Shannon Smith

This author Shannon Smith has created 67 entries.

Join us for the 10th Annual Search Party!

Join us for the party of the year and help TEXSAR celebrate what’s shaping up to be our busiest year yet. This will be a one-of-a-kind evening that you won’t want to miss. When natural disasters strike—like the recent floods in Central Texas—TEXSAR is there. Our trained volunteers mobilize rapidly to search for the missing, rescue the stranded, and support overwhelmed first responders. But we can’t do it without you! Search Party is more than a fundraiser—it’s your chance to directly fuel lifesaving missions across Texas....

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20 Years, 20 Stories – Bill Sleep: Receiving More Than Giving

Years Active: 2015-Present Bill Sleep recounts his first TEXSAR meeting in 2015 when attendees were asked, “Do you like to get muddy? Have you ever slept in a ditch? Do you like being outdoors?”  He replied, “Yes, yes and yes.” The match was made whereas previous attempts to volunteer for various organizations did not prove to be aligned with his interests, skills and background. Bill joined TEXSAR at 67 years old. Blending a love for adventure...

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20 Years, 20 Stories – Charlie Grove: A Lifelong Passion that Benefits the World

Years Active: 2013-Present Charlie Grove loves the outdoors and in early 2013, he searched the web for possible organizations with which to place his desire to serve in ways that took him outside.   As luck would have it, he discovered TEXSAR and its upcoming meeting was just a few minutes from his home.  “I enjoyed meeting the people and seeing their commitment,” Charlie said. “All the meetings after that were on the other side of Austin,”...

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20 Years, 20 Stories – Jamine Doty: Because Everyone is Deserving

Years Active: 2015-Present Jamine Doty’s first major experience with emergency response came when she and her sister helped save the life of a Texas Department of Public Safety officer who was hit by a car as he got out of his vehicle. They were high school students at the time. “An hour after we got home, it all hit me. I had been a lifeguard for years, so I knew first aid and the importance of controlling...

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20 Years, 20 Stories – Jonathan McComb: The One Who Survived

Years Active: 2016-Present “When I got out of the hospital after about four days, I went to the local church where people were serving food to the volunteers who were helping with the searches and clean up. I wanted to thank them for their work, and when I introduced myself as Jonathan McComb, they would say, ‘You’re the one who survived!’ I knew that God allowed me to survive for a reason. Expressing my gratitude to the...

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20 Years, 20 Stories – Amy Shoe: It is Really Quite Simple

Years Active: 2015-Present Amy Shoe has been an active member of TEXSAR for nine years, ever since attending her first two divisional meetings after a friend suggested she look into the organization.  Since joining, she has been active in just about everything that TEXSAR does and is now the Assistant Division Leader – Central Texas Division. The secret sauce to her interest and her ongoing commitment is simple. “A friend told me about TEXSAR. I have volunteered for...

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20 Years, 20 Stories – Justen Noakes: Trained in a World of If/Then

Justen Noakes’ career that kept him primarily behind a computer where he blended his education in social science and industrial engineering had him often asking if/then questions related to emergency management. If such and such happens, then this is the response. Over and over the scenarios are examined. A firm believer in continual learning and training, he attended an emergency management course in Houston and learned about TEXSAR from Greg Pyles, CEO of TEXSAR at that time.. The...

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20 Years, 20 Stories – Shawn Hohnstreiter: A Builder of Many Things

“I am just a country boy. I love the outdoors. I’ve worked hard all my life. I began working at 8 and began paying taxes at 10,” said Shawn Hohnstreiter, one of the most influential and long-standing influences in the 20-year history of TEXSAR. He is a builder of many things. Shawn is quick to not take credit for what has been the result of many people’s efforts to create, expand and develop TEXSAR to what it is today, but that...

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TEXSAR Announces the Hiring of Missing Persons Unit Director, Patrick Turck.

Patrick is a retired homicide detective with 38 years of law-enforcement experience. He has worked investigations for two different central Texas law enforcement agencies, the state of Texas and as a civilian investigator for the US Army in Afghanistan.  Patrick has extensive experience in homicide investigations; and has been featured on the Discovery Channel for his work on a cold case homicide that resulted in five lengthy prison sentences. He was a member of the SWAT team...

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