Burleson Star (Burleson, Tex.), Vol. 15, No. 31, Ed. 1 Monday, February 4, 1980 Page: 1 of 12
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Fire Dept.
Is Honored
Firemen Hattie Blaze At Package Store
Package Store Burns
A fire ignited by spilled gasoline com-
pletely destroyed the Beer Shack on
Burleson Blvd. Wednesday evening.
Three persons inside the store at the
time of the fire escaped uninjur ed
although fire chief Chuck Newby said
one man had to escape through a win-
dow.
Newby said two employees had plac-
ed about a gallon of gas in a styrofoam
bucket in the store to use to dilute
adhesive they were using to put down a
linoleum-type tile.
He said the men told them that when
they attempted to pick up the bucket,
the bottom dropped out and gasoline
spread all over the floor; Newby said
the gasoline apparently became ignited
when it reached an electric heater.
“A gallon of gas scattered like that is
like a bomb,” Newby said. “They were
extremely fortunate to get out without
being injured.”
Newby said the gasoline had ap-
parently eaten the bottom out of the
bucket enough that the weight of the
gasoline caused its collapse when it was
moved.
Newby said the fire ignited almost in
the center of the building and quickly
consumed everything in the building.
He said the loss to the bulding owned
by J.W. Crawford was between $10,000
and $15,000. He said an estimated 1,500
cases of beer and wine and an underter-
mined about of cash were lost.
Newby said he knew of no insurance
on the building or contents
Five Burleson fire units battled the
blaze that was reported at about 6:15
p.m. Wednesday. Falmes quickly broke
through the roof of the building and
were visible for miles around to late
rush-hour traffic.
Woman Is Charged
In Shooting Here
Rape Charge
Is Investigated
Cleburne-Johnson County Sheriff’s
deputies expect to file charges early
this week against two Fort Worth men
they believe raped a 17-year-old Fort
Worth girl.
After talking to the victim, police
believe the rape happened at about
10:30 p.m on County Road 601 about
three miles southeast of Burleson.
Johnson County Investigator Richard
Morris said the victim knew the two
suspects whose ages are believed to be
22 and 27. He said the three at first had
planned to visit a friend in Fort Worth.
Morris said the victim told them the
friend wasn’t at home and they con-
tinued to drive around, finally stopping
on a road off Interstate 35.
The victim told police they returned
to Fort Worth and stopped at an east
Fort Worth motel. The victim told in-
vestigators she left the car when both
men entered the motel and called
police.
Fort Worth police took her to John
Petersmith Hospital where she was ex-
amined and Burleson police were call-
ed. Burleson police received the report
at 12:15 a.m. and when their investiga-
tion determined the incident happened
in Johnson County, that department
was called.
The case of the Burleson woman who
shot and wounded her husband at Jones
Funeral Home Wednesday afternoon
will go to the grand jury in Cleburne
Tuesday.
Mary Ann Cooper is charged with the
shooting of James Edward Cooper III.
She was charged with attempted
murder by Burleson police Wednesday
evening and arrained before Justice of
the Peace Charlotte Rushing in
Burleson.
Bond was originally set at $100,000
but reduced to $10,000 Thursday morn-
ing on a motion by Mrs. Cooper’s at-
torney. She was subsequently released
on bond.
Jim Cooper was shot one time in the
abdomen at close range at about 1:30
p.m. Wednesday at Jones Funeral
Home where he worked.
Police say the bullet hit a belt buckle
and was deflected downward, perhaps
reducing the extent of injury. Cooper
was listed in good condition at Huguley
Hospital after surgery.
Police were apparently en route to
the
funeral home when the shot was fired.
Sgt. Lamond Yates, the first to arrive
on the scene, said he was told by police
radio that shots had been fired as he left
his car and entered the funeral home
from a rear entrance.
Yates, who was responding to a
report of a person with a gun at the
funeral home, said he did not hear gun-
fire but drew his service revolver after
Chamber President
Outlines’80 Goals
BY DORIS E. WILSON
Staff Writer
THE 55-MEMBER Burleson High
School Show Band, under the direction
of Richard Crummel, set the tempo for
the opening moments of the Burleson
Area Chamber of Commerce annual
banquet Thursday evening in the SP-
JST Good Life Lodge
In its first public appearance, the
band played “easy-to-listen-to” music
from Broadway musicals and patriotic
tunes while guests were being served
during the social hour and then during
dinner.
Dr. Frank Norwood, former Mayor of
Burleson, was master of cermonies
continuing in the same role he has serv-
ed at chamber banquets for the past
several years.
In accepting the leadership of the
chamber for 1980, Sue Miller shared
some of her plans and goals with the
dinner audience.
“The difference between a city and a
town is not so much the matter of
population as it is attitude. A city ac-
cepts and embraces change, while a
town resists it,” she said in opening
remarks.
“First we need to build Burleson as a
place to shop. Being a part of the
metroplex, we need to start thinking
“Burleson, a place to do business with
people you know.” We need to actively
seek new industries to build here. Think
what that will mean in terms of jobs
and new homes! And with the energy
problem, we need to think in terms of
retail shopping
“WE MUST HELP to promote a
clean and beautiful city,” she con-
tinued. “In the brainstorming session
the chamber held recently with city and
school officials, it was unanimously
agreed the city needs cleaning up. Pick-
ing up trash, mowing lots and cutting
down weeds and beautifying Burleson
should be started immediately. I call on
all of you to pitch in and help find some
of the answers.” Mrs. Miller asked.
“As we start a new
decade. . remember back 10 years
ago in Burleson? The Burleson State
Bank was out in the cow pasture by
SEE CHAMBER, PAGE 2
Fire Department
Receives Award
See Pictures At Top Of Page
Burleson Area Chamber of Com-
merce honored not one but 30 of its most
distinguished citizens at its annual ban-
quet Thursday night in SPJST Good
Life Lodge.
The Distinguished Community Ser-
vice Award this year went not to a
private individual but to the Burleson
Volunteer Fire Department for its ser-
vice, sometimes above and beyond the
call of duty, not just for the past year
but, for some members, more than a
quarter of a century of fire-fighting ser-
vices.
In prefacing remarks, incoming
chamber president Sue Miller, praised
the volunteers for accepting the respon-
sibility of “being on the job seven days
a week, 24-hours a day, month-in-
month-out, sometimes at the risk of life
and limb.”
In tracing the history of the depart-
ment, she said it began in the mid-1940s
and got it’s first truck in 1945.
hearing the report of gunfire.
He went to the front of the building
and found Cooper wounded but having
subdued a woman. He said he handcuff
ed the woman and summoned aid for
Cooper.
Cooper was taken to Huguley by MLS
Ambulance.
Yates said officers took Mrs. Cooper
to the police station here where she was
booked and later transferred to
Johnson County jail.
Two other persons in the funeral
home at the time of the shooting were
not injured, police said.
According to the police report,
Cooper said the woman had come to the
funeral home to deliver some items. He
said words were exchanged and the
woman sped away.
He said he then returned to the back
parking lot to check and see if his car
was locked and the woman returned.
He said he ran around the building and
told an employee: “Call the police,
She’s got a gun.”
Cooper told Yates that after he was
shot one time, he was able to grab the
woman and take the gun away.
The grand jury had been convened
earlier for Tuesday to consider the case
of a 24-year-old Cleburne man charged
with the murder of his wife and five-
month-old son.
David Wayne Ingram was charged in
the murders Jan. 24. The bodies were
found in different locations in the Nolan
River west of Cleburne.
“Prior to that,” she said, “they had
been using an Old Goat Cart that had to
be pushed and pulled and had about 200
or 300 feet of hose. The old cart is still
around town someplace.
The department now has 10 vehicles,
including seven pieces of firefighting
equipment, a support truck and a state-
certified ambulance. And another 1,000
gallon pumper truck is on order and
should be delivered by March 1st.”
A special note of appreciation went to
Ben Hill, who was the city’s first fire
chief, beginning in 1946.
Fire Chief Chuck Newby, a 26-year
firefighting veteran, accepted the
Distinguished Community Service
Award from Mrs. Miller, on behalf of
the 30-member fire department.
Attending Thursday’s banquet were
Butch Smith, 4-year volunteer; Wayne
Cleveland, 1 year; Liston Bryant, 20
years; Newby, 26 years; Steve Nelson,
1 month; Charles Whitlock, 1 year;
C.M. Sanders, 26 years; David Oakley,
3Vi years; Fire Captain John Crocker, 8
years; R.T. Keisling, 6‘^ years;
Chester Smith, City Fire Marshal, 18
years;
Also, Tommy Davis, 9 years; Assis-
tant Fire Chief Bob Green, 17 years;
Gary Bailey, \lh years; Ernie Parker, 6
years; Randy Cranford, 10 years; Bob
White, 15 years.
Other department members, unable
to attend the banquet, are Richard
Chapman, 4 years; Glen Elder, 6 years;
Bob Hall, 1 year , Reagan Hill, 3 years;
Kerry Kinney, 4 years; Bill Leader, 3
years; Phil Saunders, 2 months; Jerry
Scarbrough, 10 years; A1 Shelly, 6
years; E.C. Wolford, 15 years; Les
Woodard, lMi years; Wes Woodard,
years, and Lamond Yates 16 months
-Doris E. Wilson.
EXAMINE8 EVIDENCE-Burleson Investigator Lamond Yates marks location
of gun at scene of a shooting’s! Jones Funeral Home Wednesday afternoon.
Looking on is officer Reagan Hill. Star Staffoto by Daniel Paasch.
ABLES To
Meet Feb. 7
A meeting of ABLES, the organiza-
tion formed to insure prompt emergen-
cy ambulance service in the Burleson
rural area, has been set for Thursday
evening Feb. 7 at 7:30, announced
ABLES Chairman Don Robson.
The meeting will be held at the
Kingswood United Methodist Church
across the street from the middle
school.
Top item on the agenda will be a
disscussion of a pending contract with
Mobile Life Support, the Burleson-
based ambulance company, or alter-
natives to full service outside the city.
Memberships in ABLES are lagging
behind last years, he said, and urged all
interested residents, rural or city, to at-
tend the meeting.
Fire Chief Chuck Newby accepts the
Community Distinguished Service
Award from Burleson Area Chamber of
Commerce president Sue Miller on
behalf of the 30-member firefighting
department 16 of whom are pictured
here, seated from left, Butch Smith,
Wayne Cleveland, Liston Bryant, Fire
Chief Chuck Newby, R.T. Keisling, City
Fire Marshal, Chester Smith; standing
from left, Steven Nelson, Charles
Whitlock, C.M. Sanders, David Oakley,
Captain John Crocker, Tommy Davis,
Assistant Fire Chief Bob Green, Gary
Bailey, Ernie Parker, Randy Cranford
»nd Bob White. Star Staffoto.
12 PAG^S IN ONP qrCT|ON
MONDAY
EDITION
Newsstand Price
20c
BURLE
For Mail Delivery Fall 295-5278
Monday, February 4,1980 Burleson, Johnson County, Texas 76028
Vol. 15 No. 31
At Ann ual Banquet
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4A
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Hutson, Wayne & Moody, James. Burleson Star (Burleson, Tex.), Vol. 15, No. 31, Ed. 1 Monday, February 4, 1980, newspaper, February 4, 1980; Burleson, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth761145/m1/1/: accessed June 27, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Burleson Public Library.