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SANDERSON –
Terry “Tex” Toler celebrated his birthday Tuesday with a win in the race for
Democratic nomination to county judge, unseating two-term incumbent Leo Smith
287 to 225. He still faces
Libertarian Dean Autrey in the November General Election. Pete Sanchez also
filed for the Libertarian nomination but he told the News Leader Wednesday he
was going to withdraw from the race at the party’s county “caucus” next week. And Smith
indicated he had support for a write-in campaign in the fall and may decide
to run that way. “I am humbled
and grateful to the citizens of Terrell County who first encouraged me to
run, supported me throughout the campaign and believed in my ability to be
the community’s public servant as county judge,” Toler said. “I welcome
anyone and everyone who wishes to discuss any matter or idea with me to call
or visit. “Of course, I
have my own ideas and solutions I would like to propose but I want to hear as
many of the citizens as possible,” he said. Smith was
philosophical about his loss. “I have no
regrets,” he said. “Terrell County has been good to me and I wish everybody
well.” Smith said he
does not pray for a particular outcome. “I ask that
God’s will be done,” he said. “If it’s meant to be, it will be. If not, I
accept His will and will move on.” Smith said he
has left the county in excellent fiscal shape for the next administration. Whether there
is a write-in campaign or not, the change will not be the only one on the
Commissioners Court next year. Precinct Two Commissioner Della Fuentes lost
to challenger Michelle L. Marquez 67 to 52. The other
commissioner running this year, Kenn Norris, was unopposed in the Democratic
Primary but he faces retired Deputy County Clerk Donna Smith, the unopposed
Republican nominee, in November. There will be
one runoff April 13 for county offices. Leila K. Cash
will face Deputy County Treasurer Ana Barron for the job of treasurer to replace
Lynda Helmers who chose not to run for re-election. Cash got 161
votes to Barron’s 155. Anna Garza polled 109 and Cindy Kelso got 87 in the
four-way race. Surprisingly,
there is no run-off in either statewide race for governor, despite a combined
eight candidates for the two nominations. Incumbent
Republican Rick Perry edged past two challengers, US Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison
and Debra Medina, with 51.08 percent of the total. Perry polled
757,461 to 449,632 for Hutchison and 275,604 for Medina. On the
Democratic side, former Houston Mayor Bill White sailed past six challengers
to post 76.11 percent of the total to face Perry in November. There also is
a Libertarian race to be determined next week. The nearest
challenger for the Democratic nomination for governor was businessman Farouk Shami
with 12.74 percent. Terrell County
voters followed the state trend with 12 votes for Perry, six for Hutchison
and three for Medina. On the
Democratic side, White polled 201 to 48 for Shami. Felix (Rodriguez) Alvarado
polled 57, Alma Ludivina Aguado got 39 votes, Bill Dear polled 15, Clement E.
Glenn got 11 votes and Star Locke got 10. There will be
a runoff in the race for Republican nomination to US Rep., District 23, to
face Democrat Ciro Rodriguez in November. Will Hurd,
with 33.69 percent of the vote district wide, will face Francisco “Quico”
Canseco, who was right behind with 32.1 percent. Robert ”Doc”
Lowry got 22.16 percent, Mike Kueber got 6.91 percent and Joseph Mack “Doc”
Gould trailed with 5.07 percent. The winner of
the Republican runoff will face Rodriguez who sailed over challenger Miguel
Ortiz with 83.1 percent of the total. In other races
of interest locally, State Sen. Carlos Uresti won the Democratic nomination
for re-election with 75.8 percent over challenger Luis C. Juarez, Jr. He will face
Republican Dick Bowen, who took 73.5 percent of the vote over Robert Sol
Mayer. State Rep.
Pete Gallego was unopposed for the Democratic nomination for his seat. He
will face Republican Thomas “T.C.” Kincaid, Jr., who took 76.88 percent of
the vote over Yolanda Sotelo Garza. Statewide, Linda
Chavez-Thompson got 53.09 percent of the vote for Democratic Nomination to
lieutenant governor over Ronnie Earle and Marc Katz. She will face
incumbent Republican David Dewhurst, who was unopposed. And iconic perennial
candidate, comedian Kinky Friedman lost to Hank Gilbert for the Democratic
nomination for Agriculture Commissioner by 47.67 percent to 52.32. Gilbert faces
incumbent Republican Todd Staples for the job. Five
non-binding resolutions carried by wide margins in both statewide and Terrell
County Republican primaries. One would
require voters to present identification before voting. The second would control
government growth. Proposition
three would support cutting federal income taxes. Four was to allow acknowledgement
of God in public places and five would require a sonogram for women seeking
abortions There were no
resolutions on the Democratic ballot. AUSTIN – A
team of graduate hydrology students plans a trip to Sanderson this month to
prepare information that could be used to update flood plain maps and,
perhaps, give homeowners a break on the their flood insurance premiums. Part of
Sanderson southeast of Pine and Second is within the published “100-year
flood plain.” After the
disastrous flood of 1965, the US Soil Conservation Service built 11 retention
dams and an improved channel in Sanderson Canyon upstream from Sanderson. District Conservationist
Darrel Seidel of Sanderson said the dams resulted in the 100-year flood plain
being entirely within the banks of the creek. But the
Federal Emergency Management Agency never up-dated the maps and homeowners
have been forced to pay higher rates for flood insurance ever since. Dr. David R.
Maidment, professor of engineering and director of the Center for Research in
Water Resources at the University of Texas here, has agreed to resurvey the watershed
with an eye to re-doing the flood plain maps. He said he and
graduate students Laura Hurd, Rachel Chisholm, Cody Hudson and Marcelo Somos
Valenzuela will be here March 17 and 18 to do the field work for the project. He said he has
asked consulting engineer Krista Bethune of AECom to “lay out for us the
steps needed to complete a digital floodplain mapping study. “Once we have
those steps defined, we can better structure what the students might do this
semester in their term projects for my graduate hydrology class to make a contribution
to this effort,” Maidment said. “I am sure that to complete the task
will require a considerable amount more effort later and it will require a
formal submission of the resulting maps and studies to FEMA.” Scott Edelman
of AECom of Greensboro, NC, cautioned that even if the maps are redone, some
property may still be within the flood plain. “I wouldn’t
want to get people’s hopes up because it could mean there’s not much of a
change in their premium,” he said. “Even if their property were removed from
the 100-year flood plain, there is nothing to say they wouldn’t get a
500-year or a 1,000-year flood. And something could have happened to change
the hydraulics and there would not be much of a change.” Edelman also said
there’s no guarantee that if a 100-year flood happens, another couldn’t
happen the next day. The 100-year
designation is just a likelihood that a flood of that magnitude would happen
that often. It is not a guarantee. “It looks very
promising,” Edelman said. “The FEMA Region is very reasonable about updating
maps quickly.” He said a professional
engineering firm could charge $25,000 to $35,000 for this type of study. “But first we
should let the students get some numbers out,” he said. “David [Maidment] is
known around the country for his work. It would be hard to find a better
person to do the study.” FEMA spokesman
Suzie Webb told the News Leader that the agency considers such items as risk,
population growth, development, insurance claims and other data. She was told
the main concern in Terrell county is not the damage from floods because
there has been no significant flood damage since 1965. The principal concern
is the cost of flood insurance to properties now outside the new flood plain
boundaries. Maidment said
he plans for his team to “see the local area for ourselves and to meet the
appropriate local people” on his trip to Sanderson. “You should
understand that having the flood control dams makes defining the floodplain
map more complicated than if the dams were not there because the effect of
the dams on capturing and holding flood waters has to be accounted for,” he
said. “This is a standard hydrologic procedure but it will still take a
significant amount of work.” He said it
may also require additional terrain mapping through an aircraft-based Light
Detection and Ranging program to develop “very accurate land surface
elevation data.” Maidment said floodplain
mapping reports with the National Academy of Sciences has impressed on him that
an important determinant of an accurate flood water elevation is an accurate
land surface elevation. “If we get the
support from FEMA, we’ll get the job done,” he said. “This is your university
trying to help you.” SANDERSON – The
trial of eight Mexican nationals on burglary charges was derailed Monday when
a potential juror complained about the cost of the trial to the county. Terrell County
Commissioner Charles Stegall said he was concerned about the cost of the
trial and felt he might not be an impartial juror. District Judge
Carl Pendergrass asked the jury pool if any others felt the same way and 23
others indicated they had the same concern. But County
Judge Leo Smith said moving the trial could cost $250,000 or more above the
cost of having it here. After
consulting with attorneys for both sides, Pendergrass dismissed the balance
of the panel, saying the trial would be moved to another venue. It was not
clear where the trial might be. Pendergrass said he could not comment and
District Attorney Fred Hernandez did not return repeated telephone calls. There was
speculation it could be moved to Kerrville because surrounding counties do
not have a large enough courtroom for a panel large enough to try the
case. The panel of
220 here was culled to about 110 after dismissing people for various reasons. Others had
left the county or were not present for other reasons. With each of
the eight defendants plus Hernandez getting six challenges, Pendergrass said
he was concerned a jury of 12 impartial members might not be possible. The trial was
on charges stemming from a series of home invasions last summer. Charges
against a ninth defendant were dismissed earlier. Chief Terrell
County Deputy Sheriff Kenneth Turner said after the arrests in August he did
not know if all of the burglars were arrested “but there have been no reports
of burglaries since they have been in jail.” Turner said
several homes – “hunter’s cabins, primarily” – had been broken into in a
“band” from north of the intersection of Ranch Roads 2400 and 2886 south to
US 90. The crime
spree came to an end after one home was broken into August 17 and the property
owner spotted some of the burglars. Turner did not identify the property
owner. US Border
Patrol officer gave chase and caught up with the suspects a few miles away. Property was
recovered that tied the men to the one burglary plus two others that had
occurred between Aug. 10 and Aug. 17. On trial, each
with his own attorney, were Jorge Daniel Garcia Galaviez, 29, Joaquin J. Watanave Gonzelez, 34, his
brother Evelio Watanave Gonzalez, 27, Jesus Natividad Martinez, 49, Juan
Carlos Muñoz Ramos, 28, Maurilio Juarez Martinez, 21, Edgar F. Mendoza Limon,
34, and Ubaldo Castillo Diaz, 21. Charges
against Oscar Santana Lopez, 30, were dismissed earlier, reportedly for
medical reasons. By
KIM RAPP Production
Manager SANDERSON – We
felt a heavy sigh in Sanderson this week as Tommy “Buff” McDonald went to be
with the Lord after losing a bout with cancer. Tommy McDonald
was known to many as Buff. To me he was
Buff or He once told
me the story of how he came to be known as Buff. He and a friend were
traveling down the highway and there were some buffalo on the side of the
road. His friend made
the comment that one of them looked like him, called him Buff and laughed. That was about
30 years ago and the rest is history. Whether or not that’s how it happened,
I don’t know. He was
definitely the prankster and he rarely let the opportunity pass to “get
someone’s goat.” He was all
about fun. He did have
many skills including electrician, juke-box vendor, carpenter, river rat,
yard-man and comedian. He had a knack for making up funny scenarios for just
about anything. At one time he
even worked for the Terrell County Road & Bridge Department. He loved
children, who most often took a liking to him. His love for
music was apparent and he would often break out in song during a
conversation, as the obituary above states. Buff was an
intelligent man with knowledge of many subjects, whether it was sports,
politics or music. Whatever the topic, Buff always had two cents to throw in. Most of us
wear many hats. Tommy “Buff” McDonald was a father, son, brother, uncle,
cousin, nephew and beloved friend. By
ANNA La FLEUR News
Leader Writer FORT STOCKTON —
Sanderson division one boys came in sixth overall at the Comanche Relays here
last week, competing against much larger schools. Jacob Benavidez
placed first in the 200-meter dash with a time of 23.15. He also placed
fourth in the 800-meter run. Travis Roberts
took first in the 1,600-meter run and the 3,200-meter run. David
Shoemaker placed first in discus and second in shot put. Chris Marquez
was second in the 400-meter dash and third in the 800-meter run. In Division Two,
Sanderson boys placed ninth overall. First place
went to Shawn Stegall in the 1,600-meter run and second in the 3,200-meter
run. High school
girls placed second, third and fourth in Fort Stockton. Hannah Swanson
placed second in the 200-meter dash and third in the 100-meter dash. Julianna
Larrinaga placed fourth in discus. In the Badger
junior high timed relays in McCamey Friday, Jalen Chriesman placed first and
Chris Birkenfeld tenth in the 110-meter hurdles. In the 4 X 200
finals, Daniel Luevano, Mason Blackmon, Luis Garza and Jalen placed first. Jalen placed
first in the 300-meter hurdles, the 110-meter hurdles and fifth in discuss. Luis Garza was
second in the 2,400-meter finals and in the 1,600-meter finals he placed
third. Daniel placed
third in the 400-meter finals, sixth in the 200-meter hurdles and sixth in
the 200-meter run. Mason was 11th
place in the high jump finals. In the shot
put finals Santiago Gonzales was in 17th place, 11th place in discus and 13th
place in the 100-meter finals. In shot put,
Alexis Olivares was in place 25 and 22 in discus. In the 4 X 100
timed finals, Sanderson placed sixth with Chris, Santiago, Joseph Carrasco
and Alexis Olivares. In the long
jump finals, Daniel placed 11th, Mason placed 12th and Chris placed 17th. In the triple
jump finals Joseph placed 12. Sanderson
placed fourth with a team score of 65. In the 2,400-meter
timed finals Abby Carrasco placed first among junior high girls. She also
placed first in the 1,600-meter timed finals. Kayla Fuéntez
was fourth in the 2,400-meter timed finals and third in the 1,600-meter run. In the 400-meter
timed finals, Cassie Woosley placed fifth. She also placed 11th in the 200-meter
timed finals. In the long
jump finals, Abby placed ninth and Cassie was tenth. Megan Seidel placed
20th in the shot put finals and 21st in the discus finals. Sanderson
Junior high girls placed seventh after 17 events with a score of 32. Sanderson
placed seventh overall with 65 points in the boys and girls team scores after
34 events and was also given 14 place for the Sanderson junior high girls who
had a score of 32. Sanderson will
host the Rio Grande Relays today starting at 11:30 p.m. Sanderson Junior
High will host the Saturday Rio Grande event starting at 9 a.m. Varsity tennis
players competed in Van Horn on Friday and Saturday. The girls placed second
overall. Victoria Busch
placed second. Jessica Garza and Noemi Nuñez placed third. Cordell Lawson
placed third in boys action. Casey Couch and Alan Marquez will play L.A.
Galvan and Jonathan Calzada for third at home. Darren Seidel
and Blakeney Chriesman won Consolation. Last Wednesday
was the last game for girl’s basketball and Sanderson lost to Fort Davis
52-38. Libertarians to‘caucus’ next
week SANDERSON –
The Libertarian Party of Terrell County will meet twice in the next week in
preparation for the General Election in November. There was only
one contested race for Libertarians, that between Dean Autrey and Pete
Sanchez for county judge. But Sanchez
told the News Leader this week he plans to withdraw from the race, negating
the need for any votes. Autrey will
take on Incumbent Democrat Terry “Tex” Toler for the job in November. Other county
Libertarian races pit Jan Patrick Baker of Dryden against Democrat Michelle
Marquez for county commissioner, Precinct 2, and Mette Ann Baker is running
for State Senate, District 19. The
Libertarian contest will be at county, district and state caucuses. The
Terrell County Libertarian caucus will be at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 13, at
Legion Hall. Before that,
the party will have its required precinct caucus will be at 7 p.m. Tuesday,
March 9, at the home of Clyde Autrey at 88 Five Mile Hill Road. “It’s easy to
find now,” said son Dean Autrey, the candidate and current commander of Legion
Post 160 in Sanderson. “There’s a big rock ‘CA’ right there.” ‘Live’
entertainment set for benefit SANDERSON – A
series of benefits on the first Friday of each month has been planned to
benefit Tracey Nevarez, who moved to Sanderson from Sheffield after she was
released from a Dallas hospital. Live
entertainment by a group calling itself “Live Music” will be at the Cantina el
Gavilan from 8 to 11 p.m. on first Fridays. Local
musicians will “rock the house” to benefit Nevarez. She and husband Bobby recently
moved to Sanderson to be closer to Tracey’s family after her health took a
turn for the worse earlier in the year. There will be
music, friends and tips are more than welcome. All money raised will go to
help Nevarez. Her family
said she is much better after being under the care of a staff of doctors in
Dallas. She now lives here with her husband Bobby, a member of the band. Along with the
live entertainment and a raffle, friends have assembled a buffet of finger
foods. There will be
a $2 cover charge and a donation bucket will be set up on the buffet table. “We encourage
everyone to come out and enjoy the music and food,” her sister Lyn Rosas said. Legion
to fete seniors with dinner SANDERSON — The
American Legion Post 160 will host a dinner for Sanderson’s senior citizens
on at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, March 11, and the senior van will be available for
getting to and from the dinner. “This is one
of our ways to say thank you to the town and its citizens,” Legion Adjutant
Bill Hawn said. Like the past
dinners, which Hawn said have been well attended, this one will feature
salad, desserts, iced tea, spaghetti with sauce by “The Legion
welcomes you and looks forward to showing you the improvements we are making
in our facilities,” Hawn said. “Please plan to attend.” By
ANNA La FLEUR News
Leader Writer SANDERSON — the
GFWC Culture Club here treated the National Honor Society students to a Texas
Day luncheon at the Presbyterian Fellowship hall Tuesday. The students
on the society are Jacob Benavidez, Jessica Garza, Darren Seidel, Each student
walked around the table and touched each item before trying to guess them. Some items
were not identified for what they were but that didn’t stop the guessing. After lunch,
Norris described each item on the tables and what they were used for. Culture Club
member and former teacher Margaret Farley was seated at the head of the table
in honor of her years of her sponsoring the Honor Society for many
years. School
Superintendent Gary Hamilton joined Farley at the head table for sponsoring
the Honor Society students. Bobbe Mitchell
was the organizer of the event. “We gave each
student a copy of the Declaration of Independence and Culture Club
members who helped were Rev. Désirée Youngblood, Becky Norris, Page Mitchell,
Lindy Stumberg, Minerva Martinez, Margaret Farley and Mitchell. It began with
the pledges and a toast to SHEFFIELD – The
Nature Conservancy of Texas has invited the public to camp, swim, fish and
enjoy the onset of spring amid the beauty of a natural oasis in the wilds of
West Texas during the open preserve weekend at Independence Creek Preserve,
March 19 to 21. The event is
free, although advance registration and reservations for camping are required
by Friday, March 12. Nurtured by
the pure and prolific Caroline Spring, Independence Creek is a major contributor
to water flows in the Pecos River. The conservancy’s
20,000-acre Independence Creek Preserve conserves the creek and spring and
serves as a habitat for a variety of animals and plants native to the region. Visitors
during the open preserve weekend may participate in camping, swimming in the
lakes, self-guided hiking, picnicking, catch-and-release fishing, exploring
the creek, birding and other activities at their leisure. The preserve will be open from 5 p.m.
Friday, March 19, to noon Sunday, March 21. Guests will be required to sign
in upon arrival at the pavilion at the preserve headquarters. Overnight
camping space in designated areas will be available for guests who make reservations
by March 12. Only camp
stoves will be allowed and open campfires are strictly prohibited. Restrooms
are available at the pavilion within the headquarters – sinks and toilets
only. Visitors
should bring their own food and drinks for the weekend and plan to take their
trash home with them. Visitors also
should bring towels and swimwear, binoculars, sunscreen, a hat and plenty of
water to drink. Anglers must
bring their own fishing gear. Artificial lures or worms must be used. Live
bait will not be permitted. Firearms,
stereos and TVs are prohibited during the event. For safety reasons, children
must be supervised by their parents or other designated adults. No pets of
any kind will be allowed. Attendees
should keep in mind that Independence Creek Preserve is a wildlife sanctuary
and that snakes, skunks and other wild animals may be present. Native American
or other historic artifacts may be examined and appreciated but may not be
removed. Vehicles must
remain on roads unless otherwise directed by preserve staff. Independence
Creek Preserve is located 22 miles south of here on Highway 349. To register
and get directions, call Corbin Neill or Lisa Wrinkle at 432/345-6773 or
e-mail cneill@tnc.org or lwrinkle@tnc.org. SANDERSON – The
Sanderson US Border Patrol station will have its first annual Horseshoe
Tournament Saturday, March 13 at the Bicentennial Park Pavilion. Registration
will begin at 9 a.m. and for $20, a two-person team can have a crack at a
first, second or third place trophy, complete with “braggin’ rights.” There will be
a best dessert contest, raffles and activities for the younger bunch such as
a bean bag toss. The money
raised will provide a summer party for the agents and their families and a
bereavement fund for anyone in need. “This is our
first rodeo,” Organizer/President Chip Zuniga said. “Future plans include a
scholarship fund as well.” Hamburger and hotdog
plates will be available for $6 and raffle items might include Border Patrol
paraphernalia and gift cards as well other donated items. The day is
“open to the public and should be fun for everyone,” Zuniga said. He said people
with questions can call 432/345-2972. ALPINE – Interested
students will get to “dig” Terrell County this summer as part of an archaeology
field trip. Sul Ross State
University’s Center for Big Bend Studies will conduct a five-week archaeological
field school June 1 to July 1 on the Nature Conservancy’s Independence Creek
Preserve in Terrell County. The six-credit-hour
course will enable students to learn archaeological field techniques. Working side
by side with experienced archaeologists, students will learn mapping, profiling,
survey and excavation. Fieldwork will
be augmented with guest lectures, field trips, discussion and laboratory
work. A portion of
the field school will involve excavation of a substantial midden deposit that
includes the remains of at least one bison. Students also will
participate in pedestrian survey, site recording and subsurface testing of
the more promising sites. Generally, the
field school will consist of five sessions Monday through Friday with weekend
breaks. Some
flexibility may be exercised to accommodate weather and field trip logistics.
At least three
days will be dedicated to travel to noteworthy archaeological sites in the
area. All food will
be provided, with breakfast and dinner prepared by a camp cook, and accommodations
at a ranch house and lodge. Tuition and
fees will be $1,166 for Texas residents and $2,828 for out-of-state students.
A field school
fee of $500 will also be charged to cover the cost of meals, transportation,
lab supplies and equipment. Some
scholarships are available to help cover the field school fee. The deadline
for applications and registration is May 30. For more information, contact Susan
Chisholm at 432/837-8179 or schisholm@sulross.edu. Rapp
to ‘rap’ for Sunday sermon SANDERSON – Jimmy
Lee Rapp of Hobbs, a 2009 Sanderson High School graduate, will preach the
sermon Sunday at First Baptist Church here. Rapp came to
Sanderson in 1998. At age seven, he was baptized and started in Awanas until
he reached sixth grade and was too old to attend. He attended
church camp several times and was very involved in the youth group “180 Degree
Revolution.” At age 16,
Rapp decided to be baptized again, his choice now and not that of mom and dad,
Robert and Kim Rapp. When he was a
senior in high school, he went to Belize on a mission trip, despite of the opposition
from people he respected. Rapp went on
to graduate salutatorian in 2009 and now attends the University of the
Southwest in Hobbs, where he is on the dean’s list. He works at
Vista Pointe Baptist Church in Hobbs where he is the assistant youth pastor. “I believe
Jimmy Rapp will someday be a household name like Billy Graham,” his mother
Kim Rapp said. Pastor John
Carnagey said he will not be able to attend the service Sunday and called
upon Rapp to spread the word. MENARD —
Alumni football, a chance for former high school football players to again
put on pads and hit ‘em hard, begins with a doubleheader at Findlay Field
here, kicking off at 5:30 p.m. on Friday April 2. The Christoval
Cougars alumni team will take on the Sonora Broncos in the opener. Friday night’s
main attraction will highlight the Junction Eagles and the home team the
Menard Yellow Jackets alumni. There will be
a tripleheader at Van Horn’s Eagle Stadium with two six-man teams Saturday,
April 3. The Sierra
Blanca alumni Vaqueros will kick-off against the Marathon alumni Mustangs at
2:30 p.m. At 5 p.m., the
Dell City Cougars alumni will face off with the Balmorhea alumni Bears. The third game
will be an 11-man contest with the Alpine Bucks taking on the Van Horn Eagles
at 7:30 p.m. Roster spots
are still available from these schools for alumni still interested in
playing. Sign up at www.WestTexasB.com. “Those players
are more mature, bigger, stronger, thicker and wiser and maybe a step slower
but they still hit, tackle and score and the fans love them,” Joy Helbing of
Alumni Football said. Tickets can be
purchased at the gate. Adults are $8, seniors 65 and over are $6, children 7
to 17 are $6 and Children under 6 are free. ALPINE – Dr.
Ricardo Maestas will officially become president of Sul Ross State
University at inauguration ceremonies at 10 a.m. Friday, April 30, in the
Pete P. Gallego Center Maestas was
appointed by the Board of Regents of the Texas State University System as the
11th President in September, 2009. He assumed his new duties Nov. 9. He previously
served as vice president for student and university relations and dean of students
as well as associate professor with tenure at the New Mexico Institute of
Mining and Technology at Socorro. He has 35
years of higher education experience as a faculty member and an administrator.
Maestas
received a BA in Psychology and Spanish in 1974 and Master of Arts in Teaching
in 1977 from the University of New Mexico at Albuquerque and a Ph.D. from the
Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education at the University
of Michigan in 2000. LANGTRY –
There were 1,185 visitors at the Judge Roy Bean Visitor Center here in
January. Totals were 518
Texans, 555 from other states and countries, 109 telephone queries and three mailed
packets. Foreign
countries represented in January were Australia, Germany, England, Canada, the
Netherlands, Brazil, Israel, Mexico, Denmark, Switzerland, South Korea,
Africa, Austria, Tahiti, Italy, France, Japan and Belgium. “We encourage
visitors to come and relive the history of the ‘Law West of the Pecos’ by
experiencing our six dioramas and viewing the many interesting artifacts on
display including Judge Roy Bean’s gun, law book and state seal,” Supervisor Miguel
Zuniga said. “A video which tells the story of Judge Roy Bean and videos featuring
many Texas cities and attractions are also available for viewing in the video
viewing room.” The
visitor complex includes the restored Opera House, the Jersey Lilly Saloon
and a two-acre cactus garden with nearly 100 species of native desert plants. |
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