H.B. "Trip" Ruckman, III

Hugh B. "Trip" Ruckman III was born in the Nix Hospital, on the banks of the San Antonio River. He graduated from Karnes City High School, attended The University of Texas at Austin, where he earned his BBA and was a member of Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity. He was commissioned as a Supply Corps Officer in the US Navy through the ROTC program and served for nearly seven years, including two deployments to Vietnam. In 1974, Trip resigned from active duty, joined the Karnes County National Bank, and remained active in the Naval Reserves for the next 17 years, retiring as a Captain. As he worked in several areas of the bank, Trip went back to school and graduated from the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking. He later succeeded his father as President of the Karnes County National Bank, and in 1995, also became Chairman of the Board, a position he still holds today. After his father's death in 1987, Trip was elected to serve the four remaining years of his father's term on the board of the San Antonio River Authority. He was re-elected to the position in 1991, 1997 and 2003 and continues to serve. In 2001, Trip was elected as Chairman of the SARA board, and was re-elected to the position for a second two-year term in 2003.

Trip's wide range of civic activities include work with the Karnes City Town & Country Days, the Karnes City United Fund and the Karnes County Economic Development Corporation. In 1992 Trip was named the Alamo Area Council of Government's Regional Citizen of the Year and Citizen of the Year for Karnes City and Kenedy for his success in attracting the state prison facilities to Karnes County. Trip is an Eagle Scout and has served as the Scoutmaster of the local Boy Scout troop for 23 years, helping dozens of Scouts attain the Eagle rank.

Trip is married to Sherry Irvin of Dallas, also a UT graduate, who taught at Kenedy Elementary School. They have two sons, Christopher and Lee.