About Our Firm
Wathen, DeShong & Juncker, L.L.P. has built a strong reputation by caring for our clients. Our firm is based on the belief that our success can be measured by the success of our clients and our commitment to building a stronger community.
Through the years we have benefitted from the addition of experienced and knowledgeable people who share a commitment to provide quality service with maximum personal attention to clients’ needs. We provide our clients with a comprehensive array of professional services consisting of accounting services, tax planning and preparation, auditing and payroll processing.
Our Mission
Wathen, DeShong & Juncker, L.L.P. exists to meet our clients’ complete business and financial needs through responsive service, expertise and personal involvement.
“We deliver the extraordinary.”
Our History
Wathen, DeShong & Juncker, L.L.P. was formed in 1968 when Evan H. “Slats” Wathen and Phillip F. DeShong merged their individual practices in order to provide a base to which talented and competent people could be attracted. In 1998, Leonard N. Juncker joined the firm bringing with him twenty-eight years of experience and seven additional firm members.
Retired Partners & Namesakes:
Evan H. “Slats” Wathen
Retired Partner/Firm Namesake
Slats was born in 1922, in Athens, Texas, the oldest of 6 brothers and sisters. Slats graduated from Texas A&M (College) with a degree in landscape architecture. He served his country in World War 2 and the Korean War. He received his accounting degree from Lamar after being discharged from service and moving to Vidor. He and his wife Lucille were blessed with eight children. His hobbies included reading to children at Caldwood Elementary, volunteering in the Methodist church, and growing prize-winning roses for the Golden Triangle Rose Society.
Philip “Phil” F. DeShong
Retired Partner/Firm Namesake
Phil was born in Cleveland, Ohio and raised in several orphanages throughout the country. He was eventually moved to a children’s home in Maine, Good Will Homes and Schools, where he graduated high school. He then attended Oberlin College where he received a degree in English literature. He was drafted into the Infantry and when he was injured in combat, met his wife Laura who was his nurse. Phil received his CPA certification in 1963 and started his own practice which eventually became Wathen, DeShong & Company. Phil enjoyed wood-working, genealogy research, and travelling to Washington D.C. twice a year to visit his grandchildren.
Walter K. Juncker
Firm Namesake
Walter was born in 1909 in the small German village of Proschlitz. When the economy in Germany took a turn and hyperinflation wiped out all of his father’s savings, he and his brother headed to America looking for work. He ended up in Galveston taking night classes while working for Gulf Oil. He passed the CPA exam in 1947 and in 1948 the partnership of Hughes, Juncker and Norfeldt was formed. Eventually, Walter formed his own firm where he worked for 20 years. He and his wife Ruth had two sons. One of his sons, Leonard, followed in his father’s footsteps, became a CPA, and finally a partner at Wathen, DeShong, & Juncker, LLP.
Leonard N. Juncker
Retired Partner
Leonard graduated with honors from the University of Texas at Austin in 1965 with a B.B.A. majoring in accounting, where he also earned his Masters in Professional Accounting in 1967. Part of the masters program was to complete an eight-month internship at the accounting firm of Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Company. Leonard passed the CPA exam in 1965 and was awarded his license upon completion of the masters program in 1967. At this time Leonard joined the Medical Service Corps of the United States Army where he spent two years as a budget officer for the U.S. Army Hospital Fort Polk, Louisiana. He also spent a year as a staff officer for a medical battalion and medical bridge in Vietnam. He separated from active duty in 1970 after reaching the rank of Captain and joined the firm of Walter, Juncker and Company. The practice merged with Wathen, DeShong, & Company in 1998.
John E. “Jed” Dollinger
Retired Partner
Jed graduated from Texas A&M University in 1963.
Harold C. Graves
Retired Partner
Harold graduated with honors from Texas A&M University in 1969 with a B.B.A. Major in Accounting and obtained his CPA certificate in 1971. He began his career at Arthur Andersen and spent almost four years in their audit department. He joined Wathen, DeShong, & Juncker, LLP over thirty-two years ago and served as our senior audit partner. He had extensive experience in school district audits and other governmental entities. He serves on his Church’s Finance Committee. He has two daughters and four grandchildren.
