TEXAS FEDERATION OF COLLEGE REPUBLICANS

Longtime Republican State Representative Buddy West of Odessa passed away on Wednesday at an Odessa hospice. Rep. West was 71.

Mr. West, who served eight terms in the Texas House, had been suffering from kidney problems and began dialysis in December.

A retired safety engineer, he lost his re-election bid during an April runoff with Odessa attorney and former judge Tryon Lewis. His current term expires at the end of the year.

"Buddy was a dedicated public servant to the people of the Permian Basin and to the state of Texas," House Speaker Tom Craddick said in a prepared statement. "I had the tremendous honor to serve alongside him and to work with him on issues that affect our closely linked communities of Midland and Odessa."

Rep. West was first elected to the Texas State House in 1992, and served the counties of Ector, Andrews and Winkler. Most recently Mr. West served on the House Environmental Regulation Committee, as well as the House Law Enforcement Committee.

"Texas lost a great public servant when Buddy West passed away today," Gov. Rick Perry said in a written statement.

The Governor has ordered all flags at the Capitol complex be lowered through Friday, when Rep. West will be buried.

The Texas Federation of College Republicans is proud to report that the Republican National Committee has announced that an alumnus of the TFCR Chapter at the University of Houston is now the Director of Victory 2008 in Colorado. This from the RNC:

Colorado's Victory 2008 Director is James Garcia.  The 2006 graduate of the University of Houston served as Vice Chairman of College Republicans during his studies there, and received a B.A. in political science, graduating summa cum laude.  Most recently a Field Director for the Rudy Giuliani Presidential Committee in Iowa and Florida, James also served in the same capacity for Shelley Sekula Gibbs for Congress, as well as assisting the Tom DeLay Congressional Committee in Sugar Land, Texas.

The TFCR is proud of its alumni and their impact on this election cycle, as we all look forward to electing Republicans from the White House to the Courthouse. Congratulations to Mr. Garcia, and Good Luck!

Last night more than 150 College Republicans, representing eight chapters, got together in Fort Worth, Texas to celebrate the end of a great semester.

The "Masquerade" themed party was hosted at the home of a very generous CR alumnus and was coordinated by Rachel Imbriale (UT-Arlington) and Blake Shonuga (Texas Wesleyan), who are both the Chairman of their respective chapters. Highlights of the party included a hookah lounge, beer pong tournament, and the DJ from the area's hottest nightclub, Ghost Bar.

The party started with fireworks at 10pm and culminated at roughly 4am with a champagne toast to all of our graduating College Republicans. Special thanks to our generous sponsors, Rockstar Drinks and Social Smoke, as well as our great College Republicans who made this party a lot of fun.

Information on the SCREC Meetings and the 2009 TFCR State Convention has been posted in the SCREC Information page. Click on SCREC Information tab on the left navigation area.

At the Friday meeting of the Executive Board the following appointments were made by Chairman Murphy and approved by the Board:

Melissa Ridenour (UT Dallas) was appointed Executive Director of the Texas Federation of College Republicans, and Clint Peterson (Univ. of North Texas) was appointed as the Chair of the Constitutional Review Committee. Chairman Murphy will appoint other representatives from other regions across the state to the Review Committee. The Constitutional Review Committee will meet over the summer to revise the TFCR Constitution and will hold a ratification meeting towards the end of summer break.

Congratulations to both Melissa Ridenour and Clint Peterson on their appointments!