George John Beto (1916–1991) is best known for his contributions to 
criminal justice, but his fame is not limited to this field. Walking George, 
authored by two of his former students, David M. Horton and George 
R. Nielsen, examines the entire life of Beto and his many achievements 
in the fields of both education and criminal justice—and how he wedded 
the two whenever possible.

    Beto initially studied to become a Lutheran pastor but instead was 
called to teach at Concordia Lutheran College in Austin, Texas. His 
successes there led him to revitalize a seminary in Springfield, Illinois, 
for three years, after which he left to become the director of the Texas 
Department of Corrections.

    Beto had no formal training in corrections, but during his years in 
Austin, he had served on the Texas Prison Board, a volunteer board 
that supervised the entire prison system. During his ten-year term as 
the director of the Texas Department of Corrections, Beto 
spearheaded many education and reform programs aimed at 
rehabilitating inmates. Most notable was his effort in 1969 to establish 
the Windham school district for educating inmates, the first of its kind 
at any prison in the United States. Beto's predilection to show up on 
foot in front of a given Texas prison, at all hours of the day and night, 
ready for an inspection and tour, earned him the nickname "Walking 
George."

    After retiring as head of the Texas prison system in 1972, he 
became a professor at Sam Houston State University's College of 
Criminal Justice until 1991. His leadership and participation propelled 
it to become the most esteemed program in the country.


_________________________________________________________

DAVID M. HORTON is professor and director of the Criminal Justice 
Program at St. Edward's University, Austin, Texas. He is the coauthor 
of Lone Star Justice: A Comprehensive Overview of the Texas Criminal 
Justice System. GEORGE R. NIELSEN taught at Concordia University 
in River Forest, Illinois, from 1959 to 1997. His most recent book, 
Johann Kilian, Pastor is a biography of the pastor of the Wends at 
Serbin, Texas. He lives in Rapid City, South Dakota.


Number Five: North Texas Crime and Criminal Justice Series


What people are saying about this book

"Few life histories are as meticulously researched and as scrupulously 
compiled as this biography of George Beto, which accurately depicts him as 
the dedicated educator, pastor, and correctional icon he was."—Hans Toch, 
Distinguished Professor, SUNY at Albany