Morgan Wheatly

The public is invited to a tour of the newly renovated meetinghouse for the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints located at 1304 7^th St NW in Childress. The branch president of the congregation, Christopher Tipa, has announced an open house on Saturday, April 23, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

A congregation that began in the 1970s with less than 10 members meeting in the Odd Fellows Lodge has now grown to over 200 members from several different towns. This meetinghouse serves as home to members from Childress, Quanah, Memphis, Wellington, Paducah, Clarendon, and Matador. Many members sacrifice time and money to make the lengthy drive to Childress to be united in spirit and purpose as they worship at the closest meetinghouse. It has been a wonderful blessing to many of the original pioneers who were instrumental in establishing the church in this area to be privileged to see the fruits of their labors. Ray and Joan Wyatt and J.C. and Dollie Keys, who were the first families to formally organize meetings in this area, are still faithful stalwarts of the congregation. Many years of prayers, dedication and sacrifice on their part have made this day possible.

Mark Keys, who served for many years as the branch president of the congregation, said when speaking at the dedication, we prayed and hoped for this building for our children and our grandchildren.” His dream has been realized as many of his own children and grandchildren worship in the beautiful building that has come as result of his faithfulness. Four generations of the Keys family are represented each Sunday in the Congregation.

The buildings for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are constructed from the church’s tithing fund. This program of using the faithful donations of the membership to finance the building of meetinghouses and temples has been a successful one. Gordon B. Hinckley, former prophet of the church, said, “this tremendous building program is phenomenal. I know nothing equal to it. Our structures are beautiful. We have had long experience in constructing houses of worship, and out of the cast experience we are producing better buildings that have ever previously been constructed in the Church. They combine beauty with great utility. If they look much the same, it is because that is intended. By following tried and tested patterns we save millions of dollars while meeting the needs of our people.”

The needs of the saints in the Childress Branch have definitely been met and we invite you to share in the celebration of our good fortune. We would also like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the members of the Presbyterian Church who opened their building and their hearts to us for the duration of our renovation.

People of all ages, faiths and background are welcome to attend.

 

A Donley County pioneer was honored by the Panhandle Press Association during its 106th annual convention at the Bairfield Activity Center last Friday, April 15.

Edward E. Carhart was inducted into the PPA Hall of Fame for his contributions to the development of the newspaper industry in the Panhandle during his time as publisher of The Clarendon News, which is today’s Enterprise.

Carhart was born December 15, 1863, in Watertown, New York, and his family moved to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, in 1874 where, at an early age, he and his sister began publishing a religious newspaper, The Early Dawn.

In June 1878, that Wisconsin office began printing the Texas Panhandle’s first newspaper once a month for Carhart’s cousin, Rev. Lewis H. Carhart, who had founded the Clarendon colony in Texas earlier that year.

Two years later, Rev. Carhart enticed his young cousin to move to Texas to take over the paper. At age 16, with financial backing from his father, Ed Carhart left Wisconsin for Texas, stopping in Chicago to purchase a printing press for the colony. He shipped it to Gainesville and there loaded it into a wagon for a three-week journey to Clarendon.

The young man installed the Panhandle’s first printing press in the Clarendon News office, which was a picket house chinked with mud and with a dirt floor. The young Carhart turned the News into a weekly publication and printed his first edition in July of 1880, a feat which impressed the colonists and “swelled the hat band” of the young man. He increased the annual subscription rate from 50-cents to $2 per year.

The next year he married Mary Estella Brewer. They were the first young couple married in Donley County, and they eventually made their home in Panhandle where they had four children. Carhart sold the Clarendon newspaper in 1884 later and his family became early pioneers in Carson County.

During his lifetime, Ed was engaged in the drug store business, banking, an auto dealership, and a grain elevator. He served for a time as postmaster of Panhandle and as treasurer of Carson County. Ed Carhart died on February 4, 1946, and is buried in Panhandle.

Carhart’s great-grandson, Pat Carhart of Rio Rancho, New Mexico, accepted the award for the family.

Also on Friday night, longtime Groom News publisher Phil Miller was inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Members of the PPA Hall of Fame are listed on a plaque that is permanently housed at the Saints’ Roost Museum in its newspaper exhibit. Ed Carhart is the fifth Clarendon journalist to join the Hall of Fame.

 

Conserving water on was among the topics discussed at last Monday’s meeting of the Donley County Commissioners’ Court.

County Judge John Howard said commissioners are interested in saving money on watering, and the county is studying the water it puts on the lawn around the courthouse.

The watering schedule has been cut back to two days per week, and county officials are making sure that the sprinkler system is set to run in the most efficient way possible.

A substantial water leak was discovered recently in the water system where a line had been broken. Howard hopes fixing that and making other changes to the sprinkler system will help the county reduce its usage substantially.

If water usage cannot be curtailed sufficiently, the county will consider installing a well for landscape purposes, Howard said.

In other county business, officials set aside the idea moving the flagpole currently located near the Courthouse Annex and opted instead to trim the Liberty Tree to keep the branches out of the flags.

Commissioners also discussed apparent vandalism going on in restrooms of either the Annex or the Courthouse where someone has been flushing paper towels down the toilet.

The court also considered adjusting the operating hours of the county trash transfer station to allow employee Mark Shearer more time for courthouse maintenance, and discussed the need to replace the mower at the trash station.

Howard also said commissioners are considering the possibility of having to reallocate some funds later in the fiscal year. Unbudgeted juvenile expenses could reach $50,000 this year, the judge said.

 

WASHINGTON – The Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) presented US Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Clarendon) with its highest annual award April 12 during a ceremony on Capitol Hill.

The Col. Arthur T. Marix Congressional Leadership Award was given to Thornberry, who serves as the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, for his strong leadership and support of the uniformed services community.

“I am very grateful for this award, but the real credit belongs to the men and women who serve or have served and their families,” Thornberry said. “Our job is to support them, and I appreciate MOAA’s role in advocating for our people and our national security.”

MOAA is the nation’s largest and most influential association of active duty, National Guard, Reserve, retired and former military officers and their families and survivors. The association annually recognizes individuals or organizations that support service members and their families.

“As chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Thornberry has shown consistent, strong leadership in supporting personnel, compensation and healthcare programs for the military community,” said retired Air Force General Tony Robertson, MOAA chairman of the board. “He is a true champion for those that wear and have worn the uniform, and their families.”

 

The Clarendon Enterprise was recognized with the General Excellence Award and the Community Service Award at the 106th annual Panhandle Press Association Convention held here last week.

Winners of the PPA’s Better Newspaper Contest were announced Saturday at the Bairfield Activity Center, and the Enterprise received four first place plaques in the categories of Sports Photography, Editorial Writing, Feature Writing, and Advertising Initiative.

The paper got second place honors for Best Society & Lifestyles featuring Bob Watson, Peggy Cockerham, Kathy Spier, and Ben Estlack; Special Sections; Humorous Columns by Roger Estlack; and News Photos by Roger and Ella Estlack. The Enterprise received second place for Best Website, News Writing, and Front Page Layout.

Clarendon was third in Human Interest Photos and Serious Columns by Roger Estlack, and the “Cub Reporter,” Ben Estlack earned Honorable Mentions for columns in the Serious and Humorous categories.

Clarendon also took home the Community Service Award for its coverage of the water recreation project, and the Cub Reporter was specifically mentioned by judges for his columns on the subject.

Last week’s convention began Thursday, April 14, with a welcome dinner held at the Saints’ Roost Museum and catered by the Honey-Do Spoiler Chuckwagon team from Pampa. Rev. Black Flowers of Clarendon performed live music, and Jo Shaller, also of Clarendon, recited cowboy poetry. The Museum, which is the permanent home of the PPA Hall of Fame, was open for tours for members of the press.

Featured speakers at the convention on Friday were Kevin Slimp and J. Pat Hickman. Group classes were conducted all day Friday by Slimp, a respected industry trainer and speaker, who held sessions on Customer Service, Page & Ad Design, and Photoshop tips.

Hickman keynoted Friday night’s banquet, catered by the Bar H Dude Ranch. He is the president of Happy State Bank, one of the fastest growing banks in America and a longtime PPA Sponsor. He talked about the bank’s mission statement and the keys to success.

Dr. Randy Reddick of the Texas Tech College of Media & Communication and Ashlyn Tubbs, former Clarendon Enterprise reporter and current reporter for KCBD-TV in Lubbock, facilitated a discussion Saturday on ways to use social media to connect with readers.

Saturday’s awards luncheon was catered by Great Western Dining, and the Best Western Red River Inn was the convention’s host hotel.

PPA members throughout the convention were extremely complimentary of Clarendon and especially of the amenities at Clarendon College and the Saints’ Roost Museum.

The PPA was led this year by Clarendon’s Ashlee Estlack. She will continue on the board as Immediate Past President with the following officers for 2016-2017: Larry Thornton of Muleshoe, President; Joni Yara of Booker, Vice President; and Roger Estlack of Clarendon, Secretary/Treasurer, along with directors Tara Huff of Fritch, Robin Brooks of Dumas, Ginger Wilson of Childress, Robert Arrowsmith of Hereford, and Rob Langrell of Clovis.