John Dalton for Vice President, Billy Galbreath for Secretary/Treasurer, Raimondo Campana & Charlie Pevehouse for Directors.
Vice President:
John Dalton
My name is John Dalton and I am seeking re-election as VP of our association. I have served on the board since 2009 as a director and then as a vice president. I am 46 years old and live on our farm in McDade with 170 hounds. I have been in the business all my life, grew up on my dad’s farm in Ireland, and have been a trainer, kennel operator, farmer, participated in Nationals, raise our own dogs, and also raise and train for board clients. We also operate a greyhound hauling business between Texas and Florida. We own the dogs with the “Kells” prefix.
Our industry has gone through many changes in recent years from the total loss of racing in many states to the lucrative purses generated from expanded gaming in others. And, while most of our efforts need to focus on our own state, what happens nationally in the business will affect us here also. Supporting continued racing in every state and doing all we can to limit negative publicity is crucial.
I am very proud of our association and what we have to done and strived to do in the past years. All our decisions, popular or not, were always made in the best interest of the breeders, kennel operators, and especially our dogs themselves. My hope for the future is that while we continue to strive for favorable legislation, we return to promoting our sport, our people, and our dogs to not only new patrons but also to those who would be involved as we are. We have to change with the times to come up with innovative ideas and ways to achieve this goal and suggestions from all are more than welcome.
Being self-employed, you tend to become very self-reliant, getting the job done by yourself. Being part of the board has taught me to work with other people and to listen as much as talk. By working together we get many perspectives, argue a lot, and when all is said, come up with the best plan. We need input not only from our board, but from all in our association. I thank you all for your support in the past and ask to continue as your Vice President in the coming term.
Secretary/Treasurer:
Billy Galbreath
I am Billy Galbreath and I am 56 years old and was born in Waco, Texas. I attended Texas A & I University and have been employed with Luminant since 1977. My wife Robin and I have been married since 1987 and reside in Burleson County, outside of Rockdale.
We have three children. Twenty-three year old McKenna who has now graduated from Texas A & M University. Twenty-one year old Kelsey is a junior at Texas A & M University double majoring in Kinesiology and Nutrition with plans to attend medical school. Kelsey is a Texas A & M Athletic Trainer and is currently working with the Aggie Football Team. Nineteen year old Grant is a freshman at Texas A & M University and is majoring in business and thanks to the GGP/TGA Scholarship that has helped my children with their education. I’d like to encourage anyone to call the TGA about the scholarship information which your kids can apply for every semester.
In my 29 years of raising greyhounds, I have been involved in many aspects of the business. I have raised and trained dogs for myself, boarded and trained for the public, owned and operated a kennel and have been active on many committees for the improvement of our industry. I have enjoyed the excitement of raising dogs that are athletes and enjoyed seeing some become stakes champions.
Over the years I have been witness to many bright spots in our sport, but none more than the first years of legalized Para mutual wagering in Texas. The growth and recognition our sport received during this time set a standard for states to strive for in the industry.
Our state organization (TGA) hosted many great meets for our breeders to showcase their dogs. The races and meetings were attended by hundreds with standing room only around the track. As an organization we were introducing seminars to track operators and breeders as how to help both to make our industry better.
Like many individual farmers across the nation, I have seen the decline of purses at the tracks that do not subsidize with VLT’s (video lottery terminals). It is my firm belief that it will take the passage of VLT’s in Texas to carry the Texas greyhound industry back to top purses it boasted during the first years of the introduction of para mutual wagering in our state. The cause is something that I have been involved with, traveling to Austin numerous years to lobby and serving on committees working with both the greyhound and horse racing owners, trainers and track operators. Realizing that we have to stay involved to reiterate how important our industry is to our state’s economy, and to hopefully make sure our association and its people are included in any legislation that is passed on the VLT’s.
My family and I realize the importance of serving in something you believe in. It has been a pleasure to run for the TGA the past two years as secretary of treasurer. Also being present at all the meetings and teleconferences and that’s my goal for the next two years. We look forward to being active in the industry and supporting the Texas Greyhound Association for many years to come.
Board of Directors:
Raimondo Campana
My name is Raimondo Campana, You can call me Raymond. I am running for a Position as a Director of the Texas Greyhound Association, I joined the Tga in 1989 I am 56 years old and a partner in a Ride and Concession company Which I have Managed sense 1979. I have been involved in Greyhound racing as a owner, a small breeder and at one time a Kennel Owner. After a short Illness at forced me to back away for a couple of years I started volunteering my time around the TGA Working on the track, helping with the Spring Meet , Helping with Transporting Greyhounds From Corpus to adoption groups, and taking care of Greyhounds that needed our attention also working on and Chairing the Election Committee, Anything I could help with to make things BETTER.
As a Director of the TGA,I will Work for the important issues facing the BREEDERS; Purse and Opportunity to run,sell or boarding My Goal is to give Texas Breeders Every advantage possible to be successful!!!With constant organized assaults coming at us from all directions, We need to explore all options to keep this great sport and way of life we love moving forward!!! I would greatly appreciate your vote for Director of the Texas Greyhound Association.
Thank You
Charlie Pevehouse
My name is Charlie Pevehouse and I’ve been married to Betty for 57 years. We have three children, all boys except one, six grandchildren and one great grandchild and one on the way. I’ve been in the Ceramic Tile business since 1953 and still going.
I have been a member of the TGA since the beginning and NGA since 1965. I was appointed to serve on the NGA to finish out Roy Tate’s term in the 1990’s and it took 17 years to get it done.
In the 1980’s a group of dogmen met in Temple, Texas: Jim Frey, Bo Titsworth, Roy Tate, Dr Swain, Ferd West, Slim Hinton, Richard Martin, Paul Watt and myself and put together that day what is now the TGA. Most of us put $1,000 to get it started and now you can see the results of the TGA, what it’s worth today and what all we have; with special thanks to Jim Frey.
I’ve been on the Board of Directors ever since the TGA’s inception and a breeder, kennel operator in several states and Old Mexico. The worst thing that has happened in the TGA, since I’ve been a member, is when a group of people got together and voted out our Executive Director, Jim Frey. If it wasn’t for Mr. Frey, there wouldn’t be a Texas Greyhound Association and he got us what we have today.