The Cherokeean. (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 125, No. 30, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 19, 1974 Page: 1 of 12
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Volume 125
Number 30
The Cherokeean
Texas' oldest weekly newspaper, established as the Cherokee Sentinel, Feb. 27,1850
14c Per Issue
12 Pages
Rusk, Texas, Thursday, September 19, 1974
| 'Round
I TOWN (
With
ijijMrs. Roundabout|
Most of us live our lives the
way we watch television. The
program may not be as good as
we would like, but we're too
lazy to get up and change it.
Those of our community who
are too busy to even watch TV
these days are not likely to find
any humor in our opening
comment. Ituskites are very
much "at it" right now. We're
going down home stretch with
plans for the Arts and Crafts
Fair, Oct. l-l>: a winning
football season is well under-
way and Himself is buzzing
with plans for an Honor Hilly
Clayton Day in Husk.
The super duper. armadillo
race scheduled for 2 p.m. Oct.
5, in connection with the A-C
Fair, had drawn much interest
from our citizenry...but not a
whole lot from the armadillos!
If the syndicate in charge of
buying up the racing 'dillos
would offer the runners a
bigger split of the take, more
cooperation could be expected.
After all, what do those little
hard-hided creatures have to
gain in volunteer service'.'
Somebody announced no plans
for amnesty to deserting
'dillos, and they seem to have
fled the country. Let's hear it
for the 'dillos and their
would-be pursuers! <In foot-
ball, this is called the
pre-season action!)
In preliminary, nun-confer-
ence play, the Eagles of Husk
High have launched an
impressive image. Our ath-
letes are looking up in action,
and supporters can expect to
see more and better of the
same. Last week's game,
posptoned from Friday until
Saturday night because of the
rain, was an exercise in
playing frustration for every-
body except the makers of
detergents and laundry pro-
ducts. At half time, all of the
mud in iVlusick Stadium
appeared to be on the players.
The Kagles returned to the
field for second half action in
nice, clean suits. The question
is. did the players and suits get
laundered together during the
half? To make a pun, it was a
clean game, in spite of a mud
handicap.
+ See ROUNDABOUT. Pg. It
Rusk Events To Honor
Speaker-Apparent Clayton
Rep. Billy Clayton
It l sk . I I \ Speaker Ap
parent o! the Texas House ol
Representatives. Hilly Clayton
ol Spring Lake, will be an
honored guest in Husk Tues-
day. Oct 1
The future Speaker ol the
House is scheduled to speak to
a joint meeting of Husk service
clubs at noon on Tuesday
Members ol the Lions, Rotary
and Kiwanis Clubs will meet to
hear Hep Clayton discuss Ins
goals for the (>4th session of the
Legislature.
Members of the House,
especially from the Kast Texas
area, are invited to a fish
dinner Tuesday evening at the
farmhouse of Hep. Knimett H
Whitehead of Husk The
gathering will afford time for
the legislators to get better
acquainted before the January
session gets underway.
Final Hearings Slated in Tyler
In Cases Against County Officials
Final pre-trial hearings have
been set for Sept 2B-27 in U.S.
District Court in Tyler in three
cases involving Cherokee
County Commissioners, Coun-
ty Judge Orvan B. Jones and
County Sheriff John B. Slover.
A civil rights suit naming
Sheriff Slover, Deputy Max
Thomason and former Deputy
Richard Davis is set to begin at
9a.m. Thursday, Sept. 2t>. The
suit was filed by Michael
Walker Becker and alleges
police brutality. Becker is
seeking $10().ii0() in damages
from Slover. Davis and
Thomason.
Becker was arrested Tues-
day. May 3d. 1972 and charged
with manufacturing mari-
juana. Becker was arraigned
on the charge and bond was set
at $10,000. In another com-
plaint. Becker was charged
with possession of marijuana
and bond was set at $5,000.
Becker was allegedly found
watering a marijuana garden
in the Corine area eight miles
west of Jacksonville. Approx-
imately 30 pounds of mari-
juana was reported confisca-
ted.
A class-action suit filed by
the mother of the 14-year old
boy against the Cherokee
County Commissioners, Judge
Orvan B. Jones and Sheriff
Slover is set for final pre-trial
hearing at 9 a.m. Thursday,
Sept. 27.
The suit charges that the
rights of juveniles detained in
Cherokee County Jail are being
violated. The suit was filed for
James Quintain McElfresh by
his mother, Mrs. Barbara Jean
Loden. wife of Tommy Loden
of Ponta, on behalf of all
juvenile inmates of the jail.
The original petition was filed
Nov 19, 1973 by Larry R.
Daves, Tyler attorney and
Ai
Hep W hitehead believes the
fellowship ol legislators will
help form a united effort for
Kast Texas in the coming
session "There's a real need
for Kast Texas members of the
Legislature to continue work-
ing together for this area," he
said.
Hep. Clayton will be an
honored guest at the fish
dinner The representative,
who begins his 13th year as a
Texas Legislator in January,
has strong support as a
legislative leader. He has more
than 100 signed pledges which
assure his election when the
(>4th Legislature assembles in
January.
"He is one of the truly
outstanding members of the
House," said Hep. Whitehead.
"We are looking forward to
working with him in the
coining session."
Board Adopts Interim
Plan for Reappraisal
alleges that facilities of the jail
violate the due process and
equal protection clauses of the
14th Amendment to the U. S.
Constitution. The petition also
lists eight conditions which it
alleges constitute cruel and
unusual punishment. The
plaintiffs in the McElfresh suit
are seeking "declaratory judg-
ment. preliminary and
permanent injunction and
other appropriate relief
brought on behalf of the
juvenile inmates" of the jail.
Another federal class action
suit on behalf of all black
citizens ol Cherokee County is
also set for final pre-trial
hearing on Thursday, Sept. 27.
The suit was filed by Romeo
Ragsdale of 004 Border,
Jacksonville against the coun-
ty commissioners and Judge
Jones.
+ See HEARINGS, Pg. II
The Rusk School Board
adopted an Interin Plan for
continued action in the
property reappraisal issue at
Monday night's meeting. The
new plan includes an invitation
to an appraisal firm to meet
with the School Board at the
next three meetings to discuss
the issue and to answer
questions, according to Super-
intendent J. M. Boone.
Boone said the Board
recognizes the need for the
district to continue plans for
reappraisal. During the in-
terim. the Board will seek to
influence a county-wide reap-
praisal and wait to see if
Governor Briscoe submits any
recommendations regarding
public school finance.
"If in January, 1975. there
appears to be no action at the
state level to alleviate public
school finance, then we will
continue plans for reappraisal
at that point," Boone said.
The Board also decided
Monday night to amend the
present policy regarding Hon-
or Students. The new rules now
give any student the privlege of
taking the qualifying test,
providing he is passing. These
scoring over 90 percentile will
be honor students of their
class. The senior with highest
total score will be vale-
dictorian and the senior with
second highest total will be
salutatorian. The top ten
juniors, according to their total
scores on the qualifying test,
will hold honor positions for a
year. The top three students in
each class will receive tro-
phies. The remainder will
receive medals.
Boone said the new policy
will be more equal. Some
transfer students were pena-
lized under the old system, he
said.
A committee of Boone, Tom
Sartain and Bobby Tosh was
appointed at the Board
meeting to look into the
location and cost of lots to
determine their availability for
a Building and Trades project.
Boone said the high cost of
building materials and high
interest rates made ihe Board
apprehensive about securing a
worthwhile project for the
class.
The Board okayed an
extension of time for razing a
building on the Bradford
campus. The superintendent is
to work out a substantial
extension with the contractor,
Frank Gonzales, who has lost
time on the job due to illness.
Day of The
Dasypus Novemcinctus
The day of the Dasypus Novemcinctus is coming to Rusk!
If this leaves a question in your mind about whether we are
about to be invaded by an unknown planet or have an
armadillo race, rest assured that the latter is true.
Plans for the super-duper armadillo race were discussed
Monday afternoon during a meeting of the Special Activities
Committee of the Rusk Chamber of Commerce, sponsors of
the event.
The day of the Dasypus Novemcinctus will be at 2 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 5 on the East Side of the Square in downtown
Rusk. The track will run south from Richards Food Mart to
White's Auto Store and will be enclosed to protect the racers
from the fans.
Rules for entering an armadillo are simple. First catch an
armadillo and then contact JoEd Anderson or the Chamber
of Commerce office for a sponsor for it. "All racing
armadillos must have a sponsor but these will be provided if
one is not available to the person wishing to enter," says
Anderson, spokesman for the members of the committee.
There will be no discrimination as to the size or sex of the
armadillo, however all handlers must be at least 10 years of
age. "We do ask that all armadillos have a name or number
and that the handler wear a sign showing their sponsors,"
sayd the spokesman Handlers will not be allowed to touch
the racer with their hands or feet, but a small stick may be
used.
No time trials or practice runs will be held prior to the
race. Judging of the "Best Decorated Armadillo" will be held
before the race and a $10 prize will be awarded.
Prize money will be awarded to the three armadillos
winning the race. There will be $50 for first place, $30 for
second and $20 for third. There will be no admission to fans
wishing to view the race, which is being staged during the
East Texas Regional Arts and Crafts Fair.
Quarterbackers Hold Weekly Meet
I
AFTER THE DROUGHT
Rain, wet and beautiful, is reflected in this night
time photograph of a downtown Rusk street.
-photo by wendee whitehead
Dr. Lex Neill Resigns Post
As Rusk State Hospital Head
Lex T. Neill, M.D. has
resigned his post as superin-
tendent of Rusk State Hospital.
The resignation will become
effective officially "...at a date
as early as is consistant with
good management and good
administration," he said.
The resignation was made by
a letter to Dr. Kenneth D.
Gaver, commissioner of the
Texas Department of Mental
Health-Mental Retardation.
During the four years he
served as head of RSH, Dr.
Neill supported the develop-
ment ol the Volunteer Services
Council, the Therapeutic In-
dustrial Program for patients
and the Rosa Mae Griffin
Memorial Library. Through
the Volunteer Services Coun-
cil, the Frederick M Hedge
Therapy and Wilderness
Campsite was built during Dr.
Neill's administration
Dr. Neill has also supported
the construction of a Child
Care Center for children of
employees. "Every effort is
being made to bring this
needed facility into existence,"
said an RSH administrator.
Royce E. Wisenbaker, chair-
man of the Volunteer Council,
said "Dr. Neill is the best
'non-psychiatrist' psychiatrist
I know. He is exactly what all
mental hospitals need as
administrators.
"He is the kind of hospital
administrator of which we are
in short supply," Wisenbaker
said.
INSIDIO AH KA 5-Wnyne Brown, cameraman for the
program of the same name on \\ It \P I V, Fort orlh. \ islted
Husk last week to film an Interview with pel son* Involved In
the Vrts and Crafts Fair planned here Oct M> The film u.is
viewed Friday during WHAI'TVs presentation ol Inside
\rea 5. Channel ,\, at "> p.ni stall photo
The Rusk Quarterback Club
is holding regular weekly
meetings at 7 p m each
Tuesday in the coaches' office
at the old Bradford School
Following the business meet-
ing, a film of the previous
Eagle football game will be
shown, with narration by Ath-
letic Director Larry Minter
/
Dr. Lex T. Neill
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The Cherokeean. (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 125, No. 30, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 19, 1974, newspaper, September 19, 1974; Rusk, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth151088/m1/1/: accessed April 27, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Singletary Memorial Library.