Rob Kepple
These last few months have been very hard on some of our members. Not only are many rebuilding their homes, but they are also working in makeshift offices and courtrooms after Hurricane Harvey damaged county buildings. It is going to take some time and much effort to get back to normal.
The TDCAF Disaster Relief Fund has collected nearly $30,000 to assist those prosecutors and staff members who have suffered losses. And this is a volunteer project—the Foundation Board and TDCAA staff have taken on the relief effort with a commitment that 100 percent of the money we collect will go to those in need.
I want to thank everyone who has chipped in to the fund to help our fellow prosecutors and staff members. We have had donations from as far away as Staten Island, and there have been great participation by prosecutors in North Carolina, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Virginia.
We need to take a moment to thank our friends in Louisiana, especially Roxie Barrios Juneau at the Louisiana District Attorneys Association, who guided us with where to start to create our disaster fund. In addition, two Louisiana district attorneys, East Baton Rouge Parrish DA Hillar Moore and Calcasieu Parrish DA John DeRosier showed up with teams to help in the house cleanup. It is great to have friends like those next door!
2017 Texas Prosecutor Society Inductees
In the last edition of The Texas Prosecutor, I listed the 2017 inductees into the Texas Prosecutors Society. The danger with a list, of course, is that you can miss someone—and I did. I am happy to report that one of the very first people to accept the invitation to join the society was Greg Willis, Criminal District Attorney in Collin County! Greg is a current TDCAA Board member and an enthusiastic supporter of the association and our profession. Sorry, Greg, for my oversight, and welcome!