The Cherokeean. (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 131, No. 50, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 29, 1981 Page: 1 of 16
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microfilm center, inc
p.o. box 45436
dallas, tx 75235
15°
per Issue
The Cherokeean
Texas' Oldest Weekly Newspaper
Home of the
p Texas Stale Railroad
'•it.
Vol.131 No. 50 16 Pages
Established as the Cherokee Sentinel, February 27,1850
Rusk, Texas 75785-- January 29,1981
>
y
i.
I
'Round
Town
with
Mrs. Roundabout
ox*
Anything that begins "once upon a
time" has a way of tickling the
reader's fancy. That may, in part, be
associated with our memories of fairy
tales which begin that way and
which always have a happy ending
We want to read how it was "once
upon a time" and we definitely want it
to end happily
The real world too often provides
experiences thai end unhappilv
I'erhaps thai explains our almost
compulsive desire to read the "hap-
pily ever after" stories. Well...Nunda>
was called "Super Sunday' and some
day in the history books it may begin.
"Once l pon A Time." There was a
fain tale quality in the double header
experience. The da> marked the
return of our former hostages to the
I S and it was the da> for the playing
of Super Howl 15.
Football may be super for some of
its fans, but my team had already lost
and therefore my interests in Super
Howl 15 were slightly diminished
With all of you . however. 1 shared the
joy of the return of our people from
Iran And that is a topic which others
will continue to report in the days yet
to come
We do not personally know any of
those 52 persons un> more than an> of
probabl) know the members of the
two teams who were engaged in
athletic combat for a big title Sunday.
And yet. all of us probably feel that we
do know them...the former hostages
tnd the football players.
In the media reports of these
people, we come to think we know
them We feel for them, empathize with
them and to a degree experience what
they're experiencing Is this not, what
we do, even for those we know in
timutely''
And when this happens, it is further
evidence of the ( hrist-like quality, or
the (iod-nesN if you will, in the human
heart. That quality which causes us to
feel the joy as well as the sorrow for
someone else. A willingness and a
desire to share a feeling.
Well, two violet blooms do not mean
spring has arrived Hut they are
evidence that u re-birth of nature is
about to begin And the return of 52
hostages are no promise that freedom
is restored forevermore Hut their
return and the playing of a football
game are surely signs of a freedom
that is still evolving The freedom to
make decisions based on right at-
titudes
Until that day is full> here, we will
doubtlessly continue to be attracted to
anything that begins "Once upon a
time." because that very attraction
rests on Hope that springs eternal in
the heart of the human being..which
reall> believes "good guys win...and
the> all lived happil) ever after."
Until next week? Keep hoping!
mw
PUC To Consider
Phone Increases
MARCH LKAI)ER--Joe Tucker, 3-year-old son of Arthur and Mary
Tucker, is the "leader" of Husk's Mothers' March Against Birth
Defects, scheduled for Friday, Jan. 30. Joe. who was born with a birth
defect, receives physical therapy instruction from Rita Owens at Rusk
Memorial Hospital. -photo by ted townsend
If a request for a rate increase by
General Telephone Company of the
Southwest receives favorable action
from the Public Utility Commission of
Texas (PUC), Rusk business and
residential customers of the company
can expect to pay higher fees.
A one-party line to a resident will
increase by $1.98. This is an increase
from $6.65 to $8.63. A one-party line
for business phone will increase by
$5.26 monthly, a hike from $17.60 to
$22.86.
Jacksonville and New Summerfield
residence rates will increase from
$7.15 to $9.32 and the business rate will
go up from $19 to $24.67.
GTE filed its statewide request for
increased revenues with PUC last
Friday. The company seeks $44.6
million in annual revenues of which
the company would receive $23.2
million after taxes and uncollectibles.
The request is based on financial
data for a one-year period ending
Sept. 30,1980.
General Telephone is the largest in-
dependent (non-Bell) telephone com-
pany in Texas serving over 1.3 million
telephones in 291 exchanges across
the state. Major cities served include
Garland, Irving and Piano in the
Dallas/Fort Worth area; Baytown and
Dickinson in the Houston area ; and
Texarkana, San Angelo, Bryan
College Station.
F.E. Hightower, vice president-
revenue requirements, said the major
factors creating the necessity for
filing the application are:
* Continued inflation.
* Record-setting gross construction
expenditures necessary to keep pace
with growth.
* New technology.
"The money to finance new con-
struction in the fast-growing Sun Belt
area of Texas must be borrowed at
record high interest rates,"
Hightower said, "and double digit in-
flation continues making everything
connected with providing service cost
more. The company's program to im-
prove and upgrade service and to con-
tinue to construct new facilities
makes it necessary to request higher
rates to more nearly reflect today's
cost of doing business."
The request follows the company's
County Court
Awards Audit
and
TSR Begins Mar. 21
Visitors to the Texas State Railroad
Historical Park will begin arriving
again March 21 with the opening of the
tourist season at the park
According to Lynn Padgett,
spokeswoman for the railroad, the
spring season of runs will begin March
21 and continue through May 31 with
rides every Saturday and Sunday.
The rides from Rusk will begin at 11
a m and return to the Rusk depot at
12:30pm
"We have an added attraction for
riders in the railroad who ride the
Rusk end of the line this year," Mrs.
Padgett said. "The locomotive will
turn around at Maydelle on a tur-
ntable."
The rides from Palestine end of the
line will begin at 2 p.m and return to
the Palestine depot at 3:30 p.m.
Beginning June 1, the park will en-
ter its regular summer schedule of
trips, making runs every day except
Tuesday and Wednesday. The trips
will begin and end at the same times
as trips on Saturday and Sunday were
scheduled for
Each trip is a 14-mile round trip
ride In the past, the trains have
traveled from Rusk to Palestine and
back but the weakened condition of
the bridge over the Neches River has
necessitated an end to that
The replacement of the deteriorated
Neches River bridge has been ap-
proved by the Texas Parks and
Wildlife Commission and, currently,
the architectural and engineerirife
designs for the new bridge are being
developed, Mrs. Padgett said.
"Our goal is to run a full season by
1982-to be able to make the four-hour
round trip ride in the 1982 season,"
Mrs. Padgett said. "This year is
definitely out. We simply could not get
the bridge completed in time."
One added feature for the Palestine
end of the trip is the beginning of
Dogwood Trails and Festival in
Palestine March 21. The Dogwood
Festival, which will feature an arts
and crafts fair this ye¿ir, is held each
year and features old homes in
Palestine and marked car and
walking routes which are lined with
dogwood trees in bloom.
The county's bi-annual independent
audit was awarded to Arthur Young
and Co. of Fort Worth for a price not
to exceed $11,000 by the com-
missioners meeting in regular session
Monday.
The price is $3,000 more than the
company charged the county two
year's ago and Arthur Young and Co.
was the only company considered for
the audit.
When addressing the com-
missioners about the need for the
audit, County Judge Orvan B. Jones
noted that the Young company has
done the county's audit for many
years and has been saying for many
years that they were going to have to
go up on the price.
He also told the commissioners that
the company has done an "excellent"
job and conducted the last audit for
$1,500 under what the maximum
amount called for, or $6,500 when they
spted UiT
Rage as
; County
Contest Saturday
The 19th annual Invitational
Twirling contest, sponsored by the
Rusk Band Boosters Club, is
scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 31 at the
high school.
Twirlers and drill teams from a 250
mile radius will descend on Rusk for
the contest.
There will be twirling competition
for ages 1 to 18 years.
Solo, duet and large emsemble drill
teams will compete in military, dance
and drill team-style categories of
competition.
All students are eligible for the
competition and the public is invited
to come and observe the contests.
Railroad Man Still
A'going at 78 Years
I've been working on the
railroad
All my live long flays
by Kay Sudduth
At 78-years-old, working for J.D.
Denman is not only a habit, it's like a
pair of well worn housesho s--a
pleasure to slip into.
Denman, an employee at the Texas
State Railroad State Historical Park,
has been working for railroads for 47
years altogether. The jobs have
ranged from being a road crew helper
to bossing a gang of prisoners putting
in improvements on the tracks.
Knowing that railroad work is not
easy stuff, especially with the heat of
a Texas summer, one can't help but
wonder how Denman manages to
keep on a'going.
"Well, 1 eat regular, get plenty of
rest and lay off this drinking," says
the roader "Too, I do get in and help
with the heavy loada as much as I can
-I do a pretty fair share. But, then I'm
not as strong as I used to be and I
know that That's what alt them
youiypr fellers are out there for and
•olleta era '
Denman s not out at TSR for his
brawn, anyway, as much as he is out
therefor his brains
"We have him iDenman) out here
to pick his brain mostly," said Curtis
Pruett, superintendent of the park.
"We know the techniques and these
younger men know how to do a thing
but J.D can lots of times show us an
easier, simpler, less costly way of
building or maintaining our roadbeds
track and bridges."
Denman can give examples, too.
Like the time the crew was working
on a bridge and needed a crane to put
the timbers in place. Well, wouldn't
you know-that crane was broken and
would have taken several days to
repair-all of which would have meant
a delay in the repairwork and in the
operation of the summer excursion
train rides at the park.
True to form, J.D. came through
with a method which manuevered the
timbers into place WITHOUT the aid
of a crane-all from men's muscles,
both the brainy and the brawny type
"Back when 1 first started working
with the railroads, we didn't have
cranes So we had to learn how to do
things, back then, with just ourselves
for the power I just put my memorv
10 use." said the almost^tVvear old
"SeeWOHKING. page 3
f
H Ml KOADKH KOH I.IKK-J 1 . Denman ka been working on the reWraads for 47 ol M it years-art he's UB
working on tkem. Denman b an mipl# « at the !>* state Railroad Stale Historical I'nrh and get* "used" lor
His brains The old tin *, loag-time worker ta «Me to b*H' 'be railroad iwrk tafl^MlM easier. MMplw and
let co*ll\ inclbod lor m a in I a in In g the track and brlduev like the one be bt shown with here
- phals h? ka. i
411
had estimated to the county the '
would range up to $8,000.
The Commissioners accepte
resignation of Mrs. Henry
chairman of the Cherokee
Historical Commission and approved
the appointment of John Allen Tem-
pleton to replace her. Mrs. Rose will
continue to be on the commission. A
resignation from Mrs. Tom Dean
Stevens was accepted and Mr. Tom
Dean Stevens was appointed to the
commission to replace his wife.
The court also approved expanding
the commission from 12 to 16 mem-
bers and appointed Mrs. Bill Marsh,
Bill Grammer, Dr. W.A. Miller and
George Bennett to fill the new
positions.
Commissioners also approved
hiring a Comprehensive Education
and Training Act (CETA) employee
as a full time county employee at (775
a month effective March 1.
In asking the commissioners to hire
Donna Dowling, the CETA clerk, as a
full time employee, County Clerk Mrs.
Fairy Upshaw explained that the
number of reports the clerk's office
has had to process has increased
tremendously over the past year.
In August of 1979, approximately
15,000 reports were handled by the of-
fice, Mrs. Upshaw said, and 19,000
reports were processed in August of
1980. The figures comparing Septem-
ber of 1979 and September of 1980
show 13,000 reports compared to
20,000 reports handled by the office.
Commissioners also corrected an
error in the minutes of an earlier
court meeting to read that the pay of
the machine operator at the county
landfill would be $943-a figure equal
to what other machine operators em-
ployed by the county are paid. The
minutes had read that the figure
would be the same but then had also
said that the operator would be paid
$918.
The county leaders appointed
Commissioner Toby Sartain to the
Board of Directors of the Rusk-
Cherokee Community Action
Program and approved sending coun-
ty jail personnel to a school in Kilgore.
Baptists
Consider
Color TV
Viewers of the weekly service of the
First Baptist Church, Rusk, were sur-
prised when the entire service was
shown in color last week on E-Z Vision
Cable, Channel 8.
A new Panasonic color camera was
loaned to the church by a Dallas com-
pany.
Rev. James Jacobs, pastor, stated
that he had received favorable com-
ments concerning the broadcaat
Depending upon the response
received from viewers of the
cablecase, the committee will decida
whether or not to recommend to the
church to look further into the pur-
chase of this new color camera.
Members of the committee would
like to hear from the people of Rusk.
Please contact any of theae i
Doug Jordan-
Bob Clayton «M7JT
Travis McCaia-
tieorgeDodd-auu
UMiTéhim —i
Paatar Jacobs al church«
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The Cherokeean. (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 131, No. 50, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 29, 1981, newspaper, January 29, 1981; Rusk, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth151473/m1/1/: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Singletary Memorial Library.