Don Aycock

Birthdate:   June 18
Place of Birth:   Shreveport, LA
Alma Mater:   Beaumont High
Favorite Food:   Broiled Flounder
Favorite Color:   Blue
I would like to visit:   Italy
Favorite TV show:   The Sopranos
I joined the Chamber in:   1993

Don presently serves as Chamber Director. He has served as our president in the past.

Birthdate:   December 7
Place of Birth:   Jarrel, Texas
Alma Mater:   Loop High School
Favorite Food:   Chinese
Favorite Color:   Rose
I would like to visit:   Smithsonian (again)
Favorite TV show:   any Ken Burns documentary
I joined the Chamber in:   August 2002

Ann Roberts volunteered for the library but was recruited instead for the Chamber office manager. She is a longtime volunteer and supporter of the Big Thicket Association. She is highly regarded and well liked by all who get to know her. (She also has a wonderful sense of humor).

Ann Roberts

"Dapper Jerry" Sonier

Birthdate:   December 26, 1962
Place of Birth:   Rome, New York
Alma Mater:   Little Cypress-Mauriceville
Favorite Food:   Chinese
Favorite Color:   Turquoise
I would like to visit:   Vietnam Vet Memorial Washington
I joined the Chamber in:   1997
Married to:   Cindy Lynn from Virginia
Married Since:   November 1, 1984
Names of Children:   Jerry Jr., Joshua Kent, Justin Eric
Favorite Song:   I Can Only Imagine by Mercy Me and
A Blessing In the Thorn by Philips, Craig & Dean

Jerry and his family have been good neighbors in the Kountze community for many years. They now reside in Silsbee.

Barbara "Frenchie" Jackson

Birthdate:   April 14
Place of Birth:   Beaumont, TX
Alma Mater:   French High School
Favorite Food:   Chinese
Favorite Color:   Yellow
I would like to visit:   Paris, France
Favorite TV Show:   CSI
I joined the Chamber in:   1997
Married to:   Jerry Jackson (Papa Jack)
Married Since:   July 7, 1967
Names of Children:   Kristi Blackwell and Brandi Hendrix

Barbara and Jerry have owned and operated "Mama Jack's" for many years now. It wouldn't be Kountze without them!

Mayor Fred Williams

Birthdate:   February 18
Place of Birth:   Lumberton, Mississippi
Alma Mater:   Texas Southern University
Favorite Food:   Seafood
Favorite Color:   Blue
I would like to visit:   Florida
Favorite TV Show:   Sports
Married to:   Gloria, a retired KISD schoolteacher
Married Since:   June 7, 1969
Names of Children:   Travis, who resides in Beaumont and Bryan who resides in Houston

We are proud to have Fred Williams as Mayor and a member of the Chamber. He is highly respected in his career and life. He is a downright nice person! He wasn’t born in Texas, but he got here as soon as he could.

Marianne Fiorenza
Just call her "Miz Marianne."

Birthdate:   October 29
Place of Birth:   Dallas, Texas
Alma Mater:   North Texas University/SFA
Favorite Food:   Southern Down Home Cooking
Favorite Color:   Any Shade of Blue
I would like to visit:   Italy and Scotland
Favorite TV Show:   If Walls Could Talk
Favorite Song:   "Country Roads"- John Denver
Married to:   Charley Fiorenza
Married Since:   May 5, 1984
Names of Children:   Blake Shaw, Cathy Dudley, Carrie Aulbaugh, Chuck Fiorenza, and Karen Ewton

She is a real Southern Belle. Her interest in exquisite antiques may stem from the fact that ancestors had a grand plantation called "China Grove."

Thomas Cryer

Place of Birth:   Kountze, Texas
Birth date:   July 29
Favorite Color:   Green
Favorite Food:   Fried Chicken
Favorite TV Sport:   Nascar
Attended school in:   West Hardin
I would like to visit:   New England States
Married to:   Gena
Married Since:   March 29, 1985
Name of Children:   Emily (17) and Kenna (13)

Tom has been a familiar face at Brookshires for a while now. He always has a smile and a kind word to say to everyone.

Laverne Crysel
"The Queen of Hearts"

Place of Birth:   Old Hicksbaugh, Tyler Co, Texas
Birth date:   February 15
Favorite Color:   Red
Favorite Food:   Cheese Enchiladas
Attended school in:   Warren, Texas
I would like to visit:   England
Married to:   Danny Crysel
Married since:   December 14, 1973
Favorite Pet:   Our “baby” Sacha
Favorite Hobbies:   Crafting jewelry, sewing, music
If you could meet any person from the past, who would it be?   Anna Anderson (who claimed to be Anastasia)
If you could pursue any other occupation, what would you do?   Become a Hairdresser
Favorite Song:   “He Looked Beyond My Faults (And Saw My Need)”