July 18, 2008
Roberts
to receive Baugh award
|
ALPINE
– Surveyor and historical researcher J. Travis Roberts, Jr., of Marathon will
receive the Slingin’ Sammy Baugh Award for Outstanding Service to Sul Ross during
the 2008 Homecoming festivities at Sul Ross State University in November. Baseball
standout Isaac Beard of Las Vegas, NV, women’s basketball stars Melissa Davis
Dutchover of Haskell and Amie Parsons of Sweetwater and long-time boosters
Sanford and Maurine DeVoll of Alpine have been elected as 2008 inductees to
the Sul Ross State University Hall of Honor. Longtime
Sul Ross faculty member, the late Dr. Abelardo “Abe” Baeza, and Dr. Roberta
L. Rudnick of College Park, MD, professor of Geology at the University of
Maryland, have been selected as 2008 Distinguished Alumni Award recipients. The
honorees will be feted at the annual Hall of Honor/Distinguished Alumni
banquet Saturday, Nov. 1, in the Espino Conference Center at the University
Center. Roberts,
who grew up on the Roberts Ranch near Marathon, has dedicated much of his
private life to historical preservation, including the Center for Big Bend
Studies at Sul Ross. While
serving as president of the Friends for the Center of Big Bend Studies, he
donated $1,000 to the CBBS to demonstrate to the board that their duty is to
promote fund-raising efforts. As
a member of the CBBS Advisory Council, he devised the idea of a $1,000 lifetime
membership and wrote the first check to support it. A
1959 civil engineering graduate of Texas A&M University, he worked four
years for the Texas Highway Department and 43 years for Hunter and
Associates, serving as president. He
now is self-employed as a professional land surveyor in Marathon. Roberts
has served on numerous boards and committees dedicated to historical preservation
including sponsoring member of the Texas State Historical Commission,
chairman of the Brewster County Historical Commission, treasurer of
Preservation Texas, president of the West Texas Historical Association and
president of the Marathon Museum Society. He
has received the Distinguished Service Award from the Texas Historical
Commission and has authored several historical works about his family and
Brewster County. Isaac
Beard, a 1996 graduate, played for the Lobo baseball team from 1994 to 96
after transferring from Odessa College. He
led the Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association and NAIA District 8 in
home runs and runs batted in while leading Sul Ross to the 1996 conference
championship. Beard
was a two-time TIAA Most Valuable Player, three-time All-TIAA first team selection
and won NAIA District and Southwest Region honors. He
twice paced District 8 in homers and RBI and posted a .428 batting average. Melissa
“Missy” Davis Dutchover, who graduated in 1995, was a three-time All-TIAA
selection for the Lady Lobos basketball team from 1991 to 93 and the team MVP
twice, in 1992 and 1993. A
member of the 1992 conference champions, Dutchover finished her career as the
all-time leader in three-point shots attempted with 531 and made with 182. She
was fourth on the career scoring list with 1,063 points, averaging 13.99
points per game, and her 18.1 average in 1991 and 92 was the third highest
single-season mark. Dutchover
added 280 assists, 3.68 per game, and was on pace to break the career scoring
record and several other marks when a knee injury ended her career early in
her senior year. Dutchover,
who twice received Academic All-Conference honors, is presently employed by
the Granbury Independent School District. Amie
Parsons graduated cum laude in 1996 after a four-year basketball career from
1993 to 96 that saw her tally 1,112 points, 12.8 per game, and grab 521 rebounds
for 5.99 per game, good for fifth place on both Lady Lobo career lists. She
earned All-TIAA honors in 1993, 1994 and 1995 and was an Academic
All-Conference selection in 1994, 1995 and 1996. Parsons,
a two-time team MVP in 1994 and 95, holds the single-game records of free
throws attempted with 21 and made 17. She
was on pace to become the career record holder in several categories when she
suffered a knee injury during her senior season. She
chose to bypass a medical red shirt and, despite limited playing time, helped
Sul Ross win the conference title and gain a trip to the NAIA national tournament
in Angola, IN. A
member of the Dean’s List in each semester at Sul Ross, Parsons lives in Sweetwater. Sanford
and Maurine DeVoll are long-time members of the Sul Ross Century Club. Sanford
DeVoll was instrumental in helping the Lobos gain the home field for the NAIA
national quarterfinal football game in 1982. The
DeVolls remain strong supporters of Sul Ross and its athletic programs. Dr.
Abelardo “Abe” Baeza, who died in 2004, received a BS degree in 1967 and an
MA in 1970 from Sul Ross and a Ph.D
in 1979 from Texas Tech University in
Lubbock. The
Alpine native was the first Hispanic Ph.D to teach at Sul Ross, beginning his
tenure in 1970. Baeza,
who received the Outstanding Teaching Award in 1997, served in numerous
capacities, including instructor, associate professor and professor of
English and Spanish, Minority Affairs director, director of Title V and
director of the Mexican American Studies program. Electric
Vehicles By CHUCK HALL Culture Artist There’s
no shortage of ideas for alternative fuels. Each
of these ideas has its own advantages and drawbacks but my current favorite –
no pun intended – is electric vehicles. There
are many reasons for this choice but chief reason is that electricity can be
produced by wind and sunlight, thereby eliminating the need for fossil fuels
altogether. Ultimately,
wind energy is also solar energy as winds are produced as the atmosphere
heats and cools. If
electric vehicles can be built that would rely on batteries recharged from
solar energy, we would have found a totally sustainable energy source. Unlike
fossil fuels, sunlight offers a limitless supply of energy for all practical
purposes. If
humankind is still around when the sun finally burns out, driving electric
cars will be the least of our worries. So why not rely on this free,
virtually limitless source of energy? Some
of the problems in the past with electric cars have been the limited range
due to the storage capacity of the batteries and the amount of time it takes
to recharge between uses. These
problems appear to have been solved with Toshiba’s new lithium-ion battery. This
battery can charge to 90 percent capacity in as little as five minutes and
will work in temperatures as low as minus 22 degrees Fahrenheit. This
battery is estimated to last for about 5,000 charges, or ten years, before
needing to be replaced. Toshiba
Vice President Toshiharu Watanabe expects this new battery to be incorporated
into hybrid vehicles by 2010. While
hybrid vehicles at present still rely on fossil fuels, the new Toshiba
lithium-ion batteries are so efficient that they have resurrected talk of
all-electric vehicles. If
all-electric vehicles can return to the marketplace in a big way, then each
home could have its own charging station, powered by solar or wind energy. If
a lithium-ion battery pack can be charged in only five minutes, such charging
stations could be common in public locations ten to 15 years from now. Imagine
leaving your home for the market and plugging in your car for a quick
recharge while doing your shopping. Once
your shopping’s done, your car is recharged and ready for the trip home. In
the average electric, you can travel about 25 miles on 5 kilowatt-hours of
electric power. Based
on today’s average utility prices, that works out to approximately 1.5 cents
per mile. If
your gasoline-powered car gets 25 miles per gallon at $4 per gallon, that
works out to 16 cents per mile. That
means that electric cars cost about one-tenth as much as gasoline-powered
cars to operate. The
only drawback to lithium-ion batteries is that they could damage the environment
if they wind up in a local landfill, but recycling them easily solves this
problem, allowing lithium-ion batteries to be a truly sustainable resource. Chuck
Hall's latest book, “Invasion of the Vegans!” will be available at the
Culture Artist website at www.cultureartist.org later
this year. Contact
Chuck by email at chuck@cultureartist.org. ‘Petra’s
Cuento’ opens tonight ALPINE
– “Petra’s Cuento,” the second comedic bilingual trilogy, opens tonight, July
18 on the stage of the Theatre of the Big Bend. There
will be additional performances tomorrow and Sunday, July 19 and 20, Friday through
Sunday, July 25 to 27, and Aug. 1 to 3. All
shows will begin at 8:15 p.m. at the Kokernot Outdoor Theatre. “Petra’s
Cuento,” directed by Liz Castillo, is the second part of a bilingual trilogy
by of Rupert Reyes, Jr., about the fun loving, but very superstitious Petra
and her family and friends. Last
summer, Theatre of the Big Bend’s production of “Petra’s Pecado” was
extremely successful and attracted many new patrons to the summer
theatre. This
year the theatre is hoping to attract even bigger audiences and to raise
awareness of the Kokernot Amphitheatre Renovation Project, a two-year plan to
renovate the old amphitheatre and begin a Latino Theatre Festival in 2010. Tickets
are $7 for adults and $5 for seniors and children 12 and under. Complimentary
admission is provided for Sul Ross faculty and staff and currently enrolled
students. Activity cardholders will received half-price admission.
For
more information about “Petra’s Cuento” or the Kokernot Amphitheatre Renovation
Project, call 888-722-SRSU or www.sulross.edu/tobb. FORT
STOCKTON – Singer, songwriter and musician Terra Peters will return to Fort
Stockton on Thursday, July 24, to perform at the Annie Riggs Memorial Museum
for the “Summer Off the Patio”
series. The
free outdoor concert begins at 8 p.m. and everyone is welcome. Pecos
County State Bank is the special sponsor for the event, which is hosted by
the Fort Stockton Historical Society.
Call 432/336-2167
for more information or visit her website at www.terrapeters.com. Back MONAHANS
– Two people were killed in a three-vehicle accident south of here Friday
night. The
Texas Department of Public Safety said Oscar Sotelo Torres, 63, of Odessa was
driving east on Ranch Road 1776 when he “ignored a stop sign” at Texas
Highway 18 and his pickup was struck broadside by a southbound tractor
trailer. The
truck’s driver, Marcus Genison Taylor of Odessa, helped the passenger, Jeremy
Minharez Torres, 21, also of Odessa out of the wrecked pickup. A
third vehicle southbound on Highway 18 did not see the accident in time and
ran into the younger Torres. Both
the driver of the pickup and his passenger were pronounced dead at the scene. EL
PASO – The first cast of West Nile Virus has been confirmed in a 65-year-old
El Paso man. The
El Paso City Department of Health said the man is now out of the hospital and
recovering at home. Terrell
County has a program to spray for mosquitoes “as needed” to prevent the
spread of West Nile and other mosquito-borne diseases. El
Paso authorities urged residents to take extra precaution against the
illnesses. A
program called the “4 Ds” is designed to protect against mosquito bites,
dusk, dress, drain and Deet. Dusk
and dawn are when mosquitoes are most active. Dress
includes cover by long sleeve shirts, long pants, shoes and socks. Drain
standing water where mosquitoes can breed. And
Deet is used as a mosquito repellant. Checking
screens and prevention of over-watering were also suggested as ways to prevent
bites. |
He
was twice nominated for the Piper Professor Award from the Minnie Stevens
Piper Foundation. A
prolific writer, Baeza both wrote about and promoted Chicano/Chicana authors
and literature. His
first book, “Keep Blessing Us Ultima,” serves as a reading guide for Rudolfo
Anaya’s memorable novel, “Bless Me, Ultima.” Dr.
Roberta L. Rudnick, who received a master’s degree in geology from Sul Ross
in 1983, taught at Harvard University from 1989 to 2000 and has been a member
of the University of Maryland faculty since 2000. She
is an Elected Fellow of the Geochemical Society and European Association of
Geochemistry and has received numerous other academic awards. A
native of Portland, OR, Rudnick received a BS degree from Portland State University
in 1980 and her Ph.D from the Research School of Earth Sciences at Australian
National University in Canberra, Australia, in 1988. ‘Living
with Nature’ By MARK GLOVER Marathon News Leader MARATHON
– The Fourth Annual “Living with Nature” festival here is drawing speakers
from around the country to highlight this year’s theme of sustainable living
and green building techniques. David
C. Lynch
will speak Saturday, Aug. 2, on “Alternative Fuels.” Dr. Richard Erdlac,
director of energy technologies research and commercialization for
Energy America, Inc., will speak on Geothermal Energy for home heating and
cooling and community energy generation. Kenneth
L. Starcher, director of the Alternative Energy Institute, will speak on wind energy for the home and community. And
William Wren, special assistant to the superintendent of the University
of Texas at Austin McDonald Observatory will speak about
“Outdoor Lighting Control.” For more information
contact Bennett Jones at 432/837-3008. ALPINE
– The Brewster County Groundwater Conservation District meeting here this
week had an audience composed entirely of Marathon people. Marci
Roberts, Hal and Carol Henthorne and Bill Carlisle were present for a
workshop to finalize language in the drill and operating permits and a
discussion of mechanical requirement for wells in the district. Buddy
and Kristin Cavness of Marathon has applied to the Brewster County
Underground Water District for a permit to sell water from a newly-drilled
well at their house on Highway 385. Cavness
plans to mix and deliver a potassium solution known as KCL to an un-named
petroleum exploration company drilling east of town. There
has been discussion of permits dealing with his drilling a mud mixing station
at the end of Airport Road East near his home. Later
a presentation was made by the Middle Pecos GCD to explore a coop-agreement. Book
Festival Update By ARLENE GRIFFIS Library Friend MARATHON
– This is the fourth in a series featuring the authors who will appear at the
Alpine Rotary Club’s Way Out West Texas Book Festival next month, which is a
benefit for the Alpine Public Library and its Marathon branch. To most
West Texans, Elmer Kelton probably needs no introduction. However, for those
few who may be “unenlightened,” let me just say that you are in for a
treat. Kelton
is a native of Crane. He grew up on the McElroy Ranch with which his father,
the late R. W. “Buck” Kelton, was associated for 36 years. Author of more than 40 novels and published for
more than 50 years, Kelton is truly a Texas treasure. Three
of Kelton’s novels have appeared in Reader’s Digest Condensed Books. Four
books have won the Western Heritage Award from the National Cowboy Hall of
Fame in Oklahoma City, while seven have won the Spur award from Western
Writers of America. One of Kelton’s novels, “The Good Old Boys,” was made into a
1995 TV movie starring another Texan, Tommy Lee Jones. In
1987, he received the Barbara McCombs/Lon Tinkle Award for “continuing
excellence in Texas letters” from the Texas Institute of Letters. In
1990, Kelton received the Distinguished Achievement Award from the Western
Literature Association. The
Texas Legislature proclaimed Elmer Kelton Day in April 1997. In
1998, he received the first Lone Star award for lifetime Achievement from the
Larry McMurtry Center for Arts and Humanities at Midwestern State University
at Wichita Falls. He
also received honorary doctorates from Hardin-Simmons University and Texas
Tech University. He
was given a lifetime achievement award by the National Cowboy Symposium in Lubbock. The
multi-talented Mike Blakely will appear as the musical entertainment at the
Friday night barbecue, as well as being a panelist on Saturday’s program. A
native Texan who lives in Marble Falls, Blakely is the author of 15 books and
is also a performing songwriter with six CDs to his
credit. Most of Mike’s books are historical novels set in the American
West and released by major New York City publishing houses. His CDs, showcasing his songwriting and musical abilities, have
all been released on Mike’s own record label, Swing Rider Records. Blakely
has served as president of Western Writers of America and for many years sat
on the board of the Ozark Creative Writers at Eureka Springs, AR. Three
of Mike’s novels have been finalists for the WWA Spur Award and one, “Summer
of Pearls,” won the award in 2001 and was also a finalist for the Violet
Crown Award given by the Texas Writers League. Recently,
when a major publisher began looking for a novelist to team up with
international entertainment icon Willie Nelson, they came straight to Mike
Blakely. Blakely
and Nelson are currently working on their co-written western novel designed
to adapt to the big screen with Willie playing the lead role. The
book, “A Tale Out of Luck,” is scheduled for release in the fall of 2008. David Carlton holds a Doctorate in Veterinary
Medicine from Texas A&M University. He has owned and operated veterinary hospitals for
both large and small animals since 1976 and currently practices in Dallas at
Bent Trail Animal Clinic. In three of his books, Carlton draws from his many
rich and often humorous experiences as a practicing veterinarian while, in
two novels, he delves into the realms of historical fiction and western
romance. Rounding out this great panel is Bob Kinford of
Van Horn. Bob has been working cattle and horses for more
than 40 years. His humorous writing style has been compared to those of Will
Rogers and Will James. Besides writing and telling funny stories of his
life as a cowboy, he has also given horsemanship clinics as well as written
articles on horsemanship and reduced stress cattle handling. His live performances are said to literally have people
falling out of their seats with laughter.
Bob continues to live the cowboy life from which
he gleans material for his novels. For information about these and other authors appearing at
Alpine Rotary’s Way Out West Book Festival, please visit www.wowtxbookfestival.com. All
author sessions will be on Saturday, Aug. 9, at the Sul Ross State University
Espino Conference Center and are free to the public. A
copy of the complete program is posted on the site. Also available on the
website is ticket information for the Friday night chuck wagon barbecue
dinner at Kokernot Lodge with music by Mike Blakely, as well as for the
Saturday night gala dinner at the Espino Center, which will feature honorary
festival chairperson, Texas’ own Kinky Friedman, who will sing and tell
stories in his own unique style. Happy
Reading. Arlene
Griffis is president of Friends of the Marathon Public Library, which is a
branch of Alpine Public Library. She is also a member of the Rotary
Club of Alpine. MIDLAND – The Ninth Annual “Rock the Desert”
will be on August 8 and 9 here. Gates open at 3 p.m. on Friday and 10 a.m. on
Saturday. The theme of the two-day event is “Ignite”
with a Christian message for youth. Headliners this year include Needtobreathe,
Group 1 Crew, Family Force 5 and illusionist Brock Gill on Friday. Lined up for Saturday, among others, are Dove
award winners Disciple, Hawk Nelson and Switchfoot. The event also has a teen tent where teens
can cool off, play games and sit in on interviews with selected artists. Tyler Dodds will visit the teen tent on
Friday and Saturday will feature Brock Gill. “Rock the Desert” began in August, 2000, on the parking lot of Holy Trinity
Episcopal Church here. The original purpose of RTD was to provide a free concert as a
project to reach out to the church neighborhood but it has grown to become an
area-wide event and now costs $20 for advance tickets and $25 at the gate. In an effort to make the event non-denominational, the RTD
Planning Committee moved it to Beal Park. The concert was headlined by Newsboys and expanded to include
bands as well as skateboarding, extreme games a campout and the addition of a
Jumbotron screen. The attendance has grown to more than 32,000. The event now draws approximately 100,000 in attendance. For more information, go to rockthedesert.com. By JASON HENNINGTON Sul Ross News Writer
ALPINE
– Six Sul Ross State University students literally “dug” into their
assignments this summer. Enrolled in an archaeology class, the group excavated in a
rockshelter on the 02 Ranch south of here. The purpose of the class was to provide students with the
opportunity to get hands-on experience with archaeological work in the field
and the rockshelter proved to be a good training ground. Students spent the first summer session excavating, researching
and recording data at the site, which has been named Tranquil Rockshelter. Andy Cloud, Senior Project Archaeologist at the Center for Big
Bend Studies, taught the class. During the six-semester- credit-hour-course, students stayed in
the field from Monday to Friday, being immersed in archaeology each day in
the rockshelter and field laboratory, and in the evenings with lectures and
presentations. “Located within an important ecotone – the juncture of the
mountain foothills and lowland desert – the site has proven to be a very good
archaeological laboratory,” Cloud said. Enrolled were Kristen Tyson of Madisonville, Meredith Wheelock
of Austin, Casey Riggs of Fort Stockton, Wade Hall of Austin, Caleb Waters of
New Braunfels and Andrew Patterson of Midland. The CBBS had tested the site in 2007 so the students were
helping to recover additional data. Archaeological research typically consists of three different
phases, surveying, testing and data recovery. During the course, the students were instructed in each phase. During the survey phase, students walked the area near Tranquil
Rockshelter in organized transects and recorded several new sites that were
found. Formal 1- by 1-meter units are used to test sites and, when
deemed appropriate, the data recovery phase expands upon those excavations. Most of the coursework for the class would be classified as data
recovery. During this effort, the students helped to expand upon the three
2007 test units with an additional 10 units, meticulously recording
discoveries they found while excavating. Part of the rockshelter is completely dry and, in this portion,
cultural items were found that are normally not preserved in open sites exposed
to the elements. Included amongst these materials were painted cordage, stitched
gourd fragments, portions of arrow shafts and woven fragments from sandals,
baskets and other items. The excavation has helped the students and researchers learn
about the lifeways of the people who frequented the shelter as well as
providing important information about the past environment. The arrow points recovered indicate much of the occupation in
the shelter occurred between circa AD 1100 to 1500. Cultural features documented include ash lenses, basin-shaped
pits lined with grass and stone-lined hearths, all of which provide important
clues about past activities at the site. During the excavation, students exposed profiles of the
stratigraphy, or layering of the deposits in the walls of the units, which is
often the archaeologist's best way to glean temporal and spatial relationships
across a site. Although the class does not count toward her graduate degree in
history, Tyson sought to gain experience for the future. “I'm trying to be a curator,” she said. “The hands-on experience
in the field is a dual purpose type of thing for me.” For Wheelock, the class was a chance to learn more about archaeological
terms and the history of the area. “I’m connecting terms and names that I’ve always heard,” she
said. She has also learned more about the rockshelter and O2 Ranch and
has found it very interesting. Along with learning terminology and the geographic history of
the area, she has learned more about working with a group. “I learned a lot about working with a group of people and
working toward a goal in adverse conditions,” she said. Patterson, who is also taking the class for fun, is trying to
see what being an archeologist is all about. He is not sure what he will do with this experience in the
future but hopes this class will help sway his decision. “I’m trying to explore my options on staying in the area,” he
said. “It’s a good experience. I'm not sure if it will help me in the future,
but I'm enjoying it.” Waters has worked at the Center of Big Bend Studies for four
years, and is now getting a chance to see a source of the artifacts collected
and studied. “I wanted to see what it was all about in the field,” he said. Working in the field has helped Waters relate his former lab
work to the finds and feels he now has another option in career fields. “I’ve done a lot of lab work and it was just a rock and a bag to
me,” he said. “It’s neat to see where it all came from. The lab work makes more sense to me now,” Waters said. “I’m not
sure if I’ll pursue archaeology but I’m glad I took this class because it's open
to me now.” Riggs is the only Anthropology major enrolled. He transferred
from Sul Ross to Texas A&M after four semesters at Sul Ross. While at Sul Ross, Riggs also worked for the CBBS. Although a
field school course is offered at A&M, he returned to Sul Ross because of
his familiarity with this program. “They gave me the information, so I signed up,” he said. “This
is where the private research work I do is, the Trans-Pecos area.” In addition to credit, Riggs is gaining considerable field experience. “I’m getting a lot of field work experience going towards
becoming an archaeologist,” he said. “If you don't have experience in the
field, then you don’t really get taken seriously.” The students were thankful to have stayed in the historic 02
Ranch house and have a lot of the conveniences of home, as opposed to braving
the elements in tents as is often done by Center personnel. A field laboratory was set up in the ranch house which helped to
round out the student’s archaeological experience. Center Project Archaeologist Sam Cason organized and oversaw the
excavations at Tranquil and will be responsible for analyzing the findings
and producing a report on the investigation. “Sam has helped a great deal,” Cloud said. “He has taken
students under his wing and given several evening lectures as well. His
contributions to the field school being a success were immeasurable.” Cason enjoys the research and is happy about the outcome so far. “We are ecstatic to learn so much out here,” he said. The 2007 testing at the site indicated a high degree of
preservation within the deposits and raised questions about what else lay buried
there. While the features and artifacts uncovered this summer have
helped to answer some of those questions, other questions have been raised
and the Center for Big Bend Studies team is currently deciding if additional
excavations at the site are warranted. “There
was so much information and archaeological features found, that’s the reason
we came back,” Cason said. “This is an exceptional opportunity afforded to us
by the ranch owners and these students have contributed to our knowledge of
prehistory in the region.” |
She was a Research Fellow for the
Australian National University from 1989 to 1994 and a von Humboldt Fellow at
Max-Planck-Inst. for Chemie at Mainz, Germany, from 1987 to 89. In
addition to her teaching and research, Rudnick serves as editor-in-chief of
Chemical Geology and international editor, Journal of China University of Geosciences. MARATHON
– Children in the Marathon Public Library’s Summer Reading program tackled
two western books last week. They
heard “Two Cool Coyotes” and “Way Out West Lives, A Coyote Named Frank,” both
by Jillian Lund. Jackie
Boyd read the books to the children as they colored pictures of coyotes. Then
Shirley’s Burnt Biscuit presented a surprise in the form of “coyote cookies.” The
children decorated the coyote cookies with frosting, edible eyes and edible
glitter donated by Jackie and Don Boyd. “Everyone
had a great time and really enjoyed eating the cookies for their snack,”
Librarian Carol Townsend said. “We wish to thank our volunteers again this
week for all the help. “We
have moved our program to the Baptist Community Hall for the rest of the
classes,” she said. “We lost our tent in the storm and we need more room for
the children to do the crafts. “We
wish to thank Tracie and T.J. Joyner and the members of the church for letting
us use the Hall for our programs,” Townsend said. “Parents, please bring the
children to the library and we will walk them to the hall. We would like them
to return and check out books, then go to the hall for the program.” She said all the
children were doing a “great job reading. Keep up all the great work.” hunts
petroglyphs By MARK GLOVER Marathon News Leader
MARFA – Former
two-time Tyco International Ltd. CEO Jeff Fort has found a lot to do since
leaving the giant conglomerate. Exploring
for petroglyphs on the 90 sections of his Pinto Canyon Ranch in a big-tired
Jeep fills part of his time. Testifying
against ex-officers of his former company fills another. “I
spent five days in New York giving deposition last month,” Fort said, leaning
back in his chair. “The civil part of the matter is not over.” He
was casually dressed. Lean and maybe 60. Only one table remained open at the
Cochinelle restaurant that evening. Fort
served as CEO for Tyco from 1982 to 1992. He brought in Dennis Kozlowski to
fill his shoes. In
ten years, Kozlowski added hundreds of companies to the Tyco banner and
billions to its sales but calls of impropriety from shareholders, about the
time that ENRON and WORLDCOM came down, instigated an internal investigation. “They
had quite a lifestyle,” Fort said, referring to Kozlowski, the CFO and the
general counsel for Tyco. Kozlowski
bought an $18.5 million penthouse on Fifth Avenue, then stocked it with art. To
avoid New York sales tax he showed an out-of-state address. “He
was shipping empty boxes to New Hampshire,” Fort said. Tax
evasion brought on the heat but the company’s internal investigation showed
many other problems. After
negotiating with Kozlowski to step down voluntarily, which saved Tyco $120
million in potential severance fees, Fort returned to Tyco to serve as
interim CEO in the summer of 2002. Criminal
charges were brought against Kozlowski and three other Tyco associates. Two
trials later, Kozlowski and one other former employee are now serving time in
a New York State penitentiary. And
Fort is glad to spend his time in Texas. “I
love the mountains out here,” he said. He
visited West Texas a little over ten years ago after getting a tip from his
friend Tim Crowley. “I
grew up in the northeast and hiked a lot in New Hampshire and Vermont,” Fort
said. “But big open spaces are shrinking. And that’s why I’m out here.” Fort
has put all of the Pinto Canyon Ranch under a conservation easement. “A
conservation easement is a permanent burden to title,” John Karges of the
Nature Conservancy in Fort Davis said. “The landowner agrees to a certain
amount of conservation. “No
sub-division is allowed and coordination with certain agencies like US Fish
and Wildlife to monitor the health of the land is suggested,” Karges said.
“Conservation easements are helping to re-wild America.” “I’m
sensitive to the environment,” Fort said. “I’ve seen what development can do.
If capitalism runs unfettered…” Fort
leaned back and swirled the red wine in his glass. When
asked about America’s version of democratic capitalism, he stared for a
moment. “I’m
a big fan of capitalism,” he said. “I think it’s the only way to go. The
trick is, regulation and how to craft it.” The
waiter brought a green salad and before lifting his fork, Fort spoke. “Innovation.
Capitalism. You never know where it’s going to pop out,” he said. “It’s
always moving. Business tries to find ways around regulation, which is neat
and good because the government is not very good at crafting good regulation.” I
mentioned that I lean left, politically. “Did
communism work in Russia?” he asked, like a father, like a wise man. I
shakes me head. “And
now they are run by thugs, nothing subtle about it,” Fort said. “The big
difference between Russia and us is our legal system. Our law has teeth.” I
thought about Kozlowski in the pen and his art and the gray and red walls of
the restaurant. “In
Russia they’re buying up art,” Fort said. “Sotheby’s, Christies. They buy it
to be ‘Big Guys.’” There
was half a bottle of wine left and he poured us each another glass. The
ring on his finger was some type of yellow stone, flat, aged and square. “I
like my wine thick, red, and rich,” Fort said. Fort
is a big supporter of The Center for Big Bend Studies. “I
love what they’re doing.” His eyebrow quirked. “They taught me how to find
the sites.” The
center has documented over 450 archeological sites on the Pinto Canyon Ranch
including wikiups from the ancient Cielo Complex people. “The
vibes you get from an 8,000-year-old spear head,” Fort said. He shook his
head. “Awesome.” Fort’s
wife, Marion Barthelme, is a free lance writer and a Time Magazine
correspondent. She
is also the former wife of short story meta-fictionalist Donald Barthelme,
who died in the late 1980s at 58. Somehow,
I recalled an opening to one of his stories: “The death of God left the
angels in a strange position.” “Does
she find it scary?” I asked. “To
come out here?” He asked. I
nod. “It
is scary. But after a while you get over it.” Marion
spends most of her time in Houston. The
waiter came by with the check and I asked Mr. Fort if we could split it,
hoping that he’d say “of course not.” “No
way,” Fort said. He put his glasses on, examined the bill, then laid his
credit card on the table. The
courtyard was dim as we walked outside. The stars were out and the wind was
blowing. We
got to his hot rod Jeep. “Can
I call you if I’m fuzzy on the facts?” I asked. “Sure, call me any
time.” FORT
STOCKTON – Recent growth spurred by oil and gas activity in the area has
prompted city officials to consider a seven-year, $25 million program to
upgrade infrastructure. City
Manager Rafael Castillo, Jr., told the News Leader the “enterprise
funds” for water and sewer development are “the most important.” The
total program, to be backed by revenue bonds, will be $14.8 million over the
term of the program with $3.7 million to be spent in the first year. The
program also includes $10.2 million in “certificates of obligation” for other
city projects, including about $3 million in the first year. A
CO is similar to a bond issue but does not require voter approval. Castillo
said there will be a small increase in utility rates to pay for the revenue
bonds but no new taxes are contemplated. City
improvements will include a new or remodeled police building, city hall
improvements, new fire truck and police car, other vehicles and street and
drainage improvements. teen
smokers ALPINE
– Researching adolescent response to anti-smoking campaigns has served several
purposes for Sul Ross State University student Nitra Woods of Andrews. Woods
gained insight on targeted age groups, as well as what age groups may need to
be addressed. In addition, her work will better prepare her for graduate
school projects. She
is one of more than 20 Sul Ross undergraduates participating in the McNair
Scholars Program Summer Research Institute. “I
have looked up articles in different journals to see if there was any effect
on adolescents and how they perceive smoking,” said Woods, who will graduate
in August with a bachelor’s degree in Communication. “How
does family and peer pressure affect children’s decisions?” she asked. “I
also wanted to see if role models like Lindsay Lohan or Brittany Spears doing
public service announcements will affect an adolescent.” The
result? “While
these methods are a very positive way to get kids not to smoke, there are no
conclusions, just so much information,” Woods said. Subsequently,
with the help of her McNair Program adviser, Dr. Esther Rumsey, Woods narrowed
her scope. “Nitra
is doing a literary review that would lead to a research proposal,” said
Rumsey, associate professor of Communication and chair of the Fine Arts and
Communication Department. “This
in itself is fairly time-consuming and anti-smoking campaigns are a fairly
broad topic,” Rumsey said. “Consequently, she narrowed her focus to children,
then to African American children.” Woods,
who is considering pursuing a master’s degree in the health communication
field, is interested in conducting her own research as well. “I
really want to do my own testing if time will allow,” she said. “I would like
to survey some eight- to 12-year-olds and ask them questions about how they
feel about smoking. ”Is
it wrong? Have parents or friends influenced you?” she would ask “Later, I
would show these children a video clip on the effects of smoking to see if
their answers changed.” Woods’
reviews thus far have discovered that most children start smoking at the age
of 18 but African Americans have the lowest smoking rate in the 15 to 18 age
group. However,
African American males in the 18 to 24 age group have the highest smoking
rate. Why
this group chooses to start smoking later is one of the points Woods seeks to
address in future research. “Anti-smoking
ads are different for 14-year-olds than 18-year-olds,” Rumsey said. “There is
a need to review the ads that target later ages, see what’s there and what
needs to be addressed.” Rumsey
praised both Woods’ project and the McNair Program. “Nitra
chose this project because students working toward a master’s degree in
health communication can typically do two to three literary reviews per semester,”
she said. “This helps them learn to read and assess the material, how to pull
it together for a cohesive review and how to use the American Psychological Association
format. “I
think this is a good program,” Rumsey said. “Knowing how to access literary
material is a must for success in graduate school.” The
McNair Program, named after astronaut Ronald E. McNair who died in the 1986
shuttle Challenger accident, is designed to assist low income, first
generation, and/or under represented students earn doctoral degrees. The
program assists students to prepare for and pass the GRE, LSAT and MCAT
tests, as well as apply for doctoral programs at other institutions. The
McNair Program also sponsors travel to graduate fairs and symposiums, along
with periodic workshops on how to find and secure graduate funding for
involved students. Each
student receives free tuition, room and board, and a stipend for summer
research. Each
student is mentored by a faculty member appointed depending on field of
choice. Recipients
will receive three hours of college credit and will engage in an intense research
project in their field of interest. |