| | Waldrop was born in Lamesa in Dawson County in West Texas to Gordon V. Waldrop, I (1933-2013),<ref>Gordon V Waldrop (1933-2013) - Find A Grave Memorial, accessed May 17, 2021.</ref> and the former Barbara Fay Drennan (1934-2020; the parents later divorced.<ref>Obituary | Barbara Fay Drennan Waldrop | Muffley Funeral Home, Inc. accessed May 17, 2021.</ref>. He was reared on a [[cotton]] farm on the South Plains. He graduated in 1980 as the valedictorian of Lamesa High School,<ref name=obit/> where he met his wife of thirty years, the former Debra Denise Woodson.<ref>Debra Waldrop (Denise), 56 - Austin, TX Background Report at MyLife.com™, accessed May 17, 2021}}</ref> He worked his way through the [[University of Texas at Austin]] by managing a cotton farm in Dawson County. He graduated in 1984 from UT with a Bachelor of Arts degree in the Plan II Honors Program, with concentration in philosophy. In 1987, he obtained his [[Juris Doctor]]ate from the UT Law School.<ref name=obit/> | | Waldrop was born in Lamesa in Dawson County in West Texas to Gordon V. Waldrop, I (1933-2013),<ref>Gordon V Waldrop (1933-2013) - Find A Grave Memorial, accessed May 17, 2021.</ref> and the former Barbara Fay Drennan (1934-2020; the parents later divorced.<ref>Obituary | Barbara Fay Drennan Waldrop | Muffley Funeral Home, Inc. accessed May 17, 2021.</ref>. He was reared on a [[cotton]] farm on the South Plains. He graduated in 1980 as the valedictorian of Lamesa High School,<ref name=obit/> where he met his wife of thirty years, the former Debra Denise Woodson.<ref>Debra Waldrop (Denise), 56 - Austin, TX Background Report at MyLife.com™, accessed May 17, 2021}}</ref> He worked his way through the [[University of Texas at Austin]] by managing a cotton farm in Dawson County. He graduated in 1984 from UT with a Bachelor of Arts degree in the Plan II Honors Program, with concentration in philosophy. In 1987, he obtained his [[Juris Doctor]]ate from the UT Law School.<ref name=obit/> |