Portland News (Portland, Tex.), Vol. 16, No. 10, Ed. 1 Thursday, March 5, 1981 Page: 2 of 15
fifteen pages : ill. ; page 19 x 14 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 I
PORTLAND NEWS Thursday March I. IWI
(USPS «J* J«0)
For Instance
INS V«V«i*
NATIONAL NEWSPAPER
ASSOCIATION
4*M IS# TA AC V II Mi'fW'
AAUi0 LlVC KM
iOVCIINAM
AIMONDASHAOIlN
■ f I T H <*U T HA • I
4AMI % • T A AC « Jl
jOHHH TAAO
if AMIf COOMVOO A VtC TO»«A AGU i A A f
N*«t Vww'r
AlttrlKHtf
IvtiARU «Un#««r
Silft AA*p<t«t**»f
AA00OC T'ON IT AM
i|MM* Ml A*»R Vill«rr*«i 0«Wr AnAr»«r\ D-«A4 Ao»4>»I
A«w*G«m«i Oo'>iAi 0*»u AwmoMwpA. *«'•« Oa*M
C Hr*t W»a P«m«« J«r«cH
Published Every Thursday at
325 Green, Taft, Texas
Second Class Postage Paid at
Portland, Texas 78374
*•««•<• Okl'M'Wi and AM try are Av»h»*ed .* ••*•» a*A*' •• *H* •»+• r«Ht o' U
cenH At' wrl A flat (M'ft At II M W made M cards tH«n*% olKh da r«R
•a#» live IMH Maries af daat*n and HmaraH a**A'•%*•« •" »*#»• ta ratam m* now*
•alar are at* rated as eArtverie* Any truaein r*«e<»te* vam character ar
'•••*•»« a* any .«d<»d«ti e* msMaHea AvAushad .n Mtesa ttfiimm l»a cheer
•wily caries tad ape" Aai»e Ares^ht ta IHo oWoM.on a« tAa editor At will also ap
praetata Wta «••••*«« arty news item tAa naetas at visitors in year ttema or tha
eorng e« atamAars ad year lawily away tar a visit WcH assistance will help m
craasa itr vatwaa* rawr tacai a*A*’
TMs nawsAaAer '» AaAnsAad tAw'sday aMa» naan
VwAtr flattens era Mret* >n advance attecNva Watamdar l i**t StWp» im-
witAcawrty address and III Mam yaar atsawAara (oitoqo swAscrtpttans t man
tits HI M S rnanihs H a# Ananfamants tar maiUng the aapa> a*»»side me can
imanlai t*min at me Omted Matas wAtch in mast cases requires additional
Aostaqa may Aa rsadt wrft* me aeAlisher
POST MAST f A Wsd address chaneas to Portland Mews P 0 Meal T#lt T«
In Portland
This Week
THURSDAY. MARCH S
TOPS 638 - 7 p.m , First Presbyterian Churc h
SUNDAY. MARCH I
Singles Club ■ 7 30 p m . lands End apartments social
MONDAY, MARCH S
Rotary Club • 12 noon. Community Center
lions Club -7p.m. Shep's Chicken Shack
G-P Community Chorus -7:29 p.m , First Baptist Chur-
ch' for bookings caU Laura Adams, M3-7406
Parks and recreation advisory board - 7:30 p.m.. Com-
munity Center
Overeaters Anonymous - t pm, First Presbyterian
Church
TUESDAY, MARCH 1#
Chapter 2901. AARP -10am, First Presbyterian Church
Chamber of Commerce monthly meeting - 12 noon,
Shep's Chicken Shack
Volunteer fire department - 7:30 p.m., fire station
Planning and zoning commission - 7:30 p.m., city hall
G-P ISD board of trustees - 7:30 p.m . school administra-
tion building. Gregory
Masonic l-odge stated meeting - 7 30 p.m . Masonic
Lodge building
WEDNESDAY. MARCH 11
Seafood Fair -10 a m , Community Center
Kiwams Club -12 noon, Shep's Chicken Shack
Portland Al-Non - 8 p.m., First United Methodist Church
Portland Sea Gulls Square Dance Club - 8 p.m.. Com-
munity Center
THURSDAY. MARCH 12
Story Time - 10am. Bell Public library
TOPS 638 7 p m , First Presbyterian Church
Jaycees - 7 30 p m , Community Center
BELL PUBLIC LIBRARY HOURS
Monday. Tuesday, Thursday - 9 a m to 6 p.m.; Wednes-
day -9 a in to 7 p.m.; Friday -9 a m. to & p.m.; Saturday -10
a.m.to2p.m
Portland’s
Past
-19*7-
As a result of auditions at Del
Mar College, Evan McDonald
has been selected to sing in a
•0-voice boy's choir
Final approval was given by
the G-P School Board to make
plans for the first part of a new
junior high school plant and an
addition to East Cliff Elemen-
tary School
Mike Kent and Miva Akins
will be the new G-P student
body officers
Nannette Mitchell, daughter
of Mr and Mrs. D. H. Mitchell,
is the spelling champion at T
M Clark Elementary School
1* YEARS AGO
-1*71-
Chm Portman, son of Mr
and Mrs A F Portman of 218
Ghent, has pledged Kappa
Alpha fraternity at
Southwestern University at
Georgetown
Sharon Pesek and Kathy
Munroe were the two top
sellers during the recent Girl
Scout cookie campaign
SYEARSAGO
-1176-
Young Fashions, a specialty
shop for the young lady through
the mature woman, opened this
week in Crescent Shopping
Center.
Three G-P educators are
planning to attend the *7th an-
nual state convention of the
Texas State Teachers Associa-
tion March 11-13 at the Tarrant
County Convention Center,
Fort Worth
They are Mrs. Gerry Reeves,
president of the G-P local
association; Mrs Sandra
Miller, treasurer; and Joe
Sebesta, District II TSTA vice
president
Portland will be the center of
the high school tennis world
this weekend as seven of the top
schools in the area send a team
to compete In the annual G-P
Tennis Tournament.
Quietness Can Be Broken Quickly
— by pdl —
IT WAS a quiet scene m
Portland Saturday night
But. for Ronnie Pina and
Terry Sweeny , the police of-
ficers who were working ' 'mid-
nights". this was good
The evening had started off
just a little livelier when Of-
ficer Charlie Fuqua, while
cruising by Royal Meats on
Houston, got a glimpse of a per-
son in the store He apprehend-
ed the intruder and also found
another young man on the roof
The youngsters were taken in
and booked, a statement was
taken, they were fingerprinted
and then put in the holding cell
One of them a little later tried
to develop a ruckus which was
immediately controlled
One officer bought one of the
boys a sandwich to squelch his
hunger The lad evidently was
living in a makeshift lean-to in
a ditch off of Elm Originally
from Corpus Chritti. the boy is
from a broken home and was on
his own. but not doing too well
OFFICERS TO a degree
become hardened to such ac-
tions But. to the outsider, it is a
disheartening spectacle It
shows the utter waste of young
men on their way to a life of
crime and who knows what
else
How many thousands of
tunes this same procedure
must be repeated over and over
again every night across the
country
Where does the answer lie-1
As Saturday night wore on
and it turned into Sunday morn-
ing. Puia continued to make his
rounds
It is not a tun profession
It is a lonely, always hazar-
dous life.
It is never known what is
ahead in the next dark alley as
the police cruiser makes its
turn behind a building into a
dimly-lighted, trash-ladden
strip of narrow land behind a
darkened business establish-
ment
Thu night it is simple
But. w hat about tomorrow1'
Police officers earn every
penny they receive ui the com-
parative meager pay they
receive, in comparison to other
more lucrative paths of
endeavor.
As he cruises the residential
streets, makes the rounds of
the parks, schools, apartment
complexes and other lonely
areas, Pena comments on how
quiet it is He wonders "where
everyone has gone " Perhaps it
is just the wrong lime of the
moon, he jests
EVEN AlilNG Highway 181,
the traffic flows within safe
limits, according to the radar
unit
Vehicles were coming off the
causeway at an average of
about 60 ni p h., they see the
police unit and the figures on
the radar scope immediately
drop, one mile at a time to the
SSm.p h limit
A vehicle u parked on the
side of the road
It has to be checked out
But, before the car is ap-
proached. Tina advises the
police dispatcher of the license
number of the vehicle he is
checking out
There have been too many
times that police officers have
walked up to such a parked car
only to meet with instant
danger, and in instances,
death.
A guy with a few too many
beers under his belt Is asleep
His drivers license is in order,
and there is no indication in the
car that there might be com-
plications
A car weaves down the
highway and in the fast lane is
traveling very slowly
The red and blue rotating
lights go on The car slows even
more, then finally pulls off to
the side of the road
Again the procedure for ap-
proaching the vehicle is gone
through with the dispatcher
The car u approached ginger-
ly The officer s flashlight pro-
bes the interior of the vehicle
THIS TIME it u a young
woman driver who has been to
a bar or two, but manages to
toe the w hite line She is allow-
ed to continue on after being
admonished to take it easy
Municipal Park is empty Not
a car, a pickup or a person in
sight
A couple of pickups are ui a
parking lot Youngsters try to
pass the long lonely hours with
the chatter of this and that.
Pena asks them how they are
doing, if they are over 17 (it is
after 11 p.m ).
There are no calls.
There seems to be no action
anywhere in the city
BIT, THE. loneliness Is
there The darkness Always
the possibility that the quiet
night could errupt into the need
for instant action Instant
assessment of an incident, and
then instantaneous action to br-
ing the incident to a close with
minimum danger to those con-
cerned
«
This a police officer must
constantly have in his mind
They like their Job. They
understand the dangers, the
pitfalls, the responsibility.
They have their own
philosophy, their own families,
their own problems. They too
are human
Their's is a tough job. Much
of the time they fail to receive
the recognition due them
They lay it on the line every
night for every resident, they
are doing a great community
sendee while the city sleeps
They deserve and they nrad
your thanks
Country Crossroads
Priceless Jewels? Or Junk?
Our Memories Full Of Both!
by KEITH GUTHRIE
Have you ever wondered
what to do with all of the keen,
but useless information stored
away in your brain?
Have you ever let your brain-
computer wander, and all too
vividly, it can recall such
jewels as: The secret of skinn-
ing a possum to get the best
possible price; or, how to crank
a Model T without danger of
breaking your arm?
What I can never figure out is
why. when I push my recall
button, for instance, for a name
- all I draw is a blank, but yet
the same computer will give
me instant recall on my first
grade teacher’s name, or the
Bookshelf
‘Bitter Sweet’ — A Struggle To Grow Up
by LYRA SPARKS
The daughter of Lee
Strasberg, world-famous direc-
tor of the Actor's Studio, and
Paula, his wife, the celebrated
"Method" of acting coach who
helped many celebraties
(Marilyn Monroe. Clifford
Odets, James Dean, and dozens
of others) would almost
naturally be in a difficult spot
Susan Strasberg suffered from
being her parents' daughter To
further confuse the picture, she
was a smashing hit at 17 as she
performed on Broadway.
(Even after she was
challenged to live up to her
original role and when she
didn't, she felt site had disgrac-
ed her parents, and they could
be most unkind in their reac-
tions. )
In "Bitter Sweet." Susan
relates her struggle to grow up
and to attain her own identity
It was a difficult struggle and
she admits she made many
mistakes
From the world's viewpoint
she was predestined, it would
seem, to act, to have an ex-
traordinary life She was a
gifted person, she had such
wonderful family, and her
family had such wonderful
friends - Marlon Brando, Mon-
tgomery Cliff, Paul Newman
and once, as a little girl, at one
of her mother's parties, Charlie
Chaplin had danced with her
Susan in this book pursues
the whys and wherefores of her
feeling of not having identity;
she had uncertainties, in-
securities, was dependent on
her mother and resented it Her
famous and magnetic father
was too preoccupied with his
own students to deal with the
problems of his own children.
Susan felt rejected by his often
distant manner toward her, felt
that she didn't live up to his
idea of a daughter On top of
that, her mother spent much
time helping Marilyn Monroe -
often her mother was in
California helping Marilyn
when Susan needed her - Susan
struggled with her jealousy
Susan tried to escape her
family's overwhelming expec-
tations of her - they expelled
perfection. It seemed; she tried
to escape in a reckless affair
with Richard Burton and later
in her predictably doomed
marriage to actor Christopher
Jones
This resentment of her fami-
ly that alternated with her
dependence on them was
almost disastrous Her mother
had tried to mold her into a per-
son who would accomplish
some of the things she herself
had wanted and never quite
managed 'although Paula, her
mother, was an actress of abili-
ty and fame i In battling all
this. Susan went into therapy
and found it, too. a disillusion-
ing experience.
At one po'nt with
Christopher, she became emo-
tionally exhausted by a rela-
tionship that became a suicidal
partnership of perversities.
Jrugs and violence Susan had
been protected and sheltered;
Christopher had been an aban-
doned child. Susan did,
however, manage to survive
her mother's final illness, her
brother's attempted suicide,
the devastating illness of her
baby daughter, and the
tempestuous breakup with
Jones
Susan was faced with the
realities of life The decision
either to give up or survive
How she made the courageous
and lonely journey to adulthood
makes "Bitter Sweet" hard-
edged yet inspiring reading
Susan, with complete honesty,
tells the story of a young girl to
whom fame and glory came
naturally but almost too much
too soon, and whose most
rewarding achievements are
growing up to becoming a
woman
A
Highlights and Sidelights
AUSTIN — Iasi week
HiKise Speaker Bill Clavton
threw Capitol politics into
high gear by announcing he
would nol seek re-cicclion in
TO jnd lhai his present
term would be hn last lo pre-
side over ihe west chamber
Oil the heels of Cla> Ion's
stepping-down statement
came an announcement by
Rep Gib Lewis, D-Fort
Worth that he is a candidate
to replace Clayton as speak-
er and a prediction lhal he
will have ihe contest sewed
up h> the end ol the week
The hack-to-back an-
nouncements were taken by
many as a calculated move
to put Clay ton's weakening
^control of the House into
someone's stronger hands
Whether ihcy will he l ewis'
, is a different matter Ihe
next speakers race is two
years away and several legis-
lators were fuming privately
at the early injection of
speaker politics into what
had so far been a calm legis-
lative process.
State. Wide Rare?
While signaling the last
chapter on his career in the
House Clayton also left
open the door to a future
statewide political race. Clay-
ton reportedly is considering
a run for land commissioner
or agriculture commissioner
His future will depend on
Ihe voting public's reaction to
his recent Btilah acquittal
Clayton's eight years of
conservative rule over Ihe
House has been controver-
sial Whether out of fear or
admiration, most legislators
credit his hardball style of
control as "fair." In periodic
fits of temper, they will also
accuse him of being "tyran-
nical Still, his political
courage is unquestioned, and
he is regarded hy his col-
leagues as one of ihe most
ahle legislators who ever took
an oath in Ihe Tesas House
ol Representatives li may
nol he loo much lo assert
that (layIon will stand as
tail in House annals as I HI
does in general Texas poli-
tics
Srnatr: May Ahead
For turning out legisla-
tion. Ihe Scnalc is way
ahead I ast week senators
passed hills lo govern nuclear
waste, lo lest teachers on
their reading and writing
skills and lo ban an auto-
matic union dues check oil
lor slate employees
The hill to set up strict
licensing procedures for dis-
posing of radioactive waslcl
generated in Texas was a
compromise clforl rngi-
by l YNDF1L WILLIAMS
neered by Sen. John Trae-
gcr. D-Scguin
Tracger worked with
representatives of environ-
mental groups, nuclear waste
processing companies, and
medical facilities and utilities
that generate waste
The bill prohibits disposal
ol wastes irom other states,
provides civil penalties for
violation to S24.000 a day,
makes it a Class A mis-
demeanor lo process waste
without a license, and estab-
lishes a perpetual fund for
processing sites. The Senate
approved it 30-0.
Durs-Checkoff Ban
The Senate also passed a
hill hy Sen Ike Harris, R-
IJjllas, prohibiting state em-
ployees from having union
See HIGHLIGHTS, Page 9
WHEN A
BUCK
WAS A
“bully" who bloodied my nose
at age six
The men of medicine assure
us that the brain is capable of
storing literally zillions of
items - all available to recall
Perhaps it is my inability to
follow simple directions that
causes me to plug In the wrong
request when I urgently need to
know a name when someone
walks up. slaps me on the back
and says: "Keith, how are you
doing - how is the wife, and the
children’’" AU I draw is a
blank!
Do you think that maybe we
should clean out our memory
bank like we do closets every
year’ That would give us room
to store all sorts of new infor-
mation in place of bits like.
“How to pilot a PBY Flying
Boat", “How to support a
single man on $3 a day", Or
“The name of a redhead long
gone". For instance, that would
leave room for such jewels as
Did you know that the
.overage man uses about 225
strokes with a razor to effect a
clean shave? Amazing, isn’t it?
But then it also takes 28 rotary
movements to work up lather
from a mug, and 53 more to ap-
ply the lather to the face
Whether you brush your teeth
up and down, or horizontal, it
takes about 127 licks to get the
job done. A shower? It takes 87
licks with a bar of soap, and 57
with a wash cloth, to get the job
done; and, if you want to get
dry, 48 swipes of the towel are
necessary. Surely, you would
have to find a place to keep
these amazing gems of
knowledge
Could it be that this is the
reason "us old folks" tend to
forget things’ Have we cram-
med so much keen information
into our computer that it short
circuits when we try to patch in
another memory cell?
Perhaps, but I'm by these keen
stored up items like I am by
cleaning out the storeroom -
Throw out that old pump’
“Well, I'm sure I can find a
place for it - it doesn't take up
much space - and besides, I'm
sure I’ll use it someday.”
Letters To The Editor
letters to the editor are published in the Portland NEW.,
with or without the writer's signature However, in sub-
mitting material, ihe signature of the writer, address and
telephone number must be included along with a statement
net to publish the name, if that is desired Letters will be
verified with the sender prior to publication Letters are
limited to 300 words The editor reserves the right to reject*
any letter
I-ast Sunday the Portland
Aquanauts held their Take-out
Mexican Food Dinner
Once again the citizens of
Portland showed their support
of the AAU swim team by pur-
chasing tickets which enabled
them to enjoy a delicious din-
ner and which will enable us to
continue workouts at the
YWCA
We would not have been able
to have this particular fund-
raising activity without the
contributions and support of
Old Mexico Restaurant Zeke
and Joyce Zamampa. Jerry
l-opez and several others from
the restaurant not only cooked
the food, but set up and served
it as well.
Charles and Karen Holifield
turned their house into a
restaurant for the day. What-A-
Burger donated cups and lids
and Southern Food Equipment
donated wanning equipment
We would like to thank all
those people once again, as well
as the citizens of Portland who
supported us and the parents,
swimmers and coaches who
sold tickets and helped in other
ways.
Kitty Self
Vice-president.
Portland Aquanauts
v
I-etter to the Editor
Our daughter asked that we
write this letter after having
read the letter to the editor in
the Feb, 19 edition of the
Portland News
Why, logically, shouldn't the
athletic director make the
athletic discipline policies’ Ap
parently, some people think it
should be the prerogative of the
participants to set this policy.
The school board has not side-
stepped its responsibility,
rather it has enforced a policy
In which it believes
One statement which was
contained In the previous letter
regarding the athletic
discipline policies, we whole-
heartedly agree with. That
statement being, “We are in
deep trouble, that's where we
are." We are In trouble, indeed,
when we allow children to
determine the policies, rather
than the adults who are in
charge, whether at home or at
school. Children are exactly
that - children - and must,
sooner or later, learn to abide
by the rules and guidelines set
out for them because in their
adult life it is a necessity
We lived in Portland for six
years and our children par-
ticipated in the athletic pro-
gram almost the entire time we
were there Our son's hair was
longer than was acceptable
when we moved there, so it was
simply a question of how badly
he wanted to participate He
got his hair cut. Since then he
has graduated and has let his
hair grow out some, but
because that was the rule then,
he was willing to abide by it.
We will always be grateful for
the time that we spent there
because it set an example of
discipline, pride and achieve-
ment for them which they still
have They no longer are
satisfied with just getting by,
but are willing to put forth that
extra effort which comes from
being associated with such a
system
No one would be so childish
as to assume that one can only
be a good athlete with a hair-
cut, but by the same token,
surely no one believes that
without discipline and dedica-
tion one can attain that goal,
either There is no doubt in our
minds that when Bjorn Borg
and Ron Jaworski were*
younger and striving to reach
their goals that they would
have been willing to accept the
rules and regulations set out for
them by their coaches,
As to the consistency of en-
forcement of this policy, it
would seem that the coaches
are trying their best to see that
everyone who makes an effort
to comply with the rules is
given a chance. P
See LETTERS. P*ge"i
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.
Leveen, Paul D. Portland News (Portland, Tex.), Vol. 16, No. 10, Ed. 1 Thursday, March 5, 1981, newspaper, March 5, 1981; Taft, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth871911/m1/2/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Bell/Whittington Public Library.