This Week

An investigation of Donley County Treasurer Rebecca Jackson has been closed with no evidence of wrongdoing, according to documents released last week.

In a letter to County Judge Jack Hall dated last Friday, District Attorney Stuart Messer said, “In light of the report by [Texas Ranger Gary] Henderson, no further investigation has been authorized by my office.”

Henderson’s report said Donley County Tax Assessor/Collector Wilma Lindley had alleged last October that Jackson was paying herself too much and was not properly reporting her travel money. Lindley had noticed that Jackson’s paycheck fluctuated while hers remained the same, the report said.

The Ranger’s investigation showed that Jackson was receiving longevity pay and a vehicle allowance, provided for in the county budget, which caused her paycheck amount to go up and down.

Henderson wrote that he found no evidence of any money missing or misappropriated by the County Treasurer or her office and that the file is now closed on the matter.

“My question is, ‘Why?’” Jackson said in a prepared statement. “All I’ve done is my job. Wilma has not apologized to the Commissioners’ Court or the taxpayers for the cost she caused the county nor to me for all the unnecessary stress and mental anguish she has caused me.”

Lindley had no comment about the investigation, but Henderson wrote that Lindley told him “…she did not think that Jackson would take a penny from the county; it was just the way that it appeared on paper.”

In October, an special independent audit of the county treasuer by Gordon D. Maddox of Memphis also found the records in Jackson’s office to be in keeping with accepted accounting principals.

Delbert Robertson was named the 2001 Saints’ Roost Award winner when the Clarendon Chamber of Commerce held its annual Awards Banquet last Saturday in the Bairfield Activity Center.

Alan Graham and Jean Stavenhagen also received top honors as Man of the Year and Woman of the Year.

The Saints’ Roost Award recognizes an individual who has given a lifetime to the service of the community. Robertson was recognized for his numerous personal, professional, and civic accomplishments in Donley County.

A native of Clarendon, Robertson attended Clarendon schools and has been a longtime member of the Church of the Nazarene, holding many offices and serving on several church committees. He has sat on the Clarendon College Board of Regents longer than any other member and currently serves as secretary of the board.

For many years, Robertson was the coordinator of the Clarendon emergency medical services and was formerly a state certified technician. He was a delegate to the EMS Committee of the Panhandle Regional Planning Commission and was a member of the Panhandle Emergency Medical Services System when it was first implemented.

He has been a member of the Clarendon Volunteer Fire Department since 1953, co-designed the department’s logo, and has been the Fire Chief since 1980. He served many years as a committee member for Boy Scout Troop 433 and was a member of the Donley County Hospital Board when the Medical Center Hospital (now Medical Center Nursing Home) was built.

He has also held various offices in the Clarendon Lions Club and donated countless hours of volunteer assistance as well as contributing financially to numerous organizations within the community.

The Man of the Year served two terms as the president of the Chamber of Commerce – the last of which he finished while winning his second battle with cancer. Alan Graham is a member of the Lions Club, where he is serving as first vice president, and is also Vice President of the Saints’ Roost Museum Board.

In his short time as a member of this community, Graham has donated countless hours to the success of chamber and museum functions. He also has helped transform the Medical Center Nursing Home into a first rate, modern facility where its residents know they are cared for and loved.

In addition to his duties with the nursing home, Graham oversees the business of the Donley County Hospital District and the Associated Ambulance Authority.

In accepting the award, Graham praised the hospital board, the wonderful staff of the Medical Center Nursing Home, and the exemplary staff and volunteers of the ambulance service.

The Woman of the Year, Jean Stavenhagen, was called a “rare individual who produces abundantly yet demands little or no attention.”

Stavenhagen influenced hundreds of people through her English and speech classes at Clarendon High School before her retirement two years ago. She dispensed not only knowledge and skills but also fun and laughter to her students. Her sense of humor, sense of honor, and incredible work ethic have been enjoyed by generations of Clarendon Broncos.

Her diligence and research abilities were instrumental in securing grants to restore both the Donley County Courthouse and the Ft. Worth & Denver Railroad Depot building. She currently serves as Chairman of the Donley County Historical Commission and as Secretary of the Saints Roost Museum Board. All of this work she has done without asking for attention or rewards.

The Pioneer Man and Woman, which are usually not announced until the Saints’ Roost Celebration in July, were named this year during the Chamber banquet.

Dorothy Breedlove was named the Pioneer Woman. She was born and raised in Clarendon and has lived most of her life in Donley County. She was married for more than 50 years to the late “Flip” Breedlove, and she has been a great supporter of the Medical Center Nursing Home,  and an active and faithful member of the First United Methodist Church where she serves in the choir. She is an active supporter of the Something More after school program, and she is known as an avid golfer who scores in the 80s and knows all the rules.

C.L. Benson, Jr., was named the Pioneer Man. He was born in 1910 in Brice and has lived in Clarendon since 1918 when he started school in the old Clarendon College building. He graduated from Clarendon High School, attended CC for one year, then studied engineering at Texas Technological College. When the Depression hit, he returned to farming in 1933 and became partners with his brother, Lloyd. He married Avis Lee McElvany and raised two daughters.  C.L. is a member of the First United Methodist Church and has served on the boards of the Clarendon Independent School District and the Water Conservation Districts of Donley and Hall counties. At age 92, he still goes to his farm in Brice and rides a three-wheeler over the land he has managed for so long.

The Young Woman of the Year from Clarendon High School is Carrie Helms. She has served as cheerleader captain, student council president, NHS treasurer, Texas Association of Future Educators president, and historian of the Junior Historians. She has also been involved in drama, is a member of the Bronco Band, and has advanced to regional and state levels in UIL academic competitions. She recently placed second in the State VFW Voice of Democracy contest and placed first in the Texas Press Association’s Lone Star Journalism Writing Contest for the article published in The Clarendon Enterprise, entitled “The House That Buck Built.” Helms is also active with the Downtown Ministry Center, the Food Pantry, and the Clothes Closet and utilizes her singing talents at the First Baptist Church.

Lora Llewellyn was named the Young Woman of the Year from Hedley High School. Llewellyn has been a starter for the varsity Lady Owls for four years, making the all-district and all region teams, and has received all-district and all-state academic honors as well. She’s held leadership positions in the NHS and the BPA, in which she will compete at the state level this year. She participates in UIL academic competitions and One Act Play, has been active with the Yearbook, and has numerous academic honors She also helps with the annual Hedley Senior Citizens’ Banquet and helps keep the streets of Hedley clean.

Jeremy Ray was named the Young Man of the Year from Clarendon High School. Ray has participated in athletics and was named to all-district teams in basketball and baseball. He was also a regional qualifier in cross-country. He has served as junior class president and on the student council. He is member of the FCA and has participated in UIL academic competitions and One Act Play. Ray is active with the Martin Baptist Youth, takes an active role with FCA Christmas Service projects, and plays guitar for the College Ministry. He also plays guitar in the praise band, Driven Free.

Josh Collins was named the Young Man of the Year from Hedley. Collins participates in HHS athletics, BPA, UIL competitions, FFA, and One Act Play. He was the cross-country district champion in 2000 and qualified for the regional meet in 2001. He has received all-district and all-region honors in basketball. He serves as vice president of NHS and vice president of BPA. He will compete in Houston this year at the state BPA conference. He is a member of the UIL calculator team and will travel to San Antonio this spring for the State TMSCA meet. Collins is also active in the community as a member of the Hedley Volunteer Fire Department.

This year’s banquet was attended by more than 180 people and was sponsored by Greenbelt Electric Cooperative, Inc., GreenLight Gas, B&R Thriftway, Dairy Queen, AEP-West Texas Utilities, Clarendon College, KEFH 99.3 FM, Robertson Funeral Directors, Classic Cable, and Northwest Texas Healthcare Systems.

Jim Blackerby will serve as president of the chamber for the coming year. New directors will be Ann Alexander, Ruth Robinson, Greg Henry, Cheri Floyd, Roy Monroe, and Mark White.

Musical entertainment in keeping with the theme “Let Freedom Ring was provided by Dan Hall.

US Rep. Mac Thornberry delivered the keynote address for the evening. Thornberry said that it was particularly appropriate to honor hometown heroes at this time as our nation remembers the horror of September 11.

The congressman also spoke of the War on Terror and said that now, “evil people have the tools to kill people on the same scale as their hatred.”

He warned of possible terrorist threats to the nation’s food supply and agriculture facilities, and he spoke of America’s role in the world.

“I don’t think we got to be the strongest, most free people on Earth by accident,” Thornberry said.

He discussed the mantle of the World War II generation’s legacy saying, “This is our opportunity to prove ourselves worthy of these freedoms.”

The Hedley Owls Academic Team traveled to Lubbock’s Hub of the Plains UIL B Invitational Meet on Saturday, February 9.

There were 43 schools from 1A to 5A attending this meet. Out of these schools, 32 were classified as small schools with over 300 students participating.

Mr. Messer’s Current Issues Team placed second overall. Leading the team was Sealey Stevens, who placed fifth individually, Aaron Bugg, and Amber Solis. This is the first Current Issues Team in several years.

The Science Team placed third with Lacey Wallendorff, Lisle Rowland, and Lora Llewellyn. Wallendorff placed third in the sophomore division. Rowland placed fifth in the junior division. Llewellyn placed fourth in the senior division.

The Math Team was led by Lacey Wallendorff, first sophomore division; Treva Rowland, third sophomore division; and Lora Llewellyn. The Number Sense Team was led by Dustin Knowles, eighth senior division; Lisle Rowland, ninth junior division; and Marissa Wells. The Calculator Team was led by Josh Collins, sixth senior division; Sam Howard, tenth senior division; and Treva Rowland, fourth sophomore division.

For the first time, they had a Spanish Team, which was a cultural awakening. Members were Dustin Knowles, Amber Solis, Marissa Wells, and Derrick Todd. 

Dustin Knowles and Josh Collins also participated in Headline Writing.

Nine CHS students brought home twelve medals and ribbons from the Canadian UIL academic practice meet on Saturday, February 9.

Carrie Helms and Valerie Taylor placed first and second in Literary Criticism with the team ranking 2nd place.  Kelsey McQuien placed fifth in accounting. Claire Rodriguez and Ashlee Kidd placed first and fourth in News Writing.  Tim Leeper and Cameron Word placed fifth and sixth in Computer Applications. Carrie Helms placed first in Feature Writing. 

Lydia Hartman placed sixth in editorial writing. Valerie Taylor and Lacey Anderberg placed fourth and fifth in Headlines, and Lacey Anderberg placed fifth in Persuasive Speaking. 

Sixteen other students competed in the meet in preparation for the spring district meet.

CHS will host that competition at Clarendon College on March 28.

With three playoff wins under their belt, the Hedley Lady Owls are preparing to face Nazareth Friday night for the semi-state title.

The girls will play at 8 p.m. in the Wilkerson Gaines Activity Center in Ft. Worth.

Tuesday night the Lady Owls edged out Whitharral, 41-45, for the Semi-Regional title in Floydada. Complete game results will be printed in next week’s Enterprise.

Hedley faced the Happy Cowgirls last Tuesday, February 12, for the bi-district championship game in Amarillo.  Both teams started the game off pretty evenly, but Happy pulled ahead to take a one point lead at the end of the first quarter.  The Lady Owls would return the favor in the second quarter, pulling away with a small lead at the half. The halftime score was 24-21. 

Hedley would increase their lead by three points in the third quarter, and in the final period of play and defeated the Cowgirls, 57-48.

“This was a hard played game, and both team played a good physical game,” said Coach Kenneth Housden. “We had balanced scoring from our players.”

Scoring for Hedley were Lauren Hill, 16; Haley Bennett, 13; Lora Llewellyn, 6; Rebekah Howard, 6; Kasi Woodard, 6; Amber Solis, 4; Brittney Bennett, 3; Sealey Stevens, 2; and Lacey Wallendorff, 1.

With that win, the Lady Owls advanced to the Area game. They faced Ft. Elliott on Friday at Tascosa High School in Amarillo.

Hedley started the game well, scoring 24 points and holding the Lady Cougars to just 12 points in the first quarter. The Lady Cougars stepped up to Hedley in the second quarter, matching Hedley point for point, but the Lady Owls maintained the lead at the half, 39-27. 

The Lady Owls would increase their lead in the third quarter by nine points and continued to dominate the game.  Hedley defeated Ft. Elliott 76-55 to claim the Area title.

“The press helped us a lot,” said Housden.  “We maintained balanced scoring from our players”

Scoring were Hill, 20; Howard, 17; Bennett, 16; Lora Llewellyn, 15; Woodard, 4; Solis, 3; and Bolin, 2.

More than 70 contributors have responded to the efforts of the Donley County Historical Commission (DCHC) to raise funds for the courthouse renovation and restoration, but more money is still needed to complete the project. 

Last summer construction bids came in much higher than anticipated. Now, efforts are being made to raise $400,000 to ensure the completion of the restoration. The county intends to solicit a good portion of these funds from private foundations, and a demonstration of significant local financial support is now needed to bolster those applications for larger donations.

The DCHC has set the goal of raising at least $75,000 locally. A recent mail-out campaign has netted donations ranging from $4 to $1500, indicating interest and support from all parts of the county. As of Monday morning, more than $11,000 has been donated to the project.

In addition to completing the project, the goal of the DCHC fundraiser is to help reinstate work, which was eliminated from the original plans when it became evident that state grant money could not cover all restoration costs. Restoring the stained glass window and replacing some of the more deteriorated exterior stonework are examples of work which can only happen if fundraising efforts are well supported.

The Donley County Courthouse Preservation Fund needs the financial support of all individuals, organizations, and businesses throughout Donley County. A special request for financial assistance to this unique and unusual project is also extended to those with roots or family ties to this historic county.

The Donley County Courthouse was constructed more than 110 years ago and is the oldest operating courthouse in the Texas Panhandle. In its earliest days, the building housed jurisdiction over 10 other Panhandle counties. A year ago, the courthouse was in desperate need of repair. A year from now, that same building will resemble the fine, sound structure that County Commissioner Col. Charles Goodnight helped dedicate in 1891.

The DCHC board extends its gratitude to those who have already chosen to help restore an important part of Panhandle history with their financial contributions for having the foresight to restore and preserve this building for future generations to enjoy. Now the DCHC is asking for the support of other citizens, businesses, organizations, Donley County natives, and people from the surrounding area to help write a new chapter in the history of the Donley County Courthouse.

Those wishing to assist in this historic project may send donations to Donley County Courthouse Preservation Fund, PO Box 825, Clarendon, TX 79226.

For more information about the courthouse restoration, check out our website at www.ClarendonOnline.com and click on the courthouse logo. Information is also available from the state at http://www.thc.state.tx.us/courthouse/CH1.html

US Rep. Mac Thornberry will be the keynote speaker when the Clarendon-Donley County Chamber of Commerce holds its annual Awards Banquet this Saturday night.

“Let Freedom Ring” is the theme for the event, which will be held at the Bairfield Activity Center on the campus of Clarendon College. The Silent Auction begins at 6 p.m., and dinner will be served at 7 p.m.

Also at Saturday’s banquet, entertainment will be provided by local singer Dan Hall, and community awards will be given for Man of the Year, Woman of the Year, Pioneer Man and Woman of the Year, and the Saints’ Roost Award.

Thornberry was born in Clarendon in 1958 and was raised on the family ranch in Donley County. He graduated from Clarendon High School, received a B.A. in history from Texas Tech University, then graduated from the University of Texas Law School in 1983. He spent several years working for San Antonio Congressman Tom Loeffler and Lubbock Congressman Larry Combest before going to work for President Ronald Reagan as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs in 1988.

He returned to Texas in 1989 to join his brothers in the cattle business and to practice law in Amarillo. He was first elected to the US House of Representatives in 1994 and is now serving his fourth term representing Donley County and Texas’ District 13 in Washington.

Thornberry currently serves on the House Budget Committee, Armed Services Committee, and the Committee on Resources. He has taken a leading role on issues of national defense, property rights, and federal fiscal responsibility.

Chamber officials are urging local residents to buy their tickets early as seating is limited. Tickets are $10 per person and are available at Community Bank, the Donley County State Bank, Herring National Bank, the Chamber office, or any Chamber board member.

Dress for the evening is casual, and reserved tables are available for groups or businesses.