On May 16, the HCYR Board of Directors celebrated ten years of service by outgoing President John Bakke III, including two years as President of the Board. John told the Board that he is proud of the accomplishments of the Youth Ranch during his tenure, most especially of the building of Oma Bell Perry’s dream known as the Big Springs Ranch for Children, HCYR’s sister campus near Leakey.

At the same meeting, Wes Dorman of Kerrville was chosen as the newest president of HCYR. Wes has been a friend and supporter of the Ranch for over 20 years. His wife, Marcy, works as HCYR’s librarian. He explains his becoming involved with the Ranch as follows, "My good friend Marj Nicholson (past Board president and founder of the Auxiliary) introduced me to the good things that were going on at HCYR. And later, when Marcy began working there, I became much more aware of the incredible work that goes on."

A native Texan, Wes traveled as a young man to various places including Venezuela, Libya and Spain. Eventually, Wes found his way to Kerrville where he and Marcy are proud parents to three children and three grandchildren.

By day, Wes is an attorney and vice-president at Broadway Bank in Kerrville, serving as trust manager and estate advisor. When not professionally assisting others with financial planning, Wes is very active in charitable organizations.

Some of the organizations besides the Youth Ranch in which Wes actively participates are the Riverside Nature Center, Kerrville Performing Arts Society, Hill Country Estate Planning Council, Friends of the Butt-Holdsworth Memorial Library, Dietert Senior Center, and Schreiner University. He has served as President of several of these. He is also a member of the Kerrville Lions Club.

Wes was instrumental in founding the Kerrville Swim Team and the Hill Country Youth Soccer Association. Helping children has always been a passion for him, as has enriching the area’s cultural environment for all ages.

Each HCYR President has brought to the table a unique set of talents and a special focus for HCYR’s continuing growth. Wes wants to see the Ranch become more financially independent, more ready for the future. He says, "I feel the Youth Ranch needs to grow the Endowment significantly. The Brunes have recently made a wonderful challenge gift to the Endowment (see barometer at right), in which they will match up to $1,000,000 in new endowment gifts. If we can meet this challenge, the Youth Ranch will have important permanent resources to help meet the needs of our children, without depending on a constantly changing state contract system."

According to HCYR Executive Director Gary Priour, "Wes has a special gift of leadership, as he has shown throughout our community. We are grateful to have him, along with our other wonderful Board members and leaders, to help us confront an ongoing crisis in our state’s ability to provide continuity and stability for orphaned and abused children. A lot is riding on the Youth Ranch in this regard."