Archives for July 2001

Clarendon city officials are once again asking rural Donley County residents to support a proposal that would close the county dump and bring that trash to town. But county officials say some rural residents want nothing to do with the idea.

“They just don’t want to see any changes made,” said Rhonda Aveni, who works in the county judge’s office and has fielded calls from rural residents.

Judge Jack Hall said comments were running about 50-50 pro and con regarding the proposal.

The city is making improvements to the Three Feathers Recycling Center, which includes five new roll off boxes that will be used to collect trash and recyclables. When completed this September, the facility on Front Street will be open seven days a week.

The county facility, located near the municipal airport about four miles from town, is open three days per week. BFI hauls off the trash through a contract with the county. The proposal calls for the county to contract with the city to provide the same service at Three Feathers.

Mayor Tex Selvidge says he thinks the idea would be more convenient for county residents and says the city already hauls a lot of county trash for nothing since many rural residents bring their trash to town.

According to Selvidge, a one-year contract would let the county try this idea and if it doesn’t work, they can always go back to the old way.

But Aveni said rural folks have told her they don’t want to haul their trash through town.

“It’s further for some of them, and many have the attitude that ‘if it’s not broke, don’t fix it,’” she said.

Commissioners will take up the matter again at their next meeting. City officials hope rural residents will ask commissioners to make the change.

To make comments on this proposal, contact any of the county commissioners. They are Ernest Johnston, Don Hall, Bob Trout, and Henry “Buster” Shields.

State Senator Tom Haywood, 61, died at his home in Wichita Falls last Thursday morning after apparently suffering a heart attack.

Haywood’s death comes on the heels of what he considered his most successful session as a member of the Texas Senate. Governor Rick Perry signed thirty-nine bills either written by Haywood or House bills sponsored by him in the Senate. Additionally, several Haywood initiatives passed as amendments to other bills. In May, The Associated Press named him one of the six “Movers and Shakers” of the 77th Legislature.

Haywood was a former associate professor of physics at the University of North Texas in Denton and Midwestern State University (MSU) in Wichita Falls. While at MSU, he also served as the director of University Affairs. In 1979, Haywood left the education field to become vice president of the North Texas Oil and Gas Association (NTOGA). Under his leadership, NTOGA became one of the most respected industry organizations in the nation.

During his tenure in office, the senator made family values, tax incentives, and agricultural issues his focus. He served on the Education, Natural Resources, Economic Development, State Affairs, Military Affairs, and Nominations Committees. He was also chairman of the Senate Sub-Committee on Agriculture and co-chairman of the Joint Interim Committee on Agriculture Policy.

Senator Haywood, along with his wife Pat, was a native of Dallas. He resided in Wichita Falls since 1971.

Gov. Perry said there had been no better example of courage and selfless service to Texas than Haywood.

“Despite the personal challenges he faced daily, Tom never let them interfere with his commitment to serving the people of his district and of this state,” Perry said. “Texas has lost more than a senator. We have lost someone who truly loved Texas and personified what public service is all about.

“I will always remember Tom as an outstanding state senator and a loyal ally, but most of all, as a good friend. His leadership in the Senate will be missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Haywood family during this difficult time.”

Lt. Gov. Bill Ratliff, a longtime friend and colleague, said Haywood’s death is a great loss.

“Tom Haywood was a gentleman, a leader, and one of the best friends Texas ever had. Senator Haywood blessed the Texas Senate and our entire state with a special brand of bravery that was a daily inspiration to everyone who knew him. Tom was a dear friend and a loyal colleague.  Sally and I extend our deepest sympathy to his wife Pat, and his entire family as we share their loss.”

Haywood is survived by his wife, Pat; three daughters: Alisa Green of The Colony; Denise Haywood of Wichita Falls; Jamie Ratliff of Grand Prairie; and eight grandchildren. His son, Tommy, preceded him in death on May 27.

Funeral services were Saturday at First United Methodist Church in Wichita Falls.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to: The Society for Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, Inc., Woodholme Medical Building, Suite 515, 1838 Greene Tree Road, Baltimore, MD  21208, or to the First United Methodist Church, PO Box 2125, Wichita Falls, TX  76307.2125

A common phrase was repeated last Tuesday as word spread of a quirky discovery near Clarendon’s wastewater treatment plant – “You’re kidding me.”

It was no joke, however. City employees had, in fact, found an alligator that morning – a run-over, smelly, maggot-infested, dead alligator, but a gator nonetheless.

“I thought my cold medicine had finally kicked in,” city employee Alton Gaines said recalling his discovery. “I asked Mike [Bishop], ‘Do you see what I see?’”

Gaines and Bishop were headed to the sewer plant for the daily check of the facility when they found the gator lying halfway in Jefferson Street and halfway in the weeds.

“It looked like someone had run over it,” Gaines said. “But it was really in pretty good condition.”

The beast measured six foot from snout to tail, and Gaines said they figured it had been dead for about 36 hours based on the fly larvae that had hatched in the carcass.

Other than tire tracks, Gaines said he could make out paw prints and raccoon tracks near the body, which he and Bishop later buried. City workers say the plant on the north edge of town is a popular place for animals – particularly wild boars and deer.

Alligators are not commonly found in Donley County, but it is not unprecedented. The Donley County Leader reported on February 2, 1950, that Bud Hermesmeyer had found a dead six-foot alligator in a coyote den near a playa lake northwest of the city.

The common belief amongst the townspeople currently is that the gator was probably someone’s pet that was either thrown out or escaped. That was also the reckoning in 1950.

The American alligator’s natural habitat encompasses most of the southeastern United States from the Carolinas and Florida to the eastern one-third of Texas and as far north as Arkansas, according to the US Fish and Wildlife Service.  One website, <www.pnx.com/gator>, says alligators grow about one foot per year until they reach 11 feet long, which would make the local reptile about six years old.

The Donley County State Bank made a donation to the Clarendon College Foundation totaling $50,000 Tuesday afternoon.

The money was earmarked for use as seed money for the college’s proposed library, one of the projects of the New Horizons Campaign.

“This is something we’re very pleased about,” said CC President Myles Shelton. “The library is very important to the future of Clarendon College.”

Shelton said the current CC Library, which is a part of the Administration Building constructed in 1968, is not big enough to meet the present needs of the institution. The library now has approximately 4,000 square feet of space and holds 22,000 volumes. For a school the size of CC, it should be 8-10,000 square feet and hold 30-40,000 volumes, the president said.

“The library is a major project of our capital campaign,” Shelton said, “and we’re very pleased that this gift will set the standards for this project.”

An adequate new library is expected to cost CC at least $1 million, but Shelton said the “ideal” facility would cost about $2 million.

Donley County State Bank President Jimmy Fowler said his bank has been a longtime supporter of the Panhandle’s oldest institution of higher learning.

“Hopefully this gift will be a little start that they can build on to reach their goal,” Fowler said.

The New Horizons Campaign was authorized by the CC Board of Regents in May of 2000. Its two main objectives are the construction of a new library and a livestock and equestrian center. Secondary goals include raising money for scholarships, upgrading technology, and other campus improvements.

A new location and a new rodeo did nothing to dampen enthusiasm for the 123rd annual Saints’ Roost Celebration held here last week, but visitors and townsfolk did have to contend with temperatures that soared above 100°F.

The celebration got started Wednesday, July 4, with a bicycle parade on Kearney Street. Winners in the youngest division were Taylor Knorpp, first; Hannah Hommel, second; and Branson Cruse, third. In the middle division winners were Haley Chambless, first; and Tyler and Taylor Smith, second and third. In the big kids’ division winners were Chris Tiedeman, first; Amanda Rice, second; and Deston Chambless, third.

Events on the Fourth continued at Thunder Junction with ice cream and sloppy joes being served all day and fireworks being fired that night.

The town took Thursday off and got back to celebrating on Friday, July 6, with the Stick Horse Rodeo sponsored by the Donley County Horse Club and the Depression Lunch sponsored by the Main Street Ministry Center. The first day of a three-day carnival started that afternoon at Thunder Junction.

Friday night, the Clarendon Outdoor Entertainment Association marked its 50th anniversary by changing its traditional rodeo to a ranch rodeo competition. Comments were positive from those in attendance as local and area ranches battled it out to see who had the best cowboys. Twelve ranches competed on Friday night, and another 12 competed on Saturday. Results were not available at presstime.

Saturday was the big day of the celebration with the craft fair, barbecue, parade, turtle race, and more.

Some grumbling had been heard around town about moving the festivities from their traditional place on the courthouse square to City Park due to the courthouse restoration project. But right away Saturday, the roominess and beauty of the park and the convenience of the covered pavilion had people making positive comments. In the days that have followed, some citizens are even saying they prefer the new location.

During the Old Settlers Reunion, Clara Mae Carter and C.E. Welch were recognized as the oldest folks in attendance. Mildred Housden was honored as the person having lived in the county the longest, and Dr. Buddy Hudson from Colleyville, Texas, was the person traveling the greatest distance to the celebration. W.K. Hardin and Claudine Todd were the Pioneer Man and Woman of the Year.

Attendance for the barbecue was down again this year. The Al Morrah Shrine Club reports serving only 850 people. Last year, the Shriners served 1,100. That figure was 1,134 in 1999 and over 1,500 in 1997. A total for 1998 was unavailable.

The Lions Club’s Cow Patty Bingo winner was Paulette Kidd. She won $50.

The parade followed a different route this year, turning on Third Street instead of Second Street and thus not disrupting traffic on US 287. It was a change which had the effect of shortening the duration of the parade and easing the traffic directing pressures on members of the Donley County Sheriff’s Department.

Popular television and screen actor Barry Corbin was the Grand Marshall this year, leading the parade of 54 entries on horseback.

Winners of the parade this year were: Float Division – CHS Cheerleaders driven by Eddie Eads (first), Herring National Bank/Mr. & Miss CHS (second); Riding Units – Cheyenne Noble (first), Khiva Shrine Temple Mule Skinners (second); Antique Cars – Wondell & Ann Luttrell’s 1925 Model T (first), James Nelson’s 1952 Chevy Pickup (second); Other – Lone Star Transportation Escort Vehicle (first), and Khiva Shrine’s Mini-Vettes (second).

Following the parade, Henson’s Turtle Race was held at its usual location with eight-month-old Gavin Hollan of Clarendon, six-year-old Benjamin McDonald of Amarillo, and 10-year-old Leigh Ann Layton of Clarendon racing the fastest terrapins this year.

The VFW Post raffled off a shotgun, and Wiley Reynolds of Lelia Lake was the lucky winner. Russell Estlack of Clarendon won the trip for two to the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas given by the Clarendon Chamber of Commerce.

The National Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States has awarded several Donley County citizens with the National VFW Life Saving Award. 

Sheriff Charles “Butch” Blackburn, Jr., dispatcher Clarice Hoggatt, firefighter James Hinton, and local man Max Rippetoe were recognized for rescuing two people this spring.

Vic Jeter and his companion were rescued from his truck when it was swept into the drainage behind Renee’s Diner during a heavy rain on May 3, 2001.

Donley County Post 7782 and its Quartermaster William Holden made the recommendation. Post Commander J.D. Hopper presented the awards.

The certificate reads, “In grateful recognition and sincere appreciation of your prompt and selfless life-saving action. Your personal initiative and prompt action resulted in saving the life of another and is one of the highest obligations to humanity. Your efforts will serve as an inspiration to others and especially the Veterans of Foreign Wars.”