The Cherokeean. (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 133, No. 45, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 23, 1982 Page: 1 of 22
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MICnOPLBX , INC
P. 0. BOX 45436
DALLAS, TX. 75^45
15c
Per Issue
The Cherokeean
TeJtma * Oldest Weekly Newspaper
Established as the Cherokee Sentinel, February 27,1850
Home of the
Texas State
Railroad
Vol. 133, No. 4&
Rusk, Texas 75785 — Thursday, December 23,1982
22 Pages — 2 Sections
j News ¡
¡ Briefs I
St. Luke's Sets
Service Dec. 24
Saint Luke's Episcopal Church on
Euclid Street ,will have its annual
Christmas Eve Service at 8 p.m.
Friday Dec. 24.
The Rev. Billy F. Tomlin will of-
ficiate at Holy Communion service.
An open invitation is extended.
Methodists Plan
Communion
Christmas Eve Holy Communion
will be observed on a come and go
basis from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at First
United Methodist Church, according
to the Rev. Bob Pate, pastor.
Pate says the church office will be
closed all day Thursday and Friday.
Called meetings of the finance
committee and the administrative
board have been set for 6:30 p.m. and
7 p.m. Monday.
Communion Set
By Presbyterians
A candlelight Christmas Eve Com-
munion Service is planned for 5:15
p.m. Friday at the First Presbyterian
Church, according to the Rev. Steve
Plunkett, minister.
The church sanctuary will be
decorated by women of the church.
The choir, under the direction of
Mrs. Margaret Plunkett, will present
a program entitled "God's Word in
Song." '
Anthems will include "While By My
Sheep," by Walter L. Pelz; "Go See,
the King Is Born," by Roger Jacob-
son; "From East to West," by Paul
Brandvik; "Christmas Gloria," by
Charles B. Romer; "Joy to the
World," arranged by S. Drummond
Wolff; and "Congregation Arise," by
Walter W. Schurr. In addition, the
service will include the music of
organ, piano, trumpet, flute, finger
cymbals and tambourine.
Following the proclamation of the
Word, the congregation will celebrate
the Sacrament of Holy Communion.
This service is open to the community
of Rusk. First Prebysterian Church
has a policy of "open communion,"
and welcomes all believers in Jesus
Christ to join with them around the
Table of the Lord for this special ser-
vice of worship on Christmas Eve, the
Rev. Plunkett says.
Rusk Chamber
Plans Banquet
Plans are being formulated for the
annual Rusk. Chamber of Commerce
banquet set Jan. 20,1983. Location for
the Thursday evening banquet will be
announced later, according to George
Dodd, banquet chairman.
• John Oakley Childs, vice president
of community relations at the
Heritage National Bank in Tyler will
be guest speaker. Childs is a former
Jacksonville resident and is well
known in the area as an outstanding
banquet speaker, according to Dodd.
Board Votes To Seek Bids
State Acreage
May Be Sold
MAKING ARRANGEMENTS for Christmas at the Waggoner house are these children of Mr. and Mrs. Jesse
Waggoner of Rusk. The youngsters Nicholas, Hollie, lieidi and Lendon are putting the final touches on their
Christmas tree as they anticipate the arrival of Santa I'laus on Christmas Kve.
Approximately 440 acres of surplus
Rusk State Hospital land will be of-
fered for sale early next year. The
TDMHMR board voted 4-2 to seek
sealed bids at their meeting in Austin
Friday, Dec. 16.
Charles R. Hassell, Rusk Chamber
vice president and member of
the city council, and Emmett H.
Whitehead, former State Represen-
tative, met with the board and
requested that the land be sold.
"We feel that the sale of this land
would be beneficial to both the patien-
ts at Rusk State Hospital and the
people of our county," Whitehead told
the board.
Money derived from the sale of the
property would be used to renovate
wards at Rusk State Hospital.
It was pointed out that the ap-
proximately 50 acres of land across
from Rusk State Hospital is one of the
few possible sites available on U.S. 69
for business development. The land
has not been used by the hospital for
more than 20 years, and there are no
plans for its development.
Assistant Commissioner Kenny
Dudley stated that he was in Rusk
several weeks ago and looked at the
property. Dudley said that it may be
beneficial not to sell the old buildings
because RSH is now using them for
storage of surplus property.
The property was offered for sale
more than a year ago, but the board
was not satisfied with the bid offers
and declined to sell.
It was agreed that the property will
be checked by a qualified appraiser,
and a value determined before any of
the property will be sold.
Sealed bids will be sought by adver-
tising in several major newspapers
and several smaller papers in the
East Texas area.
Cantatas Scheduled for Broadcast Dec. 24-25
Area Music To Highlight Holiday
The Christmas Cantatas of area
churches along with the Christmas
choral concert of the Rusk High
School Choir, will highlight holiday
programming this weekend on radio
stations KTLU-1580 AM and KWP.W-
97.7 FM.
The special programs will be aired
three times for the enjoyment of
listeners.
"We are especially excited about
adding these programs to our holiday
specials, says Mike Terrell, KTLU-
KWRW news director. "These concer
Deadline Is Slated
Voter Registration
Persons in the Rusk Independent
School District will have until 5 p.m.
-Wednesday to register to vote in the
upcoming Jan. 22 school bond elec-
tion. The bond will be used to finance
construction of a new middle school,
four additional classrooms at the high
school and a separate band hall and
music room at the high school.
Many persons in the district were
unable to vote in the last school bond
election, which was called for con-
sideration of a $3.4 million bond. The
bond issue failed by some 74 votes.
Members Of the board have issued
an appeal to all interested persons,
who are not registered, to do so before
the deadline Wednesday.
In addition to the bond issue elec-
tion, a school and city election will be
called in April for the election of
trustees and members of the council.
The school bond election called for
Jan. 22 will be held at the South-
western Electric Service Co. in Rusk.
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7
p.m. with Gerald Chapman as elec-
tion judge and Billie Braswell as
alternate judge.
Absentee voting has been set for
Monday, Jan. 3 to Tuesday, Jan. 18, in
the school tax office. Mrs. Katherine
Lindsey is absentee clerk.
ts represent hours of work by area
residents who participated in their
production and the quality of the
programs certainly warrants air-
play."
Terrell says the Christmas cantatas
of the First United Methodist and Fir
st Baptist Churches of Rusk, The A.
Frank Smith United Methodist and
First Baptist Churches of Alto and the
Christmas Choral concert of the Rusk
High School choir will be aired both
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
The musical special will begin at 5
p.m. Christmas Eve with the airing of
the Christmas cantata "The Begin-
ning of Christmas' by the choir of the
First Baptist Church of Alto on
KWRW. Kevin Kendrick is director.
Christmas programs will continue
'Round Town
with Mrs. Roundabout
' ■'
Some say that Christmas is for
children. Maybe that is said because
Christmas has come to be a day for
observing the Birthday of a Baby.
It's kind of strange when you think
about It, that some folks celebrate
Christmas when they don't believe in
the Virgin birth. This, however, is a
matter of opinion and every one has to
ideclde for themselves.
If we could really be like kids again
and share in a Christmas for children,
the most important thing that could
happen would be an acceptance of the
world and all that it is ... without
prejudice.
Isn't Is wonderful that little
children, which we once were, begin
with only an open mind and
curlouslty? What a pity that we grow
up and acquire undesirable attitudes,
Christmas has evolved with many
.accompanying traditions. But at the
heart of the celebration is the remem-
brance of the One on whom
Christianity was founded. And it was
He who suggested that it is important,
necessary in fact, to become like little
children in our faith.
Sometimes the gift of a tangible
item makes a believer of the very
young. But as the young grow older, it
becomes increasingly clear that it is
the miracle of a changed attitude that
is truly valuable.
Those of us who remember Robert
Louis Stevenson, author of Treasure
Island, also remember that he wrote
"A Child's Garden of Verses." The
leading writer of his generation,
Stevenson did so while suffering ill
health. It is now believed he was a vic-
tim of tuberculosis much of his life.
But In one of his beautiful poems.
"A Christmas Prayer," he wrote
"Close the door of hate, and open the
door of love all over the world." It
would be a miracle for this to happen.
And yet, Christmas stems from a
miracle, so why can't it happenIf we
could only become like little children
again ... and celebrate the Real
Christmas May yours bet
I'ntll next week? mw
at 6 p.m. with the airing of "For God
So Loved," the Christmas Cantata of
the First Methodist Church of Rusk
under the direction of Gloria Dotson.
At 7 p.m. a combined effort of the
adult and youth choirs of the First
Baptist Church of Rusk, "Christmas
Rhapsody," will be played. This can-
tata is under the direction of minister
of musick, Ken Stone.
"For God So Loved the World,"
cantata of the A. Frank Smith United
Methodist Church will be aired at 8
p.m. Christmas Eve. This special is
under the direction of Marcia Hassell.
At 9 p.m. the Christmas Choral Con-
cert of the Rusk High School Choir
will be replayed. The choir is directed
by Gloria Dotson.
"Times for the programs are ap-
proximate," says Terrell, "since
some of the programs will run over an
hour while others will run under that
time span. The programs will run
back to back with only a few minutes
between each."
Christmas day the programs will
begin at 10 a.m. with the airing of
"Christmas Rhapsody " The program
of the First Baptist choirs will play
again at 6 p.m. that evening.
The cantata of the A. Frank Smith
United Methodist Church of Alto will
play at 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. Christmas
day with the musical special of the.
First United Methodist Church
scheduled for 1 and 7 p.m.
The high school Choral Concert will
play at 2 and 8 p.m. Christmas Day.
At 3 p.m. and 9 p.m. the "Beginning
of Christmas" by the choir of the First
Baptist Church, Alto will be aired on-
ce again.
"We are excited about the special
programs we will be bringing to
listeners, along with the sponsorship
of area merchants," Terrell explains.
"We know these will add to the joy of
the holidays."
"The staff of KTLU-KWRW would
like to extend sincere best wishes to
the community for a very merry
Christmas and the happiest New
Year," Terrell said.
Majority Will Close
In Observance of Holiday
Most area businesses will be closed
Saturday for Christmas, with many of
those in the downtown area taking an
early closing on Christmas Eve.
The Rusk city hall will be closed all
day Friday and then again on Mon-
day. They will close the following
Friday for New Year's Eve.
Regular garbage service will be of-
fered as Christmas and New Year's
Day come on Saturday.
The Rusk Chamber will close
Friday and again the following
Friday.
The Cherokee County courthouse
will be closed Thursday and Friday
and again the following Friday.
Financial institutions will differ in
their days off. The Citizens Bank,
which is open on Saturdays normally,
will be closed this Friday and Satur-
day and again the following Saturday.
First State Bank will be closed on
Friday and will not take a day off for
the New Year holiday. Rusk Federal
Savings and Loan will be closed on
Friday and again on Monday, Jan. 3.
Jacksonville Savings will close on
Friday and take the following Friday
afternoon off.
State employees will have the day
off Friday and will not take off for the
Jan 1 holiday.
Po6t office employees will take off
Christmas Day and Jan. 1. Regular
delivery and window service will be
offered Christmas Eve and New
Year's Eve.
Parking Fees Set
By Cherokee Appraisal District
NINE-YEAR-OLD Stacey Gunter of Rusk gets a big hug from Santa at
she accepts a Husk Chamber of Commerce Christmas Storking on
behalf of her grundmother, Myra White of Route 2, Rusk. In addition
to Stacey. Mrs. White has three other grandchildren, who should enjoy
the stocking goodies. A final stocking will be given away by the Mer-
chants Division of the Itusk Chamber ut noon Friday. Registration for
the stocking is being taken at participating Itusk merchants. Fred
Gaines, president of the Itusk Chamber says Sania will be at his house
on the square from 10 u m to noon Friday foi last tninule chats with
area youngsters
Directors for the Cherokee County
Appraisal District met with a quorum
Wednesday afternoon to approve ren-
tal fees for parking spaces on the
agency's parking lot.
Parking spaces will be made
available to offices and businesses ad-
jacent to the lot for $10 each per mon-
th, according to Sid Danner, chief ap-
praiser
Dinner said the board accepted a
bid from First State Bank of Rusk as
the agency depository for the next
two years The First State Bank bid
was the only bid received
The group discussed purchasing
computers for the office records. Bids
will be opened and considered in
January, Danner said.
Danner was instructed to seek
another carrier for employee
hospitalization insurance. The group
had formerly been included with the
Texas Association of Counties.
However, Danner said coverage had
been increased considerably and he
thought the local agency could find a
cheaper method of insurance
Attending the meeting were Board
President Joe Terrell and Grady
Singletary and Fusion Tacketl
tt
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The Cherokeean. (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 133, No. 45, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 23, 1982, newspaper, December 23, 1982; Rusk, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth151571/m1/1/?rotate=270: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Singletary Memorial Library.