The Baytown Sun (Baytown, Tex.), Vol. 76, No. 13, Ed. 1 Sunday, November 16, 1997 Page: 4 of 42
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Page 4-A ❖ Sunday, November 16,1997
PAT ON THE BACK
... to Sarah L Martin of Baytown. She was recenly named a 1996-97
Dallas Morning News/WFAA Scholarship recipient at Southern
Methodist University.
FEEDBACK: To comment on this page, call the Newsroom, 422-8302.
— The Associated Press
3
Railroads. The word conjures up images of a romantic American past, a
time when cattle, steam engines and cowboys helped settle the Old West.
But what we’ve all learned in recent weeks is that America’s railroads
are not a nostalgic reminder of days gone by — they’re a critical, vital compo-
nent of a modem transportation system.
And right now, that critical, vital component just isn’t working very well —
especially in Texas.
The problems began last year, when two of the region’s largest railroad com-
panies, Union Pacific and Southern Pacific agreed to a massive merger. The
deal was approved by state officials, but it’s become apparent since then that
Union Pacific’s takeover of Southern Pacific’s operations has not gone smooth-
ly
When two companies the size of Union Pacific and Southern Pacific join
operations, problems are inevitable, but this merger has been plagued by week
after week of train wrecks, traffic jams and backlogs.
The new Union Pacific’s inability to effectively serve customers is costing the
Texas economy millions of dollars, state officials say and the tab is going up
daily. Farmers, industry, the military—anyone who depends on rail cars to
move heavy goods into and out of Texas — has been hampered by the logjams.
Baytown’s own SAW Pipes, which manufactures steel pipe, has had to slow or
even halt operations because they’ve had difficulties getting raw material deliv-
ered.
It’s not clear what, if anything, state officials can do to help untangle the prob-
lems at Union Pacific, but the Surface Transportation Board, which oversees the
railroads, will meet on Dec. 3 to discuss the problems.
One avenue available to the board: If Union Pacific can’t serve customers, the
board can extend a previous order that forced the rail firm to open its track to
smaller, more nimble competitors — something Union Pacific, obviously, is
loathe to do.
If Union Pacific can’t convince the board, as well as the thousands of busi-
nessmen across the state who will be watching that hearing closely, that it has
addressed its problems, state officials should take whatever steps necessary to
get the trains back on track.
Thought for today
“Religion is an attempt, a noble attempt, to suggest in human terms more-than-
hurnan realities.”
— Christopher Morley, American author-journalist (1890-1957)
W $avtoton Bun
The Baytown Sun is published Monday through Friday and Sunday at
- 1301 Memorial Drive in Baytown.
Gaiy Dobbs David Eldridge
Editor and Publisher Managing Editor
Economy slowed
by UP rail logjam
Today in history
Today is Sunday, Nov. 16, the 320th day of 1997. There are 45 days left in the
year.
Today’s Highlight in History: *
On Nov. 16,1933, the United States and the Soviet Union established diplomatic
relations. President Roosevelt sent a telegram to Soviet leader Maxim Litvinov,
expressing hope that U.S.-Soviet relations would “forever remain normal and
friendly.” w
On thisitfate:
In 1959, the Rodgers and Kammerstein musical “The Sound of Music” opened
on Broadway.
■In 1961, House Speaker Samuel T. Raybum died in Bonham, Texas, having
served as speaker since 1940 except for two terms.
In 1973, Skylab 3 carrying a crew of three astronauts, was launched from Cape
Canaveral, Fla., on an 84-day mission.
Today’s Birthdays: Actor Clu Gulager is 69. Blues musician Hubert Sumlin is 66.
Journalist Elizabeth Drew is 62. Actor David Leisure is 47. Rock musician Mani
(The Stone Roses) is 35. Tennis player Zina Garrison-Jackson is 34. Baseball play-
er Dwight Gooden is 33. Actress Lisa Bonet is 30. Rhythm-and-blues singer Bryan
Abrams (Color Me Badd) is 28. Actress Martha Plimpton is 27. Olympic gold
medal figure skater Oksana Baiul is 20.
Bibleverse:
He is Lord of lords, and King of kings.
— Revelation 17:14
Dedication of Bush library lights memories
Dedication of the George Bush Presi-
dential Library and Museum at College
Station rekindled memories of meeting
Bush.
It was in a Lee College hallway on the
evening of May 30,1969, two decades
before the Houston congressman
became the'41 st U.S. president.
We talked for a few minutes preced-
ing his commencement address for the
Lee College class of’69.
Preston Pendergrass, then managing
editor, had instructed me to ask Bush
what he would do about the Brown-
wood subdivision, which was beginning
to sink into the sea.
So I did.
“Should a levee be built?” I asked
U.S, Rep. Bush. “Or do you think resi-
dents should be evacuated and relocat-
ed?”
Although he didn’t respond with a
“no comment,” he really wouldn’t com-
ment.
He explained he didn’t want to give
an opinion because Brownwood wasn’t
in his congressional district, and he
didn’t think it would be fair to the con-
gressman representing us.
(Baytown then was represented by
Bob Eckhardt in the 8th District.)
Although he wouldn’t talk about
Brownwood, Bush packed his com-
mencement speech with relevant com-
ments.
For one thing, he predicted that Presi-
dent Nixon would end the Vietnam War.
The war was costing billions in dol-
lars and millions in lives, he told the LC
graduating class.
“The war in this piece of real estate is
disproportionate to our national inter-
est.”
WANDA
ORTON
(This isn’t from memory; I’m cheat-
ing, reading over what I wrote then.)
Bush touched on the economy,
expressing confidence that economic
problems would be solved.
“The crudest tax of all is the tax of
inflation,” he said.
I think all of us were impressed with
the congressman’s “take” on campus
unrest. If you were around in ’69, you
recall a lot of that was going around —
demonstrations, protests and riots,
mostly over the Vietnam war and
human rights.
Unlike many leaders back then, Bush
seemed to understand what was going
on.
He had led a team of 20 congressmen
across the nation to visit campuses and
reported that they listened rather than
talked. "•
At times it is appropriate to question
the system to obtain change, Bush con-
cluded. “Just go back to Plato to see
that restlessness on campuses is not par-
ticularly new.”
Bush felt that his own generation
needed to be more perceptive and com-
passionate as young people sought
legitimate social change and asked for
fair play.
He noted, however, that some people,
as they pushed for change, were not fair
or honest T7 ■ ’
Students may want to “tie up the
dean” sometimes, he said, but they must
remember that the dean’s rights would
be violated if they did.
“There is room for constructive
change, but you have to do it in the
framework of an ordered society.
As you seek changes, know what you
are for and not just what you are
opposed to. Be sure the changes have a
redeeming social value and are not just
selfish.”
Excellent speech — but he never did
say what he thought about Brownwood.
Looking back, I wonder now if the
question was fair. For sure, it was pre-
mature.
In 1969 people living in the middle of
Brownwood, fighting the rising water
and sinking land, didn’t know what to
think or what to do.
And the Army Corps of Engineers
staffers, with their endless studies on
cost/benefit ratios concerning levees,
evacuation and relocation, really didn’t
know what to think. <
It was a dilemma unlike any other that
any city had faced.
How could I expect Congressman
Bush to come up with a quick fix for
Brownwood then, minutes before he
was to present a commencement
address?
Anyway, things have a way of work-
ing out.
Brownwood is a nature park ndw, and
George Bush is a former president.
Who would have thought it in the
hallway at Lee College 28 years ago.
Wanda Orton is a regular Sun colum-
nist.
ELECTED
OFFICIALS
President
Bill Clinton (D-2000)
The White House
Washington, D.C. 20500
(202)456-1111
Senator
Kay Bailey Hutchinson (R-2000)
283 Russell Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, D.C. 20510
(202) 224-5922 or (713) 653-3456
Senator
Phil Gramm (R-2002)
370 Russell Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, D.C. 20510
(202)224-2934 or (713)718-4000
Representative District 9
Nick Lampson (D-1998)
417 Cannon House Office Bldg.
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202)225-6565
1-888-838-0061
Representative District 25
Ken Bentsen (D-1998)
128 Cannon House Office Bldg.
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202) 225-7508 or (713) 667-3554
Baytown-(281) 837-8225
Governor
George W. Bush Jr. (R-1998)
State Capitol, P.O. Box 12428
Austin, Texas 78768
1-800-252-9600
Senator District 6
Mario Gallegos.(D-1998)
P.O. Box 41, Galena Park, 77547
(512)463-0106
(713)678-8600
Senator District 11
Jerry Patterson (R-1998)
1109 Fairmont Parkway
Pasadena, Texas 77504
(512)463-0111 .
(713)948-0111
Senator District 15
John Whitmire (D-2000)
803 Yale, Houston, Texas 77007
(512)463-0115
(713)864-8701
Representative District 20
Zeb Zbranek (D-1998)
P.O. Box 2050
Liberty, Texas 77575
(512) 463-0488 of 1 -800-438-6202
Representative District 127
Joe Crabb (R-1998)
2240 North Park Drive No. 101
Kingwood, Texas 77339
(512)463-0502or (281)422-2233
Representative District 128
Fred Bosse (D-1998)
885-A Uvalde Road
Houston, Texas 77015
(512) 463-0660 or 1-800-388-3359
(713)453-6336
Hanis County and
District Officials
District Oerit
Charles Barcarisse (R)
(713)755-5711
District Attorney
John B. Holmes (R)
(713)755-5800
County Clerk >
B.F.’Kaufinah (R)
(713)755-6405
County Treasurer .
Don Sumners (R)
(713)755-5120 .
County Attorney
Michael Fleming (R)
(713)755-5101
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Dobbs, Gary. The Baytown Sun (Baytown, Tex.), Vol. 76, No. 13, Ed. 1 Sunday, November 16, 1997, newspaper, November 16, 1997; Baytown, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1176704/m1/4/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Sterling Municipal Library.