The Baytown Sun (Baytown, Tex.), Vol. 65, No. 158, Ed. 1 Tuesday, May 5, 1987 Page: 1 of 13
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/
YOUR
HOMETOWN
NEWSPAPER
MORE THAN 7(>.0§0 REAPERS EVERY DAY
Volume 65, No. 158 / >
Telephone Number: 422-8302
Tuesday. May 5. 1987
Baytown. lexds 77520
25 (Tents Per Copy
Officials open REL vault
Documents inside found in good condition
tii
r-
Offieialsof the Baytown school
district and Bayto.wji fire depart-
ment expressed pleasure and
surprise after seeing' the good
condition of records inside the
Robert K. Lee High School vault
early Monday.
On most stacks of papers', in-
^vestigafors found only that the
top pageOr top few. pages had
browned a little, according to'Lu
Fulbright Baytown schfoob
district communications direr-.
tor. ‘You can read everything,”
she said
Baytown fire ... marshal Bill
Tavlof. said documents, inside
the 15-foot by 15-foot vault were,
“a little wet."
Nevertheless, “They»all look-
ed in good shape.” said Taylor,
i was definitely surprised." ’
■ Investigators Jelt relieved arid
satisfied that-,,in the midst of the
twisted steel and burned ruins,
something survived and was—
sdmewhat preserved, said Capt.
Bernard Olive,, fire department
investigator. . .v—
. Ms. Fulbright said the school
district has hired Don Trull Corf-'
tractors Inc., fire recovery
specialists, to handle the
records
As records were being reroov-.
ed Monday morning, teachers
also entered’ undamaged or
slightly damaged parts of the
building to" remove personal
belongings and records, said Ms.
Fulbright. She said workers also'
began removing student belong-
ings from lockers and bagging
the items. Arrangements for giv-
ing the bags'to students have not
yet been .made.
Olive said the prohe into the
cause of the .fire i,s proceeding
'■slowly and methodically." He
said- that, b&sfed on work done
Monday, investigators were
unable to draw any conclusions.
"Right now. we haven't" got
down in the ash yet,'' Olive said
early Tuesday. On Monday,
workers raised structural steel,
piece-bv-pi^ce. out of the
building, he said. . > ■
■ ,We’re not getting in any big
hurry and taking a chance on
possibly bringing that building
down. " Olive stated. “If it takes
a week or two, it takes a week or
two." , " r v
The danger .of walls falling in-
side the building remains high,
said Olive.' - -
Fordham"s family history revealed
By LOUISE-SHAW . born but the boy's father was at
As-the second week of Joseph jvork. “And we couldn't get in
touch with him,” Mrs. Meeks
WORKERS WATCH Monday as
a crane lifts a soft drink machine
from the ruins of the main office
at Robert E. Lee High School.
The men on the second floor
stand near the area formerly oc-
cupied by a teachers’ lounge and
the office of assistant principal
John Adams. At right is the hole
in the school vault through which
workers carried school records
out of the building.
(Sun staff photos
_ —5 by Carrie Pryor)
Fordham,s murder trial began
Monday, defense attorneys
sought to prove the youth suf-
fered from mental illness
"You can make your own
determination if -hi" is a cold-
blooded killgr .or a sick boy. "
Jifti Lei trier told' the jury.
Leitner is defending Fordham.
along., with attorney .Roger
Bridgewater.
Accused in the Halloween'1985
staying of 11-year-old Man
----7--„ J ' ■ *■'
Mrs. Meeks saicTthe boys re-—safd^—her—husband and their
mained in her home until Joseph youngest son. John, were
said.
Joseph's parents , were
separated when he was 15-
months-old. At that time hd and
his brother, Arthur, then 2'->.
moved, in .with their grand-
parents. ..... .
About six months later. For-
dham's mother remarried and
took the children. Mrs'. Meeks
said. After three months. Joseph
and Arthur returned to their
started to , school. During the
"week, they lived with, their
mother and then .would spend
weekends w.ith their grand-
parents.. -.. ■ •■».- =■ -
In-1975 her daughter divorced
murdered , at their home in
Georgia by an in-law
The tragedy occurred while
Joseph.,w'as visiting''her sister in
Florida. '
Joseph, who. .was 12 then, im-.
' her second husband: Mfsr.MeWm rfmrfiafen- returned to Georgia
"Sides in Bavtown: Fordham. IV. grandparents home (
‘is standing trial in visitingJudge Mrs. Meeks said she and'her
■ Joseph Guarino’s court
.. Fordham's maternal grand
mother. 'Birdie 'Meeks n!
Cochran. Ga., told the court that
he"Was born June 24,11969, qi'a
then
Carol Millet-, when Joseph was
husband tried to provide a "stable
home and that her husband took
an active father's role '
The boys went fishing and todk
camping trips- and vacations
with them:- Mrs. ’Meeks .aLS
in the garden.
1 now had'rfo ^ssume the
mothe^lfHd. father role.1’ Mrs.
MeeksTeUlfied......' ■ "
Besides Joseph and Arthur,
she also was taking care of her
murdered son "s three children.r
_________o. , "My .'daughter--in-la.w almost _
He. adopted the.jw.0 boys, she •.•.had a nervous breakdown;” Mrs,
sakk but would: not let th'em see • Meeks commented, referring to
their natural.father the wife ot her murdered son.
. The boys-continuediojiye \yith" "Airs. Meek’s, testified thai-^c
their mother and stepfather dur- Joseph. whtTe visiting in Florida,
ing the. week altd -with their , had "accepted Christ" and-was >
until
said, and ih-1976. She married
%Lynn F'ordham. Mrs.. Meeks
'recalled that Lynn Fordham suf-
fered from cerebral palsy so
badly that he had to . wear
weights on hjs arms to stop them
trom trembling.
1981 when, they went to live full-
Time with their grandparents.
Thai same year. Mrs. Meeks
•He always prayed-before
meals and I'eaf.HisrBibk' before---
See FORDHAM Page 2 A)
Baytown high school students shine in first split day
Xaming1 Houston television stations, Wachtel £rfs&-~r|eminded
students; "As you know, the prophets of doom are here" Waiting for
something negative to be said or for something to go wrong;.
But we're Rangersand we"re Ganders and we're goingio.make it
work!" said Wachtel.X
And. despite traffii/’Snarls on both North Main and Garth, reports
indicate.tfaat’S exactly what happened. ___.,_______,
Sterlingstudents had few', if any.,problems accepting the half-day
By DAVID M0HLMAN
“We’ne as close to being one as we’ll everbe." 7-
So read the message on a poster Monday at the Ross S. Sterling.
High School commons,
So announced RSS student body president Tony DeRamus as he
welcomed Robert £. Lee HighSchool students'to the Sterling cam-
PUS. •., - • ■■ :/ - - • ; " ■ .
“I thought we hjjfl.a real good day, considering everything." R-EL
principal Henry Armstrong said late Monday afternoon. • ,
As the first bell rang and Lee students filled Sterling halls, some
perplexed pupils asked for directions. Others used maps t<| find their
way.- - . " ' , _
The students found their classrooms eventually “and tomorrow
we’ll try to make them get there on time,” Armstrong quipped,
Before the dismissal hell rang at 5:25 p.m., Armstrong said he
made an announcement congratulating students on their day.
L Although heavy thunderstorms deluged the Sterling campus frorfi
11-45‘ a m until about-12:1.5 p.m., RSS principal Ed Wachtel s^uL* school hours. • , , • < L-
things went “great” during The morning. *' ' - . : ;• j. - --enthusiastic RELfsophomore Leslie Hudson exclaimed
schedule, according to senior David Elmore Jr.
"We're’lovin' it,'* said Elmore. "I feel for them (Lee students)
because they get out so late.” . •
• .yBdtthey get to,sleep in,” noted senior Brad Walsh.
-. Asked if’they had any problem getting (to. school by 7 :30 a.m,, ,
father than the normal 8 a.m., both Elmoreand Walsh said no.
Howeyer. RSS. junior Gina Brooks, sitting a few feet away,
responded with an emphatic YES - "1 \vas late this morning,” she
said , "
REL students also expressed mixed feelings about their
class until 5:25 p.m. w’ould be tiring.
Many REL students, including seniors Helen Lopez and Joe San-
doval, came to school practically empty-handed because their book^
and other materials.- if not burned, remain in their lockers at Lee.
"I guess we'll have to wait and find out how we'll riianage without
them),” Sandoval sa$ before classes began.
__ Although Ms. Hudson. Ms. Parker and their friends, ^sophomores
Monfque Tillis and Lisa Thoniassaici they knew nothing about the.
RSS building, they agreed they'll all be fine. . , : ^
“We have confidence,” stated Ms. Tiliis."
As Wachtel noted, "This kind of stuff always pulls-npetople
together." .....». / . ___
The most famous memories of Ganders and Rangers are those of
. REL and HSS competition and rivalry , whether friendly or heated.
In recent years, students have called it the^'ghetto school.'..', versus
the'-'snob,school." , , # , , ?T -'-.•.
/^i^tKjdeniy. that sort of talk is nowhere to be foupd,
new Thele days, if you dial 427-6651., -the voice at the.other end will
T got a:
answer “Sterling-Lee” during the rrforning and "Lee-Sterling" dur-
ing the afternoon.
Wachtel dismissed Sterling students five minutesearly to allow for chance to.watebmy. -¥©ungandtheR«stless! ’
traffic problems the rain might cause, But fellow sophomore Vincentia Parker said she thought going to
• 1 ' ’1 “I
Pearce Street Journal - -
Two for one
3
A psychiatrist proved to be
quite an economist too. He
discovered a patient had a split
personality and sent him two
bills.-'*"
' -FH
Six dead, 19 injured
•fs -. •' * ••*’ ••-.
in 1-10 bus accident
Gandefs and Rangers.
Today they're making a new memory -- .
aemqry about unity, - ^ J
Stiffs
AROUND
TOWN
WEYLON ROBINSON, Baytown ■
firefighter, tells about his ex-
perience of “babysitting” the
Robert E. Lee campus all night
long.
Dan Dubiel spends an in-
teresting day in Galveston . .. .
Bethany Warren helps out a co-
worker. 7=-—
Mike Repp has rotten luck
while working on his boat . .
Johnnie Meiss cooks some ham-
burgers ,: . Lu Fulbright offers
to return a fayor.
Maxine Jones calls in for an
update .. The Cedar Bayou head and the next thing I knew
High School class of 1952 is sur- we were bumping something,”
prised when a former class spon- added Maithew Sample, 18, of
sor shows up tor their reunion. Lumberton, another passenger.
BEAUMONT (AP) - Federal
officials Tuesday began in-
vestigating the wreckage of a
Trailways bus and tractor-
trailer rig that collided on a rain-
slicked East Texas, interstate
highway, leaving six people
dead and 19 injured.
The bus had just, left the
downtown Beaumont station
early Monday afternoon^ in a
rainstorm and was heading for
Houston, about 85 miles west
along Interstate 10.
A moving van veered across
the grass median and •collided
with it.
“I remember just seeing all
the chairs go to the front and I
climbed over and started help-
ing everybody .... telling them to
calm down and trying to pull
people out,” said Tranae Char-
don, 22, of Houston, a passenger
seated in the middle of the bus.
I had my cowboy hat on my
‘M saw the whole front of the bus
..coming toward me. -
“Then 1 looked. at the driver
and he was pinned in. There was
a lady pinned under him. There
was a guy with a hole in the mid-
dle of his head. It looked like he
was all mangled up in the
motor.”
The impact tore off the front
half of the bus and split the right
side, leaving a trail of debris and
mangled bodies along the
higlway.
Six'bodies — three men and
three women — were taken to a
National Guard armory that
served as a temporary morgue.
The driver of the truck and a
passenger with him were among
the injured taken to three Beau-
mont hospitals. ..
The bus carried 27 passengers
and the driver, who was among
the dead, Trailways spokesman
Tom Kissell said. The bus had
left'New^Orleans about 7 a m
and stopped in Lake Charles.
La., before arriving in Beau-
mont.
■ Wwm
-■ '
Classified ......
,.12-13-A
Comics.............
8-A
Crossword Puzzle. ...
...... 8-A
Dimension..........
......5-A
j Editorial..........
...... 4-A
Fire News..........
.....2-A
Markets'............
.....14-A
Movie Theaters A
.....14-A
Obituaries.....V
......3;A
Police Beat.........
......2-A
School Menus.......
...... 10^ A
Sports ...._____.
:.... u-A
Television Log.....«,
...... 10-A
WEATHER
CLOUDY SKIES with a 60 per-
cent chance of showers and
thunderstorms and a low
temperature in the upper 60s
are predicted for Tuesday
night anij Wednesday. From 6
a.m. Monday to 8 a.m. Tues-
day. a low temperature of 67
degrees and a high of 80
degrees were recorded. Pur
ing that same period, one-halt
Inch of rain fell
AS ALWAYS, SINCIHIO
YOU CAN MNRt TRUST
Citi**"!
I ni*.l
[ OWNCO ft OftMUD
HECHLER
TWARDOWSKI
CHEVROLET .
CROSBY. TX.
328*2591
* L°N[STAR
VV BANK
SINIOICITIZINS ACCOUNTS
lit, ky l« Otnlli •* s-
Mmy fill I««Dm
BAYTOWN'S NO. 1
CAR DEALERSHIP
iiayshore:
; V/ v MOTORS
•lurtliilAiiwytet'Wn*
umiimetMi iw
FOR MEDICAL
EMERGENCY
911
CAU
USX plant still on hold
By BRUCE GUYNN
USX Chairman David M. I|od©riek-gave no indication Mqnday^that
company officials plan to reopen the Texas Works Plant near
Baytown soon.~—r-=- ......—.
Speaking via telephone at a press conference in Detroit, Roderick
made no direct reference to the Texas Works Plant. V
But he said all the steel mills the.qompany needs to meet demands
are “up and running.’.' . ' 1 / --'—
A company spokesman in Pittsburgh. Pa, said the status of the
Texas Works Plant is unchanged.
USX officials announced in February that the pipe and melt mills
at Texas Works had been indefinitely idled and that .the plate mill
would not be restarted until there are sufficient orders, |tte move af-
fected about 850 jobs. f
Roderick said he expects the steelmanufacturing wing of USX to
.be profitable during the second half of 1987.
He noted the market for steel sheet and plate is “basically strong.”
However, Roderick said there is still an excess capacity for steel
production worldwide.
In the United States, annual production capacity has fallen from
160 million tons to 111 million tons. This capacity needs to fall to 90
million tons per year, Roderick said.
Roderick said plans are still to make USS. the company's steel
manufacturing arm, a wholly owned susidiary by this summer. ~~
He vowed USX “would not create a company so it could go
bankrupt.”
Roderick noted USX, the former U.S. Steel Corp, has undergone
considerable restructuring this decade.
”7 He pointed out thgt the firm u.sed to be an "80 percent steel com-
pany." Now. it is a "60 percent oil company " •
Roderick said the company;s^es for the first quarter were “less
than many had anticipated **!!™ its prospects for the remainder of
the year are “very encouraging” because domestic oil prices are ex-
pected tofjrfcrease *• t;;:, — - 1
•IwdCw 1 • Ufvkl D«yl
’• Ml ttyi • lautng Pm'
Um bn •" • <>••!•'
SAN JACINTO FORD
The
TV ...
SPOTLIGHT
Buy your discount
Astroworld tickets
htro it,..
Baytown Stott Bonk
igs?i
barbecue
CATERING 427-3209
SM imipk Mtn mi in k
QUID <nj1
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Brown, Leon. The Baytown Sun (Baytown, Tex.), Vol. 65, No. 158, Ed. 1 Tuesday, May 5, 1987, newspaper, May 5, 1987; Baytown, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1053026/m1/1/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Sterling Municipal Library.