July 11, 2008
|
SANDERSON – After a five-month search, Eric Cooksey of El Paso has been hired as “band director” at Sanderson schools but the new emphasis may be away from a “marching band” towards other musical education. “We
are delighted to have him,” Superintendent Gary Hamilton said. “I am so excited. “We
look forward to working with him but don’t expect miracles before the first
football game,” Hamilton said. ”It will take a lot of hard work and time on
the part of Eric and the students. And we’ve got to have parental support.” While
a marching band may not be part of the repertoire, he said fans will still
expect the National Anthem, school song and the “fight” song at athletic
contests. A
“marching” band is hard to do with an enrollment as small as Sanderson, he
said. But a music program could include small jazz bands, choirs, small
ensembles and the like. “We
are open to any and all opportunities to provide a music education to our
students,” Hamilton said. “And we will perform for the community when we are
able.” “I’m
looking forward to working together with the students, their families and the
entire community to produce a strong music program in Sanderson
schools,” Cooksey told the News Leader. “Improvements can be made almost
immediately and over time the possibilities are even greater. “I
envision various performance opportunities for all music students with the
high school band being the primary performance group,” he said. “It is
my hope that the combination of my academic and professional experiences and
the fact that my musical education began in Sanderson schools will translate
into a music program as unique as the people and culture of Sanderson,
Texas.” Cooksey
said he has had success with students in solo and ensemble events and has
seen former students achieve scholarships and pursue music degrees in
college. “I
have had numerous experiences as a professional musician, which I have
actively pursued since high school,” he said. The
position of “band director” has been vacant since Tom Torres resigned in
February. A
group of parents petitioned the school board to keep the band program alive
and the resignation was announced at that meeting. SANDERSON
– With the Fourth of July activities still fresh on the minds of just about
everyone here, the emphasis quickly turned to the annual St. James Festival. Marked
each July by the St. James Catholic Church here, the festival honors St.
James “The Greater” and the “Day of Celebration” on July 25. The
day will start with a Mass at the church at 11 a.m. Saturday, July 26 and end
with the dance at St. James Hall that night. At
10 p.m., the dance band will take a break for the coronation of King Andrew
Cavender and Queen Camry Lopez. Andrew
is the son of Myleah Stratton of Sanderson and Camry is the daughter of Rick
and Alma Lopez of Midland. After
the morning Mass, a turkey and dressing fundraiser meal will be served at
Legion Hall at 12:30 p.m., followed by music by Mariachi Fortunata of Midland
from 1 to 3 p.m. at Legion Park. Activities
are planned for all day at the park, including an all-day softball
tournament. For
information on the tourney, contact Chago Flores and 432/345-3010. From
3 p.m. “until things run out,” a poster says, there will be food booths with
roasted corn, funnel cakes and other delicacies and games. If
people do not get enough to eat, there will be a menudo cook off at 5 p.m. The
day winds up with the dance from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Sunday at St. James Hall. The
raffle will follow the coronation and menudo will be served during the dance. Music
will be Rick Ruiz and his Grupo Paz. Dance
prices are $12 per couple, $8 single and $4 for children 12 and under. For
table reservations, contact Eddie Benavidez at 432/345-2922. “Come and enjoy a
day out with your entire family,” Benavidez said. “We have something for
everyone.” INDIANAPOLIS – Terrell
County Clint McDonald was among the border sheriffs that discussed a possible
television mini-series on US-Mexico border problems with film actor and
producer Robert Duvall. McDonald said the discussion
came at the National Border Sheriffs Coalition meeting here last week. He said Duvall is a
supporter of law enforcement officers trying to deal with violence along the
border. McDonald said Hudspeth
County Sheriff Alvin West of Sierra Blanca told him about the possibility. “He [Duvall] feels Hollywood
can get the attention of Washington,” McDonald said. “He believes a
mini-series on television can get a wider audience than a feature-length
film.” Border lawlessness has
taken the form of murders and kidnapping in addition to the smuggling. Two films deal with the
violence and McDonald said he might schedule a public showing of the films
some day. It would have to be
severely restricted as to who would view the films because they contain
“extreme violence,” he said. One is Producer Chris
Burgard’s “The Border.” The other was produced by Rusty Renavatio called
“Drug Wars, the Colobianization of Mexico.” McDonald said the
latter contains actual footage of assassinations and other lawlessness by the
drug cartels. “These are things your
government doesn’t want you to know about,” McDonald said. ”We’ve got to get
the word out.” SANDERSON
– Kathy Lawson loaded up Cordell Lawson, Juliana Castro and Jimmy Rapp last
weekend and headed for San Angelo for band camp, sponsored by The Band
Boosters. The
Boosters also voted to have the student’s instruments repaired while they’re
there. Cordell,
Juliana and Jimmy all wrote letters to the Booster club explaining why they
wanted to go. They
all feel they will come back better musicians. ALPINE
– Erin Smith of Marathon, daughter of Bill and Gail Smith of Sanderson, is
featured in the musical “Cowgirls,” which ends a two-week run tonight through
Sunday. The
program is part of the 2008 Theatre of the Big Bend schedule at Kokernot
Outdoor Theatre. All performances begin at 8:15 p.m. “Petra’s
Cuento” will open Friday, July 18, with additional performances July 19 and 20,
July 25 through 27 and Aug. 1 through 3. “Pecos
Bill and the Ghost Stampede” will be performed Aug. 7 to 10. For admission
prices, contact information, facilities and other details, visit the Theatre
of the Big Bend Theatre website at www.sulross.edu/tobb. SANDERSON
– Ada Lee Robbins was the winner of a signed and numbered photograph of a
white jackrabbit by author Russell Smith of San Angelo Saturday. The
photo by the author of “The Gun That Wasn’t There” was offered in a raffle by
the American Legion Auxiliary. Another
was sold at the Silent Auction on the Courthouse Square as part of the
county’s July 4 observance. Smith,
a retired police chief, wrote about Terrell County Sheriff Bill Cooksey, who
didn’t take his usual revolver in a holster on his right hip one day in 1965
and, instead, stuck a small semi-automatic pistol in his waistband. He
became involved in a shootout with illegal alien Alfredo Amador Hernandez who
had been burglarizing area ranches and, when Cooksey reached for his usual
revolver, it wasn’t there. Cooksey
was injured in the shootout but Hernandez was later captured. “The
white jackrabbit was one of the most
skittish critters that I ever tried to photograph,” Smith wrote in a
description of the photo. “The female
jack ran for great distances
every time I tried to capture its image.” By KIM RAPP News Leader Production Manager
SANDERSON
– The Fourth of July brought lots of visitors our way last weekend. Tyler Cantu
came from El Paso with his bunch, wife Heather
and daughters Julianna Maria, who
is three, and baby sister Jocelyn
Renee. Also catching a ride was Cory
Cantu. Tyler and Cory are the sons of Albert Cantu of Sanderson. Tyler works in the
finance department for Amtrak while Heather
is employed at Red Cats Catalogue Company. Cory is currently working at Pizza Hut. The
crew came to visit dad and show off Jocelyn,
who is all of three months old. Isaac “Bubba” Ramirez
found his way home to see family and friends. The
SHS graduate of ’08 currently resides in Midland where he works for Woody’s
Advance Fabrication. He is the son of Gennie
Merrifield. Future
plans include college at Universal Technical Institute in Houston. Big
sister Shasta Merrifield made it
home from Odessa where she is in the nursing program at Odessa College. Sister
Marie Ramirez blew through town
briefly. She is currently in Odessa at OC as well, studying radiology. The
trio enjoyed visiting mom, Martin
Esqueda and other family and tons of friends. Home
for some R & R was Jamie Taylor, the
daughter of Corina & Jimmy Castro. Taylor
is a Senior Airman in the United States Air Force and is home on leave. She
will return to Goldsboro, NC, for two weeks before joining her husband James in Yakota, Japan, where they
will spend the next three years. James is also a
senior airman in the Air Force. The two of them stay busy with aircraft
maintenance. Ray Martinez
was spotted at the dance at the courthouse. He is currently living in Wichita
Falls where he is a nurse in a rehabilitation hospital. Martinez
was in town with his aunt, Susan
Duarte, who lives in Alpine and works at High Frontier, a residential
treatment facility for youth, in Fort Davis. Gloria Falcon
had a house full as family came in from all over Texas. Daughter
Alma Munoz & Gary Flores came from Beeville, Steve Falcon came up from Fulshear
and Andy Falcon, Jr., made the
trip from Bastrop bringing wife Donna. Virginia Saenz
from San Antonio came to call, bringing charges 16-year-old Michael & 10-year-old Alysa. Teresa Delgado,
also from San Antonio, came with six- year-old Gavin and four-year- old Gabriel
in tow. “The
family had a wonderful time,” Virginia
said. Caught having a good time at the home of John Dewey Stutes was Lissa Murr
McNew of Pecos. McNew graduated
SHS back in 1978 and returns home whenever she can. When she can’t, she keeps
up with things through reading the News
Leader on-line at tcnewsleader.com. With
her was husband, Jackie, who is a
high school teacher and coach, their son Larry
& his wife Jodie, who both
plan to attend Sul Ross in the fall. McNew’s
sister Janella Murr Box also made the trip and all
enjoyed playing “washers” with Marvin
Davis, who came to “jam” for the Fourth as a member of the Terrell County
Bs. Leaving
town was John Pierce & Mikey Shoemaker. John’s
mom Sandy took them to Kerrville
to visit John’s Aunt Diana and cousin Amanda. They
hopped over to Fiesta Texas, went canoeing in the Guadalupe River and went to
Best Buy. Best
Buy was the highlight of their trip because in the parking lot, they found Manu Ginobili, a shooting guard for
the San Antonio Spurs, and the boys came away with an autograph. Robin & Rick Turner
loaded up the kids, Lindsey, Otto &
Zane and took off for Missouri
City, MO, for a week of family and fun. Both
Robin’s side of the family and Rick’s side had family reunions so
they got to see just about everybody. “They were two really nice parties.” Robin told the News Leader. “We celebrated the Fourth with fireworks and everything.” Rick & Robin
also went on their first date in three years. They
had some fun at Harrah’s Casino, then enjoyed dinner at The Range Steakhouse. Lindsey got
to stay behind to spend some time with friend Melissa Holland before going to see grandma, Nancy Keene, in McAllen. While
there, she volunteered for “Operation Lonestar,” which provides free health
care services for one week for Starr County where grandma is a Head Nurse. This
was not Lindsey’s first time
helping out and “it was important to her that she got to go help,” said mom. Cecilia & Tony Calzada
came to visit Cecilia’s sister Dora Benavidez and other family. They
brought kidos, third grader Nicholas
and five-year-old twins, Vanessa &
Alexis. They
hail from Horizon City, near El Paso, where Tony works at Sherwin Williams. Also at the Benavidez’ house was Jacob Benavidez’ friend Shelby Lara of Fort Davis, who also
came to celebrate the Fourth. Libertarian defends Rand’s enlightned
self interest EDITOR’S
NOTE: Last week, July 4,, we began an interview with Libertarian and Sul
Ross Economics Professor Larry Sechrest about his views. It
is continued here after reporter Glover asks about reference to philosopher
Ayn Rand and her view that greed can be a source for good. Working
with “enlightened self interest,” Rand said, people can enrich themselves by
providing needed and desired services to the public. By MARK GLOVER Marathon News Leader But
who takes care of the poor, the disenfranchised, the have-nots under the
Libertarian system? “There
are zero social services enumerated in the constitution,” Sechrest said.
“Before government welfare, people, churches, fraternal organization took
care of their own. This is true benevolence not forced benevolence through
taxes, at the point of a gun. “There
is also no enumeration in the constitution for income taxes. When you have
more disposable income you can give more,” Sechrest said. “Furthermore, in a
libertarian world of little regulation, no subsidies, no effective labor
unions and low taxes, there would be many more opportunities for people to
advance economically.” Critics
of Libertarianism, such as Norm Chomsky, suggest that such a system based on
pure competition inevitably leads to war. Sechrest
disagrees. “Chomsky
like so many leftists have misunderstood competition,” he said. “It is the
life blood of a free society and is the opposite of war because it requires cooperation
because all people’s rights are respected. “People
voluntarily buy or sell their goods and services. It is the one and only real
peaceful system,” Sechrest said. Peace
is something Sechrest did not experience after writing an article called, “A
Strange Little Town in Texas,” for Liberty Magazine in 2004. In
the article he suggested a masters degree at local Sul Ross State University
“is equivalent of a diploma from a high school 30 years ago.” Students
there, understand “artificial insemination of a goat but don’t know why the
Ninth Amendment is in the Constitution,” he said. Or
working with Dan Rather’s quote, “SRSU is possibly the most overlooked little
university west of the Mississippi,” Sechrest suggested rather than “one of
the best high schools in west Texas.” There
were other remarks: inbreeding amongst the local populace, the concentration
of over-the-hill hippies in Alpine and a few other non-politically correct
features in the article. It
all led to an uproar, instigating threatening phone calls, including at least
two death threats, broken windows at his house and a general ostracizing. Today
Sechrest looks back and is amazed that people largely ignored the principle
goal of the article and that was “to bring attention to the very poor quality
of education in this area.” He
also regrets that many people in the area “discredited themselves by acting
like thugs and barbarians” and that “the media which reported on the events
never knew that dozens of area residents – not to mention hundreds from other
parts of the country – have told me that they agreed with what I said.” Sechrest
has more than 50 essays published in academic journals, reference works and
other periodicals. He
is the author of “Free Banking:
Theory, History, and a Laissez-Faire Model,” now in its second
edition. He
has recently finished a 1,300-page manuscript including some of his own
sketches and drawings. It
is presently being reviewed by publishers in London with the working title, “Encyclopedia of Speed under Sail.” He’s
listed in Who’s Who in the World, Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who Among
America’s Teachers. He
is also on the editorial boards of three scholarly journals and, as this
writer can attest, one of the students’ more popular teachers in the SRSU
Business School. Sechrest
was asked about the US-Mexico border wall. “It’s
absurd, ridiculous. It expresses the hubris of all politicians,” he said.
“They think everything they do will work. “Politicians
are ever creating barriers to prevent people from cooperating with other people,”
he said. “They think if we build a wall, people suddenly won’t be able to
come across the border. “Nonsense.
More people drank per capita during Prohibition than they did before it,”
Sechrest said. “Tell people they can’t do it and they’ll do it even more,” On
La Entrada al Pacifico, the proposed truck route linking ports in the United
States with the Mexican port at Los Mochis through Presidio and Ojinaga. “If
it’s such a good idea then let the Mexican truckers pay for it,” he said.
“Why should the American people pay for more traffic on their highways?” He
also addressed the North American Free Trade Agreement. “It
is not free trade,” he said. “Real free trade can be summed up in one
sentence, ’We’ll trade our stuff for your stuff and there will be no tariffs.’
The NAFTA agreement is something like 1,269 pages long.” What
is his view on bureaucrats and economists? “What
I’d like to see is that these government people go out and find a real job,”
he said. He
laughed. “Or
at least consult economists before they open their mouths.” A twinkle of
mischief formed behind the thick lenses of his glasses. “But only good
economists, free-market economists, like me.” |
There
had been rumors that the School Board planned to eliminate the music program. Cooksey,
son of former Terrell County Sheriff Bill Cooksey, most recently served for
11 years as a fine arts music instructor at Bel Air High School in the
Ysleta Independent School district near El Paso, where he taught elective
classes in beginning through advanced guitar. A
graduate of Sanderson High School, Cooksey received a Bachelor of Arts degree
from the University of Texas at El Paso in 1995 and did post baccalaureate
work at the University of Houston. He
has an “all-level music [teaching] certificate,” which allows him to legally
teach school in the state. “We
had another good applicant but this was the one we wanted,” Hamilton said.
“He will do a great job. SANDERSON – The long-awaited repair of the US Highway 90 Pecos
River Bridge near Langtry will get under way early
next month and a public meeting is planned here next week to inform the
public about the project. The
Texas Department of Transportation will conduct the public meeting in the Terrell
County Community Building from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 15. There
were rumors as long ago as last summer that the bridge would immediately be
completely closed for the rehabilitation. TxDOT
said there is no plan to completely close the bridge, however. It will be
narrowed to one lane during the project but traffic will be able to get
through. Heavy
and wide vehicles are urged to use a circuitous detour through Ozona and
Sonora to avoid the project. The picturesque bridge, built in 1957, is 1,300 feet long and
stands 270 feet above the water. The project will entail the rehabilitation of the bridge at a
cost of $4.2 million. The contract was awarded in January to SRC Construction, Inc.,
of Richmond. Duration of the project is estimated at 20 months once
construction begins. “We want to emphasize that the Pecos River Bridge continues to
be structurally sound and safe to use by the traveling public,” said TxDOT
District Engineer Mario G. Medina of Laredo. “We will perform work to replace
the bridge decking in efforts to remove upper surface cracking/ spalling that
extends through the deck.” He said state-of-the-art materials, innovative construction
methods, updated roadway design and bridge rails to current standards will be
used while preserving the bridge’s historical value and significance. Since US 90 continues to be an important part of the highway
system for local, regional and national traffic and the bridge continues to
be an important traffic link between west and south Texas and adjacent
states, TxDOT will notify the public about the upcoming project through news
releases, media phone interviews, flyers, posters and informational meetings
to be scheduled in the project area, Medina said. “We want to ensure the public that any interruption of local and
thru traffic during bridge rehabilitation work will be minimal, even though
the traveling public should expect brief delays,” he said. A one-way traffic pattern with traffic signals night and day
with special accommodations for emergency response vehicles is being planned
during construction of the project.
Delays for traffic light changes were estimated at 10 minutes
per cycle. The bridge is 45 miles northeast of Del Rio in Val Verde County
near Langtry on US 90. Changeable message signs will be in place in the area two to
three weeks before the start of construction. TxDOT
said the bridge was inspected last year and found to be structurally sound
and safe but the deck is in need of replacement by 2012. SANDERSON
– The Old Harrell Dairy at the south end of Second Street here is getting new
life as the home of Kenny Stafford and Jennifer Miller. They
have been Sanderson residents for one year and a week, moving here from Bluff
Dale on July 5 last year. They
are turning the old dairy built by then Terrell County Judge R.S. Wilkinson
into a residence. The
couple has been living in a recreational vehicle while working on the new
home but recently moved in. “When
you live in an RV, you really know if you love one,” Stafford said. Stafford
retired after 23 years as a hunting guide and dressing deer for hunters. But
he may do “a few deer” again in Sanderson. They
moved here after being attracted to the area on visits to Miller’s mother,
Mabel Hansford, in Fort Davis. “We
found this place with the help of Hazel [Gully],” she said. “We just fell in
love with the area.” Before
moving here, Miller had several businesses in downtown Bluff Dale in addition
to farming in the area. “My
passion is preservation [of old buildings] and getting them cute again,” she
said. Miller
recently bought the old “Bucky’s” convenience store and gas station behind
the Dairy King in Sanderson. After
waiting six months to let the original owner reclaim the property, the couple
plans to use the place as a deer processing plant or other uses. “I
retired after 23 years of doing that and I don’t want to go back to it full
time,” Stafford said. “But I’ll probably do some.” One
of the big advantages of living here, they both agreed, is a lack of
regulations they had in larger communities. “We
did some work in Granbury and you can’t even paint a front door without getting
approval of the color,” he said. “The
permit cost $35 and that was just to go to the meeting,” Miller said. “It’s
unbelievable how much they harass you. “It’s
been a joy to work on this project,” she said. “There are no building inspectors.” Going
to the landfill to take debris recovered in the cleanup was also “like old
times,” Stafford said. Some
communities charge as much as $20 just to drop off a load of trash, he said. He
also praised the county and its trash contractor, Texas Disposal Systems, for
picking up debris left beside the road. The
milk room at the creamery has been converted into a bedroom, bath and kitchen
for the couple’s home. Joe
Fuentes of Sanderson said he grew up around the old dairy. “They
had about 100 cows,” he said. “We milked them morning and evening. “We
would start in the morning around 4 o’clock and in the evening about the same
time, 4 o’clock,” he said. “We milked the same bunch” of cows. Milking
machines were used but workers did it by hand for what the primitive electric
machines missed. “We
sold the milk, a quart for 10 cents and a half pint for nickel at the café,”
Fuentes said. “That [the restoration] brought back a lot of memories.” Wilkinson,
who served as county judge from 1939 to 1974, built the creamery. “Mrs.
[Ima] Wilkinson, she was my second mamma,” Fuentes said. A
date scratched on the wall of the creamery itself indicates it was completed
on February 4, 1945. A nearby trough displays January 10, 1936. The
living room in the “new” home was the storage room for feed sacks, made then
of cloth. “Those
feed sacks became material,” Miller said. “They sold them for 25 cents each
and they were used to make dresses and quilts.” “We
don’t plan to put in central heat and air,” Stafford said. “We want it to be
just like it was in the old days. People didn’t need air conditioning
then.” Some
other buildings on the property give testimony to the 1965 flood that wiped
out much of Sanderson. An
adobe wall on one was partially washed away up to about seven feet off the
ground. The
site of the old creamery was “covered with cactus, some eight feet high,”
Stafford said. “It was so high, we couldn’t get in at first.” Miller
said the growth also produced a scare. “Kenny
was by the back door and a grasshopper was stuck on a cactus,” she said. Going
to inspect the insect’s plight, she came face to face with a rattlesnake. “We jumped back in
the door,” she said. “He wanted to get to his home and it we were between him
and his hole. We got out of his way in a hurry.” Alpine
– Compositions by Dr. Donald Callen Freed, Sul Ross State University
associate professor of Music, have been accepted for publication by Yelton
Rhodes Music of Los Angeles, CA. His
composition, “Change Alone Is Unchanging,” has been listed in the Yelton Rhodes
catalog. Also accepted was “The Sacred Hoop.” Both
of these a cappella works were premiered by the Sul Ross Concert Choir and
featured in the May, 2007, concert. Emergency
loan applications due at FSA FORT STOCKTON – Applications for emergency agricultural
loans for damages and losses caused by drought on January 1 and continuing
are being accepted at the Farm Service Agency here. Farm
Loan Manager William H. McAnally said Brewster, Jeff Davis, Pecos, Presidio
and Terrell Counties have been selected to cover part of actual production
and physical losses resulting from the disaster. Producers
may be eligible for loans of up to 100 percent of actual losses or the loan
needed to continue in business, whichever is less. For
producers unable to obtain credit from private commercial lenders, the
interest is 3.75 percent. “As
a general rule, a producer must have suffered at least a 30 percent loss of
production to be eligible for an FSA emergency loan,” McAnally said. Producers
participating in the Federal Crop Insurance program will have to figure in
proceeds from those programs in determining their loss. “Applications
for loans under this emergency designation will be accepted until March 2,
2009, but producers should apply as soon as possible,” McAnally said. “Delays in applying could create backlogs
in processing and possibly over into the new season.” FSA
is a credit agency of the U. S. Department of Agriculture. It is authorized
to provide disaster emergency loans to recognized producers who work at and
rely on agriculture for a substantial part of their living. Eligibility is
extended to individual producers who are US citizens and to agricultural partnerships,
corporations or cooperatives in which US citizens hold a majority interest. mix
in study By JASON HENNINGTON Sul Ross News Writer ALPINE
– Religion and politics can be a controversial topic and the White House
Office of Faith-Based Community Initiative may fuel the controversy. Moises
Morales of Fort Hancock researched the OFBCI as his McNair Program
project. His
research will try to answer the question, “Did the initiative violate the
Constitution?” “Congress
cannot make a law that promotes a certain religion,” Morales said. This
establishment clause, along with the “free exercise” clause, which allows the
free exercise thereof, together makes up the “religion clauses” in the first
amendment. “In
the past several Presidents have supported the clause,” Morales said. The
OFBCI was established by executive order of President George W. Bush as a
part of his compassionate conservatism promise during his campaign. “This
is a unilateral decision by the president to create this administrative
agency through a series of executive orders,” Morales said. “Bush implemented
the clause and it seems weird because it went from separation of church and
state to accommodations.” Faith-based organizations are
eligible to participate in federally-administered social service programs to
the same degree as any other non-profit group, meaning they can receive
federal funds for their organization. The funds cannot be used to
support inherently religious activities such as prayer, worship, religious
instruction or proselytization, defined as inducing someone to convert to
one’s faith, party, institution or cause. “Proselytization is illegal,”
Morales said. “It’s not being monitored. Agencies do not have to
[monitor] but they should. Four out of twelve organizations have been
monitored and were violating the establishment clause.” Part of Morales’ research is to
find out if federal funds are being used for proselytization. “The money is supposed to be for
the needy,” he said. Morales also believes that only
mainstream religions are being supported by the WHOFBCI while other religions
are being overlooked. “Mainstream and evangelical
protestants strongly supported President Bush during the election,” he
said. “I believe that’s a big reason he is President.” Morales is researching organizations
that received funds from Texas’ OneStar Foundation during the fiscal year
2006-2007. His goal is to see what religious
organizations are receiving money. “I’m looking to see if the money
is going to mainly religious organizations in the Bush Administration,” he
said. “Is the money going to all religions, not just mainstream?” Morales limited his research to
Texas, George W. Bush’s home state. “I want to see how things are
turning out with Faith Based Initiative,” he said. Dean of Arts and Sciences Dr.
Jimmy Case is Morales’ adviser during the project and feels the topic is not
controversial. “There is really no controversy in
Moises’ topic for us, at least for me,” Case said. “As political
scientists, our objective is to study political behaviors objectively and
scientifically regardless of our own personal beliefs. “It would be highly unprofessional
to try to manipulate the data in order to substantiate our own personal
beliefs,” he said. Case
feels that Morales has done an excellent job researching the history and
controversial issues associated with the OFBCI. Morales
will also analyze the distribution of funds. “We
are now trying to get the data set from Texas’ One-Star Foundation in
Texas that coordinates faith-based initiatives for the governor and the
state,” Case said. “Until we get the data set and know the nature of the
data, we will not know which hypotheses Moises will be testing.” Morales
praised Case’s assistance. “He’s
been awesome. He is very supportive and helpful,” Morales said. “Dr. Case
has a keen interest in religion and politics.” Case
said his interest in the topic comes from his administration
background. “My
position is that faith based initiatives certainly are not new and predate
the Bush administration by decades,” Case said. “Denominational hospitals,
universities and social service agencies have received government funding for
projects for a long time. “Moises’
research will give us some indication as to which groups are receiving the
funding in Texas,” he said. Morales,
who is involved with the Baptist Student Ministry, believes his research has
been misinterpreted. “A
lot of people think I’m bashing Christianity,” he said. “People believe I am
downplaying religion. “Most
of the people who think that agree with Bush’s decision,” he said. “Some people
not in favor Bush’s administration want this type of research done.” Morales
chose this topic due to the controversy surrounding it. “It
breaches the wall of separation between church and state relations,” he
said. Morales
said he has had discussions with his pastor about this topic and believes a
lot of good will come from the end results. Case
believes that Morales will learn from this research, and hopefully be more informed
about the OFBCI. “My
advice to Moises is to produce the most scientifically and professionally
sound research project possible,” Case said. “I suspect that Moises will know
more about faith-based initiatives and their pros and cons than the vast
majority of Americans. He will be our resident expert, so to speak.” The
McNair Program is designed to assist low income, first generation, and/or
under represented students earn doctoral degrees. It
was named after astronaut Ronald E. McNair, one of seven who died in 1986
when space shuttle Challenger was destroyed shortly after launch. The
program assists students prepare for and pass the GRE, LSAT and MCAT tests,
as well as apply for doctoral programs at other institutions. The
McNair program also sponsors travel to graduate fairs and symposiums, along
with periodic workshops on how to find and secure graduate funding for
involved students. Each
student receives free tuition, room and board and a stipend for summer
research. Each
student is mentored by a faculty member appointed depending on field of choice. Recipients will
receive three hours of college credit and will engage in an intense research
project in their field of interest. |
“He
is a hard worker and will take a personal interest in the students,” he said.
Cooksey
returns to Sanderson often. Among his interests is serving as a sideman for
the Terrell County Bs, a Sanderson-based dance band. SANDERSON
– It took two days for people here to do justice to the memory of the signing
of the Declaration of Independence 232 years earlier. Because
some had complained it was difficult to take in all the activities in one day
– and while July 4 fell on a Friday – it was agreed that this year’s
celebration would be both days. A
highlight came at the end of the two-day observance with the annual street
dance between the Courthouse and Sanderson High School. Hometown
Band Dewey and the Terrell County Bs provided music until 1 a.m. Sunday. Afterward,
several people lauded the band’s rendition of the “Star Spangled Banner”
featuring Jimmy Davis on the harmonica. There
was no fireworks this year because of a county fireworks ban precipitated by
a year-long drought. Heavy
rains June 29 and some lighter amounts since have helped but were not considered
enough to justify lifting the ban. The
two-day bash all started with the annual Fourth of July parade down Oak
Street, ending at the Legion Hall where the American Legion and the Legion
Auxiliary provided a barbecue lunch. There
were ten floats, three antique cars, two antique trucks, three motorcycles,
three golf carts and a “four wheeler,” two junior bicycles, two walkers and a
wagon and the ever-present mule-drawn wagon. It
was led by a color guard by Boys and Girls State delegates, three sheriff’s
vehicles, two fire trucks, an ambulance and a wrecker. Activities
on the Courthouse Lawn both days included food from several booths, games for
children, an Old Timers Hour, ice cream contest, silent auction, class
reunions and sale of autographed copies of a brand new poster, “Sanderson, Cactus
Capital of Texas,” by Rick Vanderpool of Commerce. One
complaint to the News Leader was that there were not enough activities
for teens. There
were events for adults and small children but little to do for teens and
young adults. A
softball tournament, volleyball and other games were suggested. But
the weather cooperated with cloudy to partly cloudy skies and temperatures in
the 70s and 80s both days. And
there are only 358 days before we do it all again. ALPINE
– Lobo Stars hope to shine more brightly through enhanced outdoor learning
and hands-on experiences at Sul Ross State University. Lobo
Stars, the school’s 10-year Quality Enhancement Plan, is a joint project of
faculty, staff and students to design more hands-on outdoor learning
experiences with a focus on the greater Big Bend region. “The
strength of Sul Ross is in its location,” said Sul Ross President R. Vic
Morgan. “Student engagement and learning can be enhanced through the unique
cultural, historical, social, political, economic and environmental qualities
that make up this area.” Dr.
Barney Nelson, professor of English and chair of the 48-member QEP committee,
said that Sul Ross has long used the outdoors as a learning laboratory. Lobo
Stars seeks to expand the opportunities. “Hands-on
learning is popular with our students and this area really lends itself to
these concepts,” Nelson said. “The more often that our students can apply
practical aspects to what they learn, the better they understand.” Nelson
noted that current research in higher education “also stresses the importance
of skills and subjects that the Sul Ross location can offer: cultural
awareness, international trade, environmental issues, geological and
hydrological exploration, conservation, preservation of unique historical, anthropological
and natural features and the celebration or critique of these subjects through
arts and letters. “These
also represent the fastest growing job markets and many Sul Ross professors
are already nationally known in these fields,” she said. To
augment the expansion of outdoor learning opportunities, Sul Ross has created
a new position, coordinator of the Faculty Support Center and Outdoor
Learning. The
new coordinator will oversee part-time graduate student staff, be responsible
for organizing and facilitating faculty development seminars and Pilots of
Engagement – ideas for outdoor learning designed to enhance student engagement,
critical thinking and learning. “As
an example, can an outdoor activity like ROPES, working on a construction
site or using a transect to count native grasses foster better understanding
of mathematics?” Nelson asked. “Pilots of Engagement advocates proof rather
than opinion. We want to test each idea to determine if it actually helps
students learn.” Lobo
Stars participation is voluntary, not mandatory, Nelson said. “Overall,
we are trying to encourage more student interest in learning by using the
outdoors and the cultural interests that exist,” she said. “The Big Bend area
is our greatest asset and many disciplines, including Wildlife Management,
Earth Sciences and others, are already using it.” Nelson
teaches a graduate course in reading and
writing about the Big Bend that includes a weekend field trip. “We’re
not reinventing the whole class concept,” she said. “We’re encouraging more
of what we already have, what we [as faculty] are good at and to offer more
hands-on opportunities to our students.” “Once
students learn to think about and understand the life and landscape of the
area immediately surrounding them, they are then ready to transfer those
skills to similar issues in other places,” President Vic Morgan said. The
plan was originally part of the Sul Ross reaffirmation of accreditation review
in April. “The
visiting representatives from the Southern Association of Colleges and
Schools were highly complimentary of this beautiful area, our beautiful
campus and our plan to bring those two together,” Nelson said. “The process
encourages individual initiative and says, ‘What do I want to do?’ It places
the initiative and responsibility onto the person who has the idea,” she
said. The
very sweet taste of success SANDERSON
– Luke Carroll and Heather Gully of Sanderson took first place in their
respective divisions Saturday in the GFWC Culture Club’s annual homemade ice
cream contest. Luke,
the son of Mark and Kristi Carroll, presented a strawberry ice cream to win
in the youth division. Gully
concocted a honey-vanilla yoghurt to win the adult division. Other
youth winners included second-place Corlee Carruthers with as
wild-cherry-vanilla concoction and third-place Hunter Truesdell with an
“M&M” ice cream. Susie
Farley won second place in the adult division with a vanilla ice cream. Judges
were Tammy Truesdell of Sanderson, Nelson Cooke of Bulverde and his brother
Darrell Cooke of Hearne. People
lined up in a queue that snaked around the Courthouse Lawn and, once the
winners were named, they took turns buying the confection for $2 per cup. The
proceeds will help the Culture Club with its annual scholarships for
Sanderson High School graduates. The
contest is just one of a host of activities during the annual Independence
Day observance here. BOWIE
– Pistol Babb of Post won first place and a saddle in the Super Pee Wee Boys
Division of the State Finals of the American Association of Sheriffs Posses
& Riding Clubs riding competition here last month. Pistol
competed in eight events against ten other competitors. He
is the son of Doyle and Cindy Babb of Post and the grandson of Joe and Goldie
Brown of Sonora, formerly of Sanderson. The six year old won by four points and credit |