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Archives for November 2012

Owls close out season with win

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The Hedley Owls travelled to Silverton for their final game of the season last Friday night, November 9.

It was a game for the ages, at least for the seniors. In a battle of owls, the Hedley Owls defeated the Silverton Owls 44-42.

The game was evenly matched and a delight to watch. It was such a good game to watch, that I caught myself hoping the players were having a blast. Both teams played hard and were scrappy. For the most part, good sportsmanship was exhibited by the two sides.

In a season ripe with difficulties and disappointments, the Hedley Owls accomplished something few teams are fortunate enough to accomplish – they won their last game of the season. For the seniors, it was good to see them go out with a final, well played, team win.

The only disappointment of the night came when Hedley war horse, Coltin Kingston broke his ankle in the third quarter. Kingston, who was Hedley’s best player this year, had another excellent game in progress when he went down. He still managed to rush for 222 yards and score four touchdowns in a little more than a half.

His blockers held their blocks a little longer and played hard all evening long. We sometimes forget that a great runner can’t run without the support of his teammates. Even though Coltin deserves much of the credit, much of the credit is also due to his teammates.

Freshman running back Klaiton Moore ran hard all night long, adding 116 yard rushing, most of them coming after contact. Rooster played even harder, if that’s possible, after Coltin Kingston went down with his injury. Actually, the entire team played harder and with more determination after Kingston’s injury. Their efforts are what ultimately won the game for Hedley. This, folks, was a true team win, and a mighty fine win to behold.

The Evans twins, Bryan and Brandon, added 111 yards and 52 yards, respectively to the rushing total. Tanner Chambless added 64 yards and a touchdown to the effort. Austin Adams and Kyle Lindsey made critical pass receptions for critical yards and a touchdown each.

The Owls’ defense was aggressive and balanced. Kingston and Adams both made 10 tackles. Rooster added 9 tackles, and the rest of the defensive players added four tackles each.

With the last game now in the books, this reporter is going to miss watching these exceptional young men compete on the grid iron. I’m very proud to be a small part of the Owls’ season.

The Owls’ players, Coach Wallace and Coach Bains, the Cheer Leaders, and the Hedley Administration are to be commended for an excellent season. These kids, along with Hedley High School, won and lost with grace and dignity.

Lady Broncos tame the Mustangs

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By Sandy Anderberg

 The Lady Broncos opened their season on the road with a big 58-33 win against the Wheeler Lady Mustangs Tuesday night.

 After three long months of practice, the ladies were able to put together a game plan, that after a slow-shooting first quarter, that easily handled the Lady ‘Stangs. Offensively, the ladies hit 21 out of 28 free throws that helped win the opener and Jentry Shadle and Lydia Howard each connected on a three-pointer that aided in the scoring as well.

 After trailing by four points, the ladies bounced back to score big in the second quarter with 18 points, half of which were from the charity stripe. In the second half, the ladies were able to roll with control on their side. Shadle led the Lady Broncos with 13 and newcomer Taylor Gaines helped with 12 to finish in double figures. Lydia Howard put in seven points and Deborah Howard and McKayla Cartwright each added six. Anna Ceniceros was five for six from the bonus line and Jency Burton and Camra Smith each added two.

 On Saturday, the Lady Broncos easily defeated River Road 84-37. Shadle hit six three-pointers and racked up 26 points to lead the team and Lydia Howard connected on four three-pointers and finished with 15.

 The entire team pressed hard against the Lady Cats and worked together for the win. “Lydia gave us a definite spark and Deborah (Howard) played great defense,” coach Kasey Bell said. “Offensively, Jentry had a great game and Anna came in to play the five when our inside girls got in foul trouble and played well when we needed her.”

 Scoring: Shadle 26, L. Howard 15, Gaines 12, Cartwright 12, Smith 7, Ceniceros 4, Burton 2, and Starnes 1. The Lady Broncos will travel to Miami Friday, November 16 and play at home on Tuesday, November 20 beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Getting the blues

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Workers continued the renovation of the Mulkey Theatre exterior last week with a new coat of blue paint on the corrugated panels on the front of the building. Electrical work for new neon and work on the porcelain tiles will be the next activities as Phase One of the project continues. The Clarendon Economic Development Corporation, which owns the theatre, will hold a Public Hearing during its regular meeting Monday, November 12, at 5:15 p.m. in the Board Room of City Hall. During the hearing, the CEDC Board will take comments from the public regarding a grant application that will seek funding for Phase Two interior renovations to the Mulkey. Enterprise Photo / Roger Estlack

Charles Newton Penix

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Charles Newton Penix, 88, went to be with his Lord on November 2, 2012, in Amarillo.

Services were held Tuesday in the First Baptist Church Chapel with Dr. Howard Batson officiating. Burial followed in Citizens Cemetery, Clarendon, Texas. Arrangements are by Boxwell Brothers Funeral Directors, 2800 Paramount Blvd.

Charles Newton Penix

Charles was born February 29, 1924, in Poteau, Oklahoma to Elsie and O.S. “Tab” Penix. Upon graduation from high school he joined the Air Force. During his military service he occupied positions as an Aircraft Commander, Squadron Operations Officer, Instructor Pilot and Wing Safety Officer. He received an Army Occupation Medal Air Defense Medal, American Campaign Medal, Air Force Reserve Medal, National Defense Service Medal, and Air Force Longevity Service Award Ribbon. He retired in 1961 in Grand Forks, North Dakota at the rank of Major.

He married Billie Glenn Salmon of Brice, Texas on March 18, 1945, in Denver, Colorado. She preceded him in death in 1995, two weeks before their 50th wedding anniversary.

In 1996, Charles married Margie McGuire in Amarillo. They have been blessed with 16 years of marriage.

Charles was a deacon at First Baptist Church, member of the Henry Brown Sunday School Class, a Mason for 50 years, and a Gideon. He loved gardening and playing golf. He was especially proud of having made a hole in one.

He is survived by his wife, Margie McGuire Penix, of the home; one sister, Bette Willey of Claremore, Oklahoma; daughters, Cindy Penix Rendahl and husband Tim of Whitney, Texas; Janice Penix Woodall and husband Larry of Palmer, Texas; Vicki McGuire Scivally and husband Gene of Amarillo; Cindy McGuire Barrett and husband Bruce of Muleshoe, Texas; grandchildren, CeeAnn Edwards and husband James; Zach Rendahl and wife Courtney; Aaron Woodall and wife Rannette; John Scivally and wife Nicole; Reid Scivally and wife Erin; Christen Woodburn and husband Tito; James Barrett and wife Melanie; Megan Medina and husband Emmanuel; 9 great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Gideon’s International, 2200 SW 7th Avenue, Amarillo, TX 79106 or a favorite charity.

Verda Lee Littlefield

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Verda Lee Littlefield, 90, died Thursday, November 1, 2012, in Wheeler.

Graveside services were held Monday, November 5, 2012, in the Jericho Cemetery in Jericho with Sam Line, Minister of the Groom Church of Christ, officiating.

Arrangements were under the direction of Robertson Funeral Directors of McLean.

Verda Lee Littlefield

Verda was born Dec. 21, 1921, in Donley County to Berry and Grace Rosey James and lived most of life in Donley County and Groom.

She graduated from Groom High School in 1939. She Married Lloyd Daniel Littlefield May 31, 1941, who was one of the old time cowboys.

She and Lloyd had three sons all were Groom school graduates. Special thanks to Jimmy Britten, Oran Durhan and Ada Durhan for the help on things that Verda couldn’t do.

She was preceded in death by her husband Lloyd on August 6, 2001, Son Lloyd Edward on July 23, 2003, and 4 sisters.

She is survived by her 2 sons, Leroy Littlefield and wife Susan of Stephenville and Jerry Littlefield of Waelder; 5 grandchildren, Roxie McMordie of McLean, Mark Littlefield of Stephenville, Greg Littlefield of LaVernia, Russell Littlefield of Newcastle, OK, and Chris Littlefield of Henrietta; 2 step grandchildren, Jim Bob Adams of McLean and Peggy Phillips of Oklahoma City, OK; 8 great grandchildren and a sister Floretta Nece of Kansas.

The family request memorials be sent to Jericho Cemetery Association c/o Marlene Morgan / PO Box 1356 / Pampa, Texas 79066.

Editorial: Clarendon must focus on improving

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At a meeting in Amarillo Monday, community leaders from across the Panhandle gathered to discuss the problems facing their towns and ideas for how to raise funds for those programs.

Your humble editor represented the Clarendon Economic Development Corporation at the meeting, which was hosted by the Amarillo Area Foundation. To kick off the morning, participants were asked to do a “dreaming” exercise. “What would you do,” the speaker asked, “if I gave you $1 million a year to do anything you wanted to in your community?”

Roger Estlack, Editor

The wheels began turning for 30-plus people in the room, and we soon each had a list that filled an entire page. As participants took turns giving ideas from their lists, it became clear that we all face many of the same problems. From Tulia to Childress to Pampa to Spearman to Chillicothe, towns of all sizes are grappling with the same issues that Clarendon faces. Each community wants more “quality of life” improvements – whether it be youth centers, park facilities, or entertainment venues. Each place has infrastructure needs and must consider how best to use the tax dollars at their disposal, and in almost every town there is a shortage of good, middle-income housing.

One participant blamed part of his town’s problems on previous community leaders who failed to plan for growth and failed to give the present generation the tools necessary to address the problems of today.

And that, dear readers, is where Clarendon now finds itself.

We have been shortchanged, in many ways, by city leaders over the last 20 or 30 or more years who failed to stringently enforce zoning, and codes, and ordinances, who were perhaps too complacent when it came to taking care of infrastructure, and who have left us a city that needs new streets, new water and sewer lines, and a firm hand when it comes to enforcing the rules.

This situation has left Clarendon in a position where it largely tries to just patch things together and hobble along because it doesn’t have the funds to address any one issue. The city is spending about $25,000, for example, on a comprehensive study of its waterworks, but what will we do when it is completed? It’s going to take money and a lot of it before the discolored water experienced by some citizens can be permanently fixed.

Our current city leaders allow themselves to get bogged down in the political nonsense of whether the city administrator should attend professional conferences or other trivial pursuits when they should be focused on what can we do long term to improve our city.

Instead, City Hall is embroiled in the fate of City Administrator Lambert Little and faces the real prospect of losing yet another administrator. Little’s exit would no doubt please some people; but while he has made mistakes, it is unlikely that any man – or woman – can come in here and fix in one or two years the mess that has been created over a couple of generations. And probably no city administrator could ever please some people who essentially want to run this city by committee (the board) instead of letting a professional do what needs to be done.

We need to set all this aside and start looking to the future. We need to put aside the negative attitudes of the complainers and realize that we’re going to have to raise taxes because it takes money to fix problems. We’re going to have to be pro-active in cleaning up this city and every person here has to come to understand that we all have a stake in making things better. Whether it’s a citizen simply cleaning up a vacant lot or a city employee putting up street signs, all the little things that we can do will make a big impact. And we have to dream big to make this the city it ought to be.

Clarendon has a lot of positive things, and this column has talked about all of them in the past. But we need to build on those and actively work to make things better. That should be the focus of the city and its citizens.

Ceremonies planned to honor vets

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 Veterans of the United States’ armed forces will be honored during several public ceremonies in Donley County over a four day period.

The first service will be held at 10 a.m. Friday, November 9, by the Adamson-Lane Post 287 of the American Legion at the Rowe Cemetery near Hedley. Prior to the service, post members will place flags on the graves of 220 veterans buried in that cemetery, and the flags will remain there through November 11.

The Friday service will be conducted by members of the Legion, and William S. Thompson, who served in the US Army from 1984 to 1992, will deliver the address. Thompson received his officer’s commission and served in many positions within the Fourth Infantry Division, 56th Field Artillery Command and the Seventh Corps Support Group throughout his career. In November 1991, as a captain, his unit was deployed from Crailsheim, Germany, to Operation Desert Shield /Desert Storm in Saudi Arabia.

The program will also include a ceremony honoring those listed as Missing In Action or Prisoners of War.

Following the Rowe ceremony, Hedley ISD will honor veterans with a meal and special program. The address at the school will be given by Troy Wilson, who served three years on active duty in the Army as a medic. He served as a flight medic with the 507th Medical Evacuation Company, logging over 300 missions.

The Donley County Memorial Post 7782 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars will hold a special service at noon on Saturday, November 10, at War Memorial on the Courthouse Square.

The Clarendon Lions Club will put out US flags at local businesses on Monday, November 12.

The Clarendon Elementary School will have a service for veterans on Monday, November 12, at 12:15 p.m. in the Bronco Gym.

The final ceremony will be at Clarendon College on Monday, November 12, at 7 p.m. in the Harned Sisters Fine Arts Center Auditorium.

The Veterans’ Celebration will feature a Roll Call and Military Recognition for members of each branch of service. In addition, the Clarendon Community Choir will perform and taps will be played by Troy Wilson, a Vietnam War Veteran.

Ernie Houdashell, Randall County Judge and Vietnam War Veteran will be the guest speaker.

In 1966, Houdashell, a graduate of Hedley High School, joined the army to fight in Vietnam and served a s a helicopter mechanic. He served two tours in Vietnam, the second of which he volunteered for. During that second tour, he served as a gunner on a Huey helicopter and earned the prestigious Air Medal for his participation in 25 aerial missions in a period of six days.

He was appointed to fill the unexpired term of Randall County Judge Ted Wood in the summer of 2002 and was elected to that fall.

In 1991, as a response to protestors who were second guessing the first Gulf War, Houdashell was prompted to write a narrative from his heart entitled “Don’t Weep For Me,” about freedom, patriotism, and the military and war. Since that time he has been asked to read it at public events and he has recorded it on CD complete with a music background.

Refreshments will be provided after the celebration by the VFW Ladies Auxiliary. This program will honor veterans of all wars and everyone in the community is invited to attend.

Donley Co. Pregnancy Center to open this weekend

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After three years of planning and praying, the Donley County Pregnancy Center will officially open its doors this Sunday, November 11, with an Open House from 2 to 4 p.m.

The center, located west of Clarendon at 12105 FM 2362, be open regularly on Tuesdays from 1:00 to 5:00 for walk-ins and appointments and on Wednesdays from 1:00 to 4 p.m. for appointments only.

“As we grow, we will be open more,” said center director Lynn Like.

The Donley County Pregnancy Center is a free, outreach ministry based on the Care Net centers established in 1995 by Billy Graham.

Supporters say the center will minister to children starting at eight years old to college and will teach them who they are in Christ, abstinence before marriage, and let them know that God loves them and has a plan for their lives even though everyone makes mistakes.

The center’s location out of the city limits helps provide some privacy for the people who choose to avail themselves of the center’s services.

Classes will be available on prenatal care, a five-week child birth class, and newborn care.

The center also provides free pregnancy tests, options counseling, parenting classes, and adoption referrals and will supply clients with baby clothes and diapers.

The center offers free and confidential services, and loving volunteers will present accurate information for good choices and provide emotional support and assistance to help women carry their babies to term.

To support the Donley County Pregnancy Center or for more information, contact Like at 806-874-0099.

Lions celebrate 90th anniversary

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The Clarendon Lions Club celebrated its 90th anniversary during its annual Charter Banquet last Tuesday, October 30.

Boss Lion Russell Estlack was named Lion of the Year by his fellow members, and Samantha Sanderson was crowned as the Club Sweetheart for the 2012-2013 year.

Lion Russell Estlack, District Governor David Bonner, Sweetheart Samantha Sanderson, Lion Don Smith, Lion Tex Buckhaults, and Lion Steve Hall.Enterprise Photo / Roger Estlack

Other members receiving recognition were Lion Tex Buckhaults, who received a 10-year membership chevron; Lion Don Smith, who was honored for being a member for 30 years; and Lion Steve Hall for his service as president last year.

District Governor David Bonner attended the banquet and spoke about building membership, and he presented Texas Wranger badges to Lion Russell Estlack and Lion Ashlee Estlack for their work sponsoring new members.

Lion Hall and Jesse Lincycomb provided musical entertainment for the evening.

Members and guests attending the Charter Banquet were District Governor David Bonner, Boss Lion Russell and Lion Scarlet Estlack, Lion Roger and Lion Ashlee Estlack, Lion Lambert Little, Lion Jerry and Nelda Woodard, Lion Chuck and Lindsey Robertson, Lion Delbert and Naomi Robertson, Lion Carey and Brandi Wann with Malorie and Hunter, Lion Don Smith, Lion Tex Buckhaults and daughter Minnie, Lion Steve Hall and guest Jesse Lincycomb, Lion Monty and Melody Hysinger, Lion Cameron Word, Sweetheart Samantha Sanderson and grandmother Ruby Cone, and Frankie Henson and daughter Sharon Winfrey.

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