Seminole Negro Indian Scouts Historical Society
William Gleaves "Dub" Warrior
Elder. Patriarch. Historian.
By Sarah Johnson and Kato Wittich
William Gleaves “Dub” Warrior was born in Brackettville, Texas to Carroll Gordon Ghen Warrior and Lovenia Gleaves Warrior on March 16, 1927. He was preceded by his older brother Darwin Lancaster Warrior and his sister Izola Willimena Warrior Raspberry. Dub often lived with and was very close to his grandmother, Mary “Nana” Warrior. He was one of the first two Black children to graduate from 12th Grade in Brackettville once the Carver school expanded to include all high school grades.
He married childhood sweetheart Ethel Mae July Hall in 1945 and they had a daughter, Marie Veronica Warrior and later an adopted son, Anthony Carroll Warrior. Dub had many occupations in his life, most of them interesting and challenging, often juggling two or three jobs at once to support and provide for his family. He was a cowboy and ranch hand from his early teens. Right after graduation he went into the army, but World War II ended before he saw combat, and he returned home and spent years working in Ozona as a ranch hand. Other occupations included truck driver, waiter, and movie extra. He was a Reserve Deputy Sheriff in Del Rio for over 23 years, from 1977 to 2001.
Perhaps the most important job Dub had was unpaid: President of the Seminole Indian Scouts Cemetery Association. He served for a total of 26 years, promoting, and preserving the legacy of the Scouts and supporting the community as a historian.
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From a very young age, Dub was fascinated by history and loved to listen to his Elders while pretending to do something else so that he wouldn’t be shooed out of the room. He consumed and memorized those stories and spent most of his life sharing them with others. He had an extraordinary memory that made him a much-treasured part of the community, a living historian who generously shared his knowledge with any descendant who wanted it. Throughout the numerous interviews he gave for books, newspapers and videos, he presented the Scouts as regular people instead of idealized myths, and he was passionate about the need for the community to learn and value its unique history. He was invited to represent the community as a presenter and exhibitor in the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in 1992 and he traveled to Washington D.C., Florida and other locations to present information on Black Seminoles.
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To inaugurate this project, we begin with a Legacy page celebrating and honoring Mr. William Gleaves “Dub” Warrior. .
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To freeze an image, click on the photo.
Transcription of the Speech Given by William “Dub” Warrior at the Seminole Celebration Weekend BRACKETTVILLE, TEXAS, SEPTEMBER 17, 2006
The entire program was taped on an audio cassette and transcribed by Billie Jean Ward Frierson, who has graciously allowed the Historical Society to share it.
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“WILLIAM WARRIOR: Good to see everyone. I am William Warrior, President at the present time of the Seminole Indian Scout Association here at Brackettville, Kinney County, Texas. I want to welcome each, and every one that is present here today. I mean it from my heart. I am so glad to see each one of you, and when I say this: I say it from the bottom of my heart, that you came to be with us and to make this a success. We have people from everywhere; like brother Sterling said, he wishes this to be the best September program that we have ever had. And to this point I hope the others will even be better, so with your help we can do this. I know, coming from other places and stuff, this is a small town, but our forefathers were here, and I am so glad you came back, and you thought enough of them to come and give praise to them and to seek your history. And there is a lot of history right here. And I want you to be as proud of your heritage as I am.
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Click here to read the entire transcription.
