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Archives for July 2024

Local sales tax funds increase

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Clarendon’s sales tax revenue rose again last week when Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar delivered July allocations to local governments.

Hegar sent $40,958.25 to Clarendon for the month, an increase of 7.09 percent compared to the same period in 2023. This city is now 2.93 percent ahead for the calendar year’s sales tax revenues with a total of $293,210.01.

Hedley’s allocation this month was up 63.83 percent from $723.89 last July to $1,186.02. That city is running 7.48 percent for the calendar year-to-date with $8,104.01 so far.

Howardwick received $1,610.88, down 1.93 percent from one year ago. The year-to-date figure there is now down 16.28 percent at $10,793.64. However, Howardwick also dropped its sales tax rate by one-quarter of one percent at the beginning of the fiscal year.

Statewide, Hegar sent $1.1 billion in sales tax allocations for July, 0.2 percent less than in July 2023. These allocations are based on sales made in May by businesses that report tax monthly.

Louva Agnes Hunt

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Louva Agnes Hunt passed away on July 5, 2024, at the age of 92.  Her mind was sharp and active until the end, and her soul was ready.  She was able to say her goodbyes, wrestle with the life and death dilemmas, accept her fate, and meet her Maker with clarity and understanding.  She was the mother of eight children, an intelligent and highly educated woman who came up in a time with limited opportunities for women outside the home, but found worthy outlets for her compassion and abilities.

Louva Agnes Hunt

Louva was the eldest of two children born on November 13, 1931, to Ernest Lloyd Hunt and Maggie Belle Scoggins Hunt in Clarendon, Texas.  Louva and her younger brother Ernest Lloyd Hunt, Jr. were born, raised, and educated in and by the community of Clarendon, Texas, through the great depression and World War II.  Louva graduated high school in 1948 at the precocious age of 16.  From there, she immediately enrolled in Clarendon College for a year and one-half, and then on to Southern Methodist University in Dallas where she studied English and Spanish, earning her Bachelors Degree in June 1951.

In September 1951, Louva married her high school sweetheart, James R. Lovell, a newly licensed attorney.  They moved to Dumas, Texas, and over the course of two decades had eight children — Lynnita (1952), John (1954), Jimmy (1957), Joe (1959), Jeff (1962), Laura (1965), Leslie (1967), and Jesse (1973).

She was involved in her church and community, serving as chair and a long term member of the Kilgore Memorial Library, an active member of the American Association of University Women, and a deacon and elder of the First Presbyterian Church of Dumas.

Not one to stay still, Louva attended West Texas State University and earned a Master’s Degree in English and Spanish in 1972.  She used her skills in Spanish to teach English in the night adult education program offered through the Dumas school system in the early 1970’s.  From that experience, she recognized the need for affordable day care for the laborers in the meat packing and ag industries concentrated around Cactus, Texas.  That led her to create the Mi Escuelita Day Care Center, where she served as its founder and director through the 1970’s.

Louva went to work in the late 1980’s at the Palo Duro Hospital Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Center and later at the Dual Diagnosis Treatment Center.  She returned to WTSU to pursue a graduate degree in Psychology and Mental Health Counseling.  She became licensed as a Licensed Professional Counselor in 1990, a Marriage and Family Therapist in 1992, and a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor in 2006.  Louva joined Family Support Services in Amarillo in 1996 (at her “retirement age”) where she provided adult, child, and family counseling until earlier this year at the age of 92! And that wasn’t all.  Over the last decade, Louva also found time to pursue a life-long love of writing, publishing two works of non-fiction – Little Weena’s Flowers (2016) and Alias, Pieles Macario (2024).

Louva was preceded in death by her parents, her brother Ernest Hunt, Jr. and her son Jeffrey Ray Lovell.

Louva is survived by a whole host of children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren: Nita Dyslin of Amarillo, and her sons Derrick (Lindsay) Dyslin of Houston, and their two children; and Chad (Danyell) Dyslin of Amarillo.  John H. Lovell of Amarillo, his wife Regina, and their daughters Esther Beagles of Canyon, and her two children; Rachel Lovell (John Lawrence) of Bay Village, Ohio, and their two daughters; Lindy (Justin) Blackstock of Canyon, and their son CJ; and son David (Mylea) Lovell of Ralls. Jim Lovell and his spouse Bill Stoner of Tourves, France. Joe L. Lovell of Amarillo, his wife Trish, and their sons Heath Lovell of Denver, and his two daughters; and Ben Lovell of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Jeff Lovell’s family: his wife Dianne, and their son, Johnny (Bridget) Lovell of Lumberton, and their five children; and daughter Whitney (Junior) Chairez of Dumas, and their three daughters. Laura Taylor of Amarillo, and her daughters Bristen Rodriguez of Amarillo and her two daughters; Nicole (Colton) Blessen of Amarillo, and their two daughters; and Tiffany (Landry) Vandergriff of Houston, and their son and another on the way. Leslie (Randall) Hawkins of McGregor, Texas, and children Jace (Jenna) Bennett of Amarillo, their daughter and another on the way; Jancee Bennett of Austin; Jayton (Paige) Bennett of Canyon, and their son; Matthew (Sierra) Hawkins of Dallas, and their daughter and son; Andrew (Taylor) Hawkins of Dallas; and Michael Hawkins of San Antonio. Jesse (Amy) Lovell of Claude, and their children Mattie Kate Lovell of St. George, Utah, and Hunter Lovell of Claude.

Burial will be next to her father and mother in Citizens Cemetery in Clarendon at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 20, 2024, by Robertson Funeral Directors.

A memorial service will be held at 2:00 pm on Saturday, July 20, 2024, in the First Presbyterian Church at 700 E. 1st Street in Dumas, Texas.

Louva requested that donations to her life and legacy be made generously to Eveline’s Sunshine Cottage in Amarillo, Texas.  evelinessunshinecottage.com

Louva’s family wants to express its appreciation to Gentiva Hospice and nurse Ashley Wortham.

The family also thanks and acknowledges their extra special appreciation for the Hudson House of Claude, which gave Louva a comfortable and caring home in her last year, and to Jill Benson, Sara Griffin, Breia Etheridge, Tina Cariveau, Kim Gossman, Debbie Williams, and Jenna Holt, who blessed Louva with loving care far beyond that which we could have ever imagined.

CC wins title in Australian contest

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The Clarendon College Meats Judging Team won the title in an international contest in Australia last week, dominating the ICMJ National Championship in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales.
Courtesy Photo

A dominant display by Clarendon College saw the 2024 ICMJ National Championship go to the team from Texas last week with the University of Queensland coming in second place.

The winning team, made up of Libby Modisette, Scott Phillips, Lydia Sharp and Jace Hall finished 26 points ahead of UQ.
Clarendon’s Libby Modisette also took out the title of Champion Individual with a score of 1089, just four points ahead of UQ’s Jade Wilkinson.

CC took out four of the six competition categories including pork judging, beef judging, and commercial evaluation.

The Japan National team also took home some ribbons, winning the Overall Questions category, with Hokkaido University student Momo Sato achieving the highest individual score in the lamb judging competition.

ICMJ President Dr Peter McGilchrist said having such talented and dedicated international teams participating in the Australian ICMJ National Conference and Competition reflected how well-respected the event is internationally.

“We’re very honoured to welcome international teams like Clarendon College and the Japan National team and it’s very impressive to see how well they performed in the Australian environment,” Dr McGilchrist said.

“All of the competitors put in such an outstanding effort across the competition and it’s been a fantastic end to the ICMJ National Conference.”

The top 16 individuals in the competition were narrowed down to a team of 11 who will go on to another ICMJ event later this year where they’ll take part in further professional development opportunities and industry tours.

They’ll be joined by a second group of students selected for their leadership skills, dedication, and their potential to have a positive impact on the red meat industry.

From that larger group, five students will be chosen in the Australian ICMJ team to tour the United States in January next year and compete on the US meat judging circuit at the National Western Stock Show in Denver.

The ICMJ National Conference is hosted annually by Charles Sturt University and Teys Australia in Wagga Wagga.

Celebration draws big attendance

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In the Herring Bank Parade, the Clarendon High School Class of 2025 won the first place Float.
Enterprise Photo / Elaina Estlack

It was a busy time in Clarendon last weekend with a good turnout for the 147th annual Saints’ Roost Celebration July 4-6, starting with the Lions Club’s bingo and barbecue cookoff on Thursday and running through the parade, rodeo, and other big events on Saturday.

The Lions’ bingo packed about 96 people in the Lions Hall the morning of the Fourth to play for 27 fabulous bags – coolers, tool bags, designer purses, etc. – that ranged in value from about $50 to more than $500. Afterwards, the Lions’ barbecue cookoff drew five teams that prepared chicken, pork, and beef entries. The winners of the people’s choice voting were Best Beef – Taylor Shelton, Best Pork – Lauren Graves, and Best Chicken – Chris D’Costa.

The Junior Ranch Rodeo wrapped up activities for the Fourth, and the Depression Luncheon was held at the Crossties Ministry Center Friday followed by the first night of the COEA Ranch Rodeo, the results of which are printed separately.

The theme for celebration parades this year was “A Salute to Service,” honoring the men and women in uniform who serve America.

The Liberty Electric Kids Parade started things off Saturday morning with three age categories plus a motorized division.
Winners were as follows: Motorized – first place Ransom Wylee Renee and second place Oakleigh Douglass; Ages 0-3 – first place Astrid Jaramillo, second place Rodey Henson, and third place Natalie Dillman; Ages 4-8: first place Kendall Danner, second place Kinze Zongker, and third place Lennyn Gaines; and Ages 9 and Up: first place Elizabeth Newton, second place McKinley Wilhelm, and third place Kennedy Wilhelm.

In the Herring Bank Parade, the Clarendon High School Class of 2025 won the first place Float, Summer Towing had the best car/truck entry, best Animal entry was MR Cattle, Newhouse Farms had the best Tractor entry, and Country Bloomers Flowers & Gifts had the best Other entry.

The Chamber’s second annual REFZ Lawnmower Barrel Race drew nine contestants for the timed course event. Aaron Hanes finished the course in 56 seconds, and Emmalyne Roys was the runner up with a time of 59 seconds. Special recognition went to Michael Newhouse for being the only participant to finish the race with no penalties.

The Chamber also hosted its second annual Best of Donley County Blue Ribbon Exhibition during the celebration, and those results are listed in a separate article.

The Al Morrah Shrine Club served about 500 plates of barbecue this year. A portion of the proceeds from the annual barbecue are used in to help pay for the transportation of kids to the Shriners’ burns and crippled children’s hospitals.

The Donley County Junior Livestock Association raffled off a gun, and Craig Snell won it. Roy Bertrand won the drawing for the First Baptist Church youth group, and Nikki Robinson and Judy Ward won the drawings for the Consuela bag and Cornell’s gift card respectively held by the CHS Cheerleaders.
The Clarendon Lions Club’s Cow Patty Bingo was won by Russell Estlack, Bob Weiss, Courtney D’Costa, and Jesus Hernandez.

Henson’s annual Turtle Race was also held Saturday afternoon in its traditional location at Third and Kearney. A total of 109 youth entries competed in three different age divisions. Winning turtle jockeys this year were: age 0-4, Chambray Askew; age 5-8, Kendall Danner; and age 9-16, Meredith Artho. Adults then competed in a 17 and up division, and Carey Wann and Aaron Mays both won in a turtle tie.

Circle M8 wins COEA annual ranch rodeo

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Kids run for the prize tags during the calf scramble last Thursday evening before the Junior Ranch Rodeo.
Enterprise Photo

The Circle M8 team took top honors at the Clarendon Outdoor Entertainment Association’s annual Ranch Rodeo last Friday and Saturday during the 147th annual Saints’ Roost Celebration.

Circle M8’s scores beat out 19 other local and regional ranch rodeo teams as working cowboys put their skills to the test. The team was made up of Phillip Reynolds, Rye Reynolds, Chance Holcombe, and Jayde Smith.

The Bar R Horses team finished second with Phillip Reynolds, Rye Reynolds, Chance Holcombe, Wesley Gudgell, and Levi Molesworth; and the Crockett Cattle team was third with Ben Crockett, Wes McKee, Kater Tate, Cutter Hermesmeyer, and Cooper McClesky.

The Top Hand for the rodeo was awarded to Jake Baca, and the Top Horse award was won by Quincy Carlton.
This year’s attendance for the three-day junior rodeo and ranch rodeo was 1,390, up from a count of 1,225 people who attended in 2023.

CCC Remuda won the Junior Ranch Rodeo with a team comprised of Chance Anderson, Reece Myers, Kelby Brownlee, Colt Mason, and Rhyder Rosipal.

The second place team was Sand Creek Ranch with Rankin Proffitt, J.W. Coffee, Rhyder Rosipal, Coyt Patterson, and Tad Evans. Third place in the junior rodeo went to C3 Cattle and the team of Chance Anderson, Rankin Proffitt, Kelby Brownlee, Colt Mason, and Rhyder Rosipal.

Top Hand winner for the Junior Ranch Rodeo was Rankin Proffitt, and Colt Mason rode the Top Horse.

Junior Calf, Donkey, and Steer Riding and Mutton Bustin’ were held all three nights. Overall, Mutton Bustin’ champion for the three nights was Beckett Hill. Overall Calf Riding Champion was Stetson Duncan, the Overall Donkey Rider was Colton Henson, and Steer Riding champion was Christopher Cary.

Nightly winners of the junior events were as follows:
July 4 – Calf Scramble – Laney Shelton, Lane Hardin, and Piper Hopkine; Mutton Bustin’ – Bex Bischel; Calf Riding – Rance Peters, Donkey Riding – Colton Henson; and Steer Riding – Briggs Martin.

July 5 – Calf Scramble – Bennett Chesser, Jacob Mallerd, and Bo Davis; Mutton Bustin’ – Beckett Hill; Calf Riding – Rance Peters; Donkey Riding – Luke Hardin; and Steer Riding – Ian Weatherread.

July 6 – Calf Scramble – Teagan Chesser, Ainslie Lewis, Lilly King, and Alec Homer; Mutton Bustin’ – Brecken Coon and Payton Edwards; Calf Riding – Stetson Duncan; Donkey Riding – Briggs Martin, Colton Henson, and Luke Hardin; and Steer Riding – Christopher Cary.

Kids run for the prize tags during the calf scramble last Thursday evening before the Junior Ranch Rodeo.
Enterprise Photo

Chamber names best of Donley County last week

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The Clarendon Chamber of Commerce held its second annual Best of Donley County Blue Ribbon Exhibition last week during the 147th annual Saints’ Roost Celebration to showcase outstanding cooks in three categories.

The exhibition had 32 entries in fields of Jellies, Jams, and Baked Goods. Winners were as follows:

Jellies: Class 2 Blackberry – first place Abby Lenz; Class 3 Blueberry – first place Charlene Brown; Class 7 Grape – first place Charlene Brown; Class 8 Hot Pepper – first place Charlene Brown; Class 9 Peach – first place Charlene Brown; Class 10 Plum – first place Abby Lenz and second place Charlene Brown; Class 13 Other – first place (Strawberry) Charlene Brown, second place (Apricot) Charlene Brown, and third place (NectaPeach) Charlene Brown. Brown’s strawberry was also the Best Overall Jelly.

Jams: Class 1 Apple Butter – first place Charlene Brown; Class 4 Grape – first place Cheryl Johnson; Class 5 Peach – first place Caylor Monroe, second place Abby Lenz, and third place Cheryl Johnson; Class 9 Other – first place (PlumCot) Charlene Brown, second place (Wild Plum) Cheryl Johnson, and third place (Apricot) Caylor Monroe. Best Overall Jam went to Brown’s PlumCot.

Baked Goods: Class 1 Cakes – first (Rum Cake) Judy Burlin and second (Chocolate) Lori Mays; Class 3 Baked Pie – first place (Pecan) Shonda Martin, second place (Midway Taffy Pie) Mandy Smith, and third place (Apple Crumb); Class 8 Pudding/Trifle – first place (Chocolate Brownie Pudding) Suzanna Hallmark; and Class 10 Sweet Bread – first place (Olive Oil Zucchini Bread) Suzanna Hallmark and second place (Banana Nut) Shonda Martin. Best Overall Bread went to Suzanna Hallmark, and Best Overall Baked Good went to Judy Burlin.

Joel Wallace Gehman

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Joel Wallace Gehman, 53, of Clarendon, passed away on Monday, July 1, 2024, at his home.

Graveside services will be held on Monday, July 8, 2024 at 11 AM in Washburn Cemetery. Arrangements are by Robertson Funeral Directors of Clarendon.

Joel was born in Hillsboro, Ore., on October 7, 1970 to Daniel Dwight and Alma (Buckwalter) Gehman. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree in English from Ambassador College and worked as a Data Conversion Specialist before his retirement. Joel previously lived in Washburn, TX before moving to Clarendon 5 years ago. He was a Christian, and he loved to read. Intellectual thrillers were his favorite.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Daniel and Alma Gehman.

Joel is survived by two brothers, Julian Gehman and Eric Gehman; two sisters, Rose Reimer and Cindy Ferch; 6 nephews; and 3 nieces.

Jo Dee Mincey-Waits

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Jo Dee Mincey-Waits, 75, of Amarillo died Sunday, June 30, 2024, in Amarillo.

Jo Dee Mincey-Waits

Services will be 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, July 3, 2024, in the First Methodist Church in Clarendon with Rev. Chris Downer, officiating. Burial will follow in Citizens Cemetery in Clarendon.

Arrangements are under the direction of Robertson Funeral Directors of Clarendon.

Jo Dee was born August 8, 1948, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma to Dorothy Dee and Vestal Vaughn, Jr. She married James Dewey “Jim” Mincey on February 14, 1981 in Lubbock. She had been a resident of Clarendon for 27 years where she worked as a Registered Nurse in Home Health prior to her retirement. She loved going to the lake, working home health, crafts, paintings, and adored playing card games and bingo. She was a former paramedic for Clarendon EMS in the 1980’s and early 90’s and was a former member of the Clarendon Firebelles. She was inducted into the Texas Panhandle Nurse Honor Guard in August 2023. She was also a former member of the First Methodist Church in Clarendon. She always loved being around her grandkids and great grandkids.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Jim on September 1, 2006; and a sister, Vicki Lacy.

She is survived by her sons, Dewey Mincey and wife Kayla of Amarillo, John Klattenhoff and wife Elayne of Midland, Wayne Buckner and wife Traci of Orr City, and James Buckner of Carthage; her daughters, Cathie Flud and husband Josh of Lubbock, Jo Ann Cline and husband Bret of Jet, Oklahoma, Eileen Hood of Amarillo, Georgi Housh and husband Danny of Canyon, Samantha Hinton of Clarendon, and Edie Mincey of Midland; her sisters, Amy Windisch of Westmont, Illinois and Kim Douglass of Huntington Beach, California; 26 grandchildren; and 22 great grandchildren.

The family request memorials be sent to the Clarendon Volunteer Fire Department / PO Box 364 / Clarendon, TX 79226.
Sign the online guestbook at www.robertsonfuneral.com

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