The Tulia Herald (Tulia, Tex.), Vol. 82, No. 7, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 15, 1990 Page: 4 of 34
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PAGE FOUR
THE TULIA (Swisher County) HERALD
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1990
No Surprises: Cowgirls,
Swiftettes In Playoffs
Bi-District Doubleheader Friday
To the surprise of absolutely no one in the sportsworld, Nazareth's Swiftettes
and Happy’s Cowgirls arc back in the basketball playoffs.
The District 5-1A champion and runner-up—ranked first and sixth in state,
respectively—will lock horns with the 6-1A kingpins in a bi-district doublcheader
this Friday at the Hutcherson Center on the Wayland Baptist University campus in
Plainvicw.
Coach Sandy Heiman's Swiftettes are matched against 6-1A runner-up
Silverton in a 6 p.m. tipoff. Immediately following, Coach Clay Stout's Cowgirls
and Valley, champion of its district, will take the court for a 7:30 tipoff.
The Swiftcttesconcludcd their regular season with a sparkling 26-3 record and
the Cowgirls went 23-6.
Happy and Nazareth advanced to the regional finals last year for another of
their donnybrooks. After their narrow victory, the Swiftettes breezed through two
opponents in the state tournament ennoute to their third consecuvtive Class A
crown.
Surviving Region I opponents will again be a rugged chore. In addition to
Nazareth and Happy, there arc three other state-ranked A girls squads in this region:
Channing, number three: Meadow, number seven; and Sudan, number eight (last
week's rankings).
STOUT REAL PLEASED’
Coach Stout, who has guided the Cowgirls into the playoffs for the sixth
consecutive year, told The Herald, "I've been real pleased with our team's progress.
I think we’ve improved all year.
"We've had a lot of injuries, but other players came in and took up the slack.
I believe we've developed a lot more depth since early in the season."
Coach Stout, Cowgirl mentor for nine seasons, said "if we get by Valley," the
Happy girls' opponent in the area round—the next step after bi-district—
"probably" would be either Paducah or Spur. The likely date would be Tuesday of
next week, Feb. 20, at a location to be determined.
Texan Dome on the South Plains College campus in Lcvelland will again be
the site of the Class A girls regional tournament on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 23-
24.
The Cowgirls played a "warm-up" game Monday against Anton.
KANGAROOS TO BI-DISTRICT
It went to overtime Friday night in the Kress High Gym before the Kangaroos
emerged with a 79-77 victory over the visiting Happy Cowboys to qualify for their
first basketball bi-district appearance in several years.
The Kangaroos netted 6 points during the threce-minute overtime period to 4
for the Cowboys after the Swisher County rivals ended the regulation period in a
73-73 deadlock.
Kress held a hot hand in the first half, moving out to 17-16 and 40-30 leads after
the initial two quarters. Happy cut the gap to 4 going into the final stanza
Yancey Dempsey paced the Cowboys with 32 points and DeJay White added
20. Williams, Amador and Alvarado were the Kangaroo scoring leaders with 24,
20 and 19 points.
The victory handed the Kangaroos, 19-10 in the regular season, the second
playoff berth in District 5-1A behind champion Nazareth.
Had Happy won the Friday encounter, the two Swisher County squads and
Springlakc-Earth would have become involved in a three-team playoff to
determine the district runner-up spot.
In the boys bi-district, Nazareth and Kress will be matched against Lakcvicw
and McLean of District 6-1 A. These two squads both posted 8-2 district records.
HEARING AID SERVICE CENTER
Wednesday, Feb. 21
10 a.m. -1:00 p.m.
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127 S. W. 2nd
• Service On All Makes & Models
• Batteries & Accessories
• FREE Hearing Evaluations
HIGH PLAINS HEARING AID CENTER
5501 W. 9th Amarillo, TX 355-8889 -1-800-333-4504
'Miracle Kids' Overcome Obstacles
Geneva And Dean Harman Always Rebound From Physical Adversity
TULIA READY MIX CONCRETE
SAND & GRA VEL
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995-4311
NIGHTS-995-4879 OR CALL PLAINVIEW-293-8313
West 6th Street TULIA
Continued from Page One
ters and granddaughters-in-law.
She didn't stop with the holiday gifts.
Mrs. Harman no>| counts over 40 of the
unique necklaces whe has made in an
array of colors and patterns. "They're
just beautiful, says Mrs. Elliff, who
"finishes the ends."
"Two set" have been mailed to a
friend in Morris, Illinois, who now
wants six more.
A couple of individuals who weren't
initially interested in the Texas Pearls
"are now our biggest boosters," Dean
Harman proudly explains of his wife's
handicraft.
Their popularity is rapidly spreading.
A grandson of Chester and Mary El iff
wore a set of the beads to Convcrse-
Judson High School in San Antonio,
where his father, Mike Sullivan, is de-
fensive coordinator for the football
squad.
Spotting the beads, a special educa-
tion teacher at the school immediately
gave birth to an idea. Home economics
students could prepare the beads and her
special education pupils could assembly
them in the C-J colors of red and grey.
The novelty items could be sold at craft
fairs and at school to help finance special
education projects and field trips.
Meanwhile, Geneva Harman goes
about producing her beads. She can
make a set in "30 minutes at most; I can
bead them without looking."
DELICATE WORK
However, the Tulian with a special
talent for creativity with her hands
quickly adds that "making a tablecloth is
a different story. Crocheting every day,
it took about three months. . . and I
enjoyed every stitch." This was "my
large tablecloth which is about 80-85
inches across."
"She’s a perfectionist," Mrs. Bowe
says of her mother. If she spotted a Haw
at any point, "she would unravel it and
start over. It’s amazing that she could
take a crochet hook and a ball of thread
and make things of such beauty."
Geneva learned both creativity and
competitiveness as a child when her
mother taught her and a sister, Alma Orr,
to crochet.
The two sisters "have enjoyed this
work and on many occasions have
worked in company with each other,
each trying to produce a prettier and
more cxpcrtly-done piece of crochet
than the other. Geneva has learned to
produce her own patterns and to correct
mistakes in other people's patterns. In
%
WEDDING DAY—Dean and Ge-
neva Harman were photographed
shortly after their marriage cere-
mony at 8 a.m. on June 24,1938, in
the First Presbyterian Church in
Tulia.
PAT WESLEY
DISTRICT AND COUNTY CLERK
Working To Serve The People Of Swisher County
• Experienced • Professional
• Efficient •Certified Clerk
• Courteous -Area I Director for Clerks Association
• 1 of 3 clerks in Texas chosen to be on committee to study and give
recommendations on death certificates.
If you have any questions about my office I would be glad to discuss them at anytime.
Pol. Adv Pd For
60
By Pat Wesley
WEALTH OF TALENT—Geneva Harman holds on her lap Texas pearls
and a variety of other beads she has created, and she wears a
crocheted collar and beads she made. Her sister-in-law, Mary Elliff,
shows an exquisite crochet tablecloth designed by Mrs. Harman.
—Staff photo
other words, she is an expert."
Through the years she has created
"three large bedspreads, at least 40 ta-
blecloths, 25 afghans, numerous dollies
and collars and many sweaters, caps,
shoes, Christmas dolls, ornaments and
other items."
She has exhibited her work in re-
gional fairs and has won several rib-
bons.
"For three or four years," Mrs. Har-
man turned her interest to crocheting
strings of beads. "No pattern was too
hard for her to duplicate," according to
family members. "She has sold some
through curio and craft outlets, given
many strings away and still has on hand
many strings."
’FINEST PEOPLE'
Judy Bowe believes that the "people"
segment of the slogan with which she
has been familiar since childhood,
"Tulia, Tex., home of the finest people
and the richest land," epitomizes her
parents.
She and her father emphasize that
Geneva Harman "has never expected
her family tocurtail any of their commu-
nity, school or church activities" in
order to devote time to her. "On the
contrary, she has encouraged all her
family, including her husband, to par-
ticipate in any worthwhile work that
they chose to do."
Religious involvement is something
the entire Harman clan has chosen.
"Church activities are a very big part
of our lives," explains Mrs. Bowe.
Dean has served as a Church of Christ
elder" 16 or 18 years" and two sons and
a son-in-law are or have been deacons.
The Harman offspring remember
their father taking them to church while
their mother, due to her physical limita-
tions, "stayed in the car and listened to
the singing. Then she started going (to
church) in her wheelchair. She attended
Bible school and church services as long
as she could, most of the time in her
wheelchair."
’START BIBLE STUDY
BY MAIL” SCHOOL
Her inability to physically attend
church services has n ot interrupted Mrs.
Harman's Christian influence. In 1967,
she and her husband started a "Bible
Study By Mail" school. They estimate
that they have instructed "at least 3,000
people" since that time.
"Geneva and I have spend a lot of time
with Bible study," Dean says. She has
devoted countless hours to "grading
lessons, addressing envelopes and keep-
ing records. We have had students frowi
every state and some 20 nations around
the world and have had as many as 500
students at one time."
Hannan explains that "through the
years I've looked for a Bible course that
I could teach on Hebrews." Finally, he
decided to author his own.
The retired farmer-cattleman lacks
only three of 16 or 17 lessons on the
scries." She corrects them for me," he
says of his wife. He summaries each
chapter via questions and "tries the
questions out on Geneva to see how
effective they are."
The literature, which can be used for
either Bible correspondence training or
in the form of Bible school workbooks,
is expected to be published soon by an
Alabama firm.
FAM ILY TOGETHERNESS
Running neck-and-neck with their
religious activities is family involve-
ment.
Even though Mrs. Hannan’s hobbies
have "consumed much of her time in
recent years, she has not neglected her
family, especially her six grandchildren
and eight great-grandchildren. She has
always done what she could to carry on
motherly and wifely duties."
Her five offspring are Terry- Harman
of College Station, Judy Bowe of Lub-
bock, Bunnye Porter of Arlington,
Jimmy Harman of Clyde and Randy
Harman of Lubbock.
Togetherness runs deep in the Har-
man family.
"We started taking our kids chmping
about '46 or '47 and continued that until
they left home," Dean explains. Their
camping home-away-from-home was
Cimarron Canyon, near Eagle Nest, N.
M.
Camping became addictive. "Our
baby son even took his bride camping
out at Cimarron Canyon on their honey-
moon," Hannan says with a chuckle.
"That's what makes good kids. . .
family togetherness," he emphasizes.
He and his wife’s favorite pasttime is
"listening to Texas Rangers baseball."
Their partisanship has been enhanced
by the fact that daughter Judy's son-in-
law, Phil Bryant, is a pitcher in the
Rangers’ farm system. He played last
season in Tulsa and hopes to be pro-
moted this year to the Oklahoma City
squad, which is "the last step before the
Rangers."
The Harmans' family closeness pene-
trates beyond their descendants.
’MIRACLE KIDS’
"Miracle Kids" is the term Mary Elliff
has coined for her brother and sister-in-
law, whom she also regards as "my best
friends. I just love them and love to see
them laugh and smile."
Geneva quips, "We nearly panic if
Mary doesn’t come by every day or
two." Dean emphasizes that "Mary has
been the helper and promoter of
Geneva's return to her handiwork since
an accident two years ago."
Seated in the living room of their
comfortable residence at 120 North
Jackson, Hannan jokes that "We started
going together First, but they (his sister,
Mary, and his wife's brother, Chester
Eliff) got married first"
The Eliffs, who were married on Dec.
19, 1936, have seven children, 19
grandchildren and nine great-grandchil-
dren — "Aunt Mary takes care of every
one of them," says Judy Bowe — are
also longtime Swisher County resi-
dents.
Geneva and Dean got a later stan.
She explains, "We went together for
five years, but he had to finish college
and get that $200 a month job before we
could get married."
That long-awaited marriage cere-
mony was performed at 8 a. m. on J une
24, 1938, in First Presbyterian Church
of Tulia by the pastor, Hoylt Boles.
"And I wasn't even a Presbyterian," Mrs.
Hannan says with a smile flowing
across her face.
While on their wedding trip to New
Mexico and Colorado, they encoun-
tered muddy traveling conditions be-
cause "there wasn’t anything but dirt
roads back then."
Sending a good-natured verbal jab in
her husband's direction, Mrs. Harman
said "We were married 48 years before
he could remember our wedding date."
Defending himself, Dean quickly
responded tha: his parents’ wedding
anniversary was June 25 and he fre-
quently confused the two dates.
The couple has resided on Tulia
community farms throughout their
marriage "except for five years in which
Dean was either in school, teaching or
serving as an Extension (Service)
agent." Harman, who holds a B. S. de-
gree from Texas Tech University and a
Master's degree from Texas A &. M
University, taught in the Paint Creek
School in Haskell County.
When the Harmans returned to
Swisher County to farm, his brother-in-
law, noted dairyman Chester Eliff,
"helped us get started" with a herd of
dairy cattle. In those years, this county
had a flourishing dairy industry.
IRRIGATION AGE
With the coming of the irrigation age,
however, Dean found that "I didn’t have
time to water my crops and milk cows,
too." In 1948, "I sold my dairy cattle and
paid off my land."
An abundance of irrigation water in
that era helped produce bountiful crops,
the Harmans and Eliffs remember. It
also created lengthy workdays.
With mixed emotions, Judy Bowe
remembers that "Dad made us go along
at night when he was irrigating to hold a
light for him. I really just think he
wanted our company."
That was before irrigation tubes were
used, Harman recalls. An irrigator
would "open ditches" and allow the
water to flow directly from them.
The most valuable commodity they
raised, Geneva and Dean agree, was
their five children.
"They are great parents and they
raised a bunch of fine kids," Mary Elliff
volunteers.
"When our middle son started in 4-H
work, I ibid him we might as well get
registered stock," Hannan remembers.
"We went to Petersburg, where he
bought a registered heifer."’
That heifer, obviously, was a Short-
Hom.
For 25 years, "until here recently,"
the Hannans owned a herd of fine-
blooded Shorthorns. "Last year we had
100 registered Shorthorns" before
selling them to "several breeders across
the state."
In lieu of being involved in agricul-
ture, Dean has become somewhat of a
connoisseur.
SOUR DOUGH DUMPLINGS
"Dean makes the best light bread you
ever tasted," his sister says. He dis-
agrees. "Sour dough dumplings are the
best thing I make," he insists.
Judy adds that sour dough pancakes
are another of her dad’s specialties. He
informs her that he has recently taken up
sour dough combread baking.
Mrs. Harman explains that her hus-
band makes his own sour dough starter.
"It's out of the recipe book; it’s nothing
special," he volunteers. But, with a
mischievous twinkle in his eye, he ad-
mits that he adds his own special twists
to the recipe.
A special friend is Dr. W. B. Chil-
dress.
"We couldn’t do without him," Ge-
neva says. "He is so good to take care of
our needs." Her sister-in-law adds that
"Dr. Childress loves them and feels like
they are his own family."
Naturally, the family physician an-
swered the call when Mrs. Harman suf-
fered a broken leg in March 1988.
The break — "I'm not telling how it
happened," she insists — has not been
surgically corrected to this time because
"due to my muscular dystrophy and poor
circulation, it might not heal. It doesn't
bother me much now unless I get my leg
a little crooked."
Mrs. Hannan’s sense of humor and
determination were again exemplified
one of the many times she was taken to
a hospital by ambulance. "She told Mr.
McCaslin (ambulance operator), 'the
next time we’re going out and I’ll buy
you a big steak.' "
HEARTY STOCK
Geneva Elliff Harman's ability to
withstand the broken leg and other
physical handicaps stems at least par-
tially from the fact that she originates
from hearty stock.
She is the youngest daughter of a
pioneer Swisher County couple, the late
Mr. and Mrs. D. H. Elliff. Her father
came to Tulia in 1897, only seven years
after the county was organized.
Her children and husband believe
"her greatest attributes throughout her
life have been her Christian faith shown
through her patience, generosity and
genuine care and love for others. Today,
she still has her continuing great pride in
her work, instilled in her by her mother."
Her family's esteem for her runs deep.
"Through trying times — and she has
had many — she has kept her beautiful
smile, wit and good humor," they add.
True to her pioneer heritage and deep
faith, Geneva Harman is quick to give
credit to others. "My family, my many
good friends and my favorite doctor. Dr.
Childress, have kept my spirits boosted
in a great way."
Although her modesty would never
allow her to admit it, family and friends
would agree that she has created far
more cheer and love than she could ever
receive.
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Tooley, Wendell. The Tulia Herald (Tulia, Tex.), Vol. 82, No. 7, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 15, 1990, newspaper, February 15, 1990; Tulia, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth507267/m1/4/: accessed June 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Swisher County Library.