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The Mulkey Theatre was named to the list of Texas’ Most Endangered Historic Places during an announcement at the State Capitol by Preservation Texas Wednesday morning.

The high profile designation had been sought by the Clarendon Economic Development Corporation and the Mulkey Advisory Committee as a way to raise awareness about the need to save the historic theatre.

Mulkey Advisory Committee Chair MaryRuth Bishop said the announcement draws attention to the importance of old theatres and to the work of saving the Mulkey.
“It shows the value put on the Mulkey not just by us in Clarendon but by others in Texas,” Bishop said. “It really is priceless in a way, and it will help others see the importance of giving to save the Mulkey and make it a vital part of our community.”

Committee member Ashlee Estlack agreed with Bishop and said she thinks the recognition will energize the project.

“We believe that this recognition on the state level will put the effort to ‘Bring Back the Mulkey’ into overdrive,” Estlack said.

Both Bishop and Estlack said Wednesday’s announcement was exciting both personally and for the community.

Estlack and her husband, Roger, who is on the Clarendon EDC Board, attended Wednesday’s announcement at the State Capitol and unveiled the Mulkey project to media representatives there.

Wes Reeves, a Preservation Texas board member from Amarillo, said designation on the Most Endangered list will bring a lot of attention to Clarendon in general and to the Mulkey in particular.

“This is statewide advertising for what Clarendon is doing with the theatre as well as for the community’s development effort,” Reeves said. “It says that Clarendon is not only surviving but wanting to thrive.”

Reeves has been involved with Preservation Texas for six years through the Most Endangered Places list and has been working to get attention for sites in the Panhandle.
“Preservation Texas is very appreciative of Clarendon folks for taking time to make this nomination,” Reeves said. “It shows the rest of the state that there are a lot of interesting places in the Panhandle. This puts Clarendon on the map as a place that is interested in preserving its past.”

The designation also opens up an entire network of experts to help with the ‘Bring Back the Mulkey’ effort, Reeves said, and it also tends to legitimize fundraising efforts and give those efforts a boost.

Reeves said many community theatres have been knocked down but said they add a lot to the community when they are saved, a comment that was echoed in Austin.

“The Mulkey Theatre represents one of preservationists’ continuing concerns, the neglect and deterioration of historic theaters in small towns,” said Jim Ray, president of Preservation Texas, Inc., a statewide partner of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. “Theaters were community meeting places. Most of them were landmarks in the community. When these theaters die they take with them not only the history of the town but significant opportunities for community revitalization.”

“Like the other structures on our 2011 endangered list, the Mulkey Theatre reflects the increasing awareness across our state of the importance of preserving structures that have played important roles in the history of our state,” Ray said. “By calling attention to them now, we want to encourage residents to act while there’s still time.”

The Texas’ Most Endangered Places program is at its heart a grassroots effort designed to elevate the cause of historic preservation and to increase the capacity of local groups and individuals to preserve the historic resources in their communities.

Located on 108 South Kearney Street, the Mulkey Theatre first opened its doors on February 13, 1946. For the next four decades it remained an important cultural center for the city and surrounding area of Clarendon. The Mulkey Theatre is a 1946 Streamline Modern Style building and is located between two of downtown’s oldest buildings.

The theatre closed in 1986 and since then has deteriorated due to harsh weather and time. Pieces of the marquee and a poster frame have fallen off the façade. Most of the neon lighting has been destroyed due to vandalism and hail damage. Poor drainage at the rear of the building has caused settling in the foundation and large cracks in the
walls.

In the late 1990s, an unsuccessful effort to re-open the theatre resulted in the loss of the original seats, equipment, and the movie screen.

In 2008, the Clarendon Economic Development Corporation purchased the building with the hope of rehabilitating and re-opening the theatre. Recently, the roof has been replaced to prevent further deterioration of the building. Unfortunately, further funds to revitalize the building are limited. It is believed that saving the Mulkey Theatre will protect the city’s heritage and will boost the economic vitality of the community.

Since December nearly $6,000 has been raised from private donations to help “Bring Back the Mulkey.” For details on how you can donate to the effort, visit www.clarendonedc.org or search for “Mulkey Theatre” on Facebook. Donations can be mailed payable to Donley County Historical Commission, PO Box 905, Clarendon, TX 79226.

Preservation Texas named its first list of endangered historic sites in 2004.
For several sites, inclusion on the list of Texas’ Most Endangered Historic Places has resulted in energized conservation efforts, commitments for restoration, and additional funding.

The 2011 list of Texas’ Most Endangered Historic Places also includes: the Blas Herrera Ranch, San Antonio, Bexar County; the Duval County Courthouse, San Diego, Duval County; the Lodge Building, 441 East Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Waxahachie, Ellis County; the Lubbock Post Office & Federal Building, 800 Broadway, Lubbock, Lubbock County; the Noah Cox House, 101 Main, Roma, Starr County; the Olivewood Cemetery, 1300 Court Street, Houston, Harris County; the Piano Bridge, One Piano Bridge Road near FM 1383, Schulenburg, Fayette County; the Roma-Cuidad Miguel Aleman International Suspension Bridge, Spur 29, off of U.S. 83, Roma, Starr County; and the Santa Fe Railway Depot, 954 College Avenue, Snyder, Scurry County
Preservation Texas’ Most Endangered Historic Places program is funded by generous grants from the Burdine Johnson Foundation and the Summerlee Foundation. By providing statewide awareness through media coverage, the Most Endangered Places is a tool that recognizes the importance of specific sites while promoting the cause of historic preservation in Texas.

For more information on Texas’ Most Endangered Historic Places, visit our Web site at www.preservationtexas.org, or phone Preservation Texas, Inc. at 512-472-0102.

Fred Clifford was honored with the 2010 Saints’ Roost Award for his lifetime of service to the community during the annual Clarendon Chamber of Commerce Banquet Saturday night.

Woman of the Year recognition went to Ashlee Estlack, and Bill Auvenshine was named the Man of the Year for 2010.

Clifford was born and raised in Donley County and has a long history of helping other people. He served in the United States Army for three years, and worked many years in the family grocery business.

He delivered groceries to just about every elderly widowed lady in town and was also known for helping them with everything from changing light bulbs to carrying out the trash. Later as a salesman for Chamberlain Motor Co., Clifford worked diligently to get people the best deals possible and helped people get to and from work or appointments while their vehicles were being worked on.

For 26 years, Clifford was the head of the Citizens Cemetery Association and kept it running smoothly. He spent countless hours just making sure there was someone out there to mow the grass and make sure things were kept up in addition to numerous additional hours sending out thank you notes for donations to the cemetery.

The Woman of the Year, Ashlee Estlack, was recognized for her devotion to her family, her job, and her community. She is an active member of Donley County Child Welfare Board and teaches Sunday School and children’s classes on Wednesday nights at the First United Methodist Church. She is a member of the Clarendon Lions Club and became the secretary of that organization last summer.

Estlack has been an award-winning writer for The Clarendon Enterprise, helped organize the 2006 West Texas Press Association convention in Clarendon, and has served as the secretary of the Panhandle Press Association since 2007.

As the marketing coordinator at Clarendon College, she has standardized the college’s logo and given CC a consistent professional appearance across its brochures, advertisements, website, billboards, and stationery. Her efforts have been part of the teamwork which has produced record-setting enrollments at Clarendon College.

In 2010 she led a joint effort between the college, the city, and the Economic Development Corporation that resulted in the new digital marquee being installed at the college, which now brightly promotes both college and community events to passers-by on US 287. She has served on the Chamber of Commerce board and provided design work for many things, including promotional materials for Summer Celebration last year.

She also designed the EDC website and the Clarendon Visitor’s brochure, which has been distributed far and wide. Estlack has also been very involved with the “Bring Back the Mulkey” campaign, planning the fundraising effort for the theatre and designing the campaign’s logo, posters, and other promotional material.

Bill Auvenshine was named Man of the Year for 2010 and was recognized for his personal and professional achievements and for his work as the former president of Clarendon College.

He is an educator with more than 40 years’ experience, and among his favorite hobbies are golf, music, and classic old cars. He is a devout Methodist and a student of Civil War history. He is an illustrious musician, having played his saxophone professionally as a young man and having taught band for four years in grades six through 12.

He also operated and managed a music store in the Texas Panhandle for six years.

He is the past president of the Texas Junior/Community College Association, is a former Lions Club district governor, and was the Clarendon Lion of the Year last year.
He spent more than 20 years at Hill College in Hillsboro where built financial reserves from $225,000 to $5 million, contributed to historical preservation, and had the honor of college’s library being named for him.

He then was president at Galveston College where he implemented marketing strategies for enrollment improvement. In his brief three-year tenure at Clarendon College, Auvenshine added technical programs and passed maintenance taxes in Gray and Childress counties. He oversaw construction of two vocational buildings in Pampa – one of which bears his name – and engendered a 35.9 percent increase in contact hours and a 28 percent increase in headcount enrollment.

The Chamber also recognized Denise Bertrand and MaryRuth Bishop as the Workhorses of the Year.

In addition to her ongoing work with the Girl Scouts and St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Bertrand last year led the Tourism Committee as it worked with NewsChannel 10 to put on the Summer Celebration. Bishop actually retired early last year but since that time implemented educational programs for people of all ages, organized several projects, and now heads up the Mulkey Advisory Committee, which is working with the Clarendon EDC to light up downtown.

Chuck Deyhle was named the Pioneer Man for 2010. He grew up in Fannin County in East Texas and served three years in the US Navy in World War II before graduating from Texas A&M, getting married, and moving to Clarendon to start practicing veterinary medicine. During his 48-year career, he received many awards and accolades, organized the Academy of Veterinary Consultants, and was the 1989 Consultant of the Year.

He is a former city alderman, is active at the Methodist Church, and currently serves on the boards of Greenbelt Water Authority, Clarendon College, and Herring Bank. He is also a charter member of the Texas Cattle Feeders Association.

He is known as an innovator and has pioneered many of the concepts and procedures used in veterinary medicine today.

The Pioneer Woman for 2010 was Ismanell Gray, who has lived in Donley County for 76
years and has many friends and a large family counted in her bounty. She served for 12 years at Clarendon College as a dorm parent, helping educate many young women.

She is a mother of five, grandmother of 13, great-grandmother to 26, and great, great-grandmother to one.

Annie Patten was named the Young Woman of the Year from Clarendon and was recognized for her work in 4H, as a Sweetheart in the Clarendon Lions Club, and at the Clarendon nursing home. She has worked many hours to raise money for the new Donley County Activity Center.

She volunteers to help the elderly and is active in FFA and at the Presbyterian Church.
She has been a Clarendon High School athletic trainer for three years, taking care of whatever the boys needed, whether it was taping their ankles, fixing ice whirlpools, or just providing them with cold water. She is also the senior class treasurer and was nominated to the Homecoming Court.

The Young Man of the Year from Clarendon is Richard Nino, who was honored for his involvement in the school and the community.

As a member of the award-winning Bronco Band he has been named to all-region band and was a state qualifier in solo and ensemble. He was also been a member of the District Champion and Area Finalist Bronco Football Team where he received all-district honors as a center.

He has particpated in One Act Play and in UIL debate and speech. He has also participated in the Pantex Science Bowl.

He has served as vice-president and secretary of the Student Council. He is a member of the Spanish Club; and, as a member of the Junior Historians, he has helped as a docent in the museum during the Chuck Wagon Cook-off and has also helped decorate the nursing home at Christmas each year.

The Hedley Young Woman of the Year was Kaylee Shields, who was recognized for being goal-oriented and always striving to attain the highest degree of success. She has a 4.0 GPA and is well respected among her peers.

She is the vice president of the senior class and she has been active in basketball, cross country, tennis, and track. where she was selected Secretary of the sophomore class, Vice-President of the junior class, Vice-President of the senior class, and Vice-President of the National Honor Society. She is also currently serving as the Hedley Lions Club Sweetheart

The Hedley Young Man of the Year was Reid Copelin for excelling in all fields.

He ranks number one in his class with a 4.0 GPA and has won numerous UIL contests in the areas of science, social studies, and science. He has received awards in BPA contests and in One Act Play.

He earned the Star Greenhand Award, Star Chapter Farmer Award, Chapter Lonestar Award, and Lonestar Degree State FFA. He has held several FFA offices including Chapter President his junior and senior years.

He was nominated by Greenbelt Electric Cooperative to be a participant in the Washington, DC, Leadership Tour.

He is active in the Donley County 4H, participating Livestock Judging and Stock Shows where he received Special Recognition Awards for nine years.

He has been a participant in FFA stock shows and Horse Judging contests throughout his high school years as well. He cooked and served at the community chicken BBQ, helped plan and produce the Hedley Veteran’s Day Celebration, collected and distributed food to the less fortunate of the community during the Hedley Thanksgiving Food Drive, has been a Vacation Bible School Volunteer.

Also recognized during the banquet were incoming chamber directors Britton Hall, Chrissy Woodrum, and Tex Buckhaults. Outgoing board members were Ashlee Estlack, Jerome Martinez, Henry Hermesmeyer, Susan Word, and Regina Wootten.

Chamber officials estimate 215 people attended the “Night at the Movies” themed banquet, up from 172 last year and 182 the year before.

This year’s banquet was sponsored by Lowe’s, Clarendon College, Greenbelt Electric Cooperative, GreenLight Gas, J&W Lumber, Road Runner Home Care, Don Stone Signs, and Humalfa, LLC.

Four Clarendon firemen narrowly escaped injury or death while directing traffic at an accident west of town Saturday morning.

Department of Public Safety Trooper Chad Simpson said volunteer firemen Michael Newhouse, Jackie Bell, Chris Wilson, and Chuck Robertson were lucky to be alive after 82-year-old J.W. Noble of Claude sped past over half a mile of vehicles parked in the inside southbound lane of US 287 and narrowly missed the men.

Simpson said Newhouse had to run out of the outside lane to avoid being struck by Noble, who then ran through traffic cones set up to block the lane, and continued on a collision course with Bell, Wilson, and Robertson, who were standing behind a Clarendon fire truck. The three men also ran out of the way as Noble struck the fire truck, which was then knocked into a Nissan SUV driving by Michael Trevino of Weatherford, Texas.
“I’m so thankful that we didn’t lose four of our firemen Saturday morning,” Simpson said.
No one was injured in the accident, and Noble was charged with Failing to Control Speed.

About 30 minutes earlier, Marcus Washington, age 45, of Sulpher Springs was traveling southbound on US 287 as the sun was causing dangerous sight restrictions. Simpson said Washington was going an unsafe speed for the conditions when he struck the rear of an International truck driven by Gene Hommel of Clarendon.

Emergency personnel had to employ the Jaws of Life and a wrecking truck to free Washington from his vehicle. He was airlifted to Northwest Texas Hospital and was treated and released that evening.

Washington was also charged with Failing to Control Speed.