Archives for September 2014
Top Fish
Homecoming Court
Clarendon author finds her true calling
By Roger Estlack, Clarendon Enterprise
It’s been a whirlwind year for Clarendon’s Morgan Hysinger, going from a college student to a bestselling author in a short time.
Writing a Scottish time-traveling romance wasn’t where Hysinger thought her career path would lead when she graduated from Clarendon High School in 2009. The daughter of two educators, Hysinger first studied broadcast journalism before turning to corporate communications and later to education. She even took on an internship at Disney World, but nothing seemed to fit.
“Writing was always easy for me, and something always made me think I should be writing,” Hysinger said.
She had never tried her hand at creative writing until she was in college, and even then it was just on her own to see if she could. But things began to change in 2012.
Hysinger signed up for a writing class under the tutelage of Jodi Thomas, a very successful historical romance author and the writer-in-residence at West Texas A&M University. Hysinger wrote a 20-page story for Thomas’ class and was nervous as the well-known writer handed it back to her.
“She wrote: ‘This is ready. Send it in,’” Hysinger recalls. “I thought, if she thinks I can do this, maybe I can.”
Still, Hysinger continued on her traditional career route and was near graduating in the summer of 2013. She needed to do her student teaching and finish one class to graduate and then find a teaching job. But then a June writer’s academy under novelist Alexandra Sokoloff gave her fresh insight on plotting novels like movies and convinced her she needed to leave college and take a new path.
“I was driving home thinking, ‘I’m gonna have to tell my parents I want to do this and they are going to die,’” Hysinger said.
But the news went more smoothly at home. Her mother already knew she was interested in writing for a living, and her father backed her plan but gave her a year to make it work or go back to college. Hysinger then withdrew from West Texas A&M and went to an Atlanta writer’s conference where she learned about the business of writing, marketing, and independent publishing.
“I went to workshops on traditional and independent publishing,” she said. “The indy workshops had ladies who were excited and making a lot of money.”
The next week she pulled a pen name out of the air, “Bethany Claire,” and by November she was ready to go with her first novel in the Morna’s Legacy Series, Love Beyond Time.
As an independent publisher, there was not a big press run for the new book. Instead, the novel was and is printed as people order it off Amazon.com and other online sources. By the end of December, Bethany Claire had made more money than she would have in the two months of teaching public school.
And with that, her career took off with a series of novels set in Scotland and moving back and forth between the present time and the 17th century. The characters in the books are all connected, and the character of Morna is a common thread among them in something of a match-maker role.
The young author took over her parent’s garage for her personal office, and by May she hit USA Today’s Bestseller’s List.
Now her mother has quit her job at Clarendon ISD and works for Bethany Claire fulltime to help with marketing and formatting her books. An independent contractor in South Africa designs her book covers.
Less than a year after she started her career, Hysinger has now penned four full-length novels and two novellas, and the first book has sold more than 50,000 copies.
The young author says being her own boss is high pressure and scary but also very fun and rewarding.
“I can set my own hours, set my prices, and set sales and promotions,” she said.
She also now gets fan mail and has readers as far away as Australia, and readers who sent emails pointing out typos or historical errors are now part of a network of volunteer proofreaders for Bethany Claire.
Looking to the future, Hysinger embarked last week on a move to Florida and says there’s still more to come for Morna’s Legacy but she’s also plotting a new series that will be more of a contemporary romance genre.
Hysinger hopes her new career contines for a long time, and her advice to people is simply to follow your dreams.
“Doors open if you’re doing something you’re passionate about,” she says. “Just do it. Someone is going to make it happen, so why not you?”
Cookoff to be held Saturday
Western heritage will be the hallmark of the 20th annual Col. Charles Goodnight Chuckwagon Cookoff this Saturday, September 27, on the grounds of the Saints’ Roost Museum.
Fourteen wagons are scheduled to compete for top prizes, and other activities include a photographic exhibit focused on Quanah and Cynthia Ann Parker and a public program, entitled “Historic Footprints in Donley County,” which is focused on cowboy and Native American culture.
Presentations will center on “Southern Plains Indians,” “Cowboy Culture on the Panhandle Plains,” and “Rope as a Tool in Developing the West” by Master Rope Maker, Greg Davis, of Tuttle, Oklahoma. More information on these presentations can be found on page three of this week’s Enterprise.
The wagon teams will arrive Friday to host area students for a day of learning about the chuckwagon and cooking the cowboy-way over an open fire.
Friday afternoon will also include the junior cookoff, which pairs kids, ages 8-17, with mentors on participating wagon teams to learn the ropes of cooking over an open fire. Junior cooks will be preparing a dish for Friday’s Chuckwagon cooks’ dinner. The recipe will be left to the discretion of the cooks and their mentors, and prizes will be given to the first, second, and third place winners that night.
The big day for the cookoff will be Saturday when the wagons square off to battle for top prizes. The tradeshow starts at 10 a.m., and museum tours will be available throughout the day. Local and area entertainers will also be performing.
The authentic wagons will serve at 1 p.m. with the traditional chicken fried steak dinner, and other activities include raffles for a pair of Kevin Johnson Handmade Spurs and a hay auction.
Admission is free. Tickets for the authentic Chuckwagon meal are $15 each and can be purchased in advance at, the Museum, Every Nook & Cranny, or the Donley County State Bank or by calling (806)874-2746.
King discusses education with constituents
By Ashlee Estlack, Clarendon Enterprise
State Rep. Ken King (R-Canadian) addressed the Donley County Retired School Personnel Monday night at the group’s regular meeting and visited with local voters.
The representative discussed his freshman year in the State Legislature last session, and touched on several issues of local interest.
Appropriate to the setting, the discussion focused early on education and federal interference with Texas’ schools, particularly in terms of mandatory testing.
King said the federal government puts about $5.5 billion into Texas schools, and that Washington wants to move the state to the Common Core objectives even though the state has spent years refining its own skills objectives.
“I don’t want Common Core,” King said. “I don’t want the federal government in Texas schools, and I don’t want Austin in Clarendon any more than it has to be.”
King also said the state needs to fund community colleges to help get high school kids into appropriate career and technical programs.
“I’m going to continue to work for Clarendon College and all the small schools,” King said. “I want a level playing field for all our kids.”
The representative also noted that it would be great to see the state’s education system tailored to suit students’ interests and skills rather than a one-size-fits-all approach to learning.
King also discussed water issues and specifically addressed the three-person board that is now overseeing water development in the state. That board is appointed by the governor and is currently comprised of a water lawyer, an engineer, and a business representative. King and others want to enlarge that board to include rural and agricultural interests by requiring a board member for each of five regions in the state.
King said a recent poll found that most people in the metroplex believe that groundwater is a state issue and not a private property issue.
Bridge to cut ribbon on local office
The Bridge will host a ribbon cutting for the newest satellite office in Clarendon on Tuesday, September 30, at 10 a.m. at 111 W. 4th (next to the Post Office).
“Child abuse prevention is a community responsibility. Ending the cycle of abuse requires involvement, intervention and knowledge”, says April Leming, Executive Director of The Bridge.
The Clarendon location of The Bridge will primarily serve the communities of Carson, Donley, Childress, Collingsworth and Hall counties.
Leming says, “The Clarendon Lions Club suggested partnering and generously offered The Bridge space in their building in 2012 and now the office has become a reality”.
Generous donations from the following donors make the office possible Clarendon Lions Club, 100th District Attorney’s Office, Wendy and Andrew Bivins, Blake Bralley, Brent Bralley, Jeremy Brim, Pat Deckard, Dyron Howell, Lynn Johnston, Tommy and Sandra Rains, Cornelia Ritchie and the JA Ranch, Raelynn See and Brian Whaley.
“We are thankful for the community support we have received enabling us to open this facility and the investment which is being made in the future of children for this area “, Leming said. The Bridge works with multiple agencies in these counties including: 100th District Attorney’s, Carson County Sheriff’s Office, CASA of the High Plains, Children’s Protective Services, Childress County Sheriff’s Office, Childress Police Department, Collingsworth County Sheriff’s Office, Donley County Sheriff’s Office, Hall County Sheriff’s Office, Memphis Police Department, Panhandle Police Department, Texas Rangers and Tralee Crisis Center.
The Bridge Children’s Advocacy Center opened its doors in Amarillo in 1989 and was Texas’ first Children’s Advocacy Center. The Bridge is a comprehensive, child-focused program that offers a highly effective, one-stop approach to child abuse investigation. The facility allows law enforcement, child protective services, prosecutors and the mental health and medical communities to work together to best serve victims of child abuse and sexual assault. The center offers a comfortable, private, child-friendly setting where forensic interviews and sexual exams can be conducted.
Since its inception, The Bridge has provided child-sensitive services to more than 25,000 young victims and their families residing in the Texas Panhandle.
The child advocacy center provides the victim and their families with information and services so that the crime will not define their life.
The Bridge is not only focused on the coordinated investigation of the abuse and the prosecution of the offender, but also on the health and future of the child victim.
Opinion: Abuse of women, children must end
A couple of weeks ago, when the news that star football running back, Adrian Peterson, had been charged with child abuse, for spanking his son with a “switch,” I immediately thought about how absurd it was to charge a parent with such a serious crime just for spanking his son. During discussions with friends about the incident, I took the position that the lack of spanking was the cause for a lot of society’s ills today. My friends and I bemoaned the fact that it is inappropriate for the state to intervene in family matters, especially in this case, since Adrian Peterson was such a fine, upstanding man and a great example for today’s youth.
We chatted about how we were spanked, when needed, as children. I recalled the time that I received three spanking from three different members of my family (uncle, grandmother, and mother) for the same offense – theft of a candy bar from Clifford’s grocery store. I felt that it was terribly unjust to be spanked three times for the same offense. Of course, the first two spankings were mild, a couple of swats on the behind. My third spanking, however, was different – because Mom did the spanking. She may have weighed 100 pounds after a feast, and stood about five feet tall in heels. Even though she was no bigger than a minute, that woman could pack a punch, especially with a switch. Mother nearly always left welts on our naked hamstrings, after making us take down our jeans; and she spanked us with love and great purpose. Ouch!
I still take pride in the fact that I am the only grandchild that my grandfather, Leonard Putman, spanked. I deserved the spanking mainly because I snuck up on him and bit him on the back of his leg while he was enjoying the sweet, cool evening in his favorite lawn chair. I had taken exception to his admonition to leave Mam-ma’s flowers alone, lest she become riled and spank my little behind. His spanking, if it could be called that, amounted to a few swats on my behind with his bare hand.
I can say that I never had a spanking that I didn’t deserve. Who knows, they may have even helped to mold my character? I did learn early on that crime does not pay, and that it is not a good idea to bite your grandfather, or anyone else for that matter. I fervently hope that my children can say the same thing about the spankings I administered to them. I never left marks (I hope), but they knew that they had been spanked.
Regarding Adrian Peterson, I felt that he was probably of a similar mind about spanking when I first read of the charges against him. Then I saw the photos of his little four year old son. Spanking, regardless of the severity of the behavior that led to the spanking, should never, ever, draw blood and leave horrible bruises. They also should not be administered to the genitals, which was the case with his son. Adrian Peterson horribly abused his son. There is no doubt about that. What he did was inexcusable and he needs to be severely punished for his crime. He deserves to spend many years in prison contemplating the horrible things he did to his little son. The reason he gave for whipping his son was because the boy had pushed a sibling during a childish disagreement over a videogame.
Chance Jones, who was the same age as Adrian Peterson’s son when he was beaten to death by his father, Robert Babcock, probably had a similar experience to Peterson’s son in the beginning of his abusive treatment. Chance’s grandmother knew that horrible abuse was being rained down upon her grandson’s little body, yet remained quiet about the abuse.
Adrian Peterson is not much better than Robert Babcock. The biggest difference seems to be that someone stepped in to protect Adrian Peterson’s son before he was beaten to death. Chance Jones didn’t get that opportunity. Instead, he lies cold in his little grave, a testament to the fact that we must intervene when we witness child abuse in any form, regardless of how serious we think the abuse may be. All child abuse is deadly serious and must be stopped as soon as it comes to light.
Additionally, it has recently been noted that many of our professional athletes commonly abuse their spouses and girlfriends. Ray Rice brutally hit his girlfriend, now his wife, with a wicked left hook that knocked her several feet into the air and into the hand rail of an elevator. She was knocked completely out and it took several minutes before she regained consciousness. Yet, she married the man. I’m not sure what to think about that.
Another player with the Arizona Cardinals head butted his wife and broke her nose because she was not in the mood for love. The next day, he slugged her with a closed fist, adding insult to serious injury. This type of abuse has been going on for years, yet little is done about it. It’s not just professional athletes that do these horrible things; everyday people also are guilty of these abuses.
Physically, mentally, and sexually abusing women and children, regardless of the circumstances, are inexcusable and must be dealt with by society in a stern and harsh manner. Prison time needs to be mandatory in every case.
Howard speaks on constitution
Dr. John Howard provided keynote remarks last Wednesday when Clarendon College’s Student Government Association hosted a Constitution Day luncheon.
Howard, a 25-year Navy veteran and chairman of the CC Board of Regents, discussed the founding of the federal government and its establishment as a republican form of government.
While America enjoys great freedoms, Howard reminded the students assembled that citizens have responsibilities and obligations, which includes voting, and he urged them to be informed “so when you cast that vote it means something.”
The prosperity of the United States, Howard said, is due to the nation having a stable government, and he said freedom is a gift from our nation’s forbearers, a gift paid for by death.
“Each of you have opportunities limited only by yourselves,” Howard said. “I would ask you each to be a citizen – a good citizen, to vote, and to be informed.”
Since 2004, September 17, has been designated by the federal government as Constitution Day, and education institutions receiving federal funding are required to hold an observance on that day.
Broncos fall to Gruver
By Sandy Anderberg
Going up against the 10th ranked team in the state was a tough matchup for the Broncos last Friday night in Gruver. The Broncos fought hard, but still suffered a 0-41 loss to the Greyhounds.
“Our pre-district schedule is tough,” head coach Gary Jack said. “We are still fighting injuries, and that puts us in a bind.”
The Broncos are still moving people around to fill spots left by injuries earlier in the year and opponents are getting tougher. After fighting against Gruver, the Broncos will travel to Booker, who is ranked seventh in the state Friday night.
“It has just been one of those years,” Jack said. “We are very young, and then we’ve been hurt by injuries, so it was another tough week for us. We have had a lot of challenges so far.”
Jack noted that the Broncos controlled the ball, especially in the second half of play, but could not find the end zone to put points on the board. “We had several players have good games,” Jack said. “Riley Shadle had twelve tackles on defense and did a good job for us. Clay Koetting, Bryce Hatley, Zack Watson, and Caleb Cobb all played solid defense. We just made a couple of mistakes, and we can’t do that against a good team.”
Jack also cited Zack LaRoe as having a good game on offense running the ball and making catches.
The Broncos will use this week to regroup and prepare for Booker on Friday.
“It will be another tough week for us,” Jack said. “We are just trying to survive until our open week to get some guys back and get ready for district.”
The Broncos will travel to Booker on Friday, September 26, and play at 7:30 p.m.
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