Hondo Anvil Herald (Hondo, Tex.), Vol. 97, No. 49, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 8, 1983 Page: 2 of 28
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8.1983
Letters to the Editor
#
Get moving on the library issue
m fled by
the to-
data a teeka to pat
u With cadi toe of the
' Amrg Herald I read man
: trtrtoaMdi pots the daric
. ^ — —— Yflk!
i aw toft?
; Lai at oat the garbage
; end tel M Wu tt is. Written
; between the Ina of ‘As
: TWe Little Town Tine” to,
• one, a handful of property
i camera horane to take a
! deaf to end el deals i they
■vary? 1 an meat to
ated from londo High.
been made, and I hope
t wfl eontinae. As for m
centrally located
Kray with ample parking.
The nrind ■ too predoia
to waste. Your infant
children wfl probably be
adults ffirting with
: a a flawy site. Two,
: ejected offidafa who are so
! afraid of the neat election
: to do with their tone than
j create pmNaaa. Thtafc of
i that flndd be nadeSTtSe
: negative energy could be
• channeled in a positive
■ direction. There, now IYe
ISIS?
You toould be proud that
; cal organizations and
■ private citizenihavehed the
| aenae (orethougbt
j to donate, contribute,
; support and freely give of
• their tin* in g»>"i"g finan-
: dal support for such a
; worthwhile project. Per-
,1 would not have had
ina to continue
ting this cause b> the
of sudi adversity and
t-eas. You should be
that the majority of
dtizens truly believe
consnmif" needs e
and paased a bond
Election to prove it.
^GROWTH, Hondo went
:3|row without improve-
ments. The first questions
before
you get this show on the
rand. A pleasant environ-
meat for encwvaging a
relationship with books
early in thdr lives wfl set
the stage for e better
wtatton, which Just may be
same help in their growing
up to be proud, pnycfaologi-
cnlly healthy, educated
Choosing e location for
your now flawy is not the
fcaue-poiitks is the issue I
hope Hoodok dtizens can
put aside their narrow
minded, self serving, petty
bickering, get down to
legally removing the encun>
beranoea to a beautiful piece
of property, (Memorial
Square) and move forward
with construction of the
public library. An architec-
turally pleasing library
building is certainly more in
fine with the guktehnet for
use of tbe proposed property
than clouds of green smoke,
empty beer cans and loud
mufflers Stop looking for
ways to slow this project
down. You are only hurting
yourselves, your children
and Hondo’s future. GROW
UP.
Junior Service League
(and all other caring,
positive-minded dtizens),
A Scotsman who came to
United States in 1871
tbe telephone in
five yean after he
Alexander Graham
:£BeD’s first words over the
! were actually two
“Mr Watson,
i ben. I want your
Although the phone was
! available to the public
' 1876, it took several mors
i before Americans em-
it as an effective
unkwtlon tool Tale-
^phones first came to Hondo
g^raund 1896 when the first
I was installed in
flndrowt Drug Stan. The
telephone company was
moved to tbe second
of what la now the
Catalog Solas Store.
, 11924, the telephone opera-
tions were transferred to the
I floor of the Hueaser
which houaed a
saddleshop store down-
Durtng ttafa an to
history, the tola-
r of approximately
2,000 dtizens.
mu lose^ eat
ewsv or
mi sum mm
vwownMvwwu>>wi««MnaM(
ww t*« nnar •MfWNfti emtmn coco rouraxo
ewfm-wmwMDiMCHtMDi *rn* mtan-s
•WOOWMWW nwriwVMM
<* 'STICK YMurr
remember, good things
cometh to he who wads, and
waits, and waits...
A Very Concerned
and Disappointed Former
Hcmdent
Name withheld by request
Thank you...
Dew friend.
We would toe to thank
you for your support in
buymg a sponsorship page in
our 1963-64 OWL Yearbook.
Y«r name <or name of your
butaeas), along with the
mans of other patron will
be identified with a small
headline at the bottom of
your sponsored page
The yearbook staff is I
excited about our plan for
this yew But to aoconphah
them, we need the entire
community’s participation
ad support.
Thank you again for your
continuing support!
Sincerely.
Linda Contreras
Canandra Meyer
Gilbert Contreras
Business Managers
...thank you...
Dew editor:
Endoeed is fl for the
articles you sent Thanks
to much for your courtesy
and promptness Also for the
nice obituary so well done
We will always remember
your kindness
Respectfully.
Mrs. Oscar Crusetumer
and Family
...thank you!
Dear Editor:
Thank you for being so
helpful in obtaining these
papers. My 90-year-old aunt
was delighted to get the
write-up 1 wish I had sent
you the write-up I submitted,
to the San Antonio papers
which they didn’t bother to
print.
Sincerely,
Bea Krueger
w nw no* -nm trmweti hod couxcto nc
aaouc^rnw
ree ct to
t*« jaw
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emsucs m
WHO* t+o
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wrarvewAcn
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•oocuws
SMTCKP TWO
umsaieLSMP
TOOKTICMSLON6
^ HOSTAGES.
KMCVSNSUUtM
Texas Lore is mow available ss s bat
MU« thee* or momty order per rote K> The Bed Bar Me 4 Bed is
The Bed Scot Vteho M Fhsdoc* Dmt. WBos teen. PA IT5SC
There were mb operators
far the telephone company in
1927. Mrs Callie Bendeie
was chief operator Others
were Lillie Allen, Amelia
Bendeie, Maude Bulgerin,
and Florence Love, who was
the night operator. Cecilia
Kodb served as relief opera-
tor.
These six women worked
at the Hondo telephone
office from about 7 in the
morning until S in the
evening. One of tbe opera-
tors took the early night
shift while another worked
tbe late night shift, from 10
p.m. until 7 a m. The night
operator could sleep on the
Job although she might have
a rude awakening if someone
was trying to patch a call
through Hondo in the wee
hours.
Handset telephones were
used by Maude Bulgerin
when ahe started as a phone
operator in 1914. Born in a
log cabin near Leakey,
Texas, in 1893, Mrs. Bul-
gerin moved to Medina
County with her parents at
the age of three.
In 1914, when Hondoen*
Published at 1401 Are. K, Hsedo, Medina County, Texas
Entered st tbs Post Office, Hondo, Tanas, ss Seeood Class Mail.
Published every Thursday la Hoedo. Tous. by Asoodatod
Tress Nowapapow, lac., WOUaaa E. Borpr, President
MEADUNEfl AdvartW* Copy -1 pm. Monday
UtoMCwi'NiBltoki
Tha Csstfovitt* Aavfl, EstltoO
The Hondo Henid, EM. 1891
CousoUddsd - Ost. 17,1908
ThoUCosUUdsw.Eot.1913
CenaafldMsd - Jens 1,1991
Aay WWUHUI reflection gym the character, standing or
I reputation Of my pram, 8n> or corporation which msy appear in
Tbe Aavfl Herald wfli be eenoeted upon bring brought to the
attmtioe of tko pabUshsr.
No chatgo la wads far puhflcetlom of notices of ehurch or other
ubfle gathnlagi where ao iderierinn Is charged. When admissiou
i dwgad or whm goods or warm of eay Usd are offered far sale,
The Aavfl Hereid’s eporial edvwtlriag rates wfli apply.
flUEflUUfTION RATES
Is Medima Co.--I8.00 Pw Yrer Is Treas-410DO Par Tetr
Out of Btote-llSuOO Pw Year
rniw
STATE CAPITAL
HIGHLIGHTS
By Lyndal Wiliams
TEXAS PRESS ASSOCIATION
AUSTIN - Texas Agricul-
ture Commissioner Jim
Hightower won a political
victory of sorts last week
when the federal govern-
ment agreed to release
stored grain for sale to
draught-stricken ranchers
In the past few months, a
very vocal Hightower has
argued that the feds should
release deteriorating corn in
storage at Plainview
granaries so that ranchers in
the West Texas drought
disaster area could feed
their herds
Last week President
Reagan signed major dairy
legislation into law which
contains a provision allowing
the grain to be sold at
reduced rates, at about $1.75
a bushel.
■mag
wanted to telephone some-
one, they probably dealt
with Mrs. Bulgerin. They
had to talk to an operator
before making any calls.
Telephones did not have a
dial nor a “zero” for the
operator. One simply picked
up the phone and talked to
the operator, who placed the
rail
Mrs. Bulgerin liked her
Job as operator and was
qukkly promoted to evening
chief operator for the tele-
phone company. Later, she
was diief of the Hondo
Navigation Base operations.
She also turned down
several propnotions because
all of them required reloca-
tion, something Mrs.
Bulgerin was not willing to
do.
Her most memorable day
as an operator occurred
when the airfield project
brought 1500 persons to
Hondo in one day! She
remembers that was the
longest day of her life and
she probably “placed more
than a million calls” via her
manual switchboard.
Similarly, Mrs. Cecilia
Koch recalls that the most
exciting time she had as an
operator came during World
War H. At the time, the local
phone company had two toll
lines to San Antonio, plus
one to Uvalde and another
one to Tarpley. Once the war
started, there were always
six to eight lines to San
Antonio and two night
operators. The most signifi-
cant change was in the
number of operators, from 5
to 34! “The weekends were
the busiest times,” Mrs.
Koch stated. “Especially on
Friday nights, men on leave
would place their calls.
Sometimes it would take
hours for a call to get
through the six or seven
stations.” This “patching
procedure” would take from
two to four hours.
Until the War was offici-
ally declared, Hondo had
only one operator working
on Sundays. The fateful
Sunday when the Japanese
bombed. Pearl Harbor,
December 7,1941, was Mrs.
Koch's turn to work. She
remembers everyone was in
a state of shock that day.
Consequently, very few calls
ware made. Mrs. Koch
connected the calls that
were especially grim for the
community when the
Japanese unleashed their
surprise offensive in the
Pacific The son of Joe
Burgin was one of the first
war casualties and two local
boys, Jack Speece and
Edwin Bendeie, were among
the first war prisoners.
Both Mrs Bulgerin and
Mrs. Koch recall that Hondo
was a small town even into
the 1940’s. They especially
treasure the fact that every-
one seemed to care for one
another.
No doubt Mrs. Bulgerin
and Mrs. Koch saw many
dramatic innovations in their
combined combination of 78
years with the telephone
company, including tbe first
dial phones in 1952 and
direct dialing in 1962.
Maude Bulgerin and
Cecilia Koch can therefore
serve as communication
symbols and the incredible
implications which were
realized all over the world
including Medina County
since Alexander Graham
Bell spilled a bottle of acid on
his desk and summoned Mr.
Watson.
TODAY’S THOUGHTS
Bafora you aan score you must first have a
There le only one beautiful child In the
world end every mother hae M.
( ■; • • •
Don’t be sorry jf the bottle la halt amply. Be
glad that It la halMull.
i. • * •
One ot the weaknesses of our ago la our
apparent Inability to distinguish our need from
our graad.
* • *
No man aver got himself out of trouble until
he first admitted he was In trouble.
* • *
It takes lees effort to keep an old customer
satisfied than to get e new customer Interested.
QUMJTY^fTLLE
Thaak Your far AfloeiacUi
To Share Thooo
"Thoughts" with You
109 OofloPiefaMfaoa! Bldg.
County History Book
presented to Commissioners
The arrival at the]
County Hatary Book was
by Camay Cora
and OfcverJ. Restart of the
Cartro Colonies Heritage
Association presented a
cnqflmentory copy of tbe
800-page work to County
Judge Jenna Decker, and
to tbe Court.
Two years m the writing,
ecfitmg and pifitotung. the
fafatory book is the cufctae-
tion ot the desk* to *pnbtat)
a precise and complete
volume at the history of
Medfaa County,” arid Jagge.
Tbe book dtatofte the
history of 756 Merita Comi-
ty tansies, from lflM to
now. Te wanted thfa not to
be a historian's view of
Hwfco County,” Jagge sad.
“It's their story,” he said,
refer i kig to tbe several
hundred people who (fid tbe
actual writing.
In atfcfition to Jagge and
Reinhart, Commissioners
Hightower, who had the
help of US. Sen. Lloyd
Bentsen in opening tbe
granary, said the sales may
be too late to help many
ranchers who have already
liquidated their breeding
herds.
At the beginning of the
dispute, the US. Secretary
of Agriculture refused to
make the grain available,
saying the quality grade
legally prevented it. High-
tower disagreed with the
inspection results, and
pressed the issue.
Finally, Bentsen stepped
in to investigate discrepan-
cies in the federal grain
inventories, and last week
the feds announced about 10
million bushels of the sur-
plus corn was rated low
enough to be released
* legally
Veterans Loans
Texas Land Commissioner
Garry Mauro announced last
week the newly approved
Texas veterans housing pro-
gram is ready for a bond
issue.
The first loans could be
made in mid-January. Esti-
mates of the interest rate
range from 9.5 to 9.85
percent. Under the program,
qualified Texas veterans can
borrow up to $20,000 at that
rate for home loans, with the
remainder coining from
private lenders.
The program will be
administered by a private
enterprise firm, which
Mauro says will allow the
state to avoid treating an
expensive bureaucracy. The
private administrator will be
paid from a service charge
on veterans loans of about
0.01 preent.
Mattox, Mobil Oil
Texas Attorney General
Jim Mattox last week filed a
lawsuit against Mobil Oil
Corp. which charges its
Beaumont refinery emitted
fumes from a dangerous oil
additive on a day in August.
The action prompted one
of Mobil’s hired attorneys to
suggest the lawsuit was
motivated by revenge be-
cause of Mattox's nhetment
two months ago on a
cmiairnial bribery charge.
A pretrial bearing on tbe
indictment against Mattox
was postponed last week,
and more delays are ex-
pected to occur before
Mattox appears in court,
saacoovfatou
Mattox’s press secretary
said the pollution suit was
filed, not because of re-
venge, but at the request of
the Texas Air Control
Board, which she said re-
ceived over 500 complaints
from citizens about the
emission.
The suit alleges, among
other things, that:
-Numerous local residents
inhaled the fumes and
suffered physical ailments
because of them
-Mobil refinery officials
deliberately misled an air
control board investigator
looking for the cause of the
pollution.
-Mobil eventually issued a
press release explaining that
an oil additive had been
emitted during transfer
from a tank car.
Agency Dead
The first major casualty of
the Sunset process, which
requires that state agencies
be legislatively renewed or
abolished, occurred last
week when the Texas
Energy and Natural Re-
sources Advisory Council
ran out of time December l.
TENRAC was a 22-mem-
ber board of executive and
legislative officials and
private sector members
which met to discuss energy
issues.
KaMak to Run
Former State Rep. Dan
Kubiak, who recently moved
to Bryan, announced last
week he is a candidate for
the congressional seat being
Vacated by Republican Phil
Gramm
A Democrat, he finished
second to Gramm in a
February special election
after Gramm switched
political parties.
i to tbe project:
Lacy Daria, JA Rios and
Martin Noonan at Hondo,
Charles and Virgua Suete
and Connie Rta at Castro-
rffle, and Jane Finger at
DUanri. Reintart is also
from D’Haras, and Jagge, a
native of Medina County,
fives in San Antonio.
Copies of the book will be
available at tbe Armstrong
Hotel bene in Hondo, begm-
rungat 4 p m Deoentar 11.
They are $57 per book, for
those whodkto’t order one in
advance. Tbe Heritage
Association made advance
■ales at 613 copies. Jagge
aid, and 1,500 more books
wfl be on hand for sale.
Proceeds from sales will
go toward paying for the
printing of tbe books, and
any profit made will go to
tbe Heritage Association.
Complimentary copies will
be given to some Medina
County imitations, indud-
mg senoex uoranes
In other business:
-Commissioners adopted
some revised rules for
private sewage fadlties in
subdivisions The County
will allow variances for
properly platted subdivision
tracts of less than 30,000
square feet, provided that
evapo^ranspiratkm septic
tanks are used.
Judge Decker said that
the new type of tank is much
more expensive, but that it
meets with Commissioners'
approval. The new rules are
expected to solve a problem
Commissioners have had
with the Daniel Howard
subdivision at Medina Lake.
-Rhonda Hardt, a local
attorney, spake to Commis-
sioners about what she said
was the need for the County
to darify its subdivision
rules and regulations.
There's not a true defini-
tion of subdivision in the
statutes,” she said, and some
of the wordings are tiroad
enough to lay the County
open to litigation down the
line.”
Hardt suggested forming
a committee, consisting of
two Commissioners, County
Attorney Hunter Schuehle,
herself, local attorney Hugh
Meyer, and representatives
from area realtors and
surveyors, to review the
County’s rules and make
suggestions for clarification.
Such action could prevent
the County’s rules from
being challenged on constitu-
tional grounds, said Hardt.
“I’d like to keep the
County out of the courtroom,
if we can,” she said.
Hardt, Schuehle and
Meyer will be meeting
December 13.
-The County’s jury-seiec-
tion method is about to be
upgraded. Commissioners
voted to do away with the
by-hand system that had
been used, and let a com-
puter do it.
Assistant County Auditor
Vickie Wharton told Com-
naaainnm that the com-
puter uaad by the Tax Office
could be used to print out a
list of registered voters for
District Clerk Jean Marty,
from which prospective
Jurors could be selected.
County Tax Assessor-
Cofiector Leon Mangold said
that computerization of the
proem would be faster,
more efficient, and voter
records could be kept up
doted
-S nubble Groff of Medina
County Telephone was pro
sent to tell Commtaloners of
some problems encountered
in installing the County’s
new telephone system.
The Medina County
Central Appraisal Board’s
offices were supposed to be
included in the system, but
they have an "unbreakable”
contract with Southwestern
Beil, said Groff. Judge
Decker said that the lines
will likely have to be “wired
around” those offices.
-Commissioners gave the
go-ahead to Commissioner
Henry Briscoe to proceed
with having back-issues of
the Devine News copies on
microfilm. The cost to the
County will be $15 pe - reel
for 52 reels, a total cost of
$780. Commissioners plan
eventually to have all of
Medina County’s news-
papers recorded in this way,
to be given to town libraries.
Rebecca
Ward Pope
Life, Health
and Accident
Insurance
426-2222
inunii
Sraksrt
MIN
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Hondo Anvil Herald (Hondo, Tex.), Vol. 97, No. 49, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 8, 1983, newspaper, December 8, 1983; Hondo, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth817177/m1/2/: accessed June 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Hondo Public Library.