Bastrop Advertiser (Bastrop, Tex.), No. 9, Ed. 1 Thursday, March 29, 1979 Page: 1 of 32
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Jull'is, T'eXfl? 7o<«.*«
Softball deadlines, track news ---See Page 5
Cable TV
moving in
TEXAS' OLDEST WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
Since March 1,1853
THE BASTROP [TEXAS] ADV ERTISER, THURSDAY, MARCH 29,1979
Number 9
Elderly man perishes in fire
near wood stove at home
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With only about three
weeks to go before its
franchise runs out in
Bastrop, Cable TV Company
will apparently try to wire
the city for cable TV in time
to meet the April 21
deadline.
Company operatives ap-
peared in Bastrop last
Friday and began "laying
out" the work with the help
of a large city map, reported
City Manager C.W. Patek.
Some materials for the
project are already in town,
saki Patek "they've got
some poles" delivered, he
said. But they must also
cak-ulate "how much stuff
the whole project will
require. ,
The company will run
some of its lines on poles,
said Patek, and "they can
Continued to Page 3
Dan Tennon, Sr., 67, died
early Monday when a fire
swept through his wood-
frame residence at 1312
Cedar Street in Bastrop
gutting the entire structure
and completely destroying
the rear portion.
The fire was reported to
the Bastrop County Sheriffs
office by officials of the Katy
railroad at 2:40 a.m. Appar-
ently an engineer spotted
the blaze as the train passed
through toward Smithville.
The house was completely
engulfed in flames by the
time volunteers from the
Bastrop VFD arrived on the
scene, said assistant fire
chief Jimmy Cottle.
Three fire fighting units
battled the blaze and
brought it under control by 3
a.m., said Cottle.
It was only after the fire
was under control that
Tennon was discovered. "We
could not be sure if anybody
was in there," said Cottle,
who added that firemen
knew that was a possibility.
Tennon was found on a
Smithville approves
more public housing
A preliminary proposal
from the Smithville Housing
Authority to the Depart-
ment of Housing and Urban
Development for new con-
struction of 60 family
dwelling units on some seven
vacres on Eagleston Street
was approved by the city at
its adjourned meeting Mon-
day night.
The application, prepared
by Stanley Smith of Urban
Housing Associates for the
housing authority, calls for
18 one-bedroom, 24 two-bed-
room and 18 three-bedroom
units. They will be single
story duplex buildings.
Laverne Cooper, Execu-
tive Director of the housing'
authority, said the estimated
cost of $600,000 would bp
"guaranteed" by HUD. HUD
officials notified the author-
ity that funds were'available
for "section 8" housing for
low-income families, she
said.
She also said she was
disappointed to learn that
there was no money avail-
able for housing for the
elderly.
A decision by HUD on the
project could come in "mid
April," she said, but con-
struction probably would not
start for six months after
that. The city must agree to
provide water, sewer and
electrical services to the
development, she added.
After Alderman Pat
Vacek suggested that the
city require 70-foot streets
inside the development,
Alderman Renee Blaschke
urged the council to approve
the preliminary proposal
"and take up specific
requirements" if the plan
gets approval from the
Department of Housing and
Urban Development.
Laverne Cooper of the
housing authority said she
did not expect HUD approv-
al for all 60 units. "I hope
they approve 40," she said,
adding that 60 had been
requested with the expecta-
tion that the initial request
would be cut.
In other action, the council
named A.J. Vickers, Dr.
Earl Walborg and William
Kaspar to the city's board of
equalization. Mayor Bill
Davison said that cards are
being mailed to city property
owners notifying them that
city taxes will now be
assessed on 100 per cent of
the property valuation.
Davison also reported that
the contractor is "laying
pipe" for the extended storm
drain across the Walborg
property. Work has been
"hampered by the weather,"
he said.
But "they're coming
along," Davison added. With
good weather, all the pipe
could be laid this week, he
said.
couch near a wood stove in
the rear part of the house,
said police chief Adell
Powell.
Powell said that the wood
heater was the "most likely"
cause of the blaze, but we'll
probably never know for
sure." There was no sign of
foul play, he said.
Tennon was "crippled up"
and "couldn't get around"
very well, Powell reported.
The senior Tennon lived
alone in the house. Until
"two months ago" Tennon's
mother, Mrs. Hettie Tennon,
lived there with him. She
was moved to a nursing
home during the winter,
Powell said.
Tennon is survived by his
mother; a son, Dan Tennon,
Jr.; three daughters, Mrs.
Evelyn Williams, Mrs.
Bobby Washington, and Mrs.
Mozelle Lamont, all of
Kileen; and a sister, Mrs.
Dorothy Smith of Reading,
Pa.; plus 14 grandchildren
and four great-grandchild-
ren.
Funeral services for Ten-
non are set for 4 p.m.
Saturday at the Paul Quinn
A.M.E. Church in Bastrop.
Public to
■m
Tom Corbett I squatting 1 and another Bastrop fireman play water on flames at the home
of Dan Tennon, Sr., 67, who died in the Monday morning fire.
Photo by Jim Tisdale
Hospital likely to close down
By DAVIS McAULEY
Elgin will apparently see
the doors close on its
community hospital and one
of its two medical clinics by
his weekend. Two of the
community's four doctors
inspect
new fire house
SA
department
Rides on fire trucks for
small children are expected
to be the traditional crowd
pleaser at Saturday's dedica
tion and open house of
Bastrop's new $80,000 fire
station.
The fire station, which is
manned entirely by volun
teers to help protect the city,
will be open from 9 a.m. to 4
p.m.
Dedication ceremonies
will be at 10 a.m. Reverend
Preston Adkison will offer a
prayer. Retired volunteer
fireman Cecil Long and Chief
Carl Spooner will give short
talks and Mayor James P.
Sharp and other officials will
preside at a ribbon cutting.
Inspection tours of the
building and refreshments
will be provided in addition
to the rides.
Two sets of smoke
detectors will be given away
as door prizes.
The open house is being
held as a sign of appreciation
by the volunteers for the
support of the community
and the City Council in the
past, said Chief Spooner.
may also be on the way out.
Dr. Robert S. Ray, owner
of the Elgin Community
Hospital, announced to the
hospital staff Sunday that
beginning at 12:30 a.m.,
April 1, the hospital will be
closed, according to hospital
administrator Fred Nyc.
The average daily census
of patients in the hospital is
not enough to maintain
sufficient cash flow to
continue operation, said Ray.
A receptionist in Elgin's
Medical Dental Clinic also
said she has been told that
the clinic will close on
Friday. Dr. Herbert C.
Munden and Dr. Peter
Robinson currently have
offices in the facility.
That will leave only the
Elgin Rural Health Clinic,
currently operated from
offices in the hospital
building by Dr. Jose Garcia
and Dr. Vicente Montemar
under the direction of Ray,
to give medical care in Elgin.
Robinson told the Adver-
tiser late last week that he
had suffered "one blow on
top of another" since coming
to Elgin about a year ago.
Speaking of himself and
Munden. Robinson said they
would both "like to have left
(Elgin) the day before
yesterday" if not the day
before that.
"It's a mess on more than
one level," he said.
Munden has not returned
calls from reporters.
Garcia told the Advertiser
that he has offered "to sleep
in the hospital day and
night" to be on call, "if the
city shows any effort to keep
the hospital open."
"I'm staying" in any case,
he said, to work in the Rural
Health Clinic. But he is
already "refering patients"
to other hospital facilities, he
added.
EFFORTS TO KEEP
THE HOSPITAL
Although some efforts
were reported underway at
presstime to keep the
hospital from closing Sunday
night, most of those who
Sheriff asks gas allowance hike
The public is invited Saturday to the dedication of Bastrop's new fire station at
Chestnut and Water streets. An open house will last from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and ride
on fire trucks will be provided for small children. The dedication ceremony takes place at
10:00 a.m.
Personality Porode
Sheriff I.R. Hoskins Mon-
day asked the Commission-
er's Court to pay sheriffs
deputies $300 a month for
the use of their cars "plus 15
cents a mile driven out of
county
The deputies and sheriff
now get 15 cents a mile with
the total per man being held
to around $300 by the
Sheriff.
Sheriff Hoskins told the
Court earlier this month the
cars couldn't be operated at
that rate. The Court said it
might consider eventually
buying a county fleet of cars
to get control on costs but no
decision has been made.
The discussion with the
Sheriff Monday was in a
closed door session.
Commissioner Wilma
Wiley said after the session,
"Two weeks from now, we're
going to try to settle some of
these problems." She said
the court "wants to do
what's right" but that "it
may not be fair to pay all the
personnel the same" $300 a
month base if their cars
aren't all used the same
amount.
In a letter to each
Commissioner, the Sheriff
said, "I have checked with
Caldwell County and they
are paying their deputies a
flat rate of $300 per month
plus 15 cents per mile, all
drove out of the county. I
Continued to Page 13
would comment on the
situation were not optimis-
tic.
Nyc said that for a long
time he hoped some solu-
tion could be found, but "I
gave up believing in Santa
Claus a long time ago." He
also pointed out that just
before the hospital was
purchased by Ray, private
citizens in the community
pledged some $60,000 to
keep the facility open.
Wilbur W. Cottle, chair-
man of the hospital district
steering committee, said
folkiwing a closed door meet-
ing of the committee last
Friday, there "was nothing
we felt like we could do" to
prevent the closing.
Ray's attorney, Mark
Owen of Elgin, said that he
and Ray had "turned every
stone" in an effort to shore
up the failing institution, but
they found "no bait."
The possibilities they had
canvassed included a loan
from the Small Business
Administration and help
from the "community fath-
ers, that is, the steering
committee," said Owen. All
of the other doctors in town
were asked to participate "in
the ownership" of the
hospital as well, he said.
"If anybody came back to
us" with help, said Owen,
"something could be worked
out." So far, "nobody came
up with anything," he said.
"The community seems
disposed to iet the hospital
go," Owen summed up.
Continued to Page 3
Flying Passem brought thrilling year toKaatz
Another in a series of
articles _ about interesting
persons who live in Bastrop
Cowty.
By JACK FRASER
Roger Kaatz is a pivotal
figure in Bastrop County's
cattle industry since he
works with the 4 H youngs-
ters who may be tomorrow's
livestock producers.
But he can't be blamed if
sometimes he gets a faraway
look and thinks of another
four footed animal the
horse.
For a brief, exhilarating
year, Kaatz was cloae to a
rainbow stirred up by a fleet
footed quarterhorse colt
named Flying Passem Be
for* the year ended, the
Jhhim trained by Kaat* had
won 1104,000
After graduating (fort)
Ta»a» A A M with an animal
attain* rwaiwr. Kaaf* i<*>k •
tti at
Stallion Station, Dr. Charles
Graham's eminent stud farm
outside Elgin. "I handled the
stallions; I was responsible
for six, each worth more
than $100,000, some consid
erably more.
Mifnf Ksa«<
"They were all pretty
good natured. Somebody
who knew what they were
doing had always handled
them," says Kaatz.
"They were twp and three
year olds. .They had all raced
and retired to stud."
"It's a pretty good life,"
says Kaatz. "I envy them a
little bit. They get the best
of medical care and feed."
An average of 100 to 150
mares will be serviced each
year per stallion.
In May of 1977, F.M.
Bowman lured Kaatz away
to manage his horse ranch
about six miles east of
Bryan. "He had 14 brood
mares, one stallion of his
own. The mares would raise
foaJs Mr, Bowman would
put them up for sale at the
yearling sale. What we
didn't sell, I'd bring bark and
break and train Then we'd
i n<r lhetn ourselves "
rwMMi( Paaaern a NiMl bri
was Flying Becky, already
owned by Bowman. The sire
was a syndicated horse kept
at Dr. Graham's in which
Bowman owned shares.
At the first race "he made
the finals. It was very
exciting. Then at The Texas
Futurity at Goliad he had the
second fastest time in the
trials and won the finals. He
won a little over $30,000 at
Goliad. That's where we
knew we had a pretty good
horse. At Ruidoso, New
Mexico, we stayed all
summer" and the horse won
more. Flying Passem collect
ed over {100,000 while Kaatz
was with the atar and by
now probably ha* taken
cloaer to $140,000, said
Kaat*.
'I liked the elimata out
there" and the world of
horse raring wan a klek but
"I had to be looking at my
future Kvan thou*?)1 ilitin
wtM probably Im; Iiuiat re* mg
forever, I didn't know what
future it held for me if I
stayed in it.
"We fell into this one
horse. It all happened in one
year. I was real lucky. I
really was. We had a colt
that could run but I still
didn't know as much as most
of the others" at the races
knew, he said.
Kaatz' brother, Ervin
Kaatz, Jr. is the County
Agricultural Extension
Agent in Caldwell County
(Lockhart) and Kaatz knew
of a vacancy in Bastrop
County aa assistant to Ron
Lindsey, ao he applied and
got the job last year.
Bastrop reminds him of his
former longtime home out
side Round Rock ao he feels
at home. "The people here
are ao friendly," tie say a.
Kaat/. grew Mp III lhe 4 II
prugram t#i whuh his
parents and bioihei» war a
l MMiiuucd t* t'mt V
I be pi IM
wlI mi aJ i
was
I ttlumbu*
lialmd It) Hoget
Kaau, WaoOup twiMli iaaMaal
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Bastrop Advertiser (Bastrop, Tex.), No. 9, Ed. 1 Thursday, March 29, 1979, newspaper, March 29, 1979; Bastrop, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth602063/m1/1/: accessed April 30, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Bastrop Public Library.