The General Election is behind us and the deck has been shuffled in the halls of power in Austin. Even though Republicans continue to hold every major office in the state, the faces in those offices are changing.

To begin with, Greg Abbott will become the 48th Governor of Texas and the first new occupant of the Governor’s Mansion since 2000.Inside the Capitol building, State Senator Dan Patrick is taking over as Lieutenant Governor. That is especially important since it is he who will preside over the State Senate during the upcoming legislative session.

Congratulations to Roy Eaton and Jerry Tidwell on the outstanding National Newspaper Convention and Trade Show that was held Oct. 2-5 at the Grand Hyatt hotel on the Riverwalk in San Antonio. Roy is the publisher of the Wise County Messenger, and Jerry is the publisher of the Hood County News. They served as co-chairmen of the NNA convention committee that planned and organized the event. Both men are past NNA presidents and past presidents of the Texas Press Association. In fact, Roy Eaton was NNA president the last time the group came to Texas. That was in Fort Worth in 1997.

The Texas Press Association has a new address at 305 S. Congress Ave. in Austin. The old headquarters building at 718 W. 5th St. will be demolished to make room for a new high-rise condominium complex as the city's skyline continues to change.

Kathy and I had the opportunity to visit the Vietnam War Memorial a few years ago when we spent a week of vacation time in the Washington, D.C. area. I had seen the memorial, or The Wall, as it has come to be known, many times in photos and on television. Still, nothing prepared me for actually standing there and touching the names. Each and every one of the war's 58,282 American casualties is listed, including my second cousin, Grady Ray Nelson of Coos Bay, Oregon.