The Albany News (Albany, Tex.), Vol. 123, No. 19, Ed. 1 Thursday, October 8, 1998 Page: 4 of 16
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Opinion Pa
E 4-A
The Albany News
TEXAS PRESS
ASSOCIATION
ims
Thursday, October 8, 1998
The Albany News
Since 1875
Oldest journalistic Venture west of the Brazos
Editor / Publisher Donnie A. Lucas
Managing Editor
Melinda L Lucas
Advertising/Business Manager Betty Viertel
Moran Correspondent
Audrev Brooks
Office Assistant
Tinker Cauble
New Features
Regular readers ofthis page will notice
a change this week — the'addition of a
column by local historian Joan Farmer.
We are excited that Joan has agreed to
share her vast' knowledge of local history
each week with our subscribers through
both prose and photos.
For most of her life Joan has been
passionately involved in preserving and
documenting local history. Now she is
going to share a story from the past and a
picture or two each week about the color-
ful history that shaped our town and
county.
The entire Clear Fork of the Brazos
area was an important place in history.
Most of us know it was a special place and
through the Fandangle production, we
have a basic understanding of what hap
pened.
But there are so many stories to be told
and old photos to shar;>. To some it will
serve as a visit to their past, but for most
it will be the first time they have heard
the story
So we feel it is important to share the
past with the leaders of our future and
appreciate Joan being willing to dedicate
the time and effort necessary to present a
. weekly column.
We are tentatively entitling the col-
umn "Remembering When," however, we
are certainly open to suggestions.
You w ill also.be seeing a second column
by ELmalyn (Sam) Gillispie soon, but she
ne^ds the help of local-residents. Sam will
be rooting out family stories that have
been handed dow n from one gene rat ton to
the next.
Sam's new column will be called "His .
tory as it Lingers " Those who are famil-
iar with the Fandangle will recognize
that phrase, which refers to the type of
history that the outdoor production is
based upon history as it lingers in the
heads of the old timers.
Anyone with an interesting family story
that hasn't been told, or which would be of
interest .to a new generation of Albany
residents is urged t o call Sam and share it
with her. (Sam will also still be writing
Round and About)
We appreciate the effort these projects
will entail, but what a treat we are for,
thanks to Joan and Sam.
Let us hear what you think More im
portantly, let them hear if you like what
you read.
policy
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AFFIUATIONS
1998 MKMWjR lexas Press \s>i>ciaiion,
West lexas Press \s-nidation
ponderings by Pat
By Pat Lidia Jones
It was a few years back. A huge
party tent had been raised near the
highway , at the base of Six Mile Mill,
on the Newell Ranch. Abilene':. DRJ
(Disability Resources) gathered an
illustrious group of celebrities to hunt
quail . Crowds of ordinary people, like
me, paid to have a barbecue lunch, in
the presence of the "stars."
Bo Jackson was the big name that
year, and he, along with several hunt-
ers who had paid big bucks .for the
privilege of hunting with a celebrity,
had been assigned to my partner and
his hunting dogs.
Bo was unique in that he starred in
baseball and in football. He also
starred in a lot of TV commercials.
"Bo knows" became a popular catchy
phrase; His book was entitled "Bo
Knows Bo."
At the height of his popularity,
securing him tor the Celebrity Hunt
was a great feather in the cap of the
OKI
Kids and fans came for miles
ar uind. They brought footballs, base-
balls, bats, and bits of paper for Bo
and others tp sign.
The only problem was Bo came to
hunt, not to sit for hours signing things
for fans.
Jay Hardaway, Jacob and Zach
Jones, our three grandsons felt privi-
leged that day, because their grand-
father introduced them to Bo and got
balls autographed.
Every time Bo moved a muscle-
land he had many), kids converged on
him. Finally an area was blocked off
so Bo could eat his! lunch without
interruption.
In another area of the tent, I stood
chatting with my partner before they
left for the afternoon hunt. Noting the
kids stalking Bo, my partner said,
"It's too bad they don't see the real
celebrity here."
"Who'.'" I asked.
"See that guy sitting over there?"
. I looked in the direction he' indi-
cated There sat a stocky fellow,
bundled Up in i battered old blue
down jacket, jeans and boots. He wore
a "gimme" cap and a pleasant.expres-
sion , n his weather-beaten face. He
didn't look familiar to me
"That's Doak Walker."
Doak Walker! We are talking
HERO.
He epitomized football hero for
thousands of people of all ages back in
the late 40s and early 50s. He was the
star of SMU's team all his collegiate
career. He won the Heisman Trophy
and was named Ail-American. He once
appeared on the covers of 47 maga-
zines. He played for the Detroit Lions.
To top it off, he was a good guy, a
good man and during the days when
he was called America's greatest ath-
lete, he was 511" and 175 pounds.
The kids stumbled past him, un-
knowing that they were in the pres-
ence of one of America's champions.
He died the other day, Doak
Walker. He was 71, and he'd lived for
many years in Steamboat Springs,
Colorado.
It was a mixed group, those 500
mourners who trowded the Steam-
boat Springs Church and overflowed
into a tent. The men in suits and ties
were obviously from out.of town, prob-
ably from Dallas, SMU officials and
fellow teammates — Ail-Americans,
Hall of Earners and Detroit Lion team-
mates. Others wore jeans and plaid
shirts and big belt buckles and boats.
They were his friends and neighbors.
He was one of them.
Television broadcaster Verne
Lundquist did the eulogy and read
from several of more than 6,000 faxes
the family had received.
Doak Walker had a very special
service, as was appropriate for a very
special life
Quoting the Dallas Morning News,
which quoted the Reverend George
Schroeder, And now for the first time
ever, in any church, as far as we know
' SugaF Boeder." It was apparently
lH>ak Walker's favorite song.
After the song. Father Schroeder
closed the service by reciting Bobby
Bare's "Dropku-k Me, Jesus, Through
the Goal Posts of 1 ,ife." 4
So a real All American is gone from
us now, but as long as great men, who
were also great athletes, are men-
tioned, Doak Walker w ill be remem-
bered
He had no tattoo.s, no pierced ears,
no big gold jewelry around his neck
and on his'haitds, no fur coat, and no
rap sheet down at the police depart-
ment.
He wa- a real man
By, Joan Halford Farmer
For two months; during World War
II, I lived 111 Lubbock. Those two
months represent the sum total of
time I have lived out of Shackelford
County
I made one bus trip home in that
period of time. The buses in those
days were not air conditioned and
they were crowded beyond belief
Standing 111 the aisle of a hot, sway-
ing bus was a new experience for a
country girl. But I
held on to a leat hei-
st rap and the
happy knowledge
that at the end of
my t rip, 1 would see
tile hills of home.
Hills surround
our town and give
nie the sensation
of being m a safe
nest From one of
those hills, be-
tween Abilene and
Albany, the tower
of the courthouse
can be seen On
that long ago trip
home, as the bus
moved down the
curving one mile
lull, I could see the
S h a c k e 1 f 0 r d
County Court
house standing square and beautiful,
telling me "you are back where you
belong Tears stung my eyes and my
l^eart soared.
During the war years, the bus sta
tion was 111 the McLetuore Hotel 1
was the only person getting off the
bus and the driver quickly handed me
my suitcase I clutched it in my right
hand and gladly walked the one mile
to my mother's house home to me
1 have traveled very little in the
ensuing years, but enough to have
seen majestic mountains. As a result,
I know Eahart Mountain, northwest
of Albany, is not a mountain true,
it's just a hill But it's my mountain,*
not as a possession of ownership, but
as one of the landmarks I've recok!
nized all my life
It has not been my good fortune to
own large acreages of land in Shack
el ford County, but I do possess a scrap
of its early history.
My groat great-uncle Dutch Nance
opened the first store in the town of
Eort Griffin. His niece, Josephine
Walker Halford, and her husband,
Charles Houston Halford, followed
)U1'CM NANCt
Community Calendar
OCT. 8 * Merchants breakfast meeting - Depot, 8 am
Lions Glub - Icehouse, 12 noon
OCT. 9 Chamber luncheon - Ft Griffin, \2 noon
City cleanup - Next to Depot, 12 noon-5 pm
OCT. 10 City cleanup - Next to Depot, 8 am-12 noon
Stargazing - Fort Griffin State Park, dusk
OCT. 12 Toastmasters - Courthouse, 6:30 pm
Fandangle Assn. meeting - Depot, 7 pm
OCT. 13 Commissioners court - Courthouse, 9 am
Cowboy Days planning meeting « Icehouse, 6 pm
Athletic Booster Club - High school, 6:30 pm
OCT. 14 Quail Appreciation Day - Old Jail Art Center &
Newell Ranch, 8:30 am
OCT. 16-18 Watt Matthews Cowboy Days - Downtown
Albany
OCT. 18 Reception for Dr. L.S. Key - Whitney Bldg.
2-4 pm
OCT. 19 Hospital board meeting - Clinic board room, .
7 pm
School board meeting - Supt.'s office, 7:30 pm
"A Peoples'^ Heritage Center"
American Legion Hal), open by appointment
FIRST
NATIONAL
BANK
Albany/Breckenridge
MtMBtR FDK
round and about
him to Shackelford County These
two were my paternal grandparents
My Grandfather Halford's family
did not approve of his marriage to
Josephine and made her life miser-
able The senior llalfords lived on a
prosperous farm. They were ashamed
of my grandmother s Indian ancestry.
She was one half I ndian, descended
from the Cherokee, as was Dutch
Nance She and her husband were
moved into a one room house with a
detached kitchen,
which only had
three walls The
> ears passed and
there were seven
children born to
Charles and Jose
phine.
And then, one
Fine day, Josephine
told Charles she was
leaving and moving
with her children to
Shackelford County,
where her uncle
Dutch Nance was
living Her husband
came along. They
moved to a farm nine
miles from Albany,
which they later
bought from Dutch.
Dutch Nance's
store at Fort Griffin
was a place frequented by the
ronkawa Indians, who camped near
Fort Griffin under the protection of
the military Dutch spoke their lan-
guage and befriended these poor and
destitute Native Americans.
Later Dutch, his wife and daugh
ter lived in Albans, where Dutch
owned a store on Mam Street His
daughter. Berta Hart Nance, once
Poet Laureate ofTexas, was a teacher
at Reynolds Presbyterian Academy.
Her poem, "Cattle" is read at the be-
ginning of each Fandangle perfor-
mance
So, that's my bit of history, small
and no "big deal, compared to the
many other family histories that be-
longto our county. On our Main Street,
only this' ''locks in length, the rpek
wails of the old buildings have kept
the echoes of our grandfathers' vi a-es
and a few metal rings remain along
the sidewalks where they tied their
horses
It is not wise to forget those who
cleared and smoothed the way for our
lives today. So, ifyou care and want to
remember, meet me here next week,
By Emalyn (Sam) Gillispie
Jamie Nail and Annie Brown were
married Saturday evening in.the. liv-
ing room at the Nail Ranch. Follow-
ing the wedding, the reception was
attended by about four hundred
people. They came from all over
cowboys, ranchers, bankers, lawyers
arid just, plain folks Jamie's mother,
Cathy, and husband Mike Farley and
Jim Law catered the reception. A lot
of good food, dancing, singing of songs
arid fun was had by all
Matilda Nail Peeler did not get to
attend the wedding. She is in the
hospital in Fort Worth following back
surgery.
Paul Potter suffered a heart attack
the other day and he is m the hospital
in Abilene. He is expected to be home
soon
Pete Torres is spot ng a black eye
and stitches in his head He was in his
back yard where a tree had been cut
down and he fell and his head hit the
tree stump
Hud Wilfong was in Midland at the
air show last week He took t ime off to
fly in for the wedding and then re-
turned to Midland for ihe rest of the
show.
I had the pleasure of meeting Page,
Hays. She and her husband Bruce
have bought Diana Nail's house up by
the golf course. Page said they plan to
live here six months of the year. Their
other home is in San Miguel de
Allende, Mexico.
Bruce is art artist and longtime
friend of Bob Green. He and Bob were
in college together. In Mexico, the
house they live in was built in 1750
and it was the home of Santa Anna
between 1830 and 183H. I asked Page
why did they decide to make Albany
their second home and she said it was
their friendship with the Greens and
the friendliness of the people. Wel-
come to Albany, Page and Bruce
1 was downtown Monday and ev-
eryone was busy dressing up the store
windows and the sidewalks getting
teady for Watt Matthews Days. It will
be next weekend, don't forget.
They really had a nice crowd at the
State Park at Fort Griffin last Satur-
day The occasion was the 75th anni-
versary of all the state parks in Texas.
Also the 60th anniversary of the open-
ing of Fort Griffin Park and the 50th
anniversary of the State Longhorn
herd Lester Galbreath had a group of
speakers to entertain the guests.
Shirley Caldwell introduced Jim
Keffer, the state representative from
Eastland and he told about the start
of the parks Bob Green told about
Griffin. Ed Tackett was in.the CCC
when they were there restoring the
park in the late 1930's. Lester talked
about the Longhorn herd. Debbe
Hudman sang the National Anthem
and Harold Law sang 'Texas Our
Texas," and Mike Parsons led the
Pledge of Allegiance.
Saturday night the astronomers
will be back at the Fort Griffin State
Park. These people are out of Dallas
and Fort Worth and they bring their
big telescopes and show off our night
sky. It is something. You should put it
on vour calendar to attend on October
10
1 had word today that York Bissell
had passed away at his home in
Harriman, Tennessee. Our prayers
go out to the many friends and family
here in Albany.
I was told a large bass had been
caught at the City Lake last week.
Maybe someone will let me know the
name of the person who caught it. My
son Paul went fishing Sunday with-
out me and caught several catfish in
the five to eight pound size. I know
where he went fishing, so I am going
to go out and try ray hand at some of
t hose bass
This is Sam
And I will see vou Round and About
letter to the editor
Reader enjoys new spaper
Dear Editor:
Since it's National Newspaper
Wej'k, I feel compelled to put to paper
what 1 express in words frequently 1
love our newspaper! With style and
poignancy it covers events thai affect
all of our lives, The photography is
excellent, the articles informative and
unbiased, and the subjects pertinent
It "reports it all" and reports it
tastefully If you don't believe me,
pick up an\ other local paper arid
you'll see what 1 mean We are spoiled
to have such a pubiicat ion in our town
There is absolutely no comparison to
other small town newspapers in style,
professionalism and craftsm mship.
and I venture to say any larger publi-
cation, for that matter
1 have had frequent opportunities,
as many of you have, to place ads and
articles in The Albany News Donnie,
Melinda and staff Iihvu always been
quick to -.top what thev are doing and
take my information. It is difficult for
me to be eloquent m my vs t iting and l
stress over every word. But I can be
assured that by merely supplying the
basic information to Melinda, she will
work her magic and print the most
wonderful and informative phrases.
The Albany News is a treasure that
is ei\joyed and appreciated by sub-
scribers far outside these city limits
My parents in San Angelo have con-
tinued their subscription since their
move in 1986 and would not think of
cancelling They eryoy the editions so
much they recently purchased a sub-
scription for my uncle in Houston who
enjoys small town newspapers. He
was so impressed by the gift that he
called my parents to praise the paper
and stated he read every word from
front to back (Hi, Uncle Dwayne!)
A paper's success truly mirrors the
success of its community. By the jewel
that we possess in this nevyspaper,(we
must be the wealthiest people in the
nation!
Thank you, Donnie and Meliiuih,
and congratulations on your excel-
lence1,
Lorna Ayert
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Lucas, Donnie A. The Albany News (Albany, Tex.), Vol. 123, No. 19, Ed. 1 Thursday, October 8, 1998, newspaper, October 8, 1998; Albany, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth413056/m1/4/: accessed April 30, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting The Old Jail Art Center.