Clarendon Live

The Clarendon Enterprise - Spreading the word since 1878.

Archives for June 2010

Sid Muse

by Leave a Comment

Sid Muse, age 77, died Tuesday, May 25, at his residence of Grove, Oklahoma.

Sid was born on January 4, 1933, to Lee and Lela (Jarvis) Muse in Clarendon. He graduated from West Texas State University. Sid married Laverne Fowler on August 15, 1953, in Floydada. Sid worked in agricultural sales for Phillips Petroleum, Grace Chemical and retired from The Andersons in Maumee, Ohio. He was a Rotarian, a founding member of Get America Back, and was a member of the Grace Presbyterian Church. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, boating, woodworking, and building model planes. Sid also taught his grandchildren how to water ski.

He is survived by wife, Laverne, of the home; daughter Sidney Morgan of Miami, Oklahoma; son J. Muse and his wife Barbara of Windsor, Colorado; two granddaughters Katie Morgan Beitz and her husband Adam of Stillwater, Oklahoma, and Kelly Clark of Parker, Colorado; one sister Cora Lee Heckman and her husband Lowell of Pampa; and many friends. Sid and Laverne were foster parents for several children for several years.

His parents and a sister who died in infancy preceded Sid in death.

A Celebration of Life services were held at 11 a.m. at the Grace Presbyterian Church of Grove on Friday, May 28 with Reverend Teri Summers-Minette officiating.

Memorial donations can be made in Sid’s name to the Grace Presbyterian Church of Grove. Friends and family may leave online condolences by viewing Sid’s obituary at www.honoringmemories.com.

Also, memorial donations can be made in Sid’s name to Clarendon College Peak Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 968, Clarendon, TX, 79226.

Services were under the direction of Worley-Luginbuel Funeral Home of Grove.

City conducting survey for grant

by Leave a Comment

The Panhandle Regional Planning Commission and the City of Clarendon will be conducting a door-to-door survey in the early evening hours this week as part of the city’s application for a Community Development Block Grant.

Interim City Administrator Phyllis Jeffers says the grant, if it is approved, will replacing an aging main sewer line and also replace a sewer lift station. The project would not take place until 2011-2012.

The Community Development Block Grant program is intended to serve primarily low to moderate income families in rural communities.  This survey must be conducted in order to attain the information necessary to describe the population who would benefit from the City’s proposed water system improvement project.

Questions to be asked on the survey include: the number of persons living in unit, the number of families living in unit; and income levels. Citizens do not need to identify themselves by name on the form. Only the address is required.  Representatives of PRPC will compile the results of the survey.

If you have any questions about this upcoming survey, please call City Hall at (806) 874-3438.

Spider-kids

by Leave a Comment

Kids College students put their paper machete spiders on their heads during the first week of fun classes at Clarendon College last week. Shown here are (back) Harrison Howard, Calder Havens, Kylie Monroe, Gaven Nazarrio, Collin Monroe, (front) Nathan Estlack, Jayde Gribble, Amnesty Oatman, and Graci Kidd. Enterprise Photo / Roger Estlack

Aldermen okay fund requests

by Leave a Comment

The Clarendon Board of Aldermen met in regular session June 10 with a full agenda, including three requests for funds from the city’s Motel Bed Tax.

Aldermen first considered a request to renew a contract with Galaxy Outdoor Advertising for a billboard just outside Amarillo where US 287 and I-40 split. The three-year contract proposal was for $275 per month, and the board approved the renewal.

Theresa Shelton addressed the board on behalf of the Clarendon Outdoor Entertainment Association and requested funds to promote the 133rd annual Saints’ Roost Celebration. Aldermen approved $3,500 for this event.

Betty Ann Sansing also spoke to the board and requested support for the Les Beaux Arts Festival this October. A motion to give $5,000 to this event died for a lack of a second. Another motion to donate $3,500 to the festival was approved.

The board elected Alderman Larry Hicks as the city’s mayor pro-tem and voted to offer the municipal judge’s position to Trina Wright.

Aldermen also considered a request by Rick Woodrome for a livestock permit on his property. The board asked for verification of the space requirements being met prior to approval of the permit.

A discussion was held on the recruiting of a new city administrator. A future meeting will discuss the qualification and qualities the city wants in a new administrator.

Interim Administrator Phyllis Jeffers updated the board on the street project. Nathan Jaramillo is heading up repairs and is doing streets one at a time systematically. He is being assisted by Brad Hagood, Lee Tolbert, and Jesus Hernandez. Jeffers said the crew filled 218 potholes in two weeks and that Third Street alone took nearly 60 tons of asphalt. Jaramillo is also making downtown clean up a priority leading up to the Saints’ Roost Celebration.

The board also met in called session on Monday night to consider and approve a request for $750 from the Tourism Committee to promote a Summer Celebration on July 22.

Stay all night. Stay a little longer.

by Leave a Comment

A new digital marquee is welcoming travelers along US 287 as they go by Clarendon College. The old marquee sign was replaced last week with a new LED-powered model that can flash a variety of messages and promote college and community events. The sign was purchased jointly by the college, the City of Clarendon, and the Clarendon Economic Development Corporation. Enterprise Photo / Roger Estlack

Hazel Tyler Campbell

by Leave a Comment

Hazel Tyler Campbell, 91, died Monday, June 7, 2010, in Clarendon.

Services will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday, June 10, 2010, in the Clarendon Church of Christ with Don Stone & Bright Newhouse, officiating. Burial will follow at Citizens Cemetery in Clarendon. Services are under the arrangement of Robertson Funeral Directors of Clarendon.

Hazel was born November 11, 1918, in Brice to E.W. “Watt“ and Lillie Mae Cross Tyler.  She was raised in Claude and was a graduate of Claude High School. She married Thomas Jefferson “Buster” Campbell on July 2, 1938 in Claude. She had been a resident of Clarendon most of her adult life. She devoted her life to her husband, her family, and as well as the town of Clarendon.

She was a member of the Clarendon Church of Christ.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Buster in 1992; and 12 brothers and sisters.

Survivors include three sons, Gary Lynn “Punk” Campbell and wife Bonnie of Clarendon, William Frank “Pete” Campbell and wife Becky of Farmersville, and Thomas Jefferson “Jeff” Campbell III and wife Mona of Florissant, Colorado; four grandchildren; and seven great grandchildren.

The family will be at 918 South Carhart Street in Clarendon.

The family requests that memorials be to the Donley County Sr. Citizens or Citizens Cemetery Association.

President talks tough on oil spill

by Leave a Comment

President Obama is getting frustrated, and he’s ready to kick someone’s fanny.
He just doesn’t know whose tush to put his boot in; and frankly, it probably wouldn’t do any good if he did.

Since the April 20 explosion of an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, millions of barrels of crude have spewed into the water, poisoning wildlife and creating an economic and ecological disaster.

And the Obama administration has learned something shocking – something the previous president could have told him: There are some things that government can’t do much about.

Just like President Bush with Hurricane Katrina, Obama finds himself largely powerless in the face of a really big mess. Bush was scorned for leaving local authorities to clean up after the hurricane, and now Obama is being criticized even by members of his own party for his slow response to the oil spill.

But the president says he is concerned and is working closely with experts so he will “know whose a** to kick,” Obama reportedly has told NBC’s Matt Lauer. And he’s been on this for some time apparently.

According to FoxNews.com, Obama told Lauer: “I was down there a month ago before most of these talking heads were even paying attention to the Gulf. I was meeting with fishermen in the rain talking about what a potential crisis this could be.”

Meeting in the rain is a big deal and shows he’s very, very concerned. And that’s all Obama really cares about – the public’s perception of him. That why the above comment – and many of his speeches – are so full of the work “I”.  It’s all about him.

But it’s not about him. It’s about the environment and the lives of ordinary Americans on the coast who will deal with the repercussions of this disaster for many years to come.

Obama and the rest of the country are right to be angry about this spill. There clearly should be better safety measures in place if companies are going to drill in water that deep. An investigation is warranted, and somebody somewhere ought to pay through the nose for what has happened.

But there also ought to be an honest look at what role the government played in causing this. No, we can’t blame the government entirely for what has happened. But you have to wonder if BP would have been drilling for oil a mile under the waves of the Gulf of Mexico if it were easier to drill on land. After all, oil companies are pretty good at capping things on dry ground.

Government policies and programs were partially to blame for the financial mess and what happened in the housing market. But no politician took any responsibility for those crises. It’s doubtful that any politician will get in any hot water this time either, although Obama is feeling some heat.

There are plenty of things to not like about President Obama, but this disaster really isn’t something that can be pinned on him. BP will be held accountable, environmental regulators and regulations ought to be scrutinized and held accountable if appropriate, but since he doesn’t have a big red “S” under his shirt and tie, the president can’t do much about what has happened. Unless, of course, he goes all Hugo Chavez on us and takes over BP the way he did General Motors. That may be his kick “a**” option.

Meanwhile…

The fifth Trash To Treasures Garage Sale Event has come and gone, and everything seems to have gone off pretty smoothly. Like any good community event, its success is determined by teamwork and support.

When the Enterprise started Trash To Treasures in 2006, our goal was not to make money for our own garage sale so much as it was to help other people sell their stuff and bring some folks to Clarendon. And we believe it has pretty well worked that way.

To all those folks who put up their $20 for a spot on the map, we thank you. It is you who really make Trash To Treasures work. In addition to paying for those eye-catching pink garage sale signs and your listing on the map, your money goes for regional advertising to bring people from out of town. That is really the key to what makes T2T work for Clarendon and other local communities. The more people who participate, the more advertising we can do, and the more people we’ll have at our sales.

Unfortunately, there are always going to be some who have sales but who chose not to participate in T2T. That is unfair to those who have helped pay for promoting the event and frustrating to those of us who organize it. Of course, a lot of folks don’t understand the behind the scenes work that goes on for this event, and that is probably my fault for not explaining it more clearly.

Trash To Treasures, like so many things in Clarendon and Donley County, works best when we all work together. So again, thank you to those who helped, and let’s all plan to make next year’s event even bigger and better.

CISD begins renovations of facilities

by Leave a Comment

In order to maintain Clarendon ISD’s facilities, several buildings within the district are receiving renovations over the summer break.

“Each summer we try to improve our facilities, and that’s what we decided to work on this year,” Clarendon School Superintendent Monty Hysinger said. “We need to keep our older buildings functional and extend the life of them for at least another 15 years.”

Hysinger said that their “biggest goal” is to replace the main water lines that feed all the areas in the Junior High and Elementary.

“The Elementary and Jr. High are two of our oldest buildings, and the old water lines that run overhead have really deteriorated over time,” he said. “They’ve even begun to leak in some places.”

The Ag building will receive several upgrades, including a ventilation system to the shop, new heaters, a drop ceiling and new flooring to the classroom, and energy efficient lighting. They will also block in unused windows and paint the building inside and out.

“These renovations are going to make the building very nice, and they’re long overdue,” ag teacher Don Hillis said. “It’s going to make the teaching and the working go a lot better, and the new lights in the shop are going to make it outstanding.”

 Another building undergoing renovations is the Field House, which will receive a new paint job inside and out, blocked up windows, wall mount HVAC units, energy efficient lighting, electrical upgrades and concrete poured for drainage to stop water leakage into the facility.

Public restroom areas will also be redone.

“I think this is long overdo,” head coach Gary Jack said. “Very little has been done to the field house since it was built in the late 50s or 60s besides the paint job. I think it was time for the bathroom facilities to be updated. It will be nice. It is a well used facility, and I think we definitely needed that.”

The weight room will gain new lighting, HVAC units, more insulation, and paint to the inside. 
“These improvements will make the weight room a much better working environment,” Jack said. “It can get to be over 100 degrees in August and September, and it will be a much nicer unit for us.”

Hysinger said that in order to alter the route in which high school students take to park their vehicles during school, they will put safety panels and gates between north of the Bronco Gym and the Bronco Stadium wall.

“This will provide more safety for kids dropped off by their parents at D-wing,” he said. “People will still be able to walk on the sidewalk though.”

Altogether, Hysinger estimates the different improvements to cost between $180,000 and $250,000, depending on the completion date, which is expected to be mid-July.

“These renovations are well worth what they cost in exchange for more years of useful service out of our buildings,” he said. “If we don’t take care of it now, it can get to a point where we can’t take care of it.”

A Cowboy Remembers

by Leave a Comment

When Multiple Sclerosis disabled Jim Robinson from climbing into a saddle, he knew his “cowboying” days were over. But his memories live on.

As he put down the reins for good, Robinson picked up a pen and within a year complied his short stories into a book called Memoirs of a Texas Cowboy.

“Since I can’t do anything anymore, I wanted to pass my story on,” Robinson said. “I
don’t know if I’ll forget or not later, but I wanted to get it down so people could read it because it’s not that way anymore.”

Robinson will sign copies of his book on June 19 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Burton Memorial Library during a book signing event hosted by the Friends of the Library.

He will sign alongside locals authors Debra Kuhl, Delbert Trew, and Ronnie Ward and seven other Panhandle authors including Jodi Thomas, Terry Burns, Debbie Elliot Upton, Harry Haines, Gerald McCathern, Phyllis Miranda and Grace Ann Schaefer.

“I read Jim’s book and just loved it,” librarian Jerry Shields said. “We encourage everyone to attend this event because we have so many authors coming, and hope a big crowd is present.”

Although he never thought he would be an author, Robinson has had two stories published in an Albuquerque magazine and also attended meetings held by the Panhandle Professional Writers Association to help him get started on his book.

The first part of Memoirs of a Texas Cowboy takes place south of Lubbock, where he spent his childhood. The rest of the book is spent at Davis Camp on the JA ranch, where he had a lease for 40 years.

“That was a nice time in my life,” Robinson said. “I saw a lot of sights you can’t see from the highway and smelled smells most people won’t ever know about. I covered lots of country and most of it from horseback.”

One of the sights that Robinson writes about is an Indian campsite, where he discovered mysterious holes dug deep into the ground.

“Some of the Indian holes in the ground were 20 feet deep,” he said. “I hope that someone will tell me what they were for because I’ve never figured it out and no one has been able to tell me.”

He also saw things that strengthened his faith.

“When you see a calf take its first breath, you know someone designed that, it didn’t come from a gorilla or something,” Robinson said. “Someone gives the calf their instinct to go get their first drink of milk, and it’s a miraculous sight.”

The last time he got to see these sights was in 2004, one year after he was diagnosed with MS.

“I always thought that Band-Aids, heating pads and Bengay were all you needed, but it didn’t turn out that way,” Robinson said. “Working cattle, getting up and out, and all the things you see and smell while on horseback are now just memories to me.”

Even though MS took away the lifestyle Jim loved, he has learned to accept it.

“I’ve worked with lots of people with MS, and Jim has a great attitude towards it even as bad as things get,” said Michael Thompson, Robinson’s physical therapist.

Robinson’s book has allowed him to get out of the house and travel in order to sell it.
“I’ve been nearly everywhere in the Panhandle selling my book,” Robinson said. “I also plan to go to Canadian, Denton, Ft. Worth, and College Station.”

Memoirs of a Texas Cowboy is 53 pages long, and simple to understand. It is suitable for readers of all ages. If you are interested in purchasing it, you can contact Jim
Robinson or visit www.xlibris.com, or www.amazon.com.

“My book is for everybody,” Robinson said. “That’s why I left out all the colorful cowboy language. It’s just about what people did and things I saw.”

He also has an idea for a second book.

“I plan to write about the good ole days,” Robinson said. “The time before video-games or computers.”

Now that he is an “old-timer,” as he refers to the older cowboys in his book, Robinson shares these words of knowledge with young people:

“Follow your dreams,” he said. “My mom and dad told me not to cowboy because it did not pay very well, but if you’re happy with what you’re doing, then that’s good enough. Even if it is not financially rewarding, do what you love.”

Sts. Roost Celebration plans set

by Leave a Comment

Plans are in place for a spectacular Saints’ Roost Celebration next month in Clarendon.
The 133rd annual celebration will be held July 1-3 with the Fourth falling on Sunday this year.

Activities begin Thursday, July 1, with downtown merchant sales and a junior rodeo at the Clarendon Outdoor Entertainment Association’s area followed by a dance on the slab.

The fun continues on Friday, July 2, with more sales downtown, a Depression Lunch at 11 a.m., and annual Henson’s Turtle Race will be held at 1:30. The first night of the COEA Ranch Rodeo at 7:30 p.m. Music for the dance that evening will be provided by the Buster Bledsoe Band.

Saturday will be the big day of activities with a Donkey roping at the arena and the Kids Bicycle Parade at 10:00 a.m. downtown. The 4H Craft Fair also begins at 10 a.m. on the Courthouse lawn with the Old Settlers Reunion at 10:30 and live entertainment during the day. Contact the Donley County Extension Office for craft fair booth space.

The Shriners’ Barbecue Lunch will start at 11 a.m., and tickets will go on sale next week.
The annual Western Parade will be at 2 p.m. followed by the Lions Club’s Cow Patty Bingo. The Ranch Rodeo will be held at 7:30, and Greg Allen will open for Tommy Gallegher at the dance.

The celebration will also feature a Trade Show each night at the rodeo, and Guy Ellis is the contact for booth space. COEA will also be hosting the traditional calf scramble and other kids’ events prior to the rodeo.

If you have other events going on during the celebration, please contact the Chamber of Commerce to get them on the official schedule.

Verified by MonsterInsights