Josh Edwards/The Daily Sentinel, image file

Travis Clardy is the 2024 recipient of the C. Wayne Mitchell Advocacy Award from the Nacogdoches County Chamber of Commerce.

By: Josh Edwards Managing Editor, Daily Sentinel 

State Rep. Travis Clardy, a champion for Nacogdoches inside the Texas Legislature and beyond, will be honored for his work when the Nacogdoches County Chamber of Commerce hosts its annual meeting and banquet Tuesday.

Clardy has served six terms in the Texas Legislature, where he carried a variety of legislation beneficial to Nacogdoches. He lost a re-election bid this spring. The chamber will honor him Tuesday with the C. Wayne Mitchell Advocacy Award.

In the Legislature, Clardy has been an advocate for public education and vocational training at the state and local level. In 2015, he authored the bill that established the Jobs and Education for Texans grant program that has poured billions of dollars into workforce training.

“There have been a lot of things I’ve done that has a statewide impact. I’m proud of what we did with Sam’s Law and the epilepsy awareness it brings in our schools. It was important legislation. And it has, I know this to be true, it has actually saved lives,” Clardy said.

The law requires all Texas public school personnel whose duties include regular contact with students to be trained in seizure recognition and seizure first aid.

With a more local focus, Clardy carried a bill that led to the revitalization of the Fredonia Hotel and was instrumental in the legislative process that allowed Stephen F. Austin State University to join the University of Texas System. He also helped secure funding for expansion of Rusk State Hospital.

“I don’t deserve all the credit. For everything that we were able to accomplish, I certainly did my part, but I could not have done it without the staff that I had working for me, the people in my office, and the people in the community that were supporting me,” he said.

Jerri Jones, Clardy’s district director, deserves most of the credit for helping residents of Houston District 11, Clardy said.

“On a daily basis, she’s fielding calls and talking about issues. We were really able to help real people in real time in the real world. I’m really proud of how we helped people,” he said.

Clardy also gives credit to his wife, Judy.

“She’s been absolutely great,” he said. “She’s been a real ambassador for Nacogdoches.”

Outside the legislature, he runs Clardy Law Offices in Nacogdoches and was announced in May as the president and CEO of the Texas Health Care Association, a trade group for nursing homes, long-term care and assisted living facilities.

He plans to continue to advocate for Nacogdoches as he did before winning a legislative seat.

“I hope to continue to build this into the place it can be,” Clardy said. “Getting an opportunity to serve in the Legislature has been a singular honor for us.”

The Clardys moved to Nacogdoches in 2004.

“I love Nacogdoches. I love the history of it. There’s this thing about Nacogdoches that’s hard to describe. It’s a town of character and characters — exceptionally high character people with a heart for service,” Clardy said.

The C. Wayne Mitchel Advocacy Award is sponsored by Servpro.

Other award recipients included:

• West Fraser, Large Business of the Year, sponsored by R&K Distributors

• Badders Law Firm, Medium Business of the Year, sponsored by Regions Bank

• Ted Smith — State Farm Insurance, Small Business of the year, sponsored by Commercial Bank of Texas

• Federation of Women’s Clubs, Non Profit of the Year, sponsored by Charles Pool Real Estate

• C. Wayne Mitchell, Lifetime Achievement, sponsored by ServiceMaster Piney Woods.

• John Ruckel, Citizen of the Year, sponsored by Tipton Ford.