History of the TKG

Before the TKG

We want to begin our deep dive into the TKG by giving honor where honor is due. The first official knife organization in the great state of Texas was the Texas Knifemakers and Collectors Association, or TKCA. As the name implies, it was a combination of very talented knifemakers and knife collectors across the state. The author is not sure, at this time, about its founding but it was disbanded in 2013.

Inception of the TKG

With the dissolution of the TKCA, there were makers and collectors across the state who felt the void it left. Knifemakers started chatting in August 2013 on internet forms such as KnifeNetwork and Bladeforms about creating a new group and in the Spring of 2014 Jim McGuinn and Don Shipman met with Vance Hinds to discuss the creation of this new group. In May of 2014, Vance Hinds created the Facebook group that is now called the Texas Knifemakers’ Group (then, Texas Knifemakers Association). They then scheduled the first of several organizational meetings to take place across the state.

Organizational Meetings

The first meeting was held on October 25, 2014 after a gun and knife show at the Roy Rogers Convention Center in Fort Worth. Attendees included: Vance Hinds, Jim McGuinn, Jason Wilder, Jack Brown, Thomas Killingsworth, David Killingworth, Robbie Killingsworth, Roger Blalock, Bob Ohlemann, Johnny Stout, Travis Payne, Phil Dunn, Brandon McFarland, Anthony Stovall, James Ivy, Joe Cothey, and Nathan Gaines.

At this meeting, attendees discussed many ideas and eventually made the following decisions: The name of the organization will be called the Texas Knifemakers’ Guild. The mission statement would be: “To perpetuate the art of knifemaking; to promote, expand, and encourage an interest in knives and blades, to provide an educational forum for the exchange of ideas, techniques and innovations; to promote displays of individual works and collections; and to promote fellowship among individuals with an interest in making knives.” Paid memberships were created and certifications were discussed but not finalized at that time. Further, it was discussed that the organization would be divided into three regions (now North, West, and South) and each region would select up to five delegates to represent their region on the board of directors.

Regional meetings were then held across the state to elect regional directors.

The first regional meeting for the North Region was held on December 06, 2014 at the Blacksmith Shop in Grapevine. Attendees included: Vance Hinds, Jim McGuinn, Dan Richman, Gary Mitchell, Chuck Ness, Andrew Griggs, Glen lashley, Joe Mcneely, Jack Andress, Will Frary, Tommy Killingsowrth, David Killingsworth, Merritt Kendall, D. Rutledge, Jason Wilder, Don Shipman, Ronnie Packard, Jose Aguirre, and Travis Payne. Attendees chose the following members to represent them on the board of directors: Vance Hinds, Jim McGuinn, Travis Payne, Andrew Griggs, and Ronnie Packard.

The West Region, then called the “Big Country Knife Club”, met at the home of Don Godard in Abilene for a hammer-in and selected Jason Fry, Dale White, and Charles Hawkins to be their representatives.

Not much is known at this time of the South Region meeting to select representatives.

The next major milestone of the Texas Knifemakers Guild was a meeting of the elected board members. This meeting took place on January 17, 2015 in Temple. This meeting clarified some goals as well as sought to establish the organization’s bylaws. At this meeting there were five members who each gave $100 to pay for fees associated with the incorporation of the organization. These five members are: Jason Fry, Charles Hawkins, Travis Payne, David Bryson, Ronnie Packard, David Patterson

---

Texas Knifemakers’ Guild Founding Members

In 2018 the Board of Directors decided that in order to be considered a Founding Member of the TKG, one must have (1) attended at least one of the first three organizational meetings (Fort Worth, Grapevine, or Temple) AND (2) pay dues within the first year of the organization’s founding. Here is a list of the TKG’s founding members:

David Bryson, Jason Fry, Travis Fry, Andrew Griggs, Charles Hawkins, Jamie Herring, Vance Hinds, James Huse, Tommy Killingsworth, Jim McGuinn, Jerry Moen, Bob Ohlemann, Ronnie Packard, David Patterson, Travis Payne, Don Shipman, Johnny Stout, Anthony Stovall, Dale White, Jason Wilder

Board of Directors by Date

2023

North Region	West Region	South Region
Ronnie Packard	Jason Fry	James Huse
Jamie Herring	Dale White	Jason Wilder (P)
Eugene DuBois (T)	Bryan Borton	Terry Dunn (VP)
Shane Stainton	Jim Poor	Jack Thatcher (S)
Jason Boone	Dan Girard	Brett Noake