North & East Association Welcomes New Officer

Hello! My name is Grover Worsham, but most of you know me as “Tiger.” My father gave me the name when I was a baby, and believe me, it stuck.
I want to take this chance to thank all of my fellow commissioners and judges for electing me as second vice president of the North & East Texas County Judges and Commissioners Association. This is a position I will not take lightly. My vision is to try to make the Association work for everyone.
I was first elected commissioner in 1996 and have been re-elected since. Prior to my election I had the great opportunity to work for my predecessor for 14 years. Mr. Reynolds was Precinct 1 Trinity County Commissioner for 36 years. He handed down a wealth of knowledge for which I am grateful.
I would like to tell you about some good things happening in Trinity County. The best thing we have going on now is our courthouse renovation. We received a grant in the amount of $5 million from the Texas Historical Commission in 2007. We are just getting started on some of the early demolition. The courthouse was first built in 1914 and is in much need of repair. There have been a couple of fires over the years. I can remember one recently: As I headed into town I heard on the fire channel that there was a fire at the courthouse. It was about 5:20 p.m. and I couldn’t believe that a fire could start so soon after the employees had left, but it was true. When I arrived about three minutes later, there were flames about six feet high in the county clerk’s office. I worked with other residents to try and extinguish the flames with a fire extinguisher, but the smoke was too bad. The Groveton Volunteer Fire Department was on the scene in just a few minutes and did a wonderful job of putting it out. As you can see this was a much-needed grant for our courthouse.
Another project we have going is the complete rebuild of the old Kickapoo Park on U.S. Highway 287 south of Groveton. This is an old U. S. Forest Service roadside picnic area that has been closed for years. With the help of funds from Title III monies we received from the federal government, we will be able to restore this park and picnic area.
The last project I would like to tell you about is a Texas Department of Transportation project: the complete rebuild of the S.H. 94 Bridge and relief bridges over the Neches River. These old bridges are very narrow and have been the scenes of many accidents and several fatalities over the years. A big thank you goes out to TxDOT for recognizing this great need.
Finally, I would like to tell you about my family. Most of you know my wife, Shannon, from around the conferences; she enjoys traveling with me and seeing all of our friends. We have three daughters: Rachel and Laura who attend Sam Houston University, and Gabriela who will be a sophomore at Groveton High School. But, the light of our eyes is our 1-year-old granddaughter, Reaghan. She is truly an inspiration in our lives.
In closing I would like for anyone to feel free to call or e-mail me if I can be of any assistance or if you have any ideas for our association.
Thank You and God Bless.
Grover “Tiger” Worsham
Trinity County Commissioner Grover “Tiger” Worsham, Newly Elected Second Vice President