The Winkler County News (Kermit, Tex.), Vol. 43, No. 30, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 4, 1979 Page: 1 of 32
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The Winkler County News
FIFTEEN CENTS
Vol. 43, No. 30
Kermit, Winkler County, Texas 79745
Thursday, January 4, 1979
PLEDGING TO SERVE
County Clerk Ruth Godwin administers the oath of office to county officials as the New
|»Year begins. The swearing in took place at 9 a.m. Jan. 1 in the county courtroom. Justices
of the Peace taking the oath are, from left, Mrs. Lucille Hatcher, Lee Rutledge and Mrs.
Lorraine Brumlow.
OATH OF OFFICE
Mrs. Alice Weaver is administered the oath by County Clerk
Ruth Godwin as Mrs. Weaver begins her first elected term of
office as constable of Precinct 4.
COMMISSIONERS SWORN IN
Commissioner Henry Jones, left, and Commissioner Weldon Wright are sworn in on New
Year’s Day by Winkler County Clerk Ruth Godwin.
Former City Manager Killed
A former Kermit city
manager was found beaten to
death Sunday afternoon at
his office living quarters near
Texarkana.
Declared dead at the scene
was Howard Willingham, 54,
a developer and promoter
who was city manager in
Kermit from March 1962 to
August 1974.
He left Kermit to become
city manager at Texarkana
until he resigned in 1969.
Willingham’s body was
discovered at 3:40 p.m.
Sunday by one of his
employees. The body was
found laying between the
kitchen and the bedroom in
his Friendship Village Mobile
Home Park complex which
included his office and living
quarters.
The mobile home park was
one of his developments.
Police said Willingham’s
wallet, keys and car were
missing and that entry was
gained through broken glass
panels.
The body& was taken to
Parkland Hospital in Dallas
where an autopsy determined
death was caused by a neck
fracture. The autopsy
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indicated the victim had been table had not been moved
struck on the head by a hard, and there was no sign of
round object six or seven blood, however investigators
centimeters in diameter. Time believe Willingham was
of death was placed between killed at the scene.
10:30 p.m. and 11 p.m. on
Saturday night.
Investigators said it
appeared Willingham was
preparing to go to bed when
attacked. A 45 caliber
Services were held at 2
•p.m. Wednesday in East
Memorial Chapel. Survivors
include his wife, two
daughters, a son and brother.
No suspects had been
revolver he kept on a bedside anos 10late Wednesday.
Annual Chamber
Banquet Slated
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TREASURER TAKES OATH
Winkler County Treasurer Johnny Stout is administered the oath of office in a brief
ceremony Monday morning.
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The annual banquet
meeting of the Kermit
Cv.amber of.-Commence will
be held Friday, Jan. 26, at
7:30 PM. at the Community
Center.
Members and non-members
are urged to attend the
banquet and dinner will be
catered by the Assembly of
God members, chamber
officials said. Tickets to the
annual banquet are $5 and
are available from all board
members and from Jake
Tarver who is a personal
friend of the speaker.
Jack R. Northrup, city
manager for the City of
Olney, and also executive
director of the Community
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Development Agency, will be
speaker.
Northrup is % speaker and
entertainer with a growing
reputation as an attraction in
West Texas. He says that
two-armed speakers are a
dime a dozen, but that
one-armed speakers are hard
to find.
He is a speaker and
entertainer who has pleased
numerous audiences and
Kermit Chamber of
Commerce feels that this will
be a real treat to the citizens
of Kermit, officials said.
All members of the
chamber are urged by
officials to attend and bring a
guest and they note that Jack
Northrup will leave one with
a memory of an evening well
spent.
Tickets are $5 each and are
available from board
members and also at the
chamber office.
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NEW YEAR’S BABY
James Christopher Lutrick, five pound son of Mr. and Mrs. Donnie Lutrick, was Winkler
County’s 1979 New Year’s baby. He is pictured with his parents at Winkler County
Memorial Hospital where he was born at 1:03 a.m. Jan. 2. Residents of Wink, the Lutricks
have five other children, four boys and a girl. They have lived in Winkler County some
three years.
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Hot Meals Program
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JUDGE TAKES OATH
Winkler County Judge Frances Clark receives the oath of office from 109th District Judge
Ken G. Spencer in a ceremony Saturday morning in the district courtroom.
JACK NORTHRUP
The first noon meal in the
new “Hot Meals for Senior
Citizens” program will be
served from 12 noon to 1 p.m.
Monday, Jan. 8, at the
Winkler County Senior
Citizens Recreation Center.
“A hot meal a day, five
days a week, will be served at
the Senior Citizens Center
beginning Jan. 8,” reports pay.” by the cafeteria personnel of
Dixie Atwood, director. “With this nutrition Kermit Independent School
“Purpose of the program is to program, we hope to improve District,
serve a nutritious hot meal the diets of those who--for Mrs. Atwood is hopeful that
daily, five days a week to lack of income, incentive or she will be able to mobilize a
people 60 and older. There mobility- are unable to group of volunteers who will
will be no charge made for prepare nutritionally assist at the center in serving
each meal, but each adequate meals for and to lead recreational
participant will decide for themselves,”' Dixie notes.
himself how much he can The meals will be prepared (See HOT, Page 1 2)
Austrian Student Enjoys Visit To West Texas
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DISTRICT CLERK SWORN IN
ft 109th District Court Clerk Virginia Healy is sworn in for her first elected term by District
Judge Ken G. Spencer on Saturday morning.
BY MARTHA BREWER
An exchange student from
Austria traded her
traditionally white Christmas
for a balmy West Texas one
in Kermit this year.
Andrea Konzett from
Dombirn, Austria, is an
exchange student living with
Bobby and Nell Young and
their two sons in Oscada,
Michigan.
The Youngs and their
18-year-old houseguest came
to Texas to spend the
holidays with Nell’s mother,
Mrs. Jewel Beckham of
Kermit, and brother and
family, Mr. and Mrs. Bill
Beckham of Wink.
And in the true,
unpredictable style of West
Texas, Christmas Day
weather was something
straight out of a
summer-vacation scrapbook.
Although her visit hasn’t
included anything as tropical
as swimming, it has
encompassed horseback
riding, a tour of Carlsbad
Caverns and viewing-from
the rig platform-the
“blowing in” of a Permian
Basin gas well.
Andrea will be spending
almost a year in America as a
member of the Rotary Club
Student Exchange living with
three different families in
Oscada. Her real family in
Austria includes a 17-year-old
brother and a 10-year-old
sister. While living with the
Youngs she will have two
younger “brothers,” Ernie,
10, and David, 6.
Language has been no
problem for Andrea. She has
studied English for about 8
years, four of those years as a
major subject in high school.
German is the native language
of Austria. Although she was
graduated from high school in
Austria last spring,Andrea is
attending Oscada High School
studying senior subjects.
When Andrea returns to
Austria next July, she plans
to attend college in Vienna,
studying in the field of art or
architecture. Austria - free
democratic republic-borders
five European countries:
Germany, Switzerland, Italy,
Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia
and Hungria.
Christmas traditions in
Austria are similar to
American celebrations with
lots of food and gifts.
However, instead of gifts
delivered by Santa Claus,
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their gifts are brought by an
angel on Christmas Eve. Also,
the tree is put up and
decorated on Christmas Eve
(See AUSTRIAN, Page 12)
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EXCHANGE STUDENT ENJOYS CHRISTMAS IN TEXAS
Andrea Konzett of Dombirn, Austria, spent a blamy Christmas day in Kermit with her
American family, the Bttbby Youngs of Oscada, Mich. The youngs were visiting Mrs.
Young’s mother, Mrs. Jewel Beckham. The 18-year-old Rotary Exchange student is pictured
hove with her “American brothers,” David Young, 6, (left), and Ernie Young, 10.
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Brewer, Bert. The Winkler County News (Kermit, Tex.), Vol. 43, No. 30, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 4, 1979, newspaper, January 4, 1979; Kermit, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1099814/m1/1/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Winkler County Library.