Industry Associations.  Following in his great grandfather H.L Kokernot’s steps, he served as President of Texas and Southwestern Cattles Raisers Association. Tom served as Treasurer of National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and was a board member of the Independent Cattlemen’s Association and Texas Wildlife Association. He worked for the creation of the Beef Check Off program and served on the Beef Promotion and Research Board.  He also served on the Board of the El Paso Branch of the Dallas Federal Reserve Bank and served as that Board’s Chairman.

As the caretaker of the springs on Leoncita Ranch, Tom has a special understanding of fragile desert water resources.  He took on public service to protect our regions water. He was the first Chairman of Far West Texas Water Planning Group. He served as the first President of the Brewster County Groundwater Conservation District. Governor Rick Perry appointed Tom to the Texas Building and Procurement Commission, and Tom served as Chairman of that board.

Both Beards have found Alpine to be welcoming, open and easy to get involved in. Val initially did probono work for the local Texas Department of Welfare, and then entered formal public service as County Attorney for eight years, the first woman in that office. Val then became Brewster County Judge.  A collegial and collaborative Commissioners Court enabled her and the County to get things done during her tenure, particularly the addition of much needed public safety infrastructure. Beard also presided over an active County Court Docket.  Val was a fellow of the Center for Public Policy Dispute Resolution, and was heavily involved with the Rio Grande Council of Governments, including as President. Governor Rick Perry appointed her to serve on his Border Security Council.

Together, through many years, the Beards have enjoyed assembling a collection of Southwestern Art. Tom has been a longtime avid pilot. Val is a gardener who likes to share that avocation with her friends.