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Good things come to those who wait
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By JIM STREET The
advertising slogan “Good things come to those who wait” was first used to
sell the British beer Guinness. But it has application here. No, we
shouldn’t all go out and guzzle some stout. It’s much better news than that. When I bought
the News Leader in 2002, my plan was to grow the business by growing the
town. So far, not much of either has happened. There have
been some good things like a new hiking trail, park improvements, paved
streets, drainage ditches and the like but nothing that would cause passing
tourists to stop and spend a buck or two. The school
district is well into a $14 million bond program to upgrade the schools but
tourists are not going to get excited about a new high school building or
field house. And we have
gotten some help from the county, school and Sanderson Bank as well as some
ranchers so the News Leader is still in business. But there was
some really good news for the town this week on the heels of another healthy
development and a third finally delivered, all within a couple of days, that
indicates my dream of eight years ago is at least in sight. OPINION I expected a
bit of a fight when I looked around at the large crowd at the Commissioners
Courtroom Monday as the county’s governing body was to consider plans for a
new “convention center” but I was pleasantly surprised. In fact, “pleasantly”
may not be a strong enough adjective. There has been
anything but unanimity over the plans to provide a convention center,
something really new that could cause people passing through to take a second
look at our town. We had a
half-cent “venue tax” approved by the voters in 2000, primarily to boost
tourism. It had provided some improvements, some more visible than others.
But its use was largely held up by an attorney general’s opinion that it
could be used “only” in conjunction with a “convention center.” That caused a
lot of confusion and some of the opposition to the plan. What in the world is
Sanderson going to do with a “convention center?” some asked. Certainly the
worldwide meeting of Amalgamated Consolidated was not going to send 20,000
delegates to Sanderson for a meeting, for example. There was a community
meeting almost a year ago, brought about by an early estimate of a convention
center plan that would have cost up to $5 million. People made
clear that, if the county wanted to proceed, in no way should it involve
either borrowed money or anything like a tax increase. Face it. We
are not really building a “convention center” so much as a “civic center,”
something the town can use for community meetings, along with a new visitor
center and other facilities. Later a group
backed the idea of using the existing Kerr Mercantile for a convention center
instead of building a new one. That plan
never really got off the ground, perhaps in part because of the fear of what
it would cost just to rehabilitate the old building including roof repairs,
air conditioning and the like. An engineer
was hired to look into the matter but nothing much came of that, either. But Monday,
Justin Gilmore, vice president of Southwest Architects, Inc., of Fort Worth
drew applause from people who had been on all sides of the issue when he
presented his plans for a $1 million facility using “natural materials.” The comments,
along with a drawing of what it could look like are on Page 1 of this issue
and there is no need repeating them here. Just let it be known that this
writer is just one of many who are excited about the prospects for our town. More than one
called it “beautiful.” If it looks anything like Gilmore’s plans indicated,
it will certainly turn many a tourist’s glance and cause quite a few to stop
and look around. And on
Tuesday, a new committee formed to plan an arts “market” met in our office
and there was great enthusiasm for moving forward with that “Nopalito” market
– no not “Napolito” as I put in the banner headline a couple of weeks ago. The “Nopal” is
the vegetable from the young pad of a prickly pear cactus and the “ito” on
the end in Spanish indicates “little.” Anna La Fleur,
our new writer who is grooming to replace Kim Rapp, saw a market in Wimberley
where she had lived and thought the idea might catch on here. Her story also
is on Page 1 of this issue. And the
Chamber’s 12-page “Walking and Driving Tour” books arrived, arming merchants
with suggestions when they are asked what there is to do in town. There’s still
a lot to be done before the market or the convention center become reality. But the future
looks a whole lot brighter than it did a week ago. Planning For
Retirement It is a much
talked about subject today and many people are very concerned if they will be
able to retire and what kind of retirement will they have. One question
is if they will have enough money to retire and another is where will they
retire and what kind of home will they live in. It is a good
thing to plan for the future and not to just live for today. Thinking about
these things reminds me of something in the Bible. The Bible speaks a lot
about the future. First and
foremost is where will we spend the future? There are only two possibilities.
We will either be with God or we will be cast out and away from God. If we have
ever called upon Jesus Christ to be our personal Lord and savior, we are
Heaven bound (John 14:6.) If not, we
headed for a place of utter darkness and eternal suffering and torment
(Revelation 20:11 to 15.) For
Christians, their retirement comes as a package deal. We are told not to
worry about it if we have trusted Christ (John 14:1.) Second, there
is enough room for everybody and our permanent retirement dwellings are being
built today (John 14:2.) Third, Jesus
is coming to take us there. Do not worry, we will not miss the boat (John
14:3.) I do not know
about you but my wife and I are looking forward to our heavenly retirement. See you in
Church next Sunday. Brother
J Galileo's Sun
and Ours Everyone knows
the Sun is a brilliant round ball that travels around Earth each day. Perfect
and unchanging, it is made of shiny quintessence, a heavenly substance not
found on Earth. At least
that's what sophisticated Europeans thought in the early 17th century when
Galileo and others began studying the heavens with the newly invented
telescope 400 years ago. That view of
the Sun began to crumble when Galileo and other early astronomers discovered
sunspots. They seemed to be clear evidence that the Sun wasn't perfect after
all. Further, the
sunspot blemishes came and went and changed sizes, demonstrating that the Sun
isn't unchanging. And seeing the
sunspots move across the Sun's surface indicated that the Sun was rotating on
its axis. However, neither
Galileo nor his contemporaries had any idea what sunspots were, or what the
Sun was made of. Galileo's
observations, especially of Jupiter and Venus, also led him to accept
Copernicus' theory that the Sun doesn't go around the Earth but rather Earth
and the other planets go around the Sun. And as
mentioned in previous columns, his promotion of these heretical ideas got him
in serious trouble with the ecclesiastical-governmental authorities. Today, of
course, the Sun-centered view of our solar system is universally accepted and
we have a much better understanding of the nature of our Sun. An ordinary
star, the Sun is a huge gaseous ball composed not of any exotic heavenly
substance but primarily of hydrogen, the most common element in the known
universe. Its heat,
light and other forms of energy come from nuclear reactions deep within its
core. At its center,
the temperature is 27 million degrees whereas the temperature at the visible
surface, called the photosphere, is a mere 10,000 degrees. The sunspots
which so intrigued and baffled Galileo are now known to be areas of magnetic
disturbance. They are darker in appearance because they are cooler. And finally,
our Sun, like all stars, is not eternal. It was born five billion years ago
and will die in another five billion years. Much of this
information is from Stephen P. Maran and Laurence A. Marschall's book,
“Galileo's New Universe,” reviewed in this column. My Web site contains an
archive of previous columns.
Monday, March
15, the Moon is new. Tuesday
evening, March 16, a very thin crescent Moon is to the lower right of Venus
low in the west at dusk and above the planet the next evening. Saturday,
March 21, Spring is here – vernal equinox – the northern hemisphere's first
day of spring when day and night are about 12 hours long each. Saturday
evening, March 20, the crescent Moon grazes the Pleiades star cluster, a
sight best seen in binoculars. The star Aldebaran, the "red eye of the
bull," is to their upper right. Sunday, March
21, Saturn is at opposition – on the opposite side of Earth from the Sun –
when it rises at sunset, is up all night and sets at sunrise. Tuesday, March
23, the Moon is at first quarter. Wednesday,
March 24, the gibbous Moon is to the upper right of Mars and below the planet
the next night.
The Sun, Moon
and planets rise in the east and set in the west due to Earth's west-to-east
rotation on its axis. Evenings, Mars
is high in the east as Saturn rises an hour after sunset. Venus is visible very
low in the west after sunset. Mornings,
Saturn, low in the west, is currently the only morning planet. Mercury and
Jupiter are now in the Sun.
March 13 is
the birthday of William Herschel (1738-1822) who discovered the planet Uranus
in 1781 from Bath, England. March 14 is
the birthday of Albert Einstein (1879-1955), who set forth the theories of
relativity in the early 1900s.
Set clocks
forward, Spring forward, to Daylight Saving Time at 2 a.m. Sunday, March 14. Stargazer appears every other week, space
permitting. Paul Derrick is an amateur astronomer who lives in Waco. Contact
him at 918 N. 30th, Waco, 76707, (254) 753-6920 or paulderrickwaco@aol.com. See the Stargazer Web site at stargazerpaul.com. New home for
sale at cost By TUMBLEWEED
SMITH Texas Tales Two days after
Christmas in 2005, a fire destroyed some 80 homes in Cross Plains. One person
died. David Estes,
president of the Texas Heritage Bank in Cross Plains, said spirits were high
after the fire. “The attitude
was to jump in and get everything cleaned up and offer help where needed to
rebuild so they could maintain the lifestyle they’ve always enjoyed,” he
said. “Very few people moved out of town.
They stayed and started putting their lives back together.” Pat Stephens,
executive director of the Cross Plains Area Housing Initiative, said the fire
was scary. “You didn’t
know what was happening,” he said. “There was no rhyme or reason as to what
house it hit. The wind changed
directions several times.” There is a
heightened sense of awareness in Cross Plains now. When there is even a small
grass fire and the fire trucks start running with sirens, people pay attention. Pat said if
you smell smoke in the air, it brings it all back to you. “It’s
something you won’t ever forget,” he said. David said the
things fire victims miss most are their personal effects like family photos. The First
Methodist Church was destroyed in the fire.
It has since been rebuilt. The charred cross from the original
building is part of a dramatic display on a wall in the new fellowship
hall. “They took the
remains of that cross and put a silhouette of a cross behind it,” Pat said.
“Then there are pictures of the church before the fire, pictures of people
fighting the fire, then they have pictures of the rebuilding of the church.” The fire
created a demand for houses since 90 families were displaced. Four houses
across the street from the school burned. A group was formed to buy the four
lots with the idea of building new homes on them. The first one
is ready now and an open house for it is slated for Saturday, March 20. The three
bedroom, two-bath brick house is being sold at cost. The asking
price is $125,000. The 1,500-square-foot home has custom cabinets throughout,
a privacy fence and a sprinkling system in the yard. “It is a very
nice home,” David said. There are some
attractive incentives for the buyer. The bank is offering a low down payment,
lower interest rate and long- term fixed-rate financing for house. “If someone
wants the house, we want to help them get it,” David said. In addition,
the Housing Initiative is putting up money for closing costs. Local
contractors built the home and appliances and building materials were all
bought through the local Higginbotham Lumber Company. The open house
will feature barbecue and live entertainment.
“We want
people to see the fruits of our labors,” David said. “When this one sells, we plan to build
others.” This first
home took about nine months to build.
They plan to build the others in six or seven months each. David said the
whole idea behind building the new homes is to help alleviate the housing
shortage that developed from the fire. David F.
Thompson YOAKUM –
Funeral services were Monday at Thiele-Cooper Funeral Home here for David F.
Thompson, 80, who died Friday, March 5. He was the
brother of Gene Thompson of Sanderson. Pastor Mike Seay officiated and burial
was at Hebron Cemetery. Thompson was
born in Yoakum on January 11, 1930, to Samuel DeWitt and Callie Estes
Thompson. He was a
retired major with the United States Marine Corps, having served in Korea and
Viet Nam, and was a member of the American Legion. He was
preceded in death by his parents; brothers Harvey, G. J. “Duck”, Ray, Joe and
Samuel “Buster” Thompson and sister, Mae Thompson. He is survived
by his wife, Sarah Thompson of Yoakum; one daughter, Vickie and Jeff
Westergren of Yoakum; three sons, David and Sandy Thompson of Agua Dulce,
Victor and Julie Thompson of San Angelo and Valiant and Amada Thompson of
Yoakum; two brothers, Gene Thompson of Sanderson and J.D. and Bobbie Thompson
of Adkins; a sister, Shirley Johnson of San Antonio, nine grandchildren and
two great grandchildren. Memorials may
be given to the donor’s choice. Online guest
book may be signed at thielecooper.com. David H. Allen LOMPOC, CA – Funeral
services for David H. Allen of Lompoc, 87, a Sanderson native who died
Saturday, Feb. 20, will be on Wednesday, March 17, at Trinity Church of the
Nazarene here. Family friend Melvin Waters will officiate. Allen was born
February 24, 1923, in Sanderson to Robert and Bessie Allen. He was raised on a ranch outside of
Sanderson and graduated as a straight-A student from Sanderson High School
with the class of 1931. His first
career was as a bank teller in Sanderson. Then he had his own farm in Pecos. His next
profession was as an automobile mechanic working at a car dealership in
Colorado Springs, a Cadillac dealership in Van Nuys and Courtesy Chevrolet in
Thousand Oaks. In 1980, he
started work as a carpenter working in Montana, Denver and Colorado Springs.
He fulfilled a dream by building his own home in Monument, CO. A resident of
Lompoc since 2001, he was a volunteer with Meals on Wheels for many years. His daughter
Linda Sue Stirman preceded him in death in 2003. Allen is
survived by his wife of 53 years, Norma Allen of Lompoc; one daughter, Judy
Marie and Mark Jones of Lompoc; one son, Jonathan David and Paula Allen of
Enid, OK; a son-in-law, Mike Stirman of Belton; a brother, James Allen of
Brownwood; seven grandchildren, Troy, Todd, Karalynn, Devin, Mylon, Amanda
and Jordan, and three great grandchildren, Ashley, Riley and Brayden. Pete A.
Gallego, Jr. ALPINE –
Funeral services were at Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church here Monday for
here for Pete Almodova Gallego, Jr., 85, a lifelong resident of Alpine and
son of a pioneering Alpine family, who died March 4. Burial will be at Holy
Angels Cemetery. The father of
State Rep. Pete Gallego of Alpine was a few weeks short of celebrating the
63rd anniversary of his marriage to Elena Pena Gallego of Fort Stockton. Pete A.
Gallego, Jr., was born in Alpine on February 17, 1925. His father, Pete
Russell Gallego, worked on area ranches and opened a family restaurant in
1917. His mother,
Victoria Almodova, was an Apache Indian. She also assisted in the restaurant
and tended to a family of five surviving children. After serving
in the Pacific Theater with the US Army during World War II, he returned to
the restaurant business here, helping his mother and sisters in running what
the Green Café. Gallego was
the first in his family to graduate from college, Sul Ross, class of 1949,
and he championed educational and business opportunities for others. He helped a
local Catholic priest to establish a small credit union and, with an
accounting background, was asked to manage it. He became the
first Latino elected to the Board of Trustees of the Alpine Independent
School District, where he served five consecutive three-year terms. During
that time, he and friends Francisco Valenzuela and Alberto Rojo led the controversial
effort to end school segregation in Alpine. His leadership
on the desegregation issue also resulted in a boycott of his family
restaurant. The boycott, along with the closure of Centennial School and the
diversion of traffic away from Alpine with the construction of Interstate 10,
all negatively impacted his business. To survive, he once more became a
pioneer. He built
Gallego’s Mexican Restaurant on East Holland and expanded his business by shipping
chile rellenos, tamales and masa to stores across West Texas and around the
state. He was
predeceased in death by his son, Robert Peña Gallego, his parents, three
sisters and one brother. Galego is
survived by his wife, Elena Peña Gallego; two daughters, Imelda Gallego and
Jose Garcia, and Dr. Rebecca P. Gallego; one son, State Rep. Pete P. Gallego
and wife Maria Elena Ramon; grandchildren Maria Imelda, Maria Elena and
Briana Garcia, Cristina P. Gallego and Nicolas Miguel Ramon Gallego. In lieu of
flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Pete A. and Elena P.
Gallego Scholarship Fund at Sul Ross State University. Checks may be mailed
directly to Scholarships, P.O. Box C-114, Alpine, Texas 79831. A tale from
West Texas To
the Editor, This is a story about a fellow who had
an eye for what could be a classic automobile. He set his sights on an old
wreck in West Texas. It was once a well-running, tuned
machine but for years it sat uninvolved, neglected and without maintenance. Oh, sure. It still ran but not in a
way that could be trusted. Well, this fellow was a hardheaded man
with ambition who was not easily deterred. But at every corner, he ran into
difficulty. There was a repair shop but, sadly, it
was not capable of the work that was required. So the shop had to be rebuilt and he
found men to operate it so his “pride” could be restored. In anticipation of driving, he knew
that all the roads were full of holes with dirt and rocks. This would be a real job seeing all he
had was some fellows with shovels, hoes and a pickup truck. It required obtaining equipment and
people to maintain and operate it. This story is dragging on as was
frustration on this man’s face. Being dedicated to the task, he plunged
ahead with rolled- up sleeves. For seven years, he ran into every conceivable
problem. Some called him names. “Crazy,”
obsessed,” “driven” were only a few. The rest are not fit to print. In truth, this classic vintage did not
actually belong to him. He was entrusted with the task by the community he
lived in. One day, the constituents told him he
was done and his efforts and labor were no longer needed. They had found a new boy to work for
them and, so it happened, they got in the restored vehicle and drove off,
leaving his man in the exhaust of their ambitions as they drove off into who
knows where. Sad story. But he has already set his
sight on a higher goal of serving his Creator, by walking in faith and living
in grace. This is a much higher calling only a
few ever obtain. Seasoned by his past and tried by fire
to be elected by God is the highest office in the Universe. We pray that he may be used by God for
this end. Jack
and Loretta Marsicano Sanderson |
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