The Genesis and Genius of District 25

Dr. Louis E. Tompkins was a very determined man. You could see it in his face and the way he walked. With his short-cropped hair and his Germanic features, one would think he was a football coach or a successful farmer. Only his hands would indicate his true profession.

As he walked back to his office on that cool fall day in Wichita Falls, Texas in 1948*, this very busy and successful dentist was very happy. He had just received word from Toastmasters International founder, Dr. Ralph Smedley, that the widely scattered clubs in the whole state of Texas and part of Louisiana had been granted their charter as Toastmasters District 25. For three years Dr. Tompkins had been a faithful attendee at Toastmasters International conventions, having begun as a charter member of the Wichita Falls Toastmasters Club, which was started in April 1945. Because he knew the Toastmasters organization at all levels and had spearheaded the drive to obtain the district charter, Dr. Tompkins was named as the first District Governor of the new district.

*Confirmed charter date of District with Toastmasters International – 7/1/1948

There were only twelve clubs in the district, and because of the large area the district encompassed, it was going to be difficult to govern them. Up to then, many of the clubs operated independently of each other. The structure of the meetings was different from club to club. Dr. Tompkins knew the job was going to be difficult, but he was excited about the challenge. He knew what Toastmasters training had done for his life, and he wanted to share it with others and to help the organization grow.

He sent a telegram to the president of each club, informing each of them of the good news, urging them to increase their membership, and start making plans for their first district conference.

Dr. Tompkins visited several of the clubs during his term, which lasted more than a year, trying to mold the clubs into the desired structure. When their first District Conference was held in Dallas in 1950, the district had 19 clubs. At that conference, Joe A. Shirley was elected as the new District Governor.

By the time Dr. Tompkins handed the reins of the district to Joe Shirley, it was clear to him that the district was too large. Many of the clubs were in the northeast part of the state and the Shreveport Club was large, and some clubs were in Houston and several more in far west Texas. There were hundreds of miles between the clubs of north and west Texas, with no clubs in between. Discussions with the leaders of the west Texas clubs revealed a desire to establish their own district and plans were made accordingly.

In 1953, District 25 voted to split into two districts with the creation of District 44 in the western part of the state, effective July 1, 1954.

District 25 was still enormous. The successful creation of District 44 proved that smaller districts could be governed more effectively and provided more opportunities for leadership training. So, just three years later, on September 15, 1956, at a District Council meeting at the Melrose Hotel in Dallas, Texas, District Governor Vic Ballowe gave a status report on dividing the district once again. The division was formally established on July 1, 1957. It was given the number “56” by International, and the new northern district was allowed to retain the number “25”.

We owe a debt of gratitude to Dr. Tompkins and hundreds of other past leaders of District 25 and of our precursor districts. We will continue to make history and form the future. Ours will be a future of which we can be proud!

Some further changes to District 25:

On November 2, 1991, the District Council once again voted to pursue dividing the District. Keeping Dr. Tompkins’ home club, 305 Wichita Falls, in District 25, the Eastern section was designated as District 50.

Effective July 1, 2008, clubs in the Abilene and San Angelo areas (part of the former District 44) were added to District 25.

Effective July 1, 2010, clubs in the Temple/Killeen areas were moved from District 25 to District 55 (Austin).

Effective July 1, 2011, some clubs in western Dallas County were transferred to District 50.

Effective July 1, 2025, with the District Realignment Program, the western boundary was extended to include the Texas Panhandle and eastern New Mexico (part of the former District 23).

See the About Us page for the description of the District boundaries.