The Gilmer Mirror (Gilmer, Tex.), Vol. 136, No. 41, Ed. 1 Wednesday, May 22, 2013 Page: 4 of 10
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: The Gilmer Mirror and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Upshur County Library.
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i*age 4A — The Gilmer Mirror, Gilmer, Texas May 22,2013
Wsm/mints
Getting it right
Dynamic economy requires flexibility
Rigor and readiness are more than just buzzwords in
the debate over how best to improve our public educa-
tion system. Whether you’re a student, parent, educator
or employer, we can all agree our kids deserve the best
education that equips them for their future.
We all want every student to graduate from high
school with skills necessary to successfully pursue post-
secondary education or to enter the workforce prepared
for one of many high-paying jobs in demand throughout
our growing economy.
In today’s 21st century economy, career options for
students after high school have never been more varied
or required more diverse experiences and skills. In fact,
today’s jobs require far more sophisticated and special-
ized skills than a generation ago.
Every Texas public school student should gradu-
ate from high school equipped to take on the rigors of
college, career and technical training, or entering the
workplace.
So how do we get there?
We need to broaden opportunities for Texas students
by providing flexibility for them to learn valuable career
skills alongside of the fundamental core curriculum that
they will need to succeed in life and in work. Flexibility
will ensure that students can graduate from high school
well prepared to take on the challenges of a two-year or
four-year college, or to seek out a professional certificate.
All forms of education are in demand in an increasingly
competitive, high-tech driven job market.
House Bill 5, passed resoundingly by the Texas House
and Senate, embodies flexibility and signals forward-
minded recognition that rigor can take many forms.
This education reform has enjoyed broad-based sup-
port among Texas lawmakers, as well as parents, busi-
nesses, educators and industry trade groups. In fact, the
Jobs for Texas coalition - which represents more than
300.000 Texas businesses that employ 6 million people -
supports broadening of our high school graduation plans
to meet the diverse interests of students and meet the
needs of Texas employers.
The fastest-growing sectors in our economy offer jobs
that run the gambit from robotics, nursing, oil and gas
production, computer analytics, petrochemicals, health
care technicians, construction, electrical specialists and
many other fields within a very diversified manufactur-
ing industry. These are good-paying, high-quality jobs.
Just as career fields have evolved over time, so should
our public education system. House Bill 5 sets Texas on
the right path for long-term success.
It’s been far too easy to try to parse this debate into
the number of tests a student should be required to take
or the level of math that is required of every high school
graduate. Clear minds rightly determined that a rigid
approach to education does not equate to rigorous or
relevant learning.
A newly-released study funded by the Bill and Me-
linda Gates Foundation suggests that most students can
succeed without advanced algebra in high school. The
study’s findings reject the notion of a “one-size-fits-all”
approach to high school curriculum and instead suggest
that students should have more relevant options in math,
science and other courses that fit their interests.
For example, students with a technical interest can
take advanced, applied math and emerge from high
school ready for the next stage of education and training.
The need for flexibility and the varied skills required in
today’s economy is no surprise to those of us on the front
lines of industries ready to employ these young Texans
as they complete high school and their post-secondary
studies.
The world and our economy are rapidly changing, and
the jobs of today and tomorrow necessitate a modernized
education system. Raising the bar on education means
rigor, relevance, readiness and flexibility must all be
present, allowing students the options that lead to oppor-
tunities for success.
If our goal is to graduate more students, reduce the
need for remedial coursework and ensure students are
equipped for college, specialized training, and a sophisti-
cated workplace, then House Bill 5 is a powerful opportu-
nity to make it so.
Will Newton
Will Newton is Executive Director for the National Fed-
eration of Independent Business (NFIB), a proud member
of Jobs for Texas - a broad-based business coalition of
22 industry trade organizations representing more than
300.000 Texas employers and over six million Texas jobs.
Uncle Sam: please
TAX THE TITANS
By DONALD KAUL
I’VE ALREADY told you the story of Mrs. Campbell, my
well-meaning high school guidance counselor. In case you
missed it, I’ll tell you again.
High school seniors in Detroit, where I grew up, had career
counseling before they were turned loose on society. You took
“aptitude” tests (“Would you prefer arranging flowers or build-
ing a bridge?”) and read boring brochures in
the name of finding out what you wanted to be
when you grew up. I took the tests and read the
brochures. When I went to see Mrs. Campbell
for advice, she had my records spread out in
front of her.
“I think you can be just about anything you
want to be, ” she said. That was counselor-speak
for: “You don’t have any identifiable talent.”
She reviewed the traditional professions —
medicine, law, engineering, dentistry. She started on trades —
machinist, carpenter, plumber, mechanic — but they seemed
even more problematic.
Finally, she gathered my records into a neat pile, handed
them to me and said “I’m sure you’ll think of something.”
That’s how I wound up in journalism.
If only she’d mentioned the job I’ve since realized would have
been a perfect fit for me — hedge fund manager.
I say this based on what hedge fund managers get paid.
David Tepper of Appaloosa, The New York Times reports,
made $2.2 billion last year. That’s what I said, folks—two billion
bucks. $2,200,000,000. Poor Ray Dalio of Bridgewater trailed him
by a half billion and cried all the way to his tax shelter.
Pay for the top 25 earners in the hedge fund business
amounted to $14.14 billion last year. That may sound just swell,
as we used to say back in high school, but it was the lowest level
recorded in the past four years.
That’s my kind of racket. If I made that kind of money, I’d
hire Mitt Romney to cut my lawn.
See KAUL, Page 5A
Courtesy Photo
SAILING FROM New Orleans aboard the Alcoa Cavalier in May of 1953 were Mrs. P.K.
(Myrtle) Williams and Mrs. R.H. (Georgia) Laschinger of Gilmer. They were on a 16-day
cruise with stops in Jamaica, Trinidad, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela. This
photo was published in The Mirror on May 21, 1953. The Cavalier was the luxury liner
of the Alcoa Steamship Company.
Sideglances
in The Mirror
By SARAH GREENE
AS MENTIONED before
in this space, the English
language is a wondrous thing
when it comes to communicat-
ing with fellow human beings.
The English-speaking world
abounds in
proverbs and
folk sayings
that don’t re-
quire a high
degree of lit-
eracy to un-
derstand.
Research-
ing just the American sayings
turns up these from early in
the alphabet:
A bird in the hand is worth
two in the bush.
A dog is a man’s best
friend.
A fool and his money are
soon parted.
A friend in need is a friend
indeed.
A friend who shares is a
friend who cares.
A leopard cannot change
its spots.
A man can die just once.
A man is known by the
company he keeps.
A miss is as good as a
mile.
Absence makes the heart
grow fonder.
Actions speak louder than
words.
After the feast comes the
reckoning.
All that glitters is not
gold.
An apple a day keeps the
doctor away.
ALSO THERE are:
Bad news travels fast.
Barking dogs seldom bite.
Beauty is in the eyes of the
beholder.
Beggars can’t be choos-
ers.
Better a live coward than
a dead hero.
Better late than never.
Better safe than sorry.
Birds of a feather flock
together.
Blood is thicker than wa-
ter.
Boys will be boys.
Charity begins at home.
Christmas comes but once
a year.
Clothes do not make the
man.
Crap or get off the pot.
Curiosity killed the cat.
ONTOLOGY, from the
Greek, is the philosophical
study of the nature of being,
existence, or reality, as well as
the basic categories of being
and their relations. Tradition-
ally listed as a part of the
major branch of philosophy
known as metaphysics, on-
tology deals with questions
concerning what entities
exist or can be said to exist,
and how such entities can
be grouped, related within
a hierarchy, and subdivided
according to similarities and
differences.
People who never heard
of metaphysics can obtain
the basic rules of living from
proverbs and folk sayings.
The View from Writers Roost
By WILLIS WEBB
IF WE’RE lucky and
smart, we own up to those
few truly very good friends
who bless our lives with their
presence and influence.
As I sit here in the pre-
dawn hours
(as is my writ-
er’s wont and
habit) of St.
Patrick’s Day,
my mind locks
in and dwells
on a couple
that, besides Life Mate Julie
and my parents, have steered
my life onto more j oyous and
beneficial paths than anyone
else.
This friend couple has
blessed my life since 1960.
Without their friendship and
perennial opening of doors to
opportunities, any measure
of professional success and
life pleasures that may have
branded me would be impos-
sible.
Rigby and Lucinda Owen
are each brilliant in their
own right.
MY BEST FRIEND Rigby
is one of the smartest people
I’ve ever known. He’s aggres-
sive, opinionated and a great
debater and his younger-
days-fiery red hair symbol-
ized that. Rigby’s business
acumen and ability to be
successful innovatively and
financially is second to no
one I’ve ever known.
Once, I said of him, to a
group of people and in his
presence: “He could start a
fight in an empty room.” It
hurt his feelings terribly al-
though I meant it as a compli-
ment. Rigby is so smart and
well versed on a myriad of
subj ects that he is unbeatable
in a debate. He has a finite
understanding of the news-
paper business, his first love.
However, his late father and
Rigby’s brother Steve (busi-
ness brilliance runs in the
family) both voted to accept
an unbelievably wonderful
offer for the Conroe Courier
40-plus years ago and Rigby
acceded to their wishes.
He went into investments,
principally commercial real
estate, from the newspaper
business and has predict-
ably been extraordinarily
successful.
AS FOR his capacity to
“start a fight...”, he and
I were once involved in a
newspaper that he’d moved
from its origin to a neighbor-
ing town in the same county
because it was felt it couldn’t
be financially successful in
its startup home. We moved
it to a town where there were
two long-established news-
papers. We didn’t know we
weren’t supposed to succeed,
so we did.
One newspaper foe folded
in about a year, but the
surviving competitor was
a financially solid chain
operation.
Rigby and I went to call
on a big advertiser who
we knew was best friends
with our competitor paper’s
publisher. This was in the
1960s, a time of a war of
words between the U.S. and
Communist-ruled Russia.
Communists were known
in those days as “Reds.”
America’s zeal produced a
slogan: “I’d rather be dead
than red.”
As we walked into the
business, its balding owner
sarcastically barked: “Well,
hello Red-on-the-Head.”
Rigby knew it was intended
as an insult but didn’t miss
a beat and, in a derivation
of the national slogan of the
times, said: “I’d rather be
Red-on-the-Head than Dead-
on-the-Head.” After all, we
knew we were dead in the
water (some pun intended)
before we launched the sales
attempt, but because of the
biz owner’s relationship
with the competitive pub-
lisher we felt we had to carry
the battle to all fronts.
That was an attribute of
Rigby’s all-out, above-board
competitive nature. Busi-
ness is a serious game he
relishes. Success generally
is high on his desire list and
newspapers still rate A-l
with him.
But, the most serious
passion for him is his Life
Partner, Lucinda, who has a
lifelong flawless complexion
and magnificently expres-
sive eyes.
WHILE THAT loving
admiration is a mutual
feeling, Lucinda has her
own passions rooted in an
avocation. Besides Rigby and
family, her principal passion
is horticulture in which she
has a master gardener’s des-
ignation. You don’t want to
debate plants and flowers (or
much of anything else) with
the bright and well-informed
Lucinda, who has the green-
est thumb.
Both love to travel and
regular trips to places pre-
viously unexplored by them
is a frequent item on their
to-do list.
In addition to the home
place on Lake Conroe, they
spend time at a country
place near Round Top and a
summering spot near Santa
Fe, N.M.
True friendship is a pearl.
Rigby and Lucinda have al-
ways looked out for our best
interests.
Thanks. We’ve got your
back, too.
Willis Webb is a retired
community newspaper
editor-publisher of more
than 50 years experience. He
can be reached by email at
w webbl937@a tt. net.
Rear Vision Mirror
TEN YEARS AGO
Finalist William E. Tackett
of Woodward, Okla., withdrew
from consideration to be
new city manager of Gilmer
. . . Cherokee Rose Festival
drew large crowds ... Deaths
included Sidney Martin, 89;
Gerald Barton, 61; Charles
Ferguson, 67 . . . Buckeye
Band swept UIL Concert and
Sightreading Contest held at
Sabine High School... Felicia
Colquitt was new assistant DA
prosecuting misdemeanors..
. First National Bank won bid-
ding to be county depository
... AEP SWEPCO applauded
delay of deregulation in this
part of Texas . .. Joshua Ed-
wards of Harmony was overall
winner of DAR essay contest.
.. Melani Arrington graduated
from BYU-Idaho ... Bluebon-
net Club met at home of Nancy
Hill with Carla Harrison and
Leslie Goudarzi serving as co-
hostesses as Virginia Carroll
told of growing up in rural
Upshur County .. . Jim Eitel
described Habitat for Human-
ity as “struggling” in talk to
RotaryClub ... SWCD named
Arlis Hart as Area IV Forestry
Conservationist winner.
TWENTY YEARS AGO
Fry Wholesale Lumber of
Dallas planned to establish
wood pallet/box manufactur-
ing facility here . . . Preston
Ogg and Trey Finley were top
two GHS grads . . . Cherokee
Rose Festival drew large num-
ber of vendors on courthouse
lawn... Deborah Hart McCol-
lister earned Ph.D. in English
from Ole Miss... Jenny Nolan
made Dean’s List at WTSU
(now WT A&M) . . . Deaths
include Aubrey Turner, 81;
Durwyn Robertson, 72; Larry
Mullinix, 37; Mrs. Ruth Mor-
ris, 85 . .. Norton Lowell was
named interim superinten-
dent at New Diana ... Dewey
Greene, Longview Regional
chief, said Gilmer Medical
Center was back “in the black”
. . . Kathleen Lindsey’s resi-
dence on Pine St. won Dahlia
Garden Club “yard of the
month” ... Emma Allred was
continuing as Upshur County
Retired Teachers president.
THIRTY YEARS AGO
Jeanenne Baldwin was
valedictorian and Paul Hagler
was salutatorianof GHS Class
of ‘83 (130 graduates)... U.S.
Air Force Gen. John L. Pickitt,
49, who grew up in Gilmer, was
promoted to 3-star rank . . .
County was eligible for funds
from federal “job stimulus”
bill due to its 20 percent j obless
rate as of January . .. Light-
ning-caused blaze destroyed a
more-than-half-finished home
under construction east of
Gilmer owned by the David
Mooneys . . . Louise Gage,
Gladys Downs, Virginia Ross
and Ethel Stegall were among
party of 48 who chartered
a bus to Nashville . . . Doyle
O’Neal was elected Kiwanis
president . . . Gilmer Veteri-
narian Dr. Chester Studdard
won three events and placed
second in another at the Texas
Senior Games in Arlington...
Darin Hollis, Deron Dacus and
Garry Collier were GHS’ all
district selections in baseball
... Deaths included Lizzie R.
Dacus, 98; E.V. Rushing, 86;
and Clarence Turner, 48.
FORTY YEARS AGO
A 2-man study team deter-
mined Gilmer Schools needed
a $1.5 million bond issue
within the next year to main-
tain a first-class fully accred-
ited instructional program
. . . Fire destroyed Merendy
McKnight’s home on FM 555
east of Gilmer . . . Thirteen
members of the Electra Ho-
rizon Club received highest
award in Camp Fire program
... David Bishop was elected
GHS senior class president for
1973-74 . . . Gilmer attorney
Welby K. Parish was elected
president of Northeast Texas
Bar Assn.... Upshur County
4-H Club team of Janet Poite-
vint, Angela Jenkins, Kristy
Hinson and Yolanda Barnett
won second place in a district
horse judging contest at Emo-
ry... There was a surprise for
guest speaker James Duncan
at Gilmer FFA banquet May 15.
Duncan, a former Gilmer FFA
member, received 15-year-old
FFA award certificate that had
been lost in his old ag teacher
Grover Bishop’s files.
FIFTY YEARS AGO
Two Gilmer men, Ward
Thigpen and Harry Rutledge,
both suffered broken legs in
separate accidents... Melvin
See REAR VISION, Page 5A
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Overton, Mac. The Gilmer Mirror (Gilmer, Tex.), Vol. 136, No. 41, Ed. 1 Wednesday, May 22, 2013, newspaper, May 22, 2013; Gilmer, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth650120/m1/4/?q=%22%22~1: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Upshur County Library.