P.O. Box 18
Linn, TX 78563
956/383-3587
Mr. Guerra and his wife Lydia began Texas Longhorn cattle ranching in Mexico in 1949. Descended from family who in 1748 were bequeathed a Spanish Land Grant in what is now south Texas, Mr. Guerra, a twelfth-generation Texan, moved his ranching operation back to his ancestral home near Linn, Texas in 1979.
He was a charter member of the Cattlemen’s Texas Longhorn Registry where he served three terms as President. He has given many public presentations about the history of Texas Longhorns. Mr. Guerra is a member of the Advisory Board to the School of Agriculture at Texas A&M University and an Advisor to UT Pan American University in Edinburg, Texas.
In addition to serving as past President of the Texas Gun Collectors Association, he was on the Advisory Board of the Museum of South Texas History at Edinburg, Chairman of the Advisory Board of Texas Parks & Wildlife, and is an Exhibitor and Contributor to the following museums in Texas: the Texas Ranger Museum at Fort Fisher in Waco, the Institute of Texan Cultures in San Antonio, the Bob Bullock Museum in Austin, and the Museum of South Texas History in Edinburg.
Deborah P. Davis, Vice-President
3361 CR 211
Hondo, TX 78861
830/562-3650
Debbie received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Texas at Austin and studied Animal Science at Southwest Texas State University. With her husband Don, she has been a Texas Longhorn rancher since 1990 and they operate a grassfed Texas Longhorn beef marketing company near Bandera, Texas.
The Davis’s were Texas’s first partners Conservation Security Program in 2004, a USDA-Natural Resource Conservation Service program that promotes sustainable agricultural management on private lands.
She is the Registrar and past President of the Cattlemen’s Texas Longhorn Registry and has served as Secretary and Newsletter Editor for that organization. Mrs. Davis served on the Board of the South Texas Longhorn Association and was its Newsletter Editor 1999--2001. She serves on the boards of Holistic Management International-Texas, Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance, and was Chairman of Artist Reservations with the Women’s Art Guild of Laguna Gloria Museum in Austin, Texas. She received museum docent training from the Austin Nature Center, Elisabet Ney Museum, Laguna Gloria Art Museum and the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas in Austin, and Texas Forums moderator training at the LBJ Presidential Library and Museum.
Alicia Gallegos King, Treasurer
1933 CR 299
Gonzales, TX 78629
830/437-2421
Alice has been a rancher since 1975, raising Texas Longhorn cattle near Gonzales, Texas with her husband Shelby since 1980. She is a Founding Member and has served on the Board of the Cattlemen’s Texas Longhorn Registry where she held offices of Secretary and Treasurer.
Her leadership rolls also include having served as President of the Women’s Club in her church, District Judge of the Louisiana Garden Club, President of Volunteers of Hospitals in Houston, Texas, and Treasurer of the Intensive Care Unit in Houston where she also acted as the Translator Nurse for Spanish-speaking patients in the Intensive Care Unit.
Frank C. Sharp, PhD, Secretary
20 Country Club Dr.
Brownwood, TX 76801
325/646-2367
Frank is a college professor and educator and with his wife Louise has raised Texas Longhorn cattle for over ten years. He wrote his doctoral dissertation on Texas Longhorn cattle, his research focusing on Texas Longhorn history, symbolism, genetics, and preservation.
He is currently a Director on the Board of the Cattlemen’s Texas Longhorn Registry. Dr. Sharp is a published author and has given various presentations to civic groups and historical societies on the history of Texas Longhorns and the ranching families that raised and preserved them. His civic involvement includes such contributions as conducting after school music programs for young children and serving as Lay Leader of his church.
Ted Lusher
Austin, TX
512/751-8747
A resident of Austin, Texas, he is the CEO/Chairman of Sell-Thru Services, President of Candy Mountain Ranches, Llano, Texas, where he raises Texas Longhorn cattle, President of Badu House Restaurant & Event Complex, Llano, Texas CEO of STS Enterprises, Inc and a Board member of the Texas State Historical Foundation and Briscoe Western Art Museum.
Mr. Lusher is involved in many civic, educational, historical and medical support activities in Austin and Texas. He is well known for his impressive collection of western art and artifacts.
James E. (Jim) McEachern
Midlothian, TX
972/345-4676
Jim was born: October 21, 1935 in Dawson County, Texas Education: Sparenburg I.S.D., Ackerly I.S.D., Abilene I.S.D., Albany I.S.D., Midland I.S.D., and a B.A. from Howard Payne University, Brownwood, Texas in 1962.
His family includes his wonderful wife, Arlene, since June 28, 1958, four awesome married children and children-in law. Work Experience: Hoeing weeds, picking cotton, milking cows, washing dishes, digging ditches, grocery cashier and door-to-door salesman. In addition: Tom James Company Career: Salesman, 1966; Manager, 1967; V.P. and Director of Sales, 1969; President, 1973; Chairman of the Board and C.E.O., 1984; Senior Executive Officer, 1998 until the present. Honors: Distinguished Alumnus Award, Honorary Doctorate and Medal of Service Award from Howard Payne University.
Other Involvements: Howard Payne University Board of Trustees, Tom James Company Board of Directors, Ovilla Road Baptist Church Deacon, Bill Glass Prison Ministry Volunteer, Ovilla Christian School’s #1 Grandfather. Also: Co-author of the book, Plan to Win; featured on PBS and The 700 Club television programs; owner of Texas Longhorn cattle.
Jim Rohl
636/978-9855 636/978-9855
St. Peters, MO
Jim was born and raised on a small farm in southwestern Michigan. He has a lifelong interest in livestock and genetics, particularly cattle. Employed as a Geneticist with Newsham Choice Genetics in the field of livestock improvement, Jim lives with his wife and two children in Missouri.
D. Phillip Sponenberg, DVM, PhD
Professor, Pathology Genetics
Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA
540/231-4805
education: BS, Texas A&M University, 1975, DVM, Texas A&M University, 1976, PhD, Cornell University, 1979
positions: educator and college professor, Cornell University 1979-1981; college professor, Virginia Tech, 1981-present
Clinical Service duties include diagnostic histopathology and necropsy. Clinical teaching also includes the small ruminant elective clerkship in the senior year. Didactic teaching includes reproductive and endocrine pathology, domestication and genetic resources, and small ruminant medicine. Service roles have included Director of Student Affairs and Advisor to Student Chapter of the American Veterinary Medical Association.
Research interests include pathology and genetics. Genetic work includes single gene diseases in domesticated animals, and color in domesticated animals. Active research includes the conservation and history of domesticated animal genetic resources.
Publications include six books ( Horse Color, A Handbook for Conservation Breeders, Equine Color Genetics (two editions), Taking Stock, A Rare Breeds Album of American Livestock), 17 chapters of books (including some on pathology, others on genetics), 74 refereed journal publications, 13 invited papers, and 288 publications in the lay press (these concern genetics, and the history and conservation of rare breeds of livestock).
Service roles include coordinator for technical programs for the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, a not-for-profit organization working to conserve genetic resources of livestock species in North America. This work involves the identification of livestock genetic resources, as well as their phenotypic and historic characterization. Work includes the development of conservation strategies for those breeds that are rare.
Service roles also include convener of the sheep color group of the Committee for Genetic Nomenclature of Sheep and Goats. This is an international committee that standardizes genetic nomenclature for these species so that international communication is facilitated.
Interests include the management and conservation breeding of a personal herd of Tennessee Fainting Goats, and a few horses of the Choctaw strain of Spanish Colonial horses. In the past helped to manage a conservation herd of Yates line Texas Longhorns.