Bill O'Neal

Panola College provides office space in the Monk Science Building for Texas State Historian Bill O'Neal. He is married to the lovely Karon O'Neal, Panola College math professor. O'Neal has four daughters, all of whom graduated from Panola College.

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Texas State Historian

In 2012, Bill O'Neal was appointed Texas State Historian by Texas Governor Rick Perry. O'Neal is headquartered at Panola Bill O'Neal, Texas State Historian College, where he began teaching history in 1970. For more than 20 years, O'Neal conducted the state's first traveling Texas history class, a three-hour credit course which featured a 2,100 mile itinerary. In 2000 he was awarded a Piper Professorship, and in 2012 he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Wild West Historical Association. O'Neal has published almost 40 books, half about Texas history subjects, and in 2007 he was named best living non-fiction writer by True West Magazine. Panola is proud to call Bill O'Neal one of its own.

Texas Lone Star Blog
Books Authored
Red River Radio with Bill O'Neal (1:16 min.)
Lifetime Achievement Award

Investiture of O'Neal

On Wednesday August 22, 2012, a large gathering of family and friends attended the Investiture of Bill O'Neal as the new Texas State Historian by Texas Governor Rick Perry in the Texas capitol building. Among those attending were Karon O'Neal and Panola College President Greg Powell.


Gov. Perry, Bill O'Neal, Karon O'Neal	Bill O'Neal, Gov. Perry, Greg Powell