Changes

On that same trip to Washington, Reese met President Johnson, Teamsters President [[Jimmy Hoffa]], and future U.S. President [[Gerald Ford]], then a U.S. representative from Grand Rapids, [[Michigan]]. Some ten years later, Reese would be running for Congress on the ticket with Ford and vice-presidential running-mate, [[U.S. Senator]] [[Robert J. Dole]] of [[Kansas]], but all went down to defeat at the hands of the Democrats [[Jimmy Carter]], [[Walter Mondale]], and George Herman Mahon.<ref>Reese, pp. 131-132.</ref>

On that same trip to Washington, Reese met President Johnson, Teamsters President [[Jimmy Hoffa]], and future U.S. President [[Gerald Ford]], then a U.S. representative from Grand Rapids, [[Michigan]]. Some ten years later, Reese would be running for Congress on the ticket with Ford and vice-presidential running-mate, [[U.S. Senator]] [[Robert J. Dole]] of [[Kansas]], but all went down to defeat at the hands of the Democrats [[Jimmy Carter]], [[Walter Mondale]], and George Herman Mahon.<ref>Reese, pp. 131-132.</ref>

In 1965-1966, before Reese reached the maximum departure age of thirty-six from the Jaycees, he was named vice president of the national organization at the convention in [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]], [[New York]]. He was assigned to monitor Jaycee activities in five states: [[Utah]], [[New Mexico]], [[Arizona]], Colorado, and Texas. He was also named to formulate the Jaycees "government affairs" portfolio, having worked in that endeavor with conservative activist Clymer Wright, a former newspaper publisher from Fort Bend and Harris counties in [[suburb]]an [[Houston, Texas|Houston]]. In 1991, Wright pushed successfully for  municipal term limits in Houston.<ref>Reese, p. 132.</ref><ref>Clymer Wright was one of the unsuccessful Republican candidates in the 1993 [[special election]] for the [[U.S. Senate]] to fill the seat vacated earlier by [[Lloyd Bentsen]], who became [[United States Secretary of the Treasury]] in the [[Bill Clinton]] administration. Like Jim Reese, Wright had been a Reagan backer since 1968. In 1982, Wright launched an unsuccessful campaign to convince Reagan to fire the Houstonian [[James Baker]] as the White House chief of staff. Reagan not only retained Baker but later elevated him to the position of secretary of the treasury.</ref>

In 1965-1966, before Reese reached the maximum departure age of thirty-six from the Jaycees, he was named vice president of the national organization at the convention in [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]], [[New York]]. He was assigned to monitor Jaycee activities in five states: [[Utah]], [[New Mexico]], [[Arizona]], Colorado, and Texas. He was also named to formulate the Jaycees "government affairs" portfolio, having worked in that endeavor with conservative activist Clymer Lewis Wright, Jr. (1932-2022), a former newspaper publisher from Fort Bend and Harris counties in [[suburb]]an [[Houston, Texas|Houston]]. In 1991, Wright pushed successfully for  municipal term limits in Houston.<ref>Reese, p. 132.</ref><ref>Clymer Wright was one of the unsuccessful Republican candidates in the 1993 [[special election]] for the [[U.S. Senate]] to fill the seat vacated earlier by [[Lloyd Bentsen]], who became [[United States Secretary of the Treasury]] in the [[Bill Clinton]] administration. Like Jim Reese, Wright had been a Reagan backer since 1968. In 1982, Wright launched an unsuccessful campaign to convince Reagan to fire the Houstonian [[James Baker]] as the White House chief of staff. Reagan not only retained Baker but later elevated him to the position of secretary of the treasury.</ref>

Reese served as president of the Odessa Young Men's Christian Association. At the time Odessa was the largest U.S. city not to have a YMCA. So a capital campaign was launched to build the modern facility on University Boulevard. The land was donated by the firm Houston Endowment of Houston, Texas.<ref>Reese, p. 132.</ref>  Odessa oilman Bill Noël, a Fort Worth native who had been named in 1963 as "Outstanding Citizen of Odessa,"<ref>"Noel, William Douglas" (1914-1987), ''Handbook of Texas'' on-line, Website: tshaonline.org/handbook/online, [Accessed November 13, 2010]</ref> headed the drive to tap large donors. Former state Attorney General [[John Ben Shepperd]], a leading political and civic activist who maintained residences in Odessa in West Texas and Gladewater in East Texas,<ref>George E. Christian, "Shepperd, John Ben, ''The Handbook of Texas'' On-line,'' Texas State Historical Association, Website: tshaonline.org, accessed November 11, 2010.</ref>  developed a plan to reach smaller contributors who would upon completion of the YMCA feel a stake in its success. Reese describes Shepperd as "the best organizer I ever knew. He started his meetings at 7 a.m. when most could not devise an excuse to avoid attending fundraising activities.<ref>Reese, p. 132.</ref>

Reese served as president of the Odessa Young Men's Christian Association. At the time Odessa was the largest U.S. city not to have a YMCA. So a capital campaign was launched to build the modern facility on University Boulevard. The land was donated by the firm Houston Endowment of Houston, Texas.<ref>Reese, p. 132.</ref>  Odessa oilman Bill Noël, a Fort Worth native who had been named in 1963 as "Outstanding Citizen of Odessa,"<ref>"Noel, William Douglas" (1914-1987), ''Handbook of Texas'' on-line, Website: tshaonline.org/handbook/online, [Accessed November 13, 2010]</ref> headed the drive to tap large donors. Former state Attorney General [[John Ben Shepperd]], a leading political and civic activist who maintained residences in Odessa in West Texas and Gladewater in East Texas,<ref>George E. Christian, "Shepperd, John Ben, ''The Handbook of Texas'' On-line,'' Texas State Historical Association, Website: tshaonline.org, accessed November 11, 2010.</ref>  developed a plan to reach smaller contributors who would upon completion of the YMCA feel a stake in its success. Reese describes Shepperd as "the best organizer I ever knew. He started his meetings at 7 a.m. when most could not devise an excuse to avoid attending fundraising activities.<ref>Reese, p. 132.</ref>