Ken "Kip" Petty Ken Petty, 47, was an on-off Texas resident living in McAllen, Victoria, Euless and Spring during the 80's and 90's becoming a permanent fixture in Spring during the late winter of 2004. As a Kansas-born, Missouri-raised, transplanted Texan, Ken likes to tell others that he got here "as fast as I could". By the end of 2004, he married the former Mary (McIlhenny) Sheppard and merged their families into one huge blended family. Prior to coming to Spring, Ken attended Southern Illinois University to finish his BS degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Marketing. While in school, the mayor of Hazelwood (MO) appointed Ken to serve as Neighborhood Watch Commissioner for his precinct. Ken was reappointed to a second term and served the city though 2002 in that capacity. In 1996, while living in Jefferson City, Ken charged forward in his first campaign bid for the Missouri General Assembly that fell short, but garnered a record vote percentage for a third party. Currently, Ken works for an industrial products firm in Tomball marketing to local governments. He also serves as the editorial chairman for the Public News, a newspaper that reaches the Central and North Houston markets. He also creates web sites for clients as well as serves as a business consultant. His wife, Mary, is a Realtor™ for Exit Realty in The Woodlands and she teaches for the Spring Independent School District. His children run in age from 23 to 10. As to this date, Ken is not a grandfather.