On display until Nov. 11 at the Rockdale I&GN Railroad Museum, Ten Tall Texans is a pictorial collection tucked in among railroad memorabilia - from the Golden Age of railroad travel in a totally restored early 1900s train station - and showcases Kubiak's extensive Texas history collection of the 10 people he believed most affected the state in its fight for independence from Mexico.
Modestly scattered through the exhibit is a glimpse of Kubiak's life as a family man and long-running representative of three House districts, which in spite of name changes during redistricting, mostly involved the same member counties: House District 27, with Milam, Falls and Robertson counties; District 36, encompassing Burleson, Milam, Robertson, Washington and Waller counties; and District 13, with Austin, Brazos, Burleson, Lee, Milam and Washington counties.
Kubiak received numerous awards and honors, including being named one of Texas' Top 10 Legislators in 1973 and Legislator of the Year in 1983 and 1984.
Kubiak's only hiatus as state representative came in the 1980s when he ran unsuccessfully for Texas Land Commissioner, and duringtwo failed campaigns for Congress in 1983 and 1984. Kubiak, a Democrat, returned to the Texas House in 1990, and was running for re-election in 1998 when he died suddenly of a heart attack at his Rockdale home. He was buried in the Texas State Cemetery. His gravestone epitaph reads: "a dedicated father, friend and public servant."
Dan Kubiak's role as a public servant has been a tough act to follow, said state Rep. Dan Gattis, R-Georgetown, who didn't follow directly on his heels, but said he uses Kubiak's open-door policy toward his constituents today.
Kubiak's immediate successor was Republican Charles Jones, followed by another Republican, state Rep. Lois W. Kolkhorst, R-Brenham. Kubiak is still remembered fondly by his constituents and peers.
"Lois and I have talked about it," Gattis said. "In some instances (Dan Kubiak) left some pretty big shoes to fill, because what he was very, very good at was taking care of his constituents to the point to where they expect very good service. He did take care of his people. I have tried to model my office on how he operated. He and his staff didn't just give lip service."
Born March 19, 1938, in Reagan to John T. and Connie Snider Kubiak, Daniel James Kubiak was the couple's oldest child who later became the most famous Kubiak of the clan. A 1957 graduate of Marlin High School, Kubiak earned degrees from Blinn College, the University of Texas and Midwestern University.
Kubiak's English professor at Blinn College in Brenham, Dr. Wilfred O. Deitrich designed the Ten Tall Texans exhibit, choosing the title of a book Kubiak wrote in 1967 profiling Sam Houston, David Crockett, Ben Milam, Lorenzo de Zavala, Stephen F. Austin, Jose Antonio Navarro, James Bowie, William B. Travis, Juan Seguin and Andrea C. Candelaria. The exhibit originated at the Heritage Museum in Brenham before it arrived in Rockdale in June. Its next showing will be in Madisonville.
Deitrich remembers Dan Kubiak as a good student who worked hard on his studies, played football and was a campus leader, but he never expected Kubiak to become a lawmaker.
"He was a very diversified person, and when he was state representative he was really concerned about each community, especially high school and college students," Deitrich said. "Dan did a lot of deep thinking and did a lot of good writing, and he passed a lot of good bills when he was our representative."
