Friends of Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park

PO Box 1831, 100 Lady Bird Lane, Johnson City, Texas 78636    Office: 830-868-7128 x222

Partners with the National Park Service for the benefit of
the LBJ National Historical  Park.

Email:
info@FriendsOfLBJNationalPark.org     Web: www.FriendsOfLBJNationalPark.org


FRIENDS BOARD MEMBERS

Bob Keith, Cypress Mill, Chairman

Peggy Welch, Blanco, Vice-Chairman

Norm Nevins, Stonewall, Secretary

George Culp, Johnson City, Treasurer

Pam Alspaugh, Fredericksburg, Board Member

Carolyn Kennedy, Marble Falls, Board Member

Larry Norwood, Austin, Board Member

Valerie Schafer, Cheyenne OK, Board Member

Karen Weber, Johnson City, Board Member

Russ Whitlock, Superintendent,
LBJ National Historical Park,
(Ex Officio)


BOB KEITH:

Bob was born in Port Arthur, Texas, and educated in Port Arthur and Beaumont schools. He received BA and LLB degrees from the University of Texas at Austin.

He has tried and argued three cases before the Supreme Court of the United States, and cases throughout the state and federal courts of Texas, New Mexico, Louisiana and the District of Columbia.

He is a rancher, a bank director for 38 years, a church warden, a former Beaumont City Council member, and former president of the Johnson City Independent School District Board of Trustees.

He and his wife, Frana, have lived in Blanco County since 1981, and have six children and 11 grandchildren.


PEGGY WELCH:

Peggy was born in San Antonio. She graduated from high school in Corpus Christi and earned degrees from the University of Texas, Lamar University and Rice University.  She and her husband, Dick, moved to Blanco County in 1978.  Peggy worked for one year at the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park as an interpreter, driving the buses and telling the visitors about President Johnson and the Texas Hill Country. 

She was a long time member of the Blanco Library Board and is a founding member of the Gem of the Hills Community Center.  She is presently a member of the Blanco Woman’s Club and a member of the Blanco Master Gardeners. Her hobbies are gardening and learning to paint watercolors  She and Dick have six children and ten grandchildren.


NORMAN L. NEVINS:

Norm and his wife Sandra have lived in Stonewall Texas for over eleven years and own property near the L.B.J. Ranch.  Norm has practiced law for 42 years in Lubbock, San Antonio, and currently in Fredericksburg, Texas.

Norm has degrees from Michigan State University (B.S), and The University of Texas at Austin (J.D).  He has served as President and Chairman of the Board of The San Antonio Livestock Inc., (The San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo), and is a former member of the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce and the San Antonio Economic Development Foundation.

Norm and Sandra have two sons and five grandchildren.  


GEORGE H. CULP:

George was born in Gainesville, Texas, and has degrees from Texas Tech University, West Virginia University and The University of Texas at Austin. After being involved with academic computing at UT-Austin for 33 years, he retired in 2001 as Director of the Center for Instructional Technologies and Senior Lecturer, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, College of Education. He and his wife, Kay, live on 30 acres outside of Johnson City, where their three children, Buck Culp, Karyn Schaubhut and Tracy Clark, and their families are frequent visitors from Austin.

He has served as board member and treasurer for the Blanco County North Library District and as secretary/treasurer, vice-president and president of the Johnson City Lions Club International. He is a member of the Johnson City Townscape Task Force, and a founding member of the Johnson City Community Education Foundation.

 


PAM ALSPAUGH:

Pam Alspaugh grew up in Lubbock and graduated from Texas Tech University with a degree in English. Her parents also graduated from Tech. She earned a master degree from Oregon State University and married an Oregonian.

Pam and her husband have had a filming business and a gift shop. She has worked for Texas Tech University since 1987 as a videographer in News & Publications, a communications coordinator at the International Textile Center working with the cotton and textile industries, and finally doing communication work for the Division of Off-Campus Sites.

Pam lives near Fredericksburg and is interested in local history and preservation, sewing, silversmithing, glass fusing and painting. She is a member of the Stonewall Heritage Society, Die Kuenstler von Fredericksburg (The Artists of Fredericksburg) and the Wrede-Bear Creek Country School.
 


CAROLYN KENNEDY:

Carolyn and her husband Jack Kennedy moved to Meadow Lakes in 2006 from Lubbock, where she grew up.  Carolyn works for Texas Tech University, the Division of Off-Campus Sites, having transferred here from TTU in Lubbock.  From the location in Gateway Center at Marble Falls, she helps to coordinate programs and activities at the 5 TTU sites outside of Lubbock.

Prior to Tech, Carolyn was a Regional Director for the American Heart Association for 12 years.  Before her children were born, she taught high school English in New Mexico and in Lubbock.  She was active with the West Texas Library System and the Junior League of Lubbock.

Carolyn has two sons and Jack has two children and two grandchildren.  Carolyn and Jack are active members of First United Methodist Church in Marble Falls.  Their hobby is sightseeing in the Hill Country.  She is a member of the Friends of the Burnet County Library-Marble Falls.  Carolyn is active in TTU Highland Lakes Alum Chapter and enjoys monthly lunches with Pi Beta Phi alums.  She volunteers with Kairos Prison Ministry.  Carolyn holds a BA and an MA in English from Texas Tech University.


LARRY NORWOOD:

After 28 years, Larry Norwood retired from AT&T as corporate relations director.  He had worked for AT&T in Austin, Dallas, Birmingham and New Orleans in media relations, philanthropy, law and government affairs support, video production and advertising.

He has been publications editor for Tulane University, a Navy journalist aboard an aircraft carrier on two combat cruises during the Viet Nam war, a public relations manager at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, the editor of petroleum industry trade journals in Dallas and Houston, and a newspaper reporter.
 
He has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Baylor University and a Master of Arts from Tulane. 
 
Larry has been vice chair of the Texas Book Festival and of CORD, a Waco-based nonprofit education organization; chair of the Institute of Texan Cultures in San Antonio; and a board member of the Texas Freedom of Information Foundation, the Dallas Business Coalition for the Arts, and the Dallas Business League.
 
He was born in Wichita Falls and grew up in Corsicana.
 
He and his wife Jane, a training specialist, live in Austin.  They enjoy books, kayaking and cycling.


VALERIE SCHAFER:

Valerie was born in Fredericksburg, Texas, and followed her Navy Dad from California to Texas numerous times, along with a short stint in Yokosuka, Japan.  Ending up as a teenager in Johnson City, Texas, and later in Stonewall, Valerie stumbled into the perfect job.   Valerie worked for 20 years for Western National Parks Association (WNPA) as the bookstore manager at the Lyndon B Johnson National Historical Park, as well serving as the WNPA Regional Manager for Texas for eighteen of those years.

Living and working in Stonewall, Valerie was a member of the Stonewall Chamber of Commerce Board, President of the Stonewall Elementary School Community Club and a constant volunteer at the school and with 4-H.  Valerie has two girls, Sandra and Cindy Jacoby, who are both currently attending Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi.

Valerie currently lives in Cheyenne, Oklahoma, with her husband, Dave, and all the animals they inherited when the girls left for college. She stills works for WNPA as a Field Operations Specialist from her home.  With the girls and her family in Texas, Valerie makes frequent trips back and will continue to support the Park through her active involvement in the Friends organization.


KAREN WEBER:

Karen grew up in Abilene, Texas, and earned a BS in Education degree from the University of Texas at Austin. After teaching three years in Austin, she and her husband, Jim, moved to Beaumont, Texas. While Jim practiced law, Karen spent time raising three children and working on church and volunteer activities. They purchased Pedernales River property in Blanco County in 1979, and moved permanently to their Texas Hill Country ranch in 1993.

Currently she is involved in the community of Johnson City as a board member of the Woman’s Club, Blanco County North Library District and the LBJ National Historical Park. In Austin, she is involved with her church as a ministry leader and a board member for the Austin Graduate School of Theology, and the Championship Heart Foundation.  She is also on the leadership team with Community Bible Study as a children’s leader.

In addition, she has her three children, their spouses and five grandchildren who are in close proximity for her enjoyment on a regular basis. Hobbies include memberships in The Garden Club of America, Johnson City Garden Club, Book Club and the “Dreamers,” a special program of the Johnson City Library for outreach to the community. She spends a good deal of pleasurable time reading, traveling with friends, gardening and cooking for large crowds.


RUSS WHITLOCK:

Russ grew up in rural Trenton, South Carolina with both parents and a younger sister.  He is a graduate of the University of South Carolina with a bachelor’s degree in History.  Russ is a 26-year veteran of the National Park Service beginning his career working at Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky.  Russ was a resource protection ranger at Indiana’s Lincoln Boyhood National Monument before transferring as the lead ranger for the Ocmulgee National Monument in Georgia.  Russ served as a district ranger on the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina for nine years.  He was the chief ranger in Virginia’s 17,000-acre Prince William Forest Park and later became the deputy superintendent at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts.

Russ served as the National Park Service Director’s Chief of Staff before moving to Texas.  Working with NPS Director Fran P. Mainella, he became a liaison with the seven regional directors, members of Congress, officials with the Department of the Interior, cooperators, and national partners. 

Russ was a commissioned Federal law enforcement officer for 18 years. He has been recognized by the National Park Service, local chambers of commerce, visitor boards and other State and Federal agencies for his cooperative work, volunteerism, and support of partnerships. He has worked, participated in, and directed all facets of national park operations. 

Russ began his duties at Superintendent of the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park in August 2006 and continues to be excited about the potential for the park to be a contributing member of the community.  Russ leads a capable and talented staff whose first goal is to share the story and legacy of President and Mrs. Johnson with the public through a wide variety of experiences and opportunities.


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