C. B. “Bix” Rathburn

How I’m Involved:
o   Member at First Baptist Church, Texarkana
o   Texarkana Chamber of Commerce Board
o   Christus St. Michael Quality Review Council
o   TRAHC Board of Directors
My Family: Married to Adrianne; Daughters, Beth, Mary and Kate; Sons, Wes and Carl.
Interesting Fact About Me: Approximately 20 years ago I came down with Guillain-Barre Syndrome, which paralyzed me totally for about six months and placed me in a wheel chair for another six months.  I gained a far greater appreciation for the changes that affect the everyday lives of people with disabilities.
Who Inspires You Most: My wife. She is an amazing woman – a strong spirit that loves deeply - a lady that has yet to meet a challenge she cannot overcome and a person she cannot love. She radiates empathy and energy with a brilliant smile even in the face of challenge.

 

Buzz Barron

How I’m Involved:
o   Member at Williams Memorial UMC
o   Active in fundraising efforts with the Literacy Council, Komen Race for the Cure, Harvest Texarkana, the Boy Scout Council, the United Way and the Texarkana Animal League.
What brought you to Texarkana: After five years of retirement, riding the Harley 70,000 miles, I got bored as heck! I’ve spent my whole life being totally involved in the communities I’ve served. I missed the people and working in their behalf. I am sort of a social butterfly, and helping people is an important part of my life since I was a Boy Scout. I got on Monster.com and started looking for work, as a 61 year old that hadn’t worked in five years and was last a CEO. After 30 applications, I got a call from Jack Gooding for an interview here in Texarkana. He was impressed with my Boy Scout experience as it was non-profit management, and hired me as the Executive Director of the Texarkana Area Chapter of the American Red Cross. I’ve been here almost five years now and have been totally welcomed by this community. I call Texarkana home. I love this place, friendliest people, and most beautiful women on the planet…
Favorite Quote: “Either lead, follow, or get out of the way.”-Ted Turner

 

Chuck Guilbert

How I’m Involved:
o   Served as Worship Leader in many area churches
     over the past 36 years- produced and directed  “The Book” at Trinity
o   Volunteer with the Running WJ Ranch- Sound System
o   Volunteer with the Miss America Pageant System
o   Helped to raise funds for St. Jude Hospital and Caringbridge
My Family: Married to Karen; Daughters, Ashley and Breanne; Sons, Heith and Brennan.
My Interests: My number one interest, outside my family, is Garrison Gardens.  My wife and I have been praying and working toward starting a wedding venue for 12 years.  We had the opportunity to start work on the gardens July of last year and had our first wedding March of this year.  We have since booked over 40 weddings and feel very blessed to be able to present something of this quality to Texarkana. Another great interest of mine is working with horses.  I love to go trail riding in the mountains.
Favorite Quote: “Opportunities are a gift from God and what we do with them is our gift to God, but most of the time opportunities are disguised as insurmountable problems.”-Unknown

Curt Green

How I’m Involved:
o   Member at Calvary Baptist Church
o   Supporter of Caddo Area  Council of Boy Scouts
o   Active Member US  Chamber of Commerce
o   Supporter of  Alzheimer’s Alliance
o   Formerly served on Texarkana Historical Society and  Museum Board
My Family: Married to Diane; Daughter, Whitney; Son, Clay; Granddaughter, Greenlee.
My Interests: I enjoy fly fishing, bass fishing, deer and turkey hunting with friends and family and, of course, playing with my granddaughter, Greenlee!
Interesting Fact About Me: My wife said; “Curt purchased a Green 1979 Ford Bronco, he drove it for 16 years in his Real Estate activities, at which time, his 16 year old son, Clay inherited the Bronco and drove it for 3 years.  Here’s the funny part although it has not been drivable since 2000, Curt still has it parked in his back driveway and keeps it‘s tags and registration up to date, (a true Arkansan!)”
What Do You Want Your Legacy To Be: I hope that it is said of me that I acted justly, loved mercy, and walked humbly.

Damon Young

How I’m Involved:
o   St. James Day School Board of Directors
o   Chairman, Opportunities, Inc. Annual Fund Drive
o   City Attorney, Texarkana, AR
o   President, Hempstead County Hunting Club (Grassy Lake) with current service on the
     Board of Directors.
My Family: Married to Doris Ann; Daughter, Jerri Ann; Son, Mike.
Interesting Fact About Me: I was licensed to practice law before graduating from law school. Having completed the requirements, I took and passed the bar exam in July, 1964, but did not graduate from law school until January, 1965. The rules were thereafter changed and it is no longer possible to sit for the bar exam prior to graduating from law school.
What Do You Want Your Legacy To Be: That I promptly paid my debts; that we raised good children; and, that I was true to my friends.

David James

How I’m Involved:
o   Member at Trinity Baptist Church
o   Life Fellow Texas Bar Association
o   Former Board Member, TISD President 1994-1997
o   Former Member, Texarkana Public Library Commission
My Family: Married to Diana; Daughters, Shanna, Shelly and Stacy.
My Interests: I enjoy horseback riding, fishing, golf, movies, plays, various types of music and traveling with Diana.
Interesting Story About Me: I once had a one on one debate with Howard Cosell about whether or not Vince Lombardi was too much of a dictator as a coach. I lost the debate.
What do you want your legacy to be: That I did try to prioritize my life as Mr. Landry said- “God, Family and Job” and in attempting to do so that I have tried to treat others as I have hoped they would treat me.

Eddie Daines

How I’m Involved:
o   Member of Family Word Church
o   Board of Directors of Watersprings Ranch
o   Governance committee at Texarkana Symphony Orchestra
o   Advisory Board at Harvest International Ministries
o   Board of Directors of North American Word Outreach
My Family: Married to Jane; Sons, Mark, David and Trey; Daughters, Darrah and Christy; Grandchildren, Karrah, Christopher, Grace, Jacob, Madison, Nate, Mary Claire, Sarah Jane, Will and John D.
Interesting Fact About Me: I was a line coach under Wattie Myers at Texas High School during the 1962 and 1963 seasons;  I was also a golf coach during the 1962 and 1963 seasons.
Who Inspires You Most: Our Armed Forces serving in Afghanistan and missionaries inspire me.

Frank Poff

How I’m Involved:
o   Served as a City Director for Texarkana, Arkansas from 2002 until 2005
o   Chairman of the National House of Delegates of Easter Seals, Inc.
o   Texarkana Resources for the Disabled Board of Directors
o   Texarkana Regional Arts & Humanities Council Long Term Planning Committee, Director
My Family: Married to Theresa; Sons, Lin, Will and Curt.
My Interests: I love my wife, sons, theater, lake, motorcycles and laughing.
Favorite Quote: ““Be a shepard not a sheep. Never let a woman weep. Always look before you leap. And kiss your wife before you sleep. Practice kindness but weakness ban. Be your childrens’ biggest fan. Always do the best you can. That’s all it takes to be a man.”

Freddie Contreras

How I’m Involved:
o   Serves the Community as a Physician
My Family: Married to Bridget; Daughter, Kelsey; Son, William
My Interests: I enjoy nature photography and tennis.
Interesting Story About Me: One night I was on call. A young boy, 13 or 14, had a skateboard accident. He was initially fine, but by the time he got to the ER he was comatose. A CT scan was done which was read as normal. I placed an intracranial pressure monitor in him, and he had markedly increased intracranial pressure (in the forties with normal being around ten-fifteen.) I knew he was in trouble, but I couldn’t figure out how to help him! I took the films by Dr. Bohmfalk’s house and he also thought the CT of the head was normal. By the time I came back to the ICU, the boy’s intracranial pressure was in the fifties. I needed help, when I suddenly knew what was wrong with him! I suspected the boy had a blood clot at the base of his brain- a posterior fossa epidermal hematoma. I was correct. I had never seen this problem before and I have not seen it since. The young boy survived and is now a PHD. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God spoke his diagnosis to me.

George Carpenter, Jr.

How I’m Involved:
o   Deacon, Central Christian Church,
     Member of Personnel Committee
o   Past President, Texarkana Noon Lions Club Member
o   American Cancer Society Committee
My Family: Married to Julia; Son, Tyler Moore; Daughters, Katie Carpenter Moore, Sarah Carpenter.
My Interests: Playing golf, family time, travel and friends.
Interesting Fact About Me: Out of high school, I worked for the cable TV company as an installer and climbed telephone poles!
Favorite Quote: “Patientia rara virtuse.”
What Do You Want Your Legacy To Be: I want to be remembered as a good husband and father and as someone who treated people the way I would like to be treated.

Horace Shipp

How I’m Involved:
o   Member of Hampton Church of Christ
o   Mayor, Texarkana, AR, Member of Texarkana, AR City Board of Directors
o   Teacher/presenter in annual classes of Leadership Texarkana
o   Past member of TRAHC and the Texarkana Chapter of the Red Cross boards
My Family: Married to Teresa; Daughter, Julie Davis; Son, Justin Shipp.
My Interests: Family time, collecting Texarkana post cards, traveling and Razorback football!
Favorite Quote: “Do all that you are supposed to do and a little bit more.”-Anonymous
What do you want your legacy to be: I want to be remembered as an honest person who really cared, a great husband and father, and an individual who always worked hard and did his absolute best at whatever task was before him. In summary, I want to be remembered as a person who “made a difference.”

James Keeton

How I’m Involved:
o   Member at St. Paul UMC, Sunday School Superintendent
o   International Paper Mill Community Board, Member
o   The Texas Association of School Boards
o   Macedonia-Eylau Community in Action (MECA), President, Co-Founder
My Family: Married to Mary; Children, Patrick, Demetria, Tina, Stephanie, Jeri, James, Kimberly, Javon, Jerica and Joshua.
My Interests: My hobbies are gardening, cooking, travelling and hanging, when I have time, with my retired buddies at the West 7th street McDonald’s, drinking coffee and solving all the problems of the world. My interests are helping those in need. Whether  it’s providing a service, lending a helping hand, finding a home for the homeless, helping a child turn it’s life around, visiting the sick or witnessing to an individual that may be heading in the wrong direction, using my life story as an example.Favorite Quote: “Once a task has begun, never leave ‘til it’s done, be the labor great or small, do it well, or not at all.” My dad instilled this in all his children and I’m passing it on!

James W. Bramlett

How I’m Involved:
o   Member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church
o   Served Texarkana, TX as Mayor from 1998-2008
o   Has served the community for years through a number of committees and various charity       involvement.
o   Serves the community with the Bramlett Beans and Cornbread Food Basket fund raiser       which for the past 11 years has supplied needy families in the local area with food baskets       produced from donations from the community. 83 families were served in 2009
My Family: Married to Kathy; Son, J.W.
My Interests: I enjoy weightlifting, motorcycles and working in my yard.
Favorite Quote: “Under promise and over deliver.”-Rudy Giuliani

Jeff Brown

How I’m Involved:
o   Harvest Texarkana Board
o   Hosted Benefit Dinners for Race for The Cure
o   Celebrity Artist for the Party with Picassos
o   ARKTEX Animal League
My Interests: My hobbies include painting weekly with Dean Lynn, gardening, cooking and entertaining and travel. I particularly enjoy the East coast.
Who Inspires You Most: I would have to say my parents have always been an inspiration in their lifestyle of always giving of their time and resources to their church. They are always ready to help someone in need. My art teacher in high school, Jo Morgan, was also so influential in her ability to make you believe in yourself.
Favorite Quote: “When someone shows you who they are- Believe them!”- Maya Angelou.”

Kip Pavey

How I’m Involved:
o   Local Dinner Club, Member
My Family: Married to Mary Ann; Daughter, Amy; Sons, Blake and Taylor; Grandchildren, Colten, Mason, Megan and Amber.
My Interests: I like to cook, and I enjoy wood working and home remodeling.
Interesting Fact About Me: My family had a houseboat on Lake Wright Patman. Growing up, we were at the lake every weekend in the summers. We always had friends and family with us, and we had a blast. I grew up with a very close family, and I had great childhood that I would not trade for anything in the world.
Favorite Quote: “We must indeed all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately” – Benjamin Franklin

Mike Carter

How I’m Involved:
   President of Texarkana Jaycees in 1980
o   President of Texarkana, TX Dixie Baseball Association for 9 years
o   Worshipful Master of Texarkana Lodge #341 in 1985 and 2009
o   Current Republican Precinct Chairman of Precinct 12
My Family: Married to Charlene; Daughters, Shelly and Angie; Son, Mike; Grandchildren, Danielle, Jackson, Brodie, Bailee, Trent and Luke.
Interesting Fact About Me: I made it through three tours in Viet Nam in the Navy with no mental or physical injuries. I got out of the Navy in 1971 and joined the Air Force Reserves. I tried that for four years and it was not compatible with the air conditioning business so I tried the Army Reserves for two years. That did not work well either so I joined the US Coast Guard. This was working really well for me until they moved my reserve unit from Shreveport to Port Arthur, TX. I made it for four years but finally had to quit because of the distance I had to drive. After giving Uncle Sam 14 years, I bowed out of the military with reservations.
Favorite Quote: “I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.” –Thomas Jefferson

Richard Reynolds

How I’m Involved:
o   Member of The Wilbur Smith Rotary Club And A Paul Harris Fellow
o   TAMU-T Business Advisory Council Member
o   CASA Advisory Board Member
o   Former State President of Texas Young Realtors
o   Former State President of Parents Anonymous
My Family: Daughter, Brooke; Grandson, Chase.
Interesting Story About Me: I played kissy-face with someone famous!
Favorite Quote: “Man makes the money, money does not make the man.”- LL Cool J
What Do You Want Your Legacy To Be: I want to be remembered for making Texarkana a better place to live and work.

Robert Bunch

How I’m Involved:
o   Member of Williams Memorial UMC
o   Nash, Tx, City Council Member
o   Executive Board of Directors Caddo Area Boy Scouts of America
My Family: Daughters, Karaline and Hannah.
My Interests: My favorite hobby is spending time with family and friends at Lake DeGray in Arkadelphia Arkansas, on a houseboat. I also enjoy all types of hunting and taking care of my 30 Longhorn Cattle.
Interesting Story About Me: While attending College at Texas A&M my part time job was working on a horse ranch in Bryan, Texas. My job was repairing fences, working on equipment and cleaning the stables. I could do everything but RIDE THE $100,000 HORSES. I decided one day I was tired of working and wanted to ride one of the expensive Arabian Hunting and Jumping Horses. With no training or experience in jumping, I was enjoying a ride in the pasture one Friday afternoon when the owner of the ranch came in and caught me.  He ask me why I was riding this horse and I just said I was tired of shoveling horse manure and decided it was time to take a ride. Needless to say the owner didn’t agree and fired me on the spot!

Ron Morrow

How I’m Involved:
o   State Farm Insurance, Agent
o   Former Master Trustee, Board President- PGISD
o   Deacon, First Baptist Church- Texarkana
My Family: Married to Barbara; Son, T.J.; Daughters, Haleigh and Mollie
My Interests: I take interest in golf, hunting, fishing and hiking.
Who Inspires You Most: I am inspired daily by my wife and children, yet my parents continually provide inspiration based upon a foundation of Godly principles, integrity and a competitive spirit.
Favorite Quote: “Glory to Him who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we can ask or even imagine according to His power at work within us.”-Ephesians 4:20