Benavides
elected
to State Soil & Water board
TEMPLE - Guillermo
"Memo" Benavides of Laredo, along with Aubrey
Russell of Panhandle, TX, has been elected to serve
on the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board
(TSSWCB). William Thomas "Dub" Crumley of
Stephenville was re-elected to serve another two-year
term on the Board.
Guillermo Benavides represents TSSWCB State District
III, which consists of 45 Soil and Water Conservation
Districts (SWCDs) in South Texas. Benavides is a native
of Webb County. Aside from helping his family run
a cow/calf operation, Benavides also owns his own
real estate business. He is a former president of
the Association of Texas Soil and Water Conservation
Districts (ATSWCD) and has served as chairman of the
Webb County SWCD since 1985.
Aubrey Russell represents TSSWCB State District I,
which consists of 49 SWCDs in the Panhandle area of
Texas. Russell served as ATSWCD vice-president and
as director of Area I. Russell runs farming and ranching
operations in Carson County and Roberts County. He
raises corn, milo, and soybeans, in addition to running
a stocker cattle ranching operation.
William Thomas Crumley represents TSSWCB State District
V, which consists of 41 SWCDs located in upper Central
Texas. Crumley was elected to the TSSWCB in May of
2001. During his 25 years with TSSWCB, Crumley served
as a field representative. He retired in 2000 and
currently runs a cow/calf/hay operation in Erath County.
Unlike many state agencies and commissions whose policymaking
bodies are gubernatorial appointees, the TSSWCB currently
consists of five elected members. Board members must
be landowners and be actively engaged in farming or
ranching. TSSWCB members are elected in a convention-type
election by SWCD directors in the State District that
the TSSWCB member represents.
Other board members include Wayne Register, a resident
of New Waverly, and a representative for District
IV; and Edward Albrecht, a resident of Comfort and
a representative for District II.
