The Albany News (Albany, Tex.), Vol. 112, No. 12, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 3, 1987 Page: 4 of 40
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Opinion
THE ALBANY NEWS
THURSDAY. SEPTEMBER 3, 1987. ALBANY. TEXAS 76430
PAGE 4-A
The Albany News
Since 187P>
Oldest journalistic venture west ot the Brazos
Editor/Publisher
Donnie A. Lucas
Melinda L. Lucas
Managing Editor
Staff Reporter & Composition Carol Lackey
Composition Marilyn Thompson
Moran Correspondent Audrey Brooks
Office Assistant Betty Law
Office Assistant Sunday Falkinhurg
editorial
New year
School days, school days...
The school hells are tolling youngsters
hack into their classrooms after a summer of
fun.
With school in session there will be literal
ly hundreds of youngsters walking or riding
their hikes to and from school. It is impor
tant to he especially cautious between the
hours of 7:30 a.m. and 8:00 a.m.. and from
2:30 p.m. until 4:00 p.m.
There are w arning signs, and 20 mile per
hour speed zones, and local law enforcement
officials keeping a close eye on the critical
areas to help us remember that our children
are on the highways and streets once again.
Hut the responsibility of driving safely
ends up with each driver behind the wheel.
It is easy to be in a hurry, either to get to
work on time, or take your own kids to
school and we often forget to observe the
speed zones, or we become distracted in
school crossing areas.
Please be careful, and keep an eye out for
Albany youngsters.
You might be the safest driver in town
and still find yourself involved in an accident
involving a child. They don't always
remember to do their part. They don t
always look before stepping out into a
street, and sometimes they seem to appear
out of thin air from behind a parked car.
Please be on the look out for all children
during the school year. It is hard to imagine
w hat pain and grief could be caused by just
one careless moment.
School time also means school buses with
precious cargo.
While you are keeping an eye out for
children who travel to school on their own,
don't forget the rules concerning school
buses.
When a bus is loading or unloading and
the flashing lights are activated, remember
that you must come to a stop. It is illegal and
extremely dangerous to attempt to pass a
school bus when it is stopped.
Albany buses flash a yellow warning light
w hen preparing to stop, and then a red light
flashes when the door is opened and
passengers are loading or unloading.
Please keep these simple rules in mind -
it might save a life and keep yours from be
ing ruined.
policy
THE ALBANY NEWS
(L'SPS 012400) Is published weekly tor SU per year tor
subscriptions within Shackelford County SIB per year
for subscriptions within Texas and SIS per \ear tor out-
of-state subscriptions bv Lucas Publications lnc 101 S
Main. Albanv Texas 764.JO Second class postage paid
at Albany Texas POSTMASTER Send address changes
to THE ALBANY NEWS PO Box 278 Albany Texas
76430
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on file Send letters to THE ALBANY NEWS.
PO Box 278. Albany TX 76430
CORRECTIONS
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reputation or standing ol any indiv idual. firm
or corporation will be corrected when notifi-
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within 10 days after publication
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cluding tax. other U S addresses S1800.
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AFFILIATIONS
ponderings by pat
1987 MEMBER Texas Press Association.
*Vest Texas Press Association
By Pat Lidia Jones
It rained all day long. It not only
rained on my parade; it rained on a day
I'd planned for a month.
A Texan hates to ever admit that
rain is an inconvenience, but I figure a
Texan in Michigan is entitled.
I have mentioned in other columns
my love and fascination for the Indiana
Amish country, and for the village of
Shipsewanna.
The Amish, for religious reasons,
spurn the ways of the 20th century, liv
ing simply, out of choice, as our
forefathers did over 100 years ago.
There are inconsistencies, of course:
there are in every religion.
Imagine an Amish lady. She wears a
tiny stiffly starched white cap, pinned
over the simple bun of hair on the back
of her head. She wears this cap all day
long, indoors and out. On some days, ac
cording to the weather, she wears over
it, a heavy black bonnet, reminiscent of
the sunbonnets our grandmothers
wore in the garden.
She wears a dark homemade dress,
which is fastened with straight pins, as
is her belt. Over it, she wears a dark
apron. She carries a black handbag.
She wears black hose and wears
Reeboksl We had that last bit in com
mon.
Shipsewanna. a quiet town, boasting
a population of 466, hosts thousands of
people to its Tuesday and Wednesday
Flea Market, where 900 vendors ply
their trade. Each Wednesday year
round, there is an antique auction, that
draws dealers from all over the United
States. On Friday, there is a horse sale.
A.V. and I share a great interest in
flea markets and antique sales, and
auctions. What better place for us to
enjoy a day together than Shipsewan
na? He had planned to fly up here on a
Wednesday, stay a few days, and then
we will drive home.
I talked him into coming to Michigan
a day early, so we could go to the auc
tion and flea market. He agreed. And it
rained.
We went anyway, thinking that one
hour to our south, it might not be rain
ing at all. Wrong.
The first thing we did in Shipsewan
na was buy rain gear. The flea market
crowd was there, battened down with
what must have been acres of plastic
tarps.
In the huge auction barn, eleven auc
tioneers, each with his own personal
P.A. system, are busily working in the
crowd. The din is overpowering.
A.V. and I began to scout out pos
sibilities. We hadn't been there thirty
minutes, before we found two items we
were both interested in. One was a
large, though life sized, hand carved
wooden trout, with copper fins. Chains
attached, it has been used as a sign at a
bait shop.
The other item I liked was an an
tique drying rack
My taste is good, but it is not rare. I
think every dealer in the bam was in
terested in the fish too. The dealers
quit bidding at the price when they can
no longer charge enough to make a
reasonable profit. If you go much
beyond them, you've overspent. We
didn't go much beyond them.
Once, the word circulated through
the auction barn that the rain had
stopped, there was action in the flea
market area.
A.V. and I immediately abandoned
the auction and headed outside to see
what treasures we could find in the flea
market.
Well, the rain had stopped, but it
was very dark, and we could tell
another rain storm was on its way. And
there was action among the flea
market vendors. The action was the
dismantling and packing away of their
stands. The whole thing simultaneous
ly shut down.
And then the rains came again.
Our spirits were the only thing about
us undampened. We explored the rest
of Shipsewanna and had lunch there.
We went to Middlebury and poked
through its old fashioned hardware
store and its antique mall.
Weary by now, but elated over our
"finds," we drove back to our home
away from home, with the rain still
pouring down.
We'll be on our way home soon. It is
time. And I'm homesick for Albany.
I'll say "Farewell" to my Michigan
friends and neighbors, to my beloved
cottage on the beautiful Gull Lake, to
the cool weather, and to the tiny towns
around that gave me such shopping
pleasure.
As our pioneer forefathers said. I'm
"Gone to Texas."
state capital highlights
By Lvndell Williams
Chief Justice John Hill stunned a
Capitol press conference last week by
announcing he will quit the Texas
Supreme Court to return to private
practice and crusade for an appointed
court.
While the move kindled speculation
that Hill is preparing to run for gover-
nor in 1990, it also paves the way for
Gov. Bill Clements to appoint the first
Republican to that post in modern
times.
But Hill denied he would ever seek
office again. With half of his six-year
term over, he is the lone voice on the
court for the appointment system,
which has put him at odds with the
other justices at least on that issue.
The name which immediately sur-
faced as a possible successor is Roy
Barrera Jr.. the San Antonio judge
who ran as a Republican in '86 and
almost upset Attorney General Jim
Mattox. A name offered by Mexican-
American Democrats is Brownsville
Sen. Hector Uribe.
Mattox, Bishops Agree
Mattox was busy last week hammer-
ing out the final details of an agree-
ment with the panel of bishops which
investigated the SMU football scandal.
They announced the court approved
agreement will allow Mattox's team to
examine the bishop's records of their
probe with the information to be kept
secret unless it is disclosed in the court
of resultant judicial proceedings.
Mattox is looking at whether any
charitable trus funds were mishan-
dled.
Texan* Listed
The federal task force examining the
Texas savings and loan industry for in-
solvency added more than 100 names
Drugs & Pregnancy
The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code
Q. Do the police have to actually see a minor consume
an alcoholic beverage before issuing a citation?
A. No. a citation may be issued for minor in possession.
Q. What is the penalty for possessing an alcoholic
beverage?
A IstOffense $25-$200: 2nd Offense $100-$500
(Information provided by T««on$ Wor on Dru^S^
TASK FORCE ON
DRUG & ALCOHOL ABUSE
'■ru
art lawler
to its subpoena list, including State
Savings and Loan Commissioner L.
Linton Bowman, former Gov. John
Connally and former Lt. Gov. Ben
Barnes.
The Barnes and Connally partner
ship had multimillion dollar loans from
two failed thrifts in Dallas. Barnes
praised the probe.
Commissioner Bowman said he has
no lending or financial ties to any state
chartered S&L, but has a real estate
partnership with a former officer of a
failed thrift.
Hance Appointed
Former Lubbock Congressman Kent
Hance was named by Clements to
replace outgoing Railroad Commission
Chairman Mack Wallace.
Hance is expected to seek election to
the post in 1988 and he answered
critics that his $370,000 campaign debt
from 1986 will be paid off next month.
He said he intends to lobby in
Washington. D.C. for a national energy
policy, which Clements also supports.
If Clements names a Republican to
replace John Hill, his party will have
four statewide officials, two appointed
by him.
Texas Oyster Bays
Texas oyster bays were closed last
week and could stay idle for up to a
year to replenish oyster populations.
Texas Parks & Wildlife commis
sioners approved the ban following
evidence that some oyster beds may
have dropped off by as much as 80 per-
cent in productivity because of
unusually heavy rains and last sum
mer's red tide, a rust-colored
microorganism.
Some predict oyster prices will rise
substantially because of poor harvests
in other states.
J.L. Florrow died this morning.
I didn't know him well myself, but
my wife, who coordinates the crisis line
in Abilene for the Mental Health
Association considered him a good
friend. In fact, J.L.. a retired Baptist
preacher, was one of her favorite
volunteers.
When word came over the phone of
his death, we were in the process of
cooking fresh vegetables which J.L.
had brought by her office earlier in the
week.
I was only around him a couple of
times, but he struck me as the kind of
preacher we need more of today. He
wasn't loud, and he didn't waste time
telling people what was wrong with
them and how they were going to pay
for it for the rest of eternity. He was an
empathetic person who tried to help,
even if all he could do was listen.
I'm told that's what made him such a
good crisis line volunteer. People call
up at all hours of the night. Some have
guns pointed at their heads while
they're talking. Others are so drunk or
high they can't remember their names.
The common thread that binds them is
shared misery.
J.L. always listened and made an ef
fort to refer them to the proper agen
cies where they could get professional
help.
My wife was surprised about a
month ago when he suddenly missed a
volunteer luncheon. Nobody seemed to
know what happened to him. A couple
of days later, though, he called to ex
plain.
J.L.'s wife had broken her hip. and in
his concern for her, he'd been unable to
make the luncheon. When my wife of
fered to take him off his shift for a
month while his wife was recovering,
he refused. People needed him, and
J.L. loved to be needed.
He worked at a fast-food restaurant
part-time for a while and met a young
Hispanic woman, a pregnant single
mother who was struggling to support
two children.
J.L. decided he would keep the kids
for her after school this fall while she
worked. He was going to help them
with their studies, and he planned on
setting up a college trust, so all three
could get an education.
His own grandkids were grown now
and didn't need his help anymore, he
explained to my wife. When he left the
family's home the other day. one of the
kids, who called him Mr. J. hollered out
the window to tell him he loved him.
"That sealed it with me," he said.
"Helping them will probably keep me
busy until I'm 85."
No lectures. No fancy words. J.L.
just did the things he felt he was put on
earth to do, and few if any. ever got a
better return on their investment.
His passing made me think of
another death I'd been reminded of in
recent days.
Vincent was 40 when police arrived
at the apartment w here he was staying
that day. He'd been drinking heavily,
making noise, pushing people around.
Police had already been out on a distur
bance call a little earlier.
On their second trip out, they found
Vincent dead. There had been a fight,
but details of what happened were
cloudy. The only thing certain was that
Vincent was most certainly dead.
Investigators tried their best to
locate Vincent's family, but when
nothing turned up, they gave him a
pauper's funeral and buried him.
Neighbors didn't have much good to
say about Vincent. He was a heavy
drinker. He was supposed to have been
adopted, but he left home early and had
been a drifter most of his life.
He was a human being, though,
somebody who might have benefitted
greatly by having the good fortune of a
J.L. in his life.
The shame of this all-too-often
repeated tragedy is that there just
aren't enough J.L.'s to go around.
As of today there's one less, still.
Community Calendar
SEPT. 3
SEPT. 4
SEPT. 5-6
SEPT. 6
SEPT. 7
SEPT. 8
SEPT. 9
SEPT. 10
SEPT. 13
Nutrition program meal - Youth Center, 11:30 am
Lions Club luncheon - Longhorn, 12 noon
Mental health clinic - Depot. 1 -4:30 pm
AHS Lionettes vs Clyde - there, 5 pm
)V Lions vs Throckmorton - here, 7 pm
Community Action program - Depot, 10 am-3 pm
Chamber ot Commerce luncheon - Longhorn,
12 noon
Early childhood screening - NSES, by appointment
AHS Lions vs. Throckmorton - there, 8 pm
Labor Day golf scramble • Albany Golf Course
Astrological slide show - Ft. Grittin State Park
campground, 9 pm
Duplicate bridge - Pioneer Bldg., 1:30 pm
Commodity distribution - Youth Center 11 am
Hospital budget hearing - Board room, 1 pm
Nutrition program meal - Youth Center, 11:30 am
AHS Lionettes vs. Colorado City - there, 6 pm
Nutrition program meal - Youth Center, 11:30 am
Kiwanis Club - Ft. Griffin Gen. Mdse., 12 noon
Social Security representative - Cits Hall. 1:30 pm
Albany Chest directors meeting - lones Co., 6:30 pm
Golf scramble - Albany Golf Course
Carpenter/Johnson autograph partv - OIAC, 4-6 pm
Vv
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FIRsl SMIOS-U R*Sk
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Lucas, Donnie A. The Albany News (Albany, Tex.), Vol. 112, No. 12, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 3, 1987, newspaper, September 3, 1987; Albany, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth402260/m1/4/: accessed July 9, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting The Old Jail Art Center.