News

She didn’t know it until recently, but Opal Evans’ grandfather was a decorated veteran of the bloodiest war America has ever seen. Well, belatedly decorated anyway – his family didn’t receive his medal until 1998.

Evans’ grandfather, William H. Nessmith, was an early pioneer of Callahan County, Texas, moving there some time after the American Civil War to farm the land. Evans’ brother and sister were born right there Callahan County. She was born in Lubbock County and eventually came to live in Hedley.

Not much was known about Nessmith, however. Evans said no one talked about him much. His service in the War never really came up, and since he died in 1902, Evans never knew him personally.

“We just thought he was from Ohio,” Evans said.

But then a few years back, Evans’ daughter, Jamie Evans Buckner, started researching the family’s history, when she hit what any amateur genealogist might consider a gold mine.

It seems Nessmith was a private in Company F of the West Virginia Infantry from 1861 to 1865. Buckner found an Internet site which told her Nesssmith had even earned a medal, but it was never presented. In fact, it was still gathering dust in the vault of the West Virginia Capitol!

Buckner, who lives in Georgetown, Texas, went to work to claim the medal for her great-grandfather.

“We had to fill out a stack of paperwork this thick,” Evans said, holding her fingers about 1½ inches apart. “Then we had to wait six months to see if any other descendants tried to claim it.”

About a year and a half after Buckner first found the information on her computer and 132 years late, the State of West Virginia mailed the medal to the family in Texas – still in its original box. It was cast in 1866 and is inscribed with Nessmith’s name, rank, and company.

Evans had the medal framed with a short biography and a picture of her grandfather in what they think is his Civil War uniform.

“I was real excited about it,” Evans said.

Thanks to Buckner’s research, the family now knows a great deal about Nessmith’s life. He was born in 1842 in Washington, DC, and was buried on what used to be the Nessmith family farm near Cottonwood, Texas, in 1902. In those in between years, he served a long term in the Union Army, fighting to keep the States united.

How many friends did he see fall beside him during those four years in the war? Did he ever know about the award reserved for him? Or did he simply come to Texas to forget the bloodshed?

Those questions will probably never be answered. But his family can take pride in his finally being properly honored.

Mike Wallendorff was sworn in as the constable in Precincts 3 & 4 Tuesday morning by Donley County Judge Jack Hall.
 
Wallendorff was elected in the general election and was not scheduled to take office until January. He was sworn in early due to the November 1 resignation of Constable Pecos Hagler.

Wallendorff says he’s looking forward to serving the people of Donley County.

“I’d like to thank everyone for their votes and support,” he said.

The new constable will receive law enforcement training at South Plains College in Levelland next year from May to August.

He says he has some plans for the office but didn’t offer any specific objectives.

“There are just some things that need to be tended to that haven’t been tended to,” he said.

Wallendorff’s predecessor resigned to pursue another employment opportunity.

Meanwhile, Judge Hall said he has received a proposed budget from Jimmy Swinney, the constable-elect in Precincts 1 & 2. The proposal calls for $35,493.98 to be allocated for the office, which includes $17,146.95 for a salary.

Swinney was present at Monday’s meeting of the Commissioners’ Court but did not address the court, Hall said. The county took no action on the proposed budget.

The Precinct 1 & 2 constable’s position has been vacant for about 30 years prior to Swinney’s filing as a write-in candidate for the position. He was elected with 52 votes last month and will take office in January.

In other business, Judge Hall says TxDOT and the county are moving forward with plans to replace bridges on Skillet Creek and Carroll Creek.

A joint federal and state program will pay for the bridge replacements with the stipulation that the county spend matching funds on other road improvements in the county. Commissioner Bob Trout said the county has spent $27,500 on the Mulberry Creek bridge to provide the match.

December 31, 2000, has been set as the date to let bids for the Skillet Creek project, Hall said. The Carroll Creek project will be bid some time next year.

Clarendon CISD is pleased to announce that Monty Hysinger, Larry Jeffers, and Marvin Elam will be planning an educational trip to Washington, DC.  Students in grades 7-11 will be eligible to attend.

The group will be traveling to Washington for four days and three nights this coming May 30 through June 2.  School administrators are working with Lakeland Tours of Charlottesville, Virginia, in coordinating this exciting, once in a lifetime adventure.

Lakeland Tours is the nation’s leading student travel company with over 30 years of experience.  Each year Lakeland Tours provides educational tours to our nation’s capital for over 50,000 students.

The group will fly out of the Amarillo Airport early on the morning of May 30 and will begin their sightseeing immediately upon arrival in Washington.  The daylight hours will be very busy with visits to places such as the Washington Monument, the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials, FBI Headquarters, Ford’s Theatre, the Petersen Home (where Abraham Lincoln died).  Other interesting sights will include the White House, the Supreme Court building, the United States Capital, the Library of Congress, Embassy Row, the National Cathedral,  the National Zoo, and a box lunch cruise of the Potomac to Mount Vernon.

One of the most moving and memorable sights the group will visit is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, also referred to as The Wall.  This V-shaped memorial bears the names of the more than 58,000 Americans who gave their lives or are still unaccounted for in Vietnam.  The Wall is symbolically located between the Washington and Lincoln Memorials with each arm of the “V” pointing to one of these memorials.  The Wall is actually sunk into the ground to symbolize the wound that the Vietnam experience left on America.  Visitors to the memorial can look up the name of a loved one in special directories and obtain a “rubbing” of the name with pencil and paper.

Students’ evenings will be busy with a visually spectacular Night Tour of the area’s monuments and memorials, as well as organized social activities such as dancing, swimming, or just lounging with friends in the hotel room.  After four busy days and three fun, relaxing nights, the group will return to Clarendon with a lifetime’s worth of unforgettable memories.

Parents who wish to inquire about this opportunity for their children may contact Monty Hysinger at 874-2062, Larry Jeffers at 874-2181, or Marvin Elam at 874-3232.

VERNON – TXU Electric & Gas announced Tuesday that customers having difficulty paying their bills during winter’s toughest and coldest times can rest a little easier.

TXU will not disconnect gas customers on days when the previous day’s temperature was below 40°F and the National Weather Service predicts temperatures in that county will fall below that level the next 24 hours.

TXU Area Manager Doug Hill said his company remains committed to safeguarding the health and welfare of its customers.

“We want our customers to know that we value them, and we want them to be warm and safe this winter,” Hill said. “If a customer is worried that they will not be able to pay a bill, they should contact our office, and we’ll be glad to work with them on a deferred payment plan.

This new standard in helping customers will be implemented across the breadth of the TXU service area. Prior to this year, TXU (formerly Lone Star Gas) has not disconnected gas service for customers when temperatures were below 32°F.

The company is working with the Texas Railroad Commission and its recent ruling to ensure the health and welfare of Texas citizens with a potential colder-than-average winter on the horizon.

“We’re very proud of our history in working with our customers,” Hill said. “We have established innovative programs to help our financially strapped customers during the summer heat waves and winter weather watches.

“As always, we want our customers to know that we value them, and we want them to be healthy and happy during these sometimes trying times.”

TXU Electric & Gas customers needing more information on this program can call (800) 460-3030. The company delivers energy to 11 million customers primarily in Texas, the United Kingdom, continental Europe, and Austrailia.

 

Clarendon Merchants say shopping at home can pay off big, and they’re putting up $200 in merchant bucks this Thursday during Late Night Shopping.

Three lucky people will get the chance to spin Santa’s Wheel for a chance at the jackpot.

You must be present to win, and details will be available at participating merchants.

Santa Claus is also scheduled to be downtown this Thursday night.

The ladies of Guys & Dolls Salon have relocated after an accidental fire burned out their downtown shop Saturday morning. Two neighboring buildings suffered smoke damage from the blaze.

Zan Adams discovered the fire at the  shop while driving north on Kearney Street shortly after 5:30 a.m.

“I had just dropped my daughter off at my in-laws and was driving to work when I saw smoke coming out of the front of the building,” Adams said.

She couldn’t see any flames but went straight to the Donley County Sheriff’s Office where she reported the fire.

The Clarendon Volunteer Fire Department responded with four trucks and had the blaze extinguished by 7 a.m., according to Assistant Fire Chief Pat Robertson. Two fire department officers and one EMS unit also responded.

“The guys did a good job and used very little water to put out the fire,” Robertson said. “It didn’t take long. The interior was almost a total loss, but the building was still structurally sound.”

The fire department remained on the scene until 8 a.m. and worked to remove smoke from the buildings on either side of the beauty shop. The Rebekah Lodge to the south had minimal smoke damage, but the Newhouse Building on the north had greater smoke damage.

Robertson said the fire started in a linen hamper on the west wall of the beauty shop. Fire damage was limited to the northwest part of the building, but the remainder of the shop suffered heavy heat and smoke damage. Heat also cracked glass in the front of the building.

An estimate of the damage was not available as of Monday.

Shop owner Brenda Chamberlain said she appreciates the efforts of the men who fought the blaze.

“I’m so grateful to the fire department for their quick action and their risk of life,” she said. “They saved all of us on that end of the block.”

Chamberlain has owned Guys & Dolls for 21 years and works there with Ethie Uptergrove, Frieda Siddle, and Carol Baxter. She said she intends to reopen her business in the same location.

“I have too much clientele to just quit,” she said. “My phone has been ringing off the wall with well wishers.”

Uptergrove and Siddle were able to conduct their business Saturday thanks to Janie Finch of Janie’s Beauty Shop, located in the Rebekah Lodge building.

Chamberlain said all four of the Guys & Dolls gang will be relocating temporarily to Susie Q’s Family Hair Care at 103 S. Kearney until they can get back in order

“Susie was gracious enough to let us all stay together,” she said.

Chamberlain was also very thankful for the efforts of Zan Adams.

“She saw the smoke. I’m forever grateful to her, and I don’t even know her.”

“I’m glad I got to help,” Adams said. “That makes me feel good, and I’m glad nobody was hurt. Things can be replaced; lives can’t.”

The Clarendon Lions Club will increase its support of the Texas Lions Camp following their Tuesday meeting.

The club heard a program from Lion Jack King of the Amarillo Downtown Lions Club, who discussed the camp, and met his challenge to become a 100% Club by contributing $10 per member to the camp.

Located in Kerrville, the Texas Lions Camp caters to children with any kind of physical disabilities ranging from missing limbs to asthma.

“They [the camp personnel] grab those kids physically, mentally, and every other way to show them the biggest time of their lives,” King said, who is a director for the camp.

He said the camp was established by the Lions 52 years ago for kids who were battling the debilitating effects of polio. Today the camp has programs for crippled children as well as kids with diabetes, respiratory problems, hearing loss, or impaired vision.

Some of the programs include a minature golf course, horseback riding, and swimming. In addition to the fun activities, the camp teaches life skills such as helping diabetic children learn to care for themselves and even how to give themselves insulin injections.

King told a story of boy who had no arms and legs and went to the camp. His favorite activity was horseback riding.

“Everything is set up for these kids, and everything is accessible to them.”

The swimming pool even has a ramp going into it. Wheelchair bound kids can drive their chair into the pool until they just float out of it, he said.

The camp raises the children’s self-esteem and praises them for their accomplishments – sometimes for the first time in their lives.

King said many times the hardest part of getting kids into the camp is just convincing the parents to let them go. Some of the kids have never been away from home.

The members of the Clarendon Lions Club, like all Texas Lions clubs, support the camp with their a portion of their regular dues. Tuesday’s action by the club was an additional donation to the camp.

The Texas Lions Camp is open to children ages seven to 17, and the Clarendon Lions hope to see some local child or children attend the camp. For more information, contact Boss Lion Stan Leffew at 874-3584.

Texas Panhandle Mental Health Mental Retardation (TPMHMR) will be holding a public forum on Monday, December 11, at 7:00 p.m. at the Burton Memorial Library in the Meeting Room, located at 217 S. Kearney in Clarendon.

The purpose of this public forum is to inform community members of the services currently being offered by the agency, as well as to gather feedback regarding satisfaction with these services and to address any unmet needs identified by the residents of Armstrong, Collingsworth, Donley, and Hall Counties.

Texas Panhandle Mental Health Authority merged with Amarillo State Center on September 1, 2000, resulting in the newly formed Texas Panhandle Mental Health Mental Retardation.  Residents of Armstrong, Collingsworth, Donley, and Hall Counties are served by a regional satellite office that offers mental health services, as well as the Wellington workshop, which provides services to individuals with mental retardation.

The local outpatient psychiatric clinic offers mental health services to adults who suffer from severe mental health illness and to children and adolescents in need of mental health intervention.  This clinic has helped to stabilize the emotional and behavorial functioning of people with severe mental illness, reducing homelessness, harmful behavior, court commitments, and hospitalizations that are costly to the community.

Services in the Wellington Workshop include vocational training at the workshop and job coaching in community jobs.  Support is also provided in the area of nursing, psychology, and service coordination.  All of the above services listed aid in building self-esteem and improving the quality of lives for individuals with mental retardation.

Texas Panhandle Mental Health Mental Retardation would like to encourage all citizens with an interest in the issues of mental health and mental retardation to attend this forum, which is expected to last approximately one hour.  The mission of TPMHMR is “To respond to the diverse needs of all persons with mental illness and mental retardation by creating an accessible system of services which supports individuals choices and results in lives of dignity and independence.”

Persons desiring more information regarding this public forum may contact Donna H. Massey, Director of Managed Services, at 806-349-5645 or Dina Martinez at 806-349-5647.

Members of the Colt Band competed at the All-Region contest held November 28, 2000, at West Texas High School in Stinnett.

Those placing were Jessie Anderberg, sixth chair trombone; Valerie Bradley, fourth chair flute; Sarah Depew, fifth chair clarinet; Will Drackley, eighth chair French horn; Laura Dziedzic, second chair trombone; Casey Elliott, fourth chair snare drum; Andra Helms, tenth chair flute; Vanna Holton, first chair trumpet; Ty Lewis, first chair tenor sax; Brandie Lockhart, ninth chair clarinet; Marissa McFarland, fourth chair bass clarinet; Andy Roberts, fourteenth chair clarinet; Jamie Simmons, first chair xylophone; and Grady Swearingen, fourth chair French horn.  Alternates from Clarendon are Carmen Hamilton, baritone; Shanna Shelton, trombone; and Destiny Weatherton, snare drum.

AUSTIN — Agriculture Commissioner Susan Combs today applauded increased funding allocated in an agricultural appropriations conference report to aid states, including Texas, in boll weevil eradication efforts.

The conference report, which provides for $79.157 million for the federal government’s share of boll weevil eradication to states with active eradication zones, is expected to be signed and finalized by the president within days.

“This additional funding will provide a tremendous boost to Texas’ boll weevil eradication efforts,” Combs said.

“Under this bill, Texas’ existing eradication zones can expect to receive about $25 million total. An additional $4 million would be provided by the federal government if producers in the proposed Southern High Plains/Caprock Zone vote in November to establish an eradication program in their eight-county area covering 1.29 million acres.”

The weevil causes an estimated $50 million in crop losses and crop protection treatments each year in our state, Combs said.

In September, Combs declared the 10 counties in the Southern Rolling Plains Zone near San Angelo to be functionally eradicated of boll weevils. The declaration was a historic milestone for the state and farmers.

Cotton is Texas’ top cash crop, earning $1.2 billion in 1999 in cash receipts with 30 percent of the U.S. cotton grown in the Lone Star State.