The Baytown Sun (Baytown, Tex.), Vol. 91, No. 116, Ed. 1 Wednesday, June 15, 2011 Page: 4 of 10
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The Baytown Sun I M t S Ju”^, 2011
Stories about the dads in my life
One of the nice things about
penning a column is the ability
to remember nice things and
pass them along to others.
The weird thing about col-
umn writing is you get ideas
front the strangest of places.
Take for instance this col-
umn which is appearing today
ahead of Father’s Day this
coming Sunday.
The idea came when I Woke
up early a few days ago to the
lyrics of "Oh My Pa-Pa. the
Eddie Fisher hit front 1954.
When I focused on the TV, the
singer was Mr. Ed. the horse
(of course, of course).
My mind raced back in time
to the juke box at Bob &
Marie's Restaurant in La Porte
w here I first heard that tune. It
just so happened it was
f ather's Day and I asked Dad.
J R “Buck” Buckner for a
nickel and went and selected
that tunc again
When it came up. I just
looked at him and said.
“ H a p p y
Fathers" Day "
He took off his
glasses and
that was the
first and only
time I saw my
father cry
You see. I
was born on
June 19th and
in i 948. I became, according
to him. the best Fathers' Day
present ever.
The stories I could relate
about Dad would fill this
newspaper for weeks.
My favorite one is about the
night of his graduation from
Joaquin High School in 1933.
Dad had the job of picking up
the U S Mail from the train
and taking it to the Post Office.
Postal regulations at the time
required mail delivery person-
nel to be armed. Dad got the
mail sack; delivered it to the
Post Office, grabbed his cap
and gown, and literally ran to
Joaquin High for the ceremo-
ny, When he arrived, his fel-
low graduate, Richard
Wharton, asked him what was
that bulge beneath his gradua-
tion gown.
Dad, in his haste, had forgot-
ten to take off his Smith &
Wesson .38 and became known
as the only "armed graduate"
of Joaquin High.
Dad told me this story and
Mr Wharton confirmed it.
Years later. Mr Wharton told
me he always wanted to hug
my dad whenever they met, but
he was afraid something might
go off
My grandfather was William
Christopher Honeycutt. My
favorite story about him is
actually one I witnessed
We went over to Seabrook to
"rent" a Brahma bull to make
our cows out here on Kilgore
happy and to provide us with
offsprings.
Papaw let me drive and the
trip through the tunnel was
exciting.
In Seabrook, we drove onto
the pasture to load the bull.
Papaw was dressed in neatly
starched khakis.
The bull looked at him, low-
ered his head, charged, and
knocked my grandfather onto
his backside. Papaw got up.
dusted himself off, put his
Stetson back on. and stared at
the bull.
Papaw w eighed in about 300
pounds, and not one ounce was
flab. In one swift second, he
walked up to that bull, doubled
his fist, and hit that sucker
dead on in the forehead
The bull went down on all-
fours. I promised myself I
would never make my grandfa-
ther mad at me for the rest of
my life! We got the use of the
bull for free!
Papaw passed in 1967 and
Dad in 2003. Tom Hebei
became mv father-in-law in
2008. ’
Tom is an extremely prolific
writer and thinker. 1 get to be
with him every morning when
we discuss and cuss the ills of
our society.
Tom makes my brain work
better and I guess I give him a
little fuel for thought. 1 look
forward to that early morning
meeting every day and for
many days and years to come!
As far as that old Eddie
Fisher song goes; To Dad and
Papaw." Oh my Pa-Pa. to me
he was so wonderful. Deep in
my heart. I miss him so
today!’
Tom, (hanks for assuming
command!
Happy Father’s Day to all!
Chris Buckner, a Baytown
native, is a former radio
broadcaster and a retiree oj
Houston's Public Works
Department. He is a profes-
sional in both Emergency ana
Disaster Debris Management
planning. He can be reached
by e-mail at chris.huckn-
er5lXagmaii.com.
Today is the 166th day of 2011
and the 88th day of spring.
TODAY’S HISTORY: In
1752. Benjamin Franklin, flying
a kite, proved that lightning is
electrical. ;
TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS:
Fdv ard Grieg (1843-1907). com-
poser pianist; Mario Cuomo
(1932-1. politician; Wav Ion
Jennings; 11937-20021, singer;
Jim Belushi (1954-). actor;
Helen Hum (1963-). actress;
Courteney Cox Arquette ( 1964-
t. actress; lee Cube (1969-). rap-
per actor; Andy Pettitte (1972-j,
TODAY IN HISTORY
baseball player; Neil Patrick
Harris (1973-j. actor.
TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1928.
baseball great Ty Cobb stole
home plate for his 54th and last
time, establishing a major-league,
record that still stands.
TODAY'S FACT: Excluding
1,538 miles in Alaska, the U.S.-
Canada border is 3,987 miles
long.
TODAY'S QUOTE: "Those
who would give up essential lib-
erty. to purchase a little tempo-
rary safety, deserve neither liber-
ty nor safety."
- Benjamin Franklin
TODAY'S NUMBER: 2 -
number of U S. presidents buried
at Arlington National Cemetery
( William Howard Taft and John
F Kennedy).
TODAY’S MOON: Full
moon (June 15).
David Kokemot a hiu fan of Sam Houston
When Texas was young, not
all of the stressed-out settlers
got along.
In the struggle for independ-
ence and during the insecure
process of forming a new
republic, early Texans often
vented their fLustrations upon
the major players in the mili-
tary and government.
Take Sam Houston, for
example,
1 can’t think of any leader,
with possibly the exception of
David (i. Burnet, who stirred
up as much hostility as
Houston did.
And. by the Way. Burnet and
Houston were bitter adver-
saries before, during and after
the Texas Revolution.
But the hero of San Jacinto
also drew a huge to I lowing,
including a loyal fan named
David l ev i Kokernot. who
came over here from
Amsterdam
In his recollections of those
formative years, the Texas
Army veteran recalled the first
time he met
Sam Houston.
I he year
was 1834; the
p I a c ;e :V
Nacogdoches;
Kokernot had
traveled there
to consult with
a Mexican
official about
land titles for
himself and others
Since 1832 Kokernot had a
home on Scott's Bay in the
v icinity that later became the
Brownwood subdivision, now
the Baytown Nature Center.
lie wrote. "I arrived at the
town and as I walked up the
street I noticed the finest look-
ing man I ever saw. seated on
the steps of Col. Thorn's store-
house
He was dressed in a com-
plete Indian costume made of
buckskin and ornamented with
a profuse variety of beads, and
his massive head w'as covered
with a broad beaver hat.
When he arose 1 stopped and
looked at him with both sur-
prise and admiration and hid
him good morning.
He asked me whence I had
come. I told him from
Galveston Bay, Middle Texas."
Lei's hit the pause button
here. Kokernot apparently
referred to Scott’s Bay as
Galveston Bay and that’s OK.
Close enough.
But I've never heard of the
bay area being described as
Middle Texas.
Anyway, continue
Kokernot's recol lection;
“Then he invited me to sit
down and have a chat with him
in reference to land matters
which I did for a considerable
time. Our conversation ended,
he invited me into the store to
take a glass of wine with him
which 1 readily accepted
He then told me he owned
some land on Cedar Point,
Galveston Bay. and also on
Goose Creek.
I remembered that the Goose
Creek land was located by one
Dr. Whiting and that 1 had the
field notes with me with a
view to getting a patent on the
land
He said. ’All right, if you
can get it.’
“But sure enough. I never
did. as a patent had already
been issued to the general."
Another time-out: Looks like
the general wasn't too trans-
parent about property owner-
ship.
Oh. well. When Kokernot
found out. he didn’t hold it
against his new friend.
To continue their conversa-
tion;
The topic turned to war
clouds hovering over Texas.
Kokernot told Houston about
the rumors regarding Santa
Anna’s plans to disarm the
Texas colonists.
if that happened, he told
Houston that, “we will fight
them to the last or die in the
attempt,”
Houston readily agreed, say-
ing.“They shall never drive us
out so long as we can fight
them."
Kokernot wrote, “As he
made this remark his eyes
sparkled with lightning and
another bottle of wine was
ordered on the strength of it."
And that was the beginning
of a beautiful friendship that
survived rough times in years
to follow, the most challenging
being the infamous Tory chase.
After San Jacinto, Gen.
Houston allegedly ordered Lt.
Kokernot to round up cattle
and horses of those who had
remained loyal to Mexico dur-
ing the war.
Kokernot kind of went over
the top on this assignment,
causing so much havoc that
Republic of Texas President
Burnet called a halt.
Later, when Kokernot was
charged with cattle rustling,
Sam Houston successfully
defended him in court.
Wanda Orton is a retired
managing editor of The Sun.
WANDA
ORTON
Barack Obama
President
202-456-tttl
Fax: 202-466-2461
pnesdentgi
wttehousagev
202-224-5922
713-653-3456
Fax: 202-224-0776
Fax: 713-209-3459
hutchisorisenate.
gcwfe-malhtm
JoeBMen,
VbePresxJent
202-456-2324
Fax- 202-456-2161
vaj.presrtentfa1
vditehousegw
Kay Baley Hutchison,
Senator
JohnCorrtyn,
Senator
202-224-2934
713-572-3337
Fax: 202 228-2856
Fax-713-572-3777
corryisenate.
gtvCortact/
ndexhtmi
STATE
Rick Perry, Gwemor Ron Paul, DstM Rep.
800-643-5789 202-226-2831
800252-9600 979-2850231
Fax 5C-463-B49 wwwhousa gaftHj
fed Roe, Ost. 2 Rep
866-4256665
866-447-0242
wvwnhouse.g9*t)oe
Gene Green, ObL 29
Rop
202-2251688
713-330-0761
28P42O0502
wwwhouse.(Kvfcreer
HOW TO REACH US
Janie Gray, Publisher
janie.gray@baytownsun.com
Angie Pagel, Advertising Director
angie.pagel@baytownsun.com
Adam Yanelli
Managing Editor
adam.yanelli@baytownsun.com
Sandy Denson, Business Mgr.
sandy.denson@baytownsun.com
Joshua Hart, Circulation Manager
joshua.hart@baytownsun.com
NEWSR(X)M
sunnews@baytownsun.com
WRITE TO US
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Web site: www.baytownsun.com
The Baytown Sun, 46180 is published five days
a week by The Baytown Sun, 1301 Memorial
Drive, PO Box 90, Baytown Texas 77522.
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FRED HARTMAN
Publisher Emeritus
1950-1974
EDITORIAL
BOARD
JANIE GRAY
Editor/Publisher
Angle Pagel
Advertising Director
Adam Yanelli
Managing Editor
Jim Finley
Former Managing Editor
M.A. Bengtson
Community member
Jay Eshbach
Community member
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Gray, Janie. The Baytown Sun (Baytown, Tex.), Vol. 91, No. 116, Ed. 1 Wednesday, June 15, 2011, newspaper, June 15, 2011; Baytown, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1027648/m1/4/?q=%22~1%22~1&rotate=270: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Sterling Municipal Library.