Roll of Honor
W. A. Hail
Incident
Patrolman W.A. Hail suffered a fatal heart attack at approximately 11:30 pm shortly after chasing several students who were conducting a panty raid at a female dorm following their last final exam.
He had chased several of the male students a short distance before collapsing. Several students performed CPR on Officer Hail but were unable to revive him. He was transported to a local hospital where he died several minutes after midnight.
Patrolman Hail was a WWII veteran and had served with the Tarleton State College Police Department for nine years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, son, stepmother, two half-sisters, and two grandchildren.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-A4255E9D- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- August 2, 2026
- Last updated
- August 2, 2026
Honored here by 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Patrolman Hail gave the Tarleton State University Police Department 9 years.
Thank you for your service to the Stephenville community. Thank you for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
W. A. Hail served in the the United States military before joining law enforcement.
Patrolman W. A. Hail is one of 1 officers lost to cardiac events in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,759 officers honored here.
In TX, 88 of 2,421 officers were lost to cardiac events in the line of duty — 3.6% of this state's fallen. That is 3.6 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
National Cause Distribution
How Cardiac compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. W. A. Hail's cause is highlighted.
How W. A. Hail Compares
When Cardiac Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Cardiac deaths across the full memorial record. W. A. Hail is highlighted in Dec.
Incident Location
Military Service
W. A. Hail served in the United States military before joining law enforcement.
Visit W. A. Hail’s page on salute.nw →
His full service record — units, decorations, where he served — is kept on salute.nw.
Others Who Wore This Badge
0 officers from Tarleton State University Police Department are honored on badge.nw.