Burleson Star (Burleson, Tex.), Vol. 15, No. 36, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 21, 1980 Page: 1 of 28
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Grandmother Knows Best
See Page 1 Section B
Baseball
Season
Already?
See Page 6 Section A
T
28 PAGES IN 3 SECTIONS
THURSDAY
EDITION
Newsstand Price
20c
For Mail Delivery Call 295-5278
Thursday, February 21, 1980 Burleson, Johnson County, Texas 76028
Vol. 15. No. 36
It "s Inside!
SECTION A
Guest Column
Z.
People, Etc.
4
Sports
6-7
Classified
9-11
SECTION B
Homemaker
1
In-Service
5
Huguley Report
7
SECTION C
Hughes Choir Ratings
1
School Menus
i
Debaters Score Big
6
You Blockhead,
( liarlie Brown
Jimmy Rodgers (seated), playing the title role in the Burleson High School
Choir Department's presentation of ' You’re A Good Man. Charlie Brown",
seems to be taking the taunts of his friends in his usual good-natured wav. From
left, Eli Delgado as Snoopy; Mary Campbell as Lucy; Carmel Dixon as Pepper-
mint Patty; Don Crowe as Linds; Hotly Wright as Peppermint Patty; Mark
Hall as Schroeder; and Carla Spencer as Lucy.
Murder Suspect Is Nabbed Here
Police arrested a 24-year old Mount
Pleasant man wanted in Titus County
on a charge of investigation of murder
after a brief stakeout Saturday night.
Police Sgt. Bob Douglas and officer
Joe Oakley was at a residence on N.E
Taylor only a few minutes when the
suspect and a 19-year-old woman
entered the house.
The officers said the man offered no
resistence when he encountered of-
ficers. The woman was not wanted,
police said.
Police said a 22 caliber weapon
recovered in the car the pair arrived in
was believed to have been the weapon
used in the murder of a 68-year-old
woman in Titus County in East Texas.
Police said a felony warrant was
CharterAmendment
Election Postponed
August 9 Is Tentative Date
issued on the man they arrested and
another man and information was
issued that one of the suspects might be
headed to Dallas, Fort Worth or
Burleson.
The man was picked up by the Titus
County Sheriff’s Department Tuesday
and returned to Mount Pleasant to face
charges there.
There won’t be a charter amendment
election after all in conjunction with the
city council election on April 5.
Council members were told at a
special called meeting Monday night by
City Secretary Jean Phillips that a
check of the city charter revealed that a
minimum of 60 days was necessary to
call a charter amendment election.
Only 30 days is required by state law,
she said, but the city charter is more
stringent on that accord.
Councilmen had tentatively planned
to have at least one charter amendment
on the April ballot.
Current requirement of council ap-
proval on all expenditures over $500 and
going out for bids on all items of more
than $1,000 need to be upgraded to keep
up with inflation, council members
agreed at their last regular meeting
last Thursday night.
In some instances, complying with
those provisions of the charter could
cost the city--and ultimately the
taxpayer-in both time and money, the
council believed.
The city charter was approved in 1969
and, although a number of amendments
have been approved in that 10 years,
the $500 and $1,000 amounts have re-
mained fixed. In 1974, the council at-
tempted to get an amendment approv-
ed by voters to up that amount but it
was defeated at the polls.
In 1978, voters did approve four of
eight charter changes, including one to
bypass the $500 and $1,000 amounts in
the event of ta declared emergency
situation,*^, j*
The next time proposed charter
change can come up in a city-wide elec-
tion will be Aug. 9, when city voters will
vote on a proposed sales tax to finance a
regional transportation authority.
Accident At Home
Keene Boy Dies,
Girl Is Critical
KEENE-A four-year-old Keene girl
remained in critical condition Tuesday
and in intensive care at Huguley
Memorial Hospital where she was rush-
ed following a home accident.
Andrea Dee Putnam was critically in-
jured when a hairdryer apparently fell
into a bathtub in the home, where she
and her twin brother were bathing
around 12:30 p.m. Monday.
Her twin, Anthony, died after arriv-
ing at the hospital.
They are the children of Mr. and Mrs.
Jere W. Putnam of Keene.
Keene Police Chief Stephen Grady
said the cause of death has not been
determined, but it appeared they were
shocked when the hairdryer fell into the
bathtub. They were apparently unat-
tended at the time, according to Grady.
Grady said the doctor in charge
believes Anthony might have drowned
but the Keene Police Department is
awaiting a ruling by the Tarrant County
Medical investigator.
Services for Anthony are pending
with Crosier-Pearson Funeral Home in
Cleburne. .
In addition to his parents, he is sur-
vived by a brother, Jere Wayne Put-,
nam II; two sisters, Marissa Ann and
Andrea Dee Putnam; grandparents,
Mr. and Mrs. Ben Putnam, Mrs. Lee
Ellen Haddock, all of Keene.
Tales Are Sometimes Sad But Not Without Hope
BY JAMES MOODY
Managing Editor
There’s almost a revival type at-
mosphere at a PDAP meeting, par-
ticularly of the teenagers and young
adults. Before and after the meetings,
everyone embraces everyone else and,
during a discussion, each person ends
his speech with the words “I love you.”
In return, the others repeat that phrase
to the speaker
Another important part of the PDAP
program is providing an “alternate”
peer group.
“We have a hard time understanding
the intensity of adolescent peer
pressure,” a father told me. “My son is
so fiercely loyal to his friends,” a
woman added.
The trick here ts Ao provide a
substitute or alternative peer group for
the drug abuser. “The one here (sup-
porting a chemical-free life) is a winner
and the other one (encouraging drug
use) is a loser," the volunteer program
leader said.
“A lot of us come here looking for a 30
day miracle cure,” he continued, “but
there’s no such thing. They (drug
abuser) didn’t get that way in 30 days
and it takes them longer than that to get
back.”
Drug abusers who enter the program
are initiated quickly into the “one day
at a time” routine. Their immediate
goal is to stay off drugs today and then
build on that success “one day at a
time.” Out there on the not too distant
horizon is the 30-day committment that
PDAP likes to have.
BASICALLY, IT’S A 12-step program
patterned after Alcoholics Anonymous
except that it’s geared specifically for
teenagers. It was started by a former
drug user, Bob Meehan, at the Palmer
Memorial Episocapal Church in
UP IN SMOKE-At $50 per ounce, this represents $1300 that will be going up in
smoke soon. Each bag contains one ounce, or lid, of marijuana, the most com-
monly used drug in Burleson and elsewhere. A large number of persons obtain
ing one or more lids such as these become small time pushers themselves-
rolling the cigarettes and selling them for 50c apiece. This will provide them
with enough money to get back their initial investment and have a few joints
left over for themselves^ authorities have said
2nd of 4-Part Series
Houston. In his work with the church he
became involved with about a half
dozen young people who were having
drug-related problems.
An alumni of AA himself, he adopted
those basic principals in his work with
the teenagers, throwing in ample help-
ings of love, friendship and support.
That was eight years ago and since
that time more than 50 PDAP centers
have been established - almost all of
them in Texas - and over 22,000 young
people and their parents have come
there for help.
Each of these centers is an indepen-
dent organization with its own board of
trustees, usually made up of some of
that particular city’s most respected
citizens. Funding is also handled by
each individual center with most of it
coming through donations and grants.
There is no cost to either drug abuser
or parents for participation in the pro-
gram.
In Fort Worth, meetings are divided
into older and younger groups of drug
abusers with parents of similar aged
children also meeting together.
Facilities at three Fort Worth chur-
ches, an Arlington Church and the Lena
Pope home are used for these meetings.
THE FIRST OF THE meetings at
tended by The Star was a newcomers
meeting in Arlington of parents of
young teens. It was during a time when
PDAP was being stung almost daily by
critical stories in the newspapers and
on television. Staff members were
courteous and helpful, but my presence
obviously made them a little nervous.
They pretended they were concerned
some of the parents might object to my
being there and I pretended I believed
this was what they were worried about.
I could understand their hesitancy,
though, and reassured them I would not
be using the real names of any of the
persons present at the meeting.
It was hinted a few times - but never
pushed - that they or someone higher
up in the organization might like to read
the finished product before it was
printed in the newspaper. I never com-
mitteed myself on that and they let it
drop. As it turned out, little note was
made of my being there by any of the
parents except for those going out of
their way to talk to me and praise the
program.
The main thing you notice about a
meeting of newcomers is there is a
feeling approaching desperation among
the parents.
There is a sense of hope, to be sure,
but it’s a different kind of hope than
that of the established group who have
been in the program for awhile. Here,
among the newcomers, was a hope not
unlike that of a drowning man grasping
for whatever was within his reach. Not
so much daring to hope as afraid of
what lies ahead if this last hope doesn’t
work out.
IN TURN, THEY each tell their own
particular story. Tales of frustration
and agony for a parent. Of children who
have run away. Who now make their
living God knows how. Of how the
parents changed the locks on their
doors because they know their own
children would steal from them to sup-
port their drug habit. Of poor grades
and poorer attitudes. Of violent scenes
and of passive “don’t give a damn” con-
frontations.
Looking around the room at the peo-
ple present, it would have been easy to
think you were at a PTA meeting or an
adult Sunday school class. These are
predominantly hard-working middle
class people-the backbone of the coun-
try. People who cared for their children
and still care enough about them to be
here.
Theh I became aware of a woman’s
voice. The matter of fact tone belying
the pained look on her face as she talk-
ed about her daughter’s bout with drugs
But hers’ was one of the happier tales.
She told of her daughter running
away from home for a while and how
the family had moved to get her away
from the girl’s friends and how she had
soon gotten in with the same type crowd
and then how she had run away
and stayed for two weeks.
During that time, however, she had
been free of drugs and wanted help to
stay that way. Her high school
counselor recommended PDAP to her
but she was still so afraid of peer
pressure at school that she stopped at-
tending class. “She wants to complete
her education but getting off drugs is
more important to her,” her mother
said.
SEE P.D.A.P, ON PAGE 2A
! had ff\
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An Important Symbol...
The “fist” is an important symbol both to the Palmer Drug Abuse
organization and to the individual who has earned the right to wear it.
It’s not a symbol of might, like the black power fist or the one your older ;
brother used to threaten you with when you were a kid. In fact, it’s really
a little hard to understand for someone not directly involved in the PDAP
program The fist seems to symbolize an accomplishment, a commit-
ment and a new direction for the former drug abuser who wears it around
his neck.
They’re given out to people in the program after they have been >
“sober” for 30 consecutive days - not an easy task for someone who has -i
grown dependent on drugs. j;
Receiving the fist is an important, and often, moving experience for a
former drug abuser At a recent meeting in Fort Worth, tears were evi-
dent from some people during a ceremony in which a girl was presented
with her “fist”. —....
Three members of the steering committee (former drug abusers who
have been "sober” for awhile and now help the counselors) held the
rawhide emblem by turn and spoke three or four minutes each about the
prospective recipient.
Much of what was said was indiscernable to all except those gathered
closely around them, but while they were talking a counselor explained
the meaning of the symbol. , ®
She said that the big ropes on tugboats have giant fist-shaped ends on
them and that these ropes are thrown onto the land and the fist is used to
keep the boat from drifting back out to sea.
“After these kids have been drifting aimlessly in their world of drug
abuse, this is their first link back to solid land," she said.
“It’s quite an accomplishment for them,” she added. “Thirty days is a
giant and difficult step.”
Parents wear a similar symbol-a wooden medallidn with the fist
emblem carved into it.
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Hutson, Wayne & Moody, James. Burleson Star (Burleson, Tex.), Vol. 15, No. 36, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 21, 1980, newspaper, February 21, 1980; Burleson, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth761041/m1/1/: accessed June 23, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Burleson Public Library.