Congressman Bud Cramer Joins JSU Board of Trustees

Congressman Bud Cramer
April 8, 2004 -- U.S. Rep. Bud Cramer has been appointed to a seat on the Jacksonville State University Board of Trustees as a representative of the Fifth U. S. Congressional District, replacing Mr. James D. Thornton of Huntsville, who served on the board for 38 years before his retirement.

Congressman Cramer has served as the representative for the fifth district since 1991. His district includes seven counties across northern Alabama: Colbert, Jackson, Lauderdale, Limestone, Madison, Lawrence and part of Morgan County.

Congressman Cramer said Thursday afternoon, "I am honored that Governor Riley appointed me to the Jacksonville State University Board of Trustees. I strongly believe in the importance of higher education, and for over 120 years Jacksonville State has been one of Alabama's finest institutions."

JSU President Bill Meehan said, "We are excited to have Congressman Cramer on the board representing the Fifth Congressional District. He brings a tremendous amount of expertise, and most of all he is personally very interested in joining the Board. He has developed a fondness for this institution over the last several years and has been invaluable to us as we have pursued our program at Little River Canyon and other issues."

Dr. Meehan added, "We want to again thank Mr. James D. Thornton for his hard work and 38 years of service to Jacksonville State."

Cramer serves on the House Appropriations Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. The powerful Appropriations Committee is in charge of the spending for all aspects of the federal government, including the Department of Defense and NASA. Many of the critical jobs performed by these two agencies are based in North Alabama.

Cramer was appointed to the House Intelligence Committee in April, which oversees defense and national security intelligence issues.

Cramer was born and raised in Huntsville and earned a law degree at the University of Alabama in 1972. A military veteran, he served as an Army tank officer at Fort Knox, Kentucky. A widower, Cramer has a daughter, Hollan; two grandsons, Dylan and Mason; and a new granddaughter, Patricia Lanier. Cramer is a lifelong member of the Methodist Church, where he taught Sunday school classes to young people for many years.

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