From Sea To Shining Lake

WHAT GOES THROUGH a man’s mind as the ship beneath him is sinking into the sea? It’s impossible to say precisely what thoughts Herbert Ray Roberts entertained prior to abandoning a doomed World War II aircraft carrier, but it’s very likely he consecrated a commitment to forging an impactful life.

This he did as a Texas senator, a U.S. congressman and a tireless proponent of north Texas water management — the latter yielding the Trinity River reservoir set to host the 2021 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk. Unquestionably, Roberts left a legacy, but let’s not rush past the day that, no doubt, provided significant motivation.

BATTLE AT SEA

Born March 28, 1913, in Collin County, Texas, Roberts served in the Navy from 1942 to 1945 and later (as a Navy reservist during the Korean War) and faced the unthinkable on October 26 of his first service year. The USS Hornet, on which he was stationed, took part in a carrier versus carrier engagement with Imperial Japanese Navy vessels in the Battle of Santa Cruz and there met