Western Heritage Museum | Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame

The Silver Concho is a special recognition Award presented by the Cowboy Hall of Fame & Western Heritage Center Board of Directors. It is awarded to men and women or animals not eligible for induction as a Bronze Cowboy, but who deserves to be remembered for their service to the county.

2007 Silver Concho Honoree

SENATOR CARROLL H. LEAVELL

Carroll H. Leavell was born October 23, 1936, in Clovis, New Mexico, to Clyde and Mabel Leavell. Clyde moved his family to Lea County when Carroll was in second grade. After graduating from Jal High School in 1954, Carroll attended Eastern New Mexico University, where he served as President of the Business Associates Group. Prior to his senior year, Carroll married his high school sweetheart, Bobbie Brummett. He graduated in 1958 with a B.A. in Business and Economics. Carroll worked his way through college employed by El Paso Natural Gas. Bobbie had also worked there previously, and upon his graduation, they moved to El Paso and were both employed there for about nine or ten months. Their oldest daughter, Terri Leavell McWilliams, was born in El Paso. Carroll then took a job as a claims adjustor and moved to Lubbock. Just as he worked his way up to senior claims adjustor, his father had a serious stroke in 1963 and ultimately died, leaving Mabel with a small insurance agency in Jal to operate. In April of 1964, Carroll moved his family to Jal to take over the family business. The second daughter, Kimberly Leavell Fulfer, who was born in Jal, now manages the family’s real estate business there. With partner Glenn Danford, Carroll bought the Gardner-Bowden Agency in Eunice in 1981. Danford retired in 1991 when Carroll bought him out. In 1986 the Leavell Insurance Agency was opened in Hobbs at 212 West Broadway. The Johnson-Miller building on Broadway was purchased in 1991 to house the expanding business in its current location. In 1993, Carroll was elected as President of the New Mexico Independent Insurance Association. When a hired lobbyist was stricken ill, Carroll went to Santa Fe often to lobby for the Association. It was there that he learned about New Mexico state government and became interested in serving. His successful run for office has resulted in a Senate seat since 1997. Carroll sold Leavell Insurance in 2002 but remains a contracted agent, managing 35 to 40 large accounts that have been with Leavell Insurance for the past 25 years. Carroll has quite a resume of awards: member of the Society of Certified Insurance Counselors, member and past Chairman of the Trustees of the Jal Public Library, member and Trustee of both the Jal Public Library Trust and First United Methodist Church, and past membership on the Board of Directors of the New Mexico Junior College Foundation, College of the Southwest, and Jal Hospital District. In his political career, he has earned Eastern New Mexico University’s Distinguished Service Award, New Mexico District Attorneys’ Association’s Legislator of the Year, New Mexico Library Association’s Legislator of the Year, and Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce’s Business Advocate in Politics Award. His commitment to the legislature currently keeps Carroll from enjoying hunting and fishing as he once did. Carroll said two things he never intended to do were return to Jal or be an insurance agent. Lucky for Lea County – never say never.

Past Inductees