Jerry Secrest
Jerry Secrest received his Bachelor of Laws degree from Baylor University in 1968 after receiving his Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Baylor in 1966. Upon graduating from law school he became a Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and served in Springfield, Illinois, and New York City. Jerry then returned to his hometown of Temple, Texas, to join the Bell County District Attorney’s Office and later entered the private practice of law in 1973 with a prominent local firm. In 1985, Jerry opened CentraLand Title Company with Richard Mewhinney and continues to be a co-owner today with attorney Thomas Baird. Jerry has an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell, is a Sustaining Life Fellow in the Texas Bar Foundation and focuses his law practice on real estate and other transactional work.
EDUCATION
Baylor University (BBA, 1966; LLB, 1968)
CHURCH AND CIVIC INVOLVEMENT
- First United Methodist Church, Temple:
- Chair, Administrative Board
- Chair, Board of Trustees
- Chair, Staff-Parish Relations Committee
- Finance Committee
- Texas Methodist Foundation:
- Chair, Board of Directors
- General Counsel
- Chair, Scott & White Estate Planning Council
- Past Chair, Temple Planning Commission
- Past Member Temple Economic Development Corp. Board of Directors
- Past Member, Scott and White Health Plan Board of Directors
- Past President, Lions Club Parks, Inc.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
- Special Agent, FBI: Springfield, Illinois, and New York City
- Assistant District Attorney, 27th Judicial District, Bell County, Texas
- Private Law Practice (1973-present)
- Admitted to Practice in the Western District of Texas and the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals
- President: Bell, Lampasas, Mills Counties Bar Association
- Vice President, CentraLand Title Company
- State Bar of Texas:
- President’s Award (1996)
- Member, Board of Directors (Co-Outstanding 3rd Year Director)
- Chair, Texas Commission for Lawyer Discipline
- Volunteer Trial Attorney, Special Disciplinary Counsel Program
- Texas Bar Foundation, Sustaining Life Fellow
- Former Member:
- Board of Directors, Texas Association of Defense Counsel
- Board of Directors, Baylor Law School Alumni Association
- Texas Bank Lawyers Association
- American Board of Trial Advocates
Jamey Secrest
Jamey Secrest received his Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from Baylor University with a concentration in general civil litigation in 1999 and began his law practice in Temple upon admission to the State Bar of Texas that same year. He has served as President of the Bell County Young Lawyers Association and was honored by his peers as the Bell County Young Lawyer of the Year in 2003. In 2005 Jamey was elected to serve as the District 9 Director of the Texas Young Lawyers Association (TYLA) and was given the TYLA President’s Award after his first year of service. He is a graduate of Leadership Temple and is a Fellow in the Texas Bar Foundation. Jamey has a general civil law practice in Temple, focusing on real estate, transactional work, probate, wills and litigation.
EDUCATION
- Baylor University (Juris Doctor, Concentration in
General Civil Litigation, 1999) - Texas Christian University (BA/English, History Minor, 1994)
CHURCH AND CIVIC INVOLVEMENT
- President, Temple Founder Lions Club (2014-2015)
- Vice President, Temple Founder Lions Club (2011-2013)
- Director, Temple Area Builders Association (2008-2009; 2010-2015)
- Commissioner, Planning and Zoning Commission for City of Temple, Texas (2007-2010)
- Administrative Board Chair for First United Methodist Church of Temple, Texas (2006)
- Commissioner, Zoning Board of Adjustments for City of Temple, Texas (2004-2007)
- Chairman, Staff Parish Relations Committee for First United Methodist Church (2003)
- Board of Directors, McGowan-Stephens Church School (2002-2005)
- Board of Directors, Communities in Schools (2000-2003)
- Chair, Attorney Division for United Way of Central Texas (2002-2003)
- Member, Temple Area Home Builders Association (1999-present)
- Member, Temple Chamber of Commerce (1999-present)
- Member, Temple Founder Lions Club (2007-present)
- Graduate, Leadership Temple (1996)
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
- President, Bell County Bar Association (2008-2009)
- President-Elect, Bell County Bar Association (2007-2008)
- Author: “A Practical Guide for Residential Real Estate Transactions” – State Bar of Texas CLE
- Treasurer, Bell County Bar Association (2006-2007)
- Secretary, Bell County Bar Association (2005-2006)
- Director, Bell County Bar Association (2002-2005)
- Director, Texas Young Lawyers Association (2005-2007)
- President, Bell County Young Lawyers Association (2002-2003)
- Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation (since 2003)
- State Bar of Texas, Local Bar Services Committee (2002-2009)
- Member, State Bar of Texas (1999-present)
- Member, Texas Young Lawyers Association (1999-present)
AWARDS
- President’s Award of Merit, Texas Young Lawyers Association (2006-2007)
- President’s Award, Texas Young Lawyers Association (2005-2006)
- Bell County Young Lawyer of the Year (2003)
Senator
Jarrard Secrest
In Memoriam
Senator Jarrard Secrest
Senator Jarrard Secrest received his Bachelor of Laws degree from Baylor University in 1941 and immediately became a Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, serving in Chicago, Illinois, Los Angeles, California and San Francisco, California. He returned to the Central Texas area in 1945 to open his law practice in Temple, Texas, and later became City Judge in 1948. Jarrard began his political career in 1953 when he was elected as State Senator of District 13. He was elected President Pro Tem of the Senate in 1959 and chosen to serve as Governor for a Day of the State of Texas on June 5, 1959. Jarrard was named as the Outstanding Young Man of Temple in 1949 and was given the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Southwestern University in 1965, one year before his untimely death at the age of 51.
EDUCATION
- Baylor University (LLB, 1941)
- Southwestern University (BA, 1936)
AWARDS
- Distinguished Alumnus Award,
Southwestern University (1965) - Governor for a Day,
State of Texas (June 5, 1959) - Outstanding Young Man of Temple (1949)
CHURCH AND CIVIC INVOLVEMENT
- Chairman, Board of Stewards: First United Methodist in Temple, Texas
- Lay Leader, Central Texas Conference of the Methodist Church
- Delegate, World Methodist Conference (London, England)
- President, Temple Founder Lions Club
- President, Temple Junior
Chamber of Commerce - President, Temple Knife and Fork Club
- President, Temple Community Chest
- President, Bell, Mills, Lampasas
Bar Association - Director, Temple Chamber of Commerce
- Director, Temple Eagles Baseball Club
- Director, Temple Chamber of Commerce
- Director, Temple Library Board
- Director, Brazos River Reclamation and Conservation District
EXPERIENCE
- State Senator: Texas,
District 13 (1953-1963) - President Pro-Tem:
Texas State Senate (1959) - Attorney: Temple, Texas (1945-1966)
- City Judge: Temple, Texas (1948-1952)
- Special Agent, FBI: Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco (1941-1945)
- Professor of Political Science at Baylor University (1939-1941)
- Government and Economics Teacher at Temple High School (1936-1939)
