HOUSTON — Charlie Kirk, the founder of the national conservative youth organization Turning Point USA, is being remembered as a determined and influential figure by those who knew him closely, including longtime Houston conservative organizer Elizabeth "Buffie" Ingersoll.

Kirk, 31, was shot and killed in what Utah's governor called a "political assassination" while speaking at an event on Wednesday.

Ingersoll met Kirk when he was just 18 years old and quickly recognized his potential.

“Such an unbelievable loss for this world. I knew when I met him at 18, he was going to be the youngest president ever. I knew it,” she said.

Kirk often stayed at the Ingersoll family’s home in Bunker Hill when visiting Houston. As his conservative ideology matured, so did his ambitions.

“The RNC looke

See Full Page