Sandra Ligocky’s new pecan rocking chair, manufactured by Robert Hensarling in 1986 and as part of a recent auction to clear Hensarling’s long-standing workshop.
UValdean Robert Hensarling has been featured in 16 magazines – including one in Germany – in eight episodes of the Texas Country Reporter and in HGTV’s Modern Masters for his work, which includes handcrafting 496 rocking chairs.
First a U.S. Marine drafted in July 1970, he later enjoyed the excitement of being a Uvalde Police Officer, but his wife and father decided he needed a new job after he was shot three times.
At that time his father retired and bought a small building on Wood Street. The building had a large door and there was a blacksmith shop across the street.
This shop turned out to be too small for the large devices. Around 1981 he was able to purchase a plot of land at E. Main Str. 4326, where, after 40 years, a large-scale auction recently took place to clear out equipment and inventory from a decade-long career.
He started with mesquite floors. He put a really big floor in San Antonio and one in North Carolina, as well as local work.
In 1982 he built his first rocking chair. Aubrey Smith, the sheriff at the time, bought the first rocking chair.
Hensarling tried to get it back once – he even offered to provide him with two chairs – but Mr Smith refused to part with it.
I recently had the chance to visit Hensarling when I bought a beautiful pecan rocking chair during the clearance auction. When he told me the story of the unsuccessful attempt to get the first chair back, local resident Kenneth Rochat said he didn’t want to part with his either.
Rochat said he had too many memories of rocking his grandchildren in his beloved chair, though he said rocking twin thighs makes for comfortable seating.
My newly acquired chair is made from local pecan, which Hensarling said it got locally. It takes him about 200 hours to make a chair, including the time he spent finding the wood. Each piece is selected for its unique grain pattern and each chair is carefully and lovingly handcrafted.
I asked him why this chair is made from pecan since most of his chairs are made from mesquite wood. He said he likes to try different types of wood, but mesquite was the trend and where he made his money.
He considered keeping this chair and told us to look under his left arm. I did and found his signature and the date – 1986.
His print recognitions have come from Southern Living Magazine, Texas Highways, Wood Magazine, Dallas Morning News, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Texas Monthly.
He traveled to major art exhibitions in Dallas, Houston and Austin. These were the kind of art exhibitions that were difficult to get into.
He especially liked the Cottonwood Art Festival in Dallas. He was proud to be one of the few artists chosen by various artists from across the country.
In addition to making chairs, he began making knives and the leather sheaths for the knives.
In 1986 he founded the Texas Mesquite Association. It started in Uvalde but has since been moved to Fredericksburg. Hensarling was the founding president. They would get about 60 attendees in Uvalde, but in Fredericksburg the number immediately grew to about 400.
Hensarling also carried out restorations, including pump organs, wooden windmills, and old motors. He really enjoyed working on old engines. He also made gun engravings and later relocated the gun engraving to his house, which is on the same property.
Hensarling did not give up the exciting life despite his resignation from the police force. As a pilot, he taught aviation at Southwest Texas Junior College and owned nine aircraft, mostly microlights. It could take off and land on a lot next to the store. He had a couple of falls.
In 1993 he had a snow skiing accident which meant that he could no longer continue the work that he had enjoyed so much. I asked him if he was still attending one of these shows or going to the Texas Mesquite Association meetings. He said no. Before, but he couldn’t find it pleasant because too many admirers crowded around him, asking questions, wanting autographs, pictures, etc.
For some reason he just didn’t seem to understand why they were making such a fuss.
Sandra Ligocky loves antiques, especially if the items have a story, and volunteers with the Humane Society of Uvalde and Flights to Forever. She is married to Tim Ligocky and has two daughters.
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