March 10 at Barbwire Halo Cowboy Church 6761 SH 154 W., Gilmer, 6:30 pm.

The evening’s speaker will be John Van Compernolle.  John is a graduate of Stephen F. Austin with a BBA in accounting.  John is retired from a 40-year career in business as an accountant and consultant in mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures and finally as CFO for a small privately held company.  He’s spent the last 14 years self-educating in history and the US Constitution, building a 600 audiobook library consisting mostly of biographies of the characters who shaped our federal government over the last 250 years.

John, his wife Sharon, and their 8-year-old great-grandson make their home in Mineola, Texas.  They moved to Mineola in 2020 after selling their ranch near Frankston, Texas, where they raised alpacas and goats for 20 years.  For the last 6 years, he has been an activist, a Wood County precinct chair, and part of the Texas leadership team for the Convention of States Project.  The Convention of States Project seeks to develop the largest conservative grassroots army while promoting a Convention of States under Article V of the US Constitution to propose amendments that will limit the power and jurisdiction of the federal government, limit the taxing and spending ability of the federal government, and limit the terms in office of federal elected and appointed officials.

Preceding John’s presentation will be Upshur’s Republican Party Chair Carl Byers. Chairman Byers will update the voters on the efforts of the Republican Party of Upshur. One important change is the addition of the Party’s Temporary Legislative Committee.  

Last December, John published his book “Article V Unleashed,” available on Amazon in paperback and ebook formats.

Dinner is available for purchase; orders may be placed between 6:00 pm and 7:00 pm.  Menu:  Hamburger, chicken sandwich, french fries, nachos, and quesadillas.