ROSENBERG, Texas — Former Fort Bend County Judge Bob Hebert spent his years after public office making sure the county’s seniors got a hot meal. Now his name and his words will ride along on those deliveries.
Fort Bend Seniors Meals on Wheels on Friday unveiled a meal delivery van dedicated to Hebert, who died at 84. Family members, friends and local officials gathered outside the nonprofit’s administrative offices, braving gusty winds, as Board Chair Manish Seth and staff peeled back the covering. The van reads “Delivering His Legacy” and “in loving memory of Judge Bob Hebert,” along with one of his sayings: “Giving back pays dividends you can’t measure in dollars.”
“Most vehicles are measured by the miles that they rack up, but I believe this one will be measured by something far more important: the number of lives it touches along the way,” said Rick Branek, the organization’s field operations manager.
Hebert’s daughters, Shelley Hebert Hannes and Patricia Hebert McKnight, attended the ceremony. McKnight serves on the Fort Bend Seniors board, continuing the family’s ties to the organization.
Interim County Judge Daniel Wong, Fort Bend County Treasurer Bill Rickert and state Rep. Matt Morgan of House District 26 also attended, along with a representative from the office of Precinct 3 Commissioner Andy Meyers and board members Frank Fraley and Roy Cordes.
Hebert served as county judge from 2003 to 2018, the longest tenure of anyone in that office in Fort Bend County history. He led the county through hurricanes Ike and Harvey. After leaving office, he was appointed interim CEO of Fort Bend Seniors in July 2019, leading the organization for about three years before staying on as a board member.
CEO Doug Simpson, who succeeded Hebert, said he inherited a stable organization.
“I got to take over an organization that was in great shape, and I thank him for that,” Simpson said. “He got it back on firm ground, and it’s difficult to follow that kind of legacy.”
Simpson recalled spending many mornings over coffee peppering Hebert with questions. He said the first thing Hebert ever asked him was the name of his county commissioner, a question that left him blank.
Several speakers said they never could bring themselves to call him anything but “Judge.” Seth recalled getting a call from Hebert seven years ago asking him to join the board.
“You never said no to the judge,” Seth said.
Seth said he hopes people who see the van along its routes will remember Hebert. “Some of us who will just see it will point and say, ‘I knew that man,’” he said.
The van will run routes mainly in Fort Bend County, with occasional trips into Waller County. The nonprofit is the only provider of Meals on Wheels service across both counties for eligible adults 60 and older, regardless of income. In July, it said it would keep delivering seven meals a week through the end of 2026, after community donations made up for federal funding cuts that had threatened to reduce service to five meals.
“Judge Hebert’s name will travel with every delivery, and his spirit will serve and continue touching lives in and around Fort Bend County,” Branek said. “Isn’t that what a legacy is really about? Not simply being remembered, but continuing to make a difference.”
