Hondo Anvil Herald (Hondo, Tex.), Vol. 103, No. 18, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 4, 1989 Page: 4 of 30
thirty pages : ill. ; page 22 x 15 in. Digitized from 35 mm. microfilm.View a full description of this newspaper.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
Page 4, The Hondo Anvil Herald. Thursday, May 4,1989
Editorials
Vote Saturday
If we've said this once, we've said it at least three times.
"Vote Saturday."
There, we've said it again.
It's just very difficult to put into words how important these elections
are to the people of Hondo and the Hondo school district.
The absentee voting totals have been at a record high, with 684
voters going to the HISD office in person to vote, and another 491
voting absentee in the city election.
But this thing isn't over yet
Now it's time for the rest of Hondo's citizens, and those from Quihi,
Yancey and other areas to get out and cast their ballots as well.
It will take all often minutes on Sat., May 6, to cast your vote and
do your civic duty. The people we elect on that date will be running
your city and school district for some time to come, with council
members elected to two-year terms and board members chosen for
three years.
This is the time where the citizen has his chance to be heard.
Look over the list of candidates, and think about it. Go to city hall
and vote for your next city council. Consult the map on page 2, and
head to your designated polling place to vote for your next school
board.
Your future is in your hands.__
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Election tremendously important
HONDO ANVIL HERALD
_
Sl^palnt
1111
SPARKS
By Bill Berger
Dear Editor,
1 would suggest that the City Elec-
tion and School Election to be held
this Saturday are of tremendous im-
portance to the people of Hondo, and
to our welfare.
The City of Hondo, with its utility
systems in addition to its ordinary
governmental functions, is probably
the largest business in Medina
County. The Mayor and Councilmen
which we elect are the directors of the
business, set its policy, and spend a
tremendous amount of money de-
rived from the taxes and utility bills
which the City collects. We should
bear this in mind when we go to vote.
The candidates' political advertise-
ments will list their qualifications, if
any they have. You can learn about
their education, experience, and rec-
ord of public service. The City iS-our
business, and we should certainly put
it in the control of people who are able
and willing to do a good job.
Also, most of the candidates are
well known, have been in Hondo for a
while, and have a track record with
respect to their general attitude to-
wards the welfare of the community.
We should consider each candidate,
and should try to pick candidates that
have a track record for support of
efforts to better the community, and
we should avoid candidates who have
an ax to grand, and who in the past
have opposed efforts to improve the
community. The Mayor and Council
have a lot of problems, and we should
try to elect people who will contribute
to the solution and will not become a
part of the problem.
With respect to candidates for the
school board, it seems to me that these
people not only have the job of spend-
ing our money wisely, but are also
faced with decisions concerning the
education of our children, and must
exercise judgment in picking admin-
istrators and teachers who are dedi-
cated to that end. We can generally
form a sound judgment with respect to
the dedication of the candidates to
education as such by considering their
qualifications in light of {heir own
scholastic records and educational
achievements.
Also, most of the school board can-
didates will have had children in
school, and have a record for partici-
pation in school events, for working in
the service clubs for scholarships, for
working at athletic events to help
support the band, and in general being
available and helpful to the school
system in general. I would suggest
that the last thing that we need on the
school board is a person with a griev-
ance or a special interest, since it
would be virtually impossible for
such a person to consider the general
quality of the school and the general
welfare of the students.
These local elections are the only
opportunity that the voters have to
determine the quality of local govern-
ment. We expect the people that we
elect to do their duty, and we should
also do our duty by turning out to vote.
If we all turn out and vote thought-
fully, we will elect good candidates
and have the good government that
we deserve. If we don't turn out and
vote for good candidates, we will
probably elect bad candidates and get
the bad government that we deserve.
Very truly,
Hugh H. Meyer
Opponent believes in two councils
It won't seem quite like Hondo without Cub Barry around.
Except for the time of World War II, and a short time thereafter,
we've had the benefit of his leadership in the Hondo schools, and even
in his retirement years, it was nice to know that he could be called upon
to tell us the details of past school history.
Now that he and bis wife are moving to the Bastrop area, it
won't be quite so easy to call on his memory of school events since 1927,
unless we resort to die telephone and the mails.
It is the original home country for the pair, and we wish them
the best in their new home, and many more years of happy and healthful
retirement.
Well done, Mr. Barry.
Dear Editor,
There have been several letters,
blasting Mayor Hardt, in yqur paper.
We must understand that the Mayor
has been acting with the support of the
City Council, therefore, these blasts
are against the present and even previ-
ous Councils as well. The opponent
made an issue of the "possible inade-
quacy" of the sewer system, let’s be
fair, this system was being planned ten
years ago. Mayor Hardt helped see
through the completion of the plant,
but it is unfair to blast him for the
planning.
The opponent says he will "sur-
round himself with "His Advisory
Council.” Apparendy the opponent
Happy birthday, Pop
So Much
For That
Doug Johnson
Special to the Anvil Herald
I want to wish my grandfather a
happy birthday. He’s 92 this week. I
was trying to put that into some kind of
perspective, but it isn’t easy for me.
You see, he’s 63 years older than I am.
He was bom in 1897, predating the
20th century and all that we denizens
of the present consider modem and
cozy. Let’s see...there were no cars, no
radios, certainly no TVs, air-condi-
tioning, personal con^pbters, VCRs,
Nintendo home video games, micro-
wave popcorn or Sports Illustrated
swimsuit editions.
No, that doesn’t help. Let’s try
connecting him to some people of the
past Hmmm... well, he’s just two
years younger than Babe Ruth would
be, had the great home run smasher not
passed away in 1948. He was already
six in 1903, when the worid welcomed
future baseball star Lou Gehrig and
football legend Red Grange.
He arrived in this worid only one
year after F. Scott Fitzgerald, author of
The Great Gatsby, and two years be-
fore Ernest Hemingway, he of For
Whom The Bell Tolls Came. I think of
those authors and bodes because I read
them in the past year. They have at-
tained “classic” status, meaning (to me
mainly) that they’ve been recognized
for staying power, transcending' time
and somehow retaining value. I’m not
sure how long something has to be
around before that happens. Heming-
way passed on in 1961; Fitzgerald
quite a bit earlier than that All in all,
these guys I’m listing were my
grandfather’s contemporaries—at
least they would have been, had they
made it to 92.
Okay, let’s try events. He was a
toddler when the United States flexed
its military muscle in the entertaining
little Spanish-American War, which
produced Teddy Roosevelt as hero and
future president He turned six in 1903,
the year a couple of bicycle tinkerers
now famed as the Wright brothers
managed to get the first airplane off the
ground.
He was seven the year St Louis
hosted the ,904 World’s Fair. He was
all of nine when the earthquake devas-
tated San Francisco in 1906. Halley’s
C omet made its 1910 appearance the
stiiie month he turned 13. He was 15
the year die Titanic sank.
Imagine being able to remember
both world wars; to have lived during
the terms of 16 presidents (beginning
with McKinley); to be able to say to
Ronald Reagan: “Listen, boy, I was
chasing girls before you were knee-
high to a grasshopper!”
It still doesn’t help enough. I guess
you had to be there, and I certainly
wasn’t
So much he remem-
bers of what’s past So
much I’ll remember of
what’s to come. Con-
necting the two is what
we bother to find out
My recollections cover so little of
the long life lived by. my grandfather,
my mother’s father—-we called him
“Pop” in our family, along with
“Mom,” my grandmother. I remem-
ber my younger brother at age two
couldn’t pronounce ‘Pop.” For a
while he called him “Bop.”
Mom and Pop’s place was a big
two-story stone house in Dallas’
South Oak Cliff. There were tall,
shady pecan trees ready for grandchil-
dren to climb. A garage and storage
shed out back provided hiding places,
while an expansive, grass-covered
yard was full of adventure and some-
times itchy daggers. I remember
wonderful meals with fried chicken,
sweet potatoes and homemade bis-
cuits, soft summer breezes and
friendly night sounds drifting through
the open second-floor window as I
eased into sleep.
Pop was the first person ever to
shake my hand, and he probably did it
for the first time when I was about
three. I can still feel his powerful
grip—the rough, leathery touch of his
skin—and hear that raspy voice as he
said, “Hello, Douglas.” I felt proud
like a man when he greeted me that
way.
He was always so tall to me, about
two inches over six feet, lean and
bony, with a sharp nose and chiseled
jawline. I can see him reclining in the
big red backyard lawnchair, and I
remember more than once needing his
help to get back down from one of the
pecan trees.
Mom died in 1972. Pop remarried
not too long after, to a wonderful
woman from Texarkana. He moved up
there with her, and for about the next 15
years he and Katherine maintained a
huge backyard garden and took fishing
trips together. She passed away from
cancer last year.
Pop is back in the Dallas area now,
close to family again, and living at a
retirement complex in Irving. He lost a
lot of weight while on his own (he
could never code much), but these days
he seems to be getting along pretty
well.
Earlier this year my brother and I
visited him, and I was struck by how
old he had become. He’s no longer so
tall. Tune has stooped him into a
crouch, and he moves slowly, care-
fully.
He had just gotten out of the shower
and was dressing. I’ll never forget
watching him work so diligently at the
simple task of putting on his socks and
tying his shoes. I wondered if I’ll be
able to do such things for myself if I
endure so long. I resolved that I would,
or I just won’t stay around.
I don’t know all that much about
Pop, when I stop to think about it. He
worked for years at the U.S. Post Of-
fice in downtown Dallas. He watches
the evening news religiously and still
reads despite failing eyes. But I don’t
know him. Perhaps I can’t, across that
gulf of 63 years. So much he remem-
bers of what’s past So much I’ll re-
member of what’s to come. Connect-
ing the two is what we bother to find
out
Pop’s life must be harder these
days, lonelier and with less to lode
forward to. I must take some time to go
ask him some questions. I’d like for
him to tell me about his mother. Virtu-
ally all I know about her is that she
lived to be 103.
Happy birthday, Pop.
• • •
(Doug Johnson, a former reporter
and photographer for the Anvil Her-
ald, is working on a master’s degree in
journalism at the University of Texas
at Austin.)
Thanks
Dear Editor,
You were an important part in
making the Sl Jude Children's Re-
search Hospital Wheels for life Bike-
athon a success. And though the cam-
paign has ended, our appreciation of
your efforts has not gone unnoticed.
We’re proud of the three riders,
volunteers and the citizens of Hondo.
Thanks to you and them, we raised
$178.
We would also like to thank Mr.
Trine Cuellar from WestMart Con-
venience Store, Hondo, for donating
the refreshments and one case of sodas
with a48-quart ice chest to give away.
After the ride, the ice chest and sodas
were offered and the winner was Hope
Rodriguez, daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
Santiago Rodriguez.
Because of the universal objectives
of research and treatment at St. Jude
Children's Research Hospital, be as-
sured the money benefits children all
over the world.
Knowing the people in our commu-
nity are concerned enough to take
quick action for children who need
their assistance is heartwarming. You
surely must take pride in helping
maintain the humanitarian spark. On
behalf of the children of St. Jude
Hospital, thank you.
Sincerely,
Arnold Guajardo
Campaign Coordinator
Successful
Dear Editor,
Members of the Yancey Methodist
Church and the community wish to
express their sincere thanks and ap-
preciation for making Yancey’s
"Homecoming" a great success.
The largest attendance ever made
the day a very special occasion that
will be long remembered.
Again our thanks, and God Bless.
Disappointed
Dear Editor,
I am very disappointed in Tony
Hardt's campaign advertisement to
see he's still working for a T.D.C. in
this area after he made a public agree-
ment with many of us gathered at the
courthouse for a meeting and said
"This is a gentleman's agreement - that
if the voters say NO to this correction
facility there would not be any more
said about it"
The excessive spending for lawyer
fees and who knows what else is very
sad indeed. Surely that money, long
spent and gone, should tell us a lot;
that a gentleman's agreement isn't
worth much more than the time it takes
to say it.
We didn't want that facility in our
area then nor now.
Most of us like Hondo as a small
town -- with all it's faults. To those that
wantabigtown: goodness, it's only40
miles away and getting closer by the
year.
Sincerely
Ella F. Mumme
This letter was inadveitently omitted from last
week's paper. We apologize. - - Ed.
Don't Disarm Honest Americans
believes he needs two councils, one
elected by the voters and one ap-
pointed by himself.
Mayor Hardt has been fair, honest,
sincere, knowledgeable, and has the
experience to continue to work with
the City council for the future of
Hondo.
We do have a choice, and that
choice is to re-elect Mayor Hardt.
Sincerely,
Sammy Nooner
(Pd. Pol. Adv. by Sammy Nooner)
Elders can
get answers
Often, the people who need a law-
yer the most can least afford one. A
new service, the Legal Hotline for
Older Texans, is now being offered to
any Texan 60 years of age of older.
We want this to be a first resort for
older Texans when they have prob-
lems or questions about legal mat-
ters," said Randall Chapman, director
of Texas Legal Services Center. "Our
primary aim is to provide older Tex-
ans, especially those on a low, fixed-
income, with free or low-cost legal
services."
Hotline attorneys determine if call-
ers have a legal problem, give free
legal information and advice over the
phone, and provide brief services such
as calling a third party or writing a
letter to resolve a legal problem. Prob-
lems that cannot be resolved by the
Hotline will be referred to legal aid
organizations for low-income clients,
or local attorneys in private practice
who agree to charge reduced fees.
Hotline services are free. People
requiring follow-up services may be
referred to a local attorney.
"Licensed attorney's will help re-
solve such caller's problems with
Social Security, health care, con-
sumer problems and elder abuse,
Chapman said. "Our service will place
a lot of emphasis on public benefits
and health care. I believe our primary
clients, elderly on low, fixed-in-
comes, are in dire need of these par-
ticular services."
O. P. (Bob) Bobbitt, executive di-
rector of the Texas Department on
Aging, believes the Hotline will en-
hance the efforts of his department in
providing legal services to the elderly.
"This hotline will be a very useful
resource to the elderly, especially the
homebound and those who may be in-
stitutionalized. We are presently en-
hancing our efforts in the area of bene-
fits counseling and legal services are
certainly an integral part of it," he said.
The Legal Hotline for Older Texans
is primarily supported by a grant from
the American Association of Retired
Persons, with additional in-kind sup-
port from the State Bar of Texas and
the Texas Department on Aging.
The Legal Hotline for Older Texans
toll-free statewide number is 1-800-
444-9114. Austin residents call 477-
3950.
The hours of operation are 9 a.m.-5
p.m., Monday through Friday.
(Editor's Note: The following letter
addressed to Cong. Albert Busta-
mante was also submitted by the
writer as a letter to the editor.)
The Hon. Albert G. Bustamante
Longworth Hob, Room 1116
Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Sir:
I am most upset that the U.S. Con-
gress has such ill defined bills before
it as S.386 (Metzenbaum), H.R.1190
(Stark), and H.R.669 (Berman).
These gun-prohibition bills are based
upon a false premise—that depriving
the law-abiding citizens of firearms
will disarm criminals and mentally ill
people. All these bills, and others of
the same ilk, will do is deprive the
U.S. citizens of the arms guaranteed
them by Article 2 of the Bill of rights.
Even if the law-abiding citizens had
their firearms confiscated, the crimi-
nals would smuggle in guns with their
dope, and the mentally ill would use
other weapons such as knives, soft-
ball bats, and automobiles to kill or
maim children or innocent bystand-
ers. Recently in San Antonio, a po-
liceman was killed by two men he had
stopped for a traffic violation. He was
killed with his own pistol. Depriving
law-abiding San Antonians of their
handguns, rifles, and shotguns would
not have saved that officer's life.
Our problem is not that the law-
abiding citizens have guns—pistols,
rifles, shotguns—but that the crimi-
nals are free. As you know, in Texas
we have the problem of too many
cannot agree with that federal judge
that the constitution guarantees each
state prisoner a private cell with TV
and other conveniences. I have seen
the goal at Williamsburg, Virginia,
where Blackbeard's crew was con-
fined until they were hung. It is a one-
room affair in which those pirates
certainly couldn’t lie down to sleep.
That was the type of prison the writers
of the Constitution knew.) We need
faster trials, surer punishment, and
speedy execution of those convicted
of capital crimes. This will put a crimp
on crime, but confiscating the fire-
arms of honest hunters, competitors,
and collectors will not
Man is a tool-using animal. Fire-
arms are tools. If improperly or care-
lessly used, firearms can be danger-
ous. In order to promote safety in the
handling and use of firearms, I and
some friends have formed a rifle club
which trains young people in firearms
safety and marksmanship. We have
taught groups brought to us by the 4-
H, Civil Air Patrol, and some church
school organizations. We believe this
is a good way to promote firearms
safety.
I ask you to vote against S.386, H.R.
1190, andH.R. 669 and any other bills
intended to disarm honest Americans
and to support such activities such as
the Civilian Marksmanship program
under the director of Civilian Marks-
manshp.
Thank you,
Patrick H.Zabel
Devine
prisoners for our prisons and jails. (I
Defend your rights: write
Consider taking a few minutes to towns. We fear that our way of life is
send your hand written letters to your being threatened,
state Senator, Representative, and • Your understanding, interest and
others to let them know how you feel most important, your support of our
about your water rights. Some state cause is essential to the well being and
Representatives feel one hand written protection of Medina County and will
letter from a concerned citizen is rep- be sincerely appreciated,
resentative of approximately 500 con- ‘Please support Senate Bill #1751
cemed people. and House Bill #3131 in this 71st
Following are some thoughts you legislative session that provides for a
might use - TIME IS OF THE ES- multi-county water district which
SENCE! includes Uvalde and Medina Coun-
•Our private property rights, spe- ties,
cifically water in this instance, are of For more information on this issue,
utmost importance to the future of the contact the SWTPRA, L.E. "Red"
people of Medina County. Gross, 1105 19th Street, Hondo,
•Please help us in our critical effort Texas 78861, (512)426-4965.
to conserve and protect our vital natu- __
ral resources that are an absolute ne-
cessity for the integrity of our agricul-
tural community as well as for the
economic survival of our small
Where to Contact
Your Representatives
U.S. Senator Lloyd Bcotsen
240 Russell Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
U.S. {Senator Pfrfl Gramm
Russell Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Cong. Albert Bustamante
1116 Longworth House Office Bldg.
Washington, D.C. 20515
•Washington-(202) 225-4511
San,'Antonio office - (512) 229-6191
State Senator Bill Stas
P.O. Box 12068
Capitol Station
Austin. TX 78711
(512)463-0125
State Rep. Eldon Edge
Capitol Station
Austin, Texas 78769
HONDO
ANVIL
HERALD
Published every Thursday
at 1601 Ave. K,
Hondo, Medina County, Texas,
by Associated Texas Newspapers, Inc.
Entered at the Post Office, Hondo, TX
si Second Class Matt. -
SUBSCRIPTION RATES:
In Medina Co. - SIS per year
In Texas - $20 per year
Out of slate - S25 per year
ISSN 249-280
William E. Berger, Publisher
Any erroneous reflection upon the
character, standing or reputation of any
person, firm or corporation which may
appear in the Anvil Herald will be
corrected upon being brought to the
attention of the publisher.
No charge is made for publications of
notices of church or other public
gatherings where no admission is charged.
When admission is charged or when goods
or wares of any kind are offered for sale,
the Anvil Heraldi special advertising rates
will apply.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes
to The Hondo Anvil Herald, P.O. Box
400, Hondo, TX 78861
Telephone: (512) 426-334^
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
Hondo Anvil Herald (Hondo, Tex.), Vol. 103, No. 18, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 4, 1989, newspaper, May 4, 1989; Hondo, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth818265/m1/4/: accessed July 8, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Hondo Public Library.