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Archives for April 2010

Aldermen updated on grants

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The Clarendon Board of Aldermen received updates on several grants that the city has been looking into during their regular meeting April 13.

Interim City Administrator Phyllis Jeffers primarily raised concerns about a downtown revitalization grant for $440,000 that would bring sidewalk and lighting improvements to Kearney Street.

Jeffers said part of the documentation for the grant application is not in the files and also said the grant is a reimbursement grant – meaning the city spends the money and is then paid back by the state – with a 20 percent local match.

The Clarendon Economic Development Corporation has previously agreed to provide $50,000 for the match, but city officials must consider how to fund the remainder of the match as well as how to pay bills as they come in prior to the state’s providing reimbursement.

“I am making this my number one priority,” Jeffers said. “I’ve seen what this type of grant has done for other cities, and it’s very important that we get this grant.”

Jeffers said the grant won’t be awarded until this fall, so the city has time to visit with other cities to see how they have handled the funding issues.

Board members said they had not been made aware of the reimbursement nature of the grant but also expressed support for moving forward.

Another grant for sidewalk improvements near the public school had not been submitted, a grant for a new trash truck was not successful, and a third grant for energy efficient street lights has some timeline questions that need to be resolved.

The board also accepted a letter of resignation, with regret, from Municipal Judge Jimmy Johnson, who is retiring. Aldermen then met for an hour in closed session before appointing Justice of the Peace Connie Havens as a temporary replacement for Johnson.

In other city business, the board authorized a mid-year audit that Jeffers hopes will help streamline city operations and ultimately save money; renegotiated a contract with the Chamber of Commerce that now gives the Chamber $5,000 per quarter from the Motel Bed Tax fund; agreed to pay for radio advertising bills owed by the Chamber due to a contract that the city approved several years ago; and approved one resolution related to working with the probation department to help with city projects and a second resolution that allows volunteer firemen to serve on the board of aldermen.

A Different Kind of Life

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Bernice Ende from Trigo, Montana, leads a nontraditional lifestyle.

Inspired by watching black and white westerns such as Hop Along Cassidy and John Wayne when she was a child, the 56 year old former ballet teacher is a “longrider,” traveling thousands of miles each year on horseback and calling a tent home.

Last week, Ende’s current 2,700 mile journey from London, Texas, to Montana led her to Clarendon, and she made her temporary home at the Clarendon rodeo grounds.

“I would like to say thank you to the community for their hospitality and to Joe Neal Shadle for opening up the Cowboy Church and making sure I had everything out here,” Ende said.
“Everyone has been so helpful.” 

During her stay, Ende made a guest appearance at the monthly Friends of the Library meeting on April 14 and shared her experiences.

“I think she’s an amazing woman,” Librarian Jerri Ann Shields said. “Anyone who sleeps with her dogs and horses is amazing.”

Ende’s previous rides include 3,000 miles in 2009, 3,000 miles in 2008, 5,000 miles in 2006-2007 and 2,000 miles in 2005. This will be her fifth time to cross the Rocky Mountains.

“On my first ride I was so afraid I wasn’t gonna make it because I had no place to go,” she said.

“But this is my life. It doesn’t matter about getting to the end anymore. It didn’t change until about 700 miles into this. The journey takes you, not you take the journey. There is no going home. For me, this is home.”

From Clarendon she will go onto McLean, Wheeler and Allison, and then into Oklahoma.

“I’ve been in the state of Texas for three months,” Ende said. “This state is huge! My pockets are bulging with hospitality from my stays here. It has definitely been a chapter of its own coming through Texas.”

Her companions on her journeys are Hart, a 14-year-old paint gelding that replaced Hope, her former mare after she recently broke her shoulder and had to be put down; Essie Pearl, a three-year-old Fjord packhorse; Claire, a nine-year-old dog of “unknown origin,” and Francis, a three-month-old West Texas cattle dog. Both dogs get the privilege of riding on Essie Pearl in a box.

“Both my dogs are ditch puppies,” Ende said. “When I found Claire I took her out of the ditch, and then I began teaching her how to ride in a wheelbarrow and bicycle basket, so riding on the horse was nothing.” 

Ende dedicates her rides to her mother.

“In honor of my mother, I have five siblings who I stay in touch with by riding,” she said. “All of my routes take me to see my sisters.”

Her gear and possessions she travels with include a tent, sleeping pads, wool blanket, sleeping bag, food department, Coleman burner, one spork, one knife, tin cup, vet supply, toiletries, water bottles, rain gear, ponchos, two sets of clothes, and riding and reading material.

Food found in the “Lady Longrider’s” diet consists of a tortilla with cream cheese and vegetables, coffee and meat cooked with her portable Coleman burner, and wild plants and berries.

“Some of the plants I eat include lambsquarters, nettles, watercress, dandelion greens, and pecans,” Ende said. “I eat a lot of all those things, and of course all the wild fruits.”
While there are those who would suffer from withdrawals when isolated from technology, Ende actually enjoys it.

“I love not having everything,” Ende said. “I don’t use a phone but about four times a month, and I’m experiencing the amazing diversity in our country that you cannot find on TV.”
Ende walks about ten miles a day and rides an average of 20-25 miles on a good day.

“It’s so physically demanding, and I hope I have another five years in me,” she said.

“I sleep on the ground, and everyday I’m packing hundreds of pounds on and off the horse, not to mention walking and encountering the heat and cold.”

Ende said that a critical part of longriding is learning how to accept help and not caring what others think of you.

“Longriding has been a teacher to me,” she said. “At first I was afraid to ask for water at houses, but since I first did it I’ve never been turned down.

“It’s humbling being in the presence of people who care about you riding and who want you to continue.”

According to Ende, other requirements include mental perseverance and faith.

“You find out what you’re made of when a storm comes around and your holding on to your tent telling yourself you’re going to stay,” she said.

Ende has discovered that enduring these hardships is worth it.

“When you live your life at four miles an hour, something changes in you,” she said. “When you travel by car, you travel fast and smooth. But when on a horse, you have a view and your elevated 12 feet off the ground and can see all around without watching where to go. There’s just a quality of life that comes from the horse.”

Out of all the places she has traveled to, the desert scene is one of Ende’s favorite. In order to cross a desert she must follow storms and drink out of puddles.

“In the desert there is no one in any direction, and there are coyotes howling and birds singing, and you’re around a fire,” she said. “It’s the most wonderful feelings of contentment and satisfaction, and it’s embracing.”

Ende said the only reason she rides is to “bring smiles to people’s faces.”

“It’s not about me, it involves all of us,” she said. “It’s about our country, sharing stories and the goodness in our people. It’s a reminder of living a simpler life and of not being afraid to find your passion in life.”

Thousands of people have told Ende they wish they were a longrider and want to join in on her journeys.

“It is a romantic image, but it’s not easy,” Ende said. “It’s not a once in a lifetime dream for me; it’s my life.”

Enterprise picks up awards from regional press contest

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The Clarendon Enterprise received three first place plaques when the Panhandle Press Association announced the winners of its annual Better Newspaper Contest in Canadian last Saturday.

Winners were announced at the close of the association’s 100th annual convention at the Citadelle Art Museum.

Enterprise publisher Roger Estlack won first place in the Editorials on the topic’s of “Mom’s Love,” the closure of the local General Motors dealership, and the tension between City Hall and the sheriff’s department.

The paper also received first place honors for Feature Photos by Ashlyn Tubbs and Roger Estlack and for Sports Photos for work by Kari Lindsey and Estlack.

The Enterprise received second place honors in the categories of Best News Writing, Sports Writing, Society/Lifestyles, Best Special Edition/Section, and Front Page Layout.

Julie Shields won a third place plaque for Best Humorous Columns, and the paper also received third place honors for Advertising Initiative, Headline Writing, and, with its old website, the Online Newspaper Contest.

The Canadian Record took home top honors in Division I.

The PPA was led this year by Canadian editor Laurie Ezzell Brown. She will continue on the PPA Board as Immediate Past President with the following officers: Mary Smithee of Canadian, President; Phil Hamilton of Olton, Vice President; and Ashlee Estlack, Secretary/Treasurer, along with directors Jed Moorehouse of Silverton, Jeff Blackmon of Childress, Amanda Rogers of Canyon, and Grover Ford of Hereford.

Candidates impress the area press

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Two statewide candidates for office impressed the members of the Panhandle Press Association last week at the group’s 100th annual convention in Canadian.

Attorney General Greg Abbott addressed newspaper men and women on Thursday night, and Democratic gubernatorial nominee Bill White spoke at the Friday Luncheon.

A third statewide candidate, Democrat Barbara Ann Radnofsky, who is running against Abbott, was scheduled to appear at the convention but was unable to attend due to a bout of pneumonia.

Abbott spoke on a subject near and dear to the members of the press, that being open government, and specifically the Texas Open Meetings Act. Abbott’s office has come up with innovative ways to educate elected officials about the requirements of the law, although it remains unclear how many of them actually appreciate the spirit of the law.

Abbott specifically addressed a lawsuit that is being brought by several parties which seeks to undermine the penalties for violating the Open Meetings Act by arguing that the law infringes on the free speech rights of elected officials by restricting what they can say to each other outside of an open meeting. In other words, some elected officials want to be able to discuss in secret the business that ought to be public. Abbott said he is prepared to defend the Open Meetings Act all the way to the US Supreme Court.

The attorney general also said that the act needs to be reviewed since social networking Internet sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, are blurring some of the lines about what is acceptable communications.

Another topic on Abbott’s agenda is a lawsuit the State of Texas and several other states have filed questioning the constitutionality of the new federal health care law. Abbott said the law’s requirement that every American must purchase health insurance would dramatically expand the powers granted Congress under the commerce clause, and he noted that there would be no limit to what the government could force you to buy.

The act also tramples on the tenth amendment, Abbott said, which reserves the right to regulate health insurance to the state governments.

White, the former mayor of Houston, made a strong impression with members of the press just by showing up after Governor Perry was “too busy” to address the group, and he followed that up by making a lot of sense during his remarks.

White focused on public and higher education as a key responsibility of state government and specifically criticized Perry’s veto of some funds for community colleges three years ago. He said he wants to work with everyone for what is best for Texas and pointed to his record in Houston of strong fiscal policies, bi-partisan accomplishments, and re-election wins with 80 and 90 percent of the vote.

White also said he would listen to as many points of view as possible even though he wouldn’t always agree with every view.

The mayor praised the press and said democracy has four main pillars – an educated people, a method by which the people get information about the government without bias (i.e., the press), people willing to run for office, and people getting out to vote.

Both White and Abbott are to be commended for making the trip to Canadian. While they both no doubt relished the opportunity to address dozens of journalists, their appearances shows a respect not just for the press but for you, our readers. These men took the time to come to a rural West Texas town because they knew it was a way to speak to you through columns like this. And that respect is something to consider as you prepare to cast your ballots this November.

A tip of the hat…

One of the most talked about conventions of the West Texas Press Association continues to be the 2006 convention in Clarendon. Four years later, members of the press are still bragging on it and telling your humble editor what a good time they had here. Now the members of the Panhandle Press Association also have a convention to talk about, and the 2010 gathering in
Canadian will likely be the yardstick by which future PPA conventions are measured for many years.

The convention, which is usually held in Amarillo, was returned to its birthplace this year to celebrate the past 100 years. The Canadian Record, led by Laurie Ezzell Brown and Mary Smithee, hosted the event; and together with the people of their fair city, they put on a first class convention with venues, speakers, and meals that just blew the socks off everyone in attendance.

If you haven’t been to Canadian lately, it’s time to take a road trip. You will be impressed.

And a sad goodbye…

The Enterprise family lost one of its own last week – Bob Kidd, the grandfather of Contributing Editor Ashlee Estlack and Office Director Anndria Newhouse. He left his mark on his family and his community through his love and service. He is missed, but we still hear his laughter in his children and grandchildren. We will cherish his memory forever.

Bobbie Ray “Bob” Kidd

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Bobbie Ray “Bob” Kidd, age 81, died Saturday, April 17, 2010, in Amarillo.

Services were held at 2:00 p.m., Tuesday, April 20, 2010, in the First United Methodist Church with Rev. Terry Lowe, Pastor, and Rev. Bill Hodges, Pastor of the First Church of the Nazarene of Clarendon, officiating. Interment followed in Citizens Cemetery with arrangements by Robertson Funeral Directors of Clarendon.

Bob was born April 10, 1929, in Donley County to Montie Ray Hunsucker and James Elzie Kidd, Sr. He graduated from Lelia Lake High School. He married Joan Putman on October 21, 1954, in Memphis. He was a US Navy Veteran serving during the Korean Conflict. He had been a lifetime resident of Donley County and Clarendon. He was the former owner of Kidd’s service station for many years and had been a gas distributor of Phillips 66 and Texaco. He also was a lifetime member of the Clarendon Volunteer Fire Department and a member of the VFW. He had served on the Clarendon City Council for more than 10 years. He was a member of the First United Methodist Church in Clarendon.

He was preceded in death by his parents.

Survivors include his wife, Joan Kidd of Clarendon; two sons, Bobbie Kidd and wife Missy and Doug Kidd and wife Nancy, all of Clarendon; a daughter, Kathy Holland of Clarendon; a brother, J.E. Kidd and wife Suzie of Clarendon; a twin sister, Billie Williams and husband Jerry of Amarillo; 10 grandchildren – Brock Holland and wife Stephini, Keith Kidd and wife Tosya, Kala Holland, Aaron Kidd and wife Amy, Sarah Hatley and husband Jeff, Ashlee Estlack and husband Roger, Terra Kidd, Anndria Newhouse and husband Michael, Tamara Holland, and Monty Holland; 10 great grandchildren – Clay, Nicholas, Matthew, Graci, Kasen, Koulter, Benjamin, Ella, Kinslee, and Sutton; and many extended family members.

The family request memorials be sent to the Citizens Cemetery Association, PO Box 983, Clarendon, Texas 79226; First United Methodist Church, 420 South Jefferson, Clarendon, Texas 79226; BSA Hospice, PO Box 950, Amarillo, Texas 79106; or a favorite charity.
The family will be at Bob and Joan’s home at 512 South Orpe in Clarendon.

Hubert Leo Moffett

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Hubert Leo Moffett, died Sunday, March 28, 2010, near Del Norte, Colorado, seven days short of his 82nd birthday. Services were at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, March 31, 2010, in Springfield at the Springfield Church of Christ with arrangements made by Dykes Funeral Home of Walsh, Colo.

Hubert was born to John Wesley Moffett and Eula Lee Tucker Moffett in Clarendon, Texas, on April 4, 1928. Born into a farming family, he was the sixth of nine children. Of these, he was the only child that did not finish high school, being needed at home to farm while the older brothers served their country in World War II both abroad and at home.

Working as a farm laborer near Groom, Texas, he met at church and later married Elizabeth Jane James on January 21, 1951, at Clovis, New Mexico. Of this union, there were two children, Hubert Odell and Sharon Elaine.

On September 11, 1951, he was inducted into the United States Army. In the summer of 1952, he was stationed in South Korea and was released from active military service to the Army Reserve on August 12, 1953. He earned the Korean Service Medal with two Bronze Service Stars, the U N Service Medal, and the Good Conduct Service Medal. He was part of the UN forces that brought prisoners of war out of North Korea across the Demilitarized Zone into South Korea in 1952.

On returning home, he continued working in farming, ranching, and truck driving, working throughout the Texas Panhandle in Borger, Clarendon, Claude, Amarillo, Groom, Gruver, and Tulia. Happiest when he was horseback, and being single at the time, he moved to Springfield in 1974 to farm and ranch in the Kim, La Junta, Springfield triangle area.

Here he met and married Opal Porter Bryan on April 16, 1979, the mother of three sons, and three daughters. He continued ranch work and riding, also working as a cowboy in the feedlot at Rocky Ford and at Cimarron Feeders at Kerrick, Oklahoma. This long and happy marriage, with a large family much like the family he grew up in, lasted until his death, just three weeks shy of his and Opal’s 31st wedding anniversary.

He was preceded in death by his parents, John Wesley Moffett and Eula Lee Tucker Moffett; three brothers, Jake Moffett and wife Ona Mae of Clarendon, Curtis Moffett and wife Oleta, also of Clarendon, and Troy Moffett of Sherman: two sisters, Ruby Adams and husband Virgil of Plainview, Lois Seaton and husband A. F. “Bill” Seaton of Amarillo; a sister-in-law, Claudette Moffett of Springfield; and one daughter, Roxie Bryan Patterson of Kansas City, Mo.

Survivors include his wife, Opal Porter Bryan Moffett of Springfield; four sons, Odell Moffett and wife Denette Davis of Amarillo, Larry Bryan and wife Nancy of La Junta, Colo., Randy Bryan and wife Jo of Pueblo West, Colo., and Lyle Bryan of Wheatland, Wyoming; three daughters, Sharon Moffett Thompson and husband Joe Bob of Tulia, Shannon Bryan Russell and husband Mike of Amarillo, and Sheila Bryan Moffett and husband Joel of Springfield; two foster daughters, Dana Green and husband David of Payton, Colo., and Doloris Winegarner and husband Rolan of Springfield; two brothers, Claude Moffett and wife Betty of Hays, Kan., and Royce Moffett of Springfield; one sister, Nadiene Moffett Mulanax and husband Travis of Petersburg; one sister-in-law, Jonell Moffett of Sherman; 18 grandchildren; and 28 great-grandchildren.

The family suggests memorials to High Plains Children’s Home, P.O. Box 7448, Amarillo, TX 79114 or your favorite charity.

Lovie Faye Taylor

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Lovie Faye Taylor, age 88, Thursday, April 15, 2010, at Corinth, Texas.

Services were held at 2:00 p.m. on Monday, April 19, 2010, in the First Baptist Church in Clarendon with Rev. Lance Wood, Pastor, officiating. Interment followed in Citizens Cemetery in Clarendon with arrangements by Robertson Funeral Directors of Clarendon.

Lovie was born April 10, 1922, in Marsden, Okla., to George Washington and Margaret Elizabeth Wyatt Wood. She had been a lifetime resident of Clarendon. She married George Park Taylor on July 24, 1948, in Clarendon. He preceded her in death on November 29, 1993. She had worked much of her life in local restaurants and cafes prior to her retirement. She was a very caring, charitable person who contributed to many charitable causes. She was a member of the First Baptist Church in Clarendon.

Survivors include one daughter, Nancy Taylor of Clarendon; one son, Glenn Taylor of Corinth, Texas; one sister, Dupree Augusta Linsteadt of Dennison; several nieces and nephews and great nieces and great nephews.

The family requests that memorials be to Susan B. Komen Cancer Foundation.

Kent Arlington McElroy

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Kent Arlington McElroy, age 56, of Kansas City, Missouri, died after a long battle with cancer on April 14, 2010.

Kent was born on October 19, 1953, in Hereford to Arlington Wayne and Hattie Ailene (Rhodes) McElroy. He graduated from Clarendon High School, Bible College of Wales, (UK), Emmaus Bible Institute, (Switzerland) and Dallas Theological Seminary. Kent spent most of his professional life serving the Lord and loving people as a missionary, Pastor and Fund Raiser for non-profit organizations. Kent was a US Army veteran serving from October 1972 – October 1975.

Kent’s primary passion was to serve God and glorify Him with his life. Even to the end, he remained a faithful, loving husband, father and friend, and a man with undisputed integrity. More than anything in the world, Kent deeply loved life and others. Kent was a member of Pleasant Valley Baptist Church, Liberty, Missouri.

Kent is survived by his wife of 32 years, Elizabeth McNeill (Hyslop) McElroy, his daughter Ashley (McElroy) Parsons, his son-in-law Jeremy Paul Parsons, his two grandsons, Micah and Tyler Parsons, his brothers, Jackie Wayne McElroy and Jimmy Rhodes McElroy. He was preceded in death by his parents.

Visitation will take place at Park Lawn, Northland Chapel, 1640 North Highway M-291, Liberty, Missouri 64068. Celebration services will be held at 1:00 p.m., on Tuesday, April 20, 2010, at Pleasant Valley Baptist Church, Liberty, Missouri. Kent will be laid to rest with Military Honors at the National Cemetery Higginsville, Missouri.

Kent suggested donations in lieu of flowers be made to HCJB Global, 1065 Garden of the God’s Rd, Colorado Springs, Colo. 80907.
Morrison

Johnnie L. Morrison, 86, of Quitaque passed away Wednesday, April 07, 2010, in Amarillo. Services were Saturday at the Church of Christ in Quitaque with Gerald Bedwell officiating.

Burial followed in Resthaven Cemetery under the direction of Myers-Chancellor Funeral Home.
Johnnie was born January 01, 1924, in Lakeview to William Charlie and Mintie Anderson Eddleman. She married Murry Morrison June 08, 1940, in Lubbock.

Johnnie was a member of the Quitaque Church of Christ. She was an active member of We The Women, the Briscoe County Historical Society, and the Cemetery Association. In the early 1980s, she was honored by Quitaque as their reunion Homecoming Queen.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Murry, who passed away April 18, 2000; six brothers; and five sisters.

Survivors include three sons, Murry Wayne Morrison and wife Judy of Lubbock, BoBo Morrison and wife Linda of Quitaque, Joe Morrison and wife Debbie of Amarillo; a daughter, Neva Spier and husband Mike of Clarendon; one brother; W.C. Eddleman and wife Marie of Eureka California; eight grandchildren; eleven great grandchildren; one great-great granddaughter; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Early voting beings Monday for local boards

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Early voting begins next Monday in elections for six local boards, and the Enterprise will publish profiles of the candidates next week.

All local candidates will be contacted and asked to fill out a questionnaire later this week.
Clarendon voters will have a choice of seven candidates to fill three positions on the Board of Aldermen. Incumbent City Aldermen Kyle Davis and Will Thompson will be joined on the ballot by challengers Jeff King, Jeremy Powell, John Lockhart, Danny Bennett, and former alderman Terry Noble.

Voters in Hedley will have two choices for mayor – incumbent Bruce Howard and Dusty D. Wilkinson – and five choices for four positions on the Board of Aldermen – David Wells and incumbents Leon Ward, Tonya Metcalf, Travis Thomas, and Lonnie Roby.

Howardwick has four people running for three positions on the Board of Aldermen.

Incumbents Rod Donaldson and Tanis McMorries are being challenged by Johnny Hubbard and Tim Gallagher.

Six candidates are running for three positions on the Clarendon College Board of Regents. Challengers Cindy Myers, Glenda Hawkins, and Jerry Gage will face incumbents Susie Shields, Charles Deyhle, and Ruth Robinson.

One challenger is seeking a spot on the Clarendon ISD Board of Trustees. Current members Robin Ellis, Jim Shelton, and Marvin Thompson will be joined on the ballot by Linda Rowland.

The Hedley ISD Board of Trustees has three candidates for two full terms. Incumbents James Edward Potts and Troy Monroe will face Bonnie Walsh Brown during the election. Karen Watt is serving an unexpired term on the board and was the only one to file to run for that position.

All offices are elected at-large. Election Day is Saturday, May 8.

What’s on your mind?

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The Clarendon Enterprsie is preparing questionnaires for our local city, college, and school board candidates and will print the results in the April 29 edition. If you have suggested questions for the candidates, let us know by e-mailing us or by posting a comment on this article. This is your chance to get involved.

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