Cherokeean Herald (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 160, No. 3, Ed. 1 Wednesday, March 11, 2009 Page: 3 of 12
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Cljei'okeeai} Herald ■ thecherokeean.com
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
3A
EDITORIAL BOARD
Whitehead Enterprises Inc.
publisher
MARIE WHITEHEAD
editor
TERRIE W. GONZALEZ
managing editor
FAST I f°rward
We have a driving need to end prejudice
A couple of sum-
mers ago, we found
ourselves short by
one vehicle when
our daughter returned to
Texas from college for the
summer. We did what any
parent would do: we loaned
her one of our cars so she
could do bat research in
Central Texas.
Anunexpectedeventturned
our hves upside down for sev-
eral weeks. The car that my
husband and I were sharing
was struck in a parking lot
by an under-age driver.
The young man fled the
scene of the accident as my
husband watchedfrom inside
a store. He quickly called the
pohce and pursued the pick-
up truck through neighbor-
hood streets.
The young man was pulled
over and admittedhis action.
We felt rehef to know the fam-
ily had insurance. We also
had the satisfaction of know-
ing he received a ticket.
The claim process began
early the next day with
phone calls to the insurance
carrier. I recall thinking to
myself, "I've never heard of
this particular carrier.''
They were courteous, and
before the clay was out an ap -
pointment secretary calledto
set a time the following day
for the insurance adjuster to
examine the damage:
Asthe claim adjuster pulled
in the driveway. I met him
outside. After a quick hand-
shake and introductions,
he apologized for being late
and explained that the only
information he had was my
home address and phone
number.
"They didn't send me a
claim number or any infor-
mation on the other vehicle's
-X
TERRIE GONZALEZ
herald@mediactr.com
I toldhim I had all the infor-
mation inside the house, and
I retrieved my growing folder
of notes. When I handed him
my notes on the other driver,
I expressed aggravation that
the young boy had "hit and
run'' after the wreck.
The adjuster took my folder,
studied the owners' names
and slapped his thigh with my
folder for added emphasis.
"Mexicans! he said with
an air of empathy. "That's
about what you would expect,
isn't it?"
"Excuse me? " I said with
a disagreeable edge to my
voice. "How do you know
that these people aren't from
Venezuela or Guatemala?
Why do you assume they are
from Mexico?''
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean
anything by it," he sput-
tered.
My bloodpressure probably
jumped from 60 to 140inless
time than it takes an Indy
race car to hit second gear.
"Mr. Smith,'' I continued.
"My name for the la st 32 years
has been Gonzalez with two
z's. I am offended by your
comments."
My reaction to his words
were maternal instincts. I
was thinking of my own three
children and in a small Way,
I was striking a blow against
bigotry.
In a flash, I was carried
back in time to previous hurt-
ful moments.
In eighth grade our daugh-
ter was interviewed by a
school counselor to help
her select her JHS classes.
The very first question the
counselor asked, "Does your
mother speak English?"
Somehow, that question was
more important than, "Tell
me your hopes and dreams
and let's figure out how to
help you get there."
Just two years ago, our son
carried his sports car to a
dealership in Austin for War-
ranty work. The man stand-
ing in the service line behind
him muttered to himself, "I
never thought I would live
long enough to see a Mexican
driving a nicer car than me."
The comments were inten-
tionally mean-spirited and
meant for my son's ears.
Mothers always want to
jump in front ofpainful words
and somehow deflect the pain
that can leave a scar on the
soul for a lifetime.
I'll never know what hap-
pened to Mr. Smith (not
his real name), but I would
like to think he is no longer
in the insurance adjusting
business.
I accepted three sincere
apologies from his superiors
who were not pleased with his
lack of professionalism.
Racism. Prejudice. Xeno-
phobia. Bigotry.
In order for this country
to become "one nation under
God" we must take a moral
stand to accept people for who
they are and not prejudge
them based on their color,
race, religion or ethnicity
Until we do, we will never
have "liberty and justice for
all."
factor
THE Q \f«
Heroes of the pad and pen
For years, I've always
answered a certain
question with a ques-
tion. When people
come to me and ask, "Who's
your favorite writer?" I have
to ask:
"Journalism or fiction/non-
fiction?"
Much hke today, I was
an avid reader and writer
when I was younger. I was
the type of kid that could sit
down with the entire Sports
section of the Dallas Morn-
ing News and read it from front to back.
I knew as much about the sports scene in
Dallas as I (lid about the sports scene in
Morris County.
How bad was I? Well, from the ages of
six through 10, I Counted two Dallas high
schools - Skyline and Kimball - as two of
my favorite schools, Why? Well, Kimball's
sports teams are known as the Knights
and I liked that.
As far as Skyline, that just seemed like
a really cool name for a high school.
Anyway, I had and still have my favor-
ite columnists from the Dallas Morning
News. Kevin Blackistone was always a
favorite and I enjoy seeing him on ESPN's
Around the Horn.
Jean-Jacques Taylor is another favor-
ite. I hke him because he tells the truth
about the Cowboys {for instance, how so
few people are blaming Tony Romo when
he should be getting as much blame as
anyone else for their underachieving).
Oddly enough, one of my friends in the
Dallas area heard him once on the radio
and thought it was me. I don't know quite
what to make of that.
During those young days, another of my
favorite columnists was Blackie Sherrod.
He wrote both for the sports section and
the op-ed section.
Hey, kind of hke me!
Only, you know, he was accomplished
and I'm still starting out. But I have time!
He said a lot of awesome things. For
instance, he once wrote about the speed
of Dallas receiver "Bullet" Bob Hayes. He
said that in a fair world, Hayes would "be
forced to carry a small calf on his shoul-
ders when he runs the dashes."
Anyway, I always liked his "Scatter-
shooting" column. He'd write brief para-
graphs about things going on in sports.
They weren't just recaps or anything of
that nature. They were just observations
about things going on in the world of
sports and, sometimes, the world at large.
I've seen the idea utilized in other
forums, as well. For instance, ESPN,
com writer Bill Simmons, known as the
"Sports Guy," does a column from time
QUINTEN BOYD
chreporter@mediactr.com
to time that he calls "The
Ramblings." I don't know
whether the Sports Guy
counts Blackie as one of his
influences, but his column
is just as entertaining.
That's one thing that
I'd love to do most as a
writer... a scatter shooting
column much like that of
Blackie Sherrod.
Maybe one day I'll give it
a shot.
In truth, when I started
this article, I was going
to attempt it. That happens in writing,
though. Sometimes, you sit down and
decide to Write one thing and then, as you
get into it, you reahze that you're going in
a completely different direction. Still, you
see it through to its conclusion and See
where you can take it.
I have several heroes in sports journal-
ism. Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon
proved that a writer can not only make
the jump to television, but they can do it
well.
Pat Summerall? For years, one of the
best in the business. The same Could be
said for Al Michaels and Bob Costas.
The late Ralph Wiley was a writer that I
respected, even though I never met him or
never even e-mailed him. I always wished
I did and, when I found out he had passed
away, I regretted not sending an e-mail
his way.
Jim McKay was someone I admired as
well. He was masterful with words and
made you care about whatever event he
covered, whether it was the tragedy in
Munich at the 1972 Olympics or some
Weird, off the wall sport shown on Wide
World of Sports.
If you ever get a chance, look up the
documentary Jim McKay: My World in My
Words. It's very well-done.
I hke a few current broadcasters and
commentators now. One of my recent
favorites is Gus Johnson. He calls games
for college basketball, the NBA, boxing,
mixed martial arts and would probably
call a domino tournament if you asked
him. He has the most fire I've heard in
any announcer. Everything is an exciting
moment.
That's just a brief discourse of where I'd
like my career to end up. The best part is
that, there's still plenty of time to become
more of a success. I'm off to a good start
here in Rusk.
Of course, if I ended up with a bit of the
success that they have had in their field,
then I would be just fine.
Then again, I do share a trait with them.
I always want to achieve more.
f
Published weekly each
Wednesday by
WHITEHEAD
ENTERPRISES,
INC.
Texas' oldest continuously published
weekly newspaper, established as the
Cherokee Sentinel, Feb. 27,1850. Con-
solidation of The Cherokeean, The Alto
Herald and the Wells News & Views
eeap
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Rates payable in advance:
Cherokee County $20/year
Outside Cherokee County $23/year
Outside Texas $27/year
Call (903) 683-2257
credit cards accepted
USPS 102-520
POSTMASTER:
Send address changes to:
CHEROKEEAN HERALD
P.O. BOX 475 •
RUSK, TX 75785
Periodicals Postage Paid at
Rusk. Texas 75785
HIGH POINTS l> El Camino Real
This time change has
got me all screwed up.
I'm having trouble
getting my eating
and sleeping all hned out
and on the right schedule.
These are some really busy
times along our section of
the King s Highway with all
the gardening, agriculture
shows and general spring
cleaning. Tve still got your
four bits' worth of news to
hammer out before bedtime.
The Alto Buyers Group
hosted a mini youth livestock show at
the Alto Ag Barn on Saturday to help get
our young people ready for the Cherokee
County Youth Livestock Show in a couple
of more weeks. The judge gave all the
kids pointers on showmanship. Brandon
Mitchell had a momma cow with a little
calf, so he had two animals to get ready
for the show. Some of the young people
displayed shop projects along the fence.
All proceeds went to help the Alto Buyers
Group supplement our local youths' proj-
ects during the sale at the county show.
Our postmaster. Beth Tucker, dropped
me a little bit of news about the Alto Post
Office. The local drop box in the lobby of
the post office is being removed. All mail
now goes to Lufkin for processing and
then is sent back to Alto for delivery. The
mail is gathered for collection at 9 a.m.
on Saturdays and at 4 p.m. on Monday
through Friday. On May 11 stamps will
go up to .44 cents a piece. I guess that
isn't going to be too big of a deal because
if the recession keeps up we won't have
any money to pay our bills with anyway
so we won't need a stamp. If you have
any questions or need some help with a
postal problem give Beth or Sharon a call
at (936) 858-4600 and they will be glad
to help you. When I was Justice of the
Peace, I always enjoyed going to the post
office everyday and seeing everyone. In
Rusk the postman brings the mail to
my office, and I don't get to visit with all
the folks coming and going from the post
office. Through rain, sleet and snow the
mail has to get through. I would be happy
if they just had to deliver it in rain for the
next few weeks. A good rain would cer-
tainly be worth forty-four cents a stamp.
I hope the price of junk mail went up too.
A big thanks to our postal workers for all
they do.
Nan Glaze told me about a group of
people at the Cherokee County Electric
Co-op who are doing their part to help the
American Cancer Society. Some of the
employees have formed a team called the
"Transformers" for the American Cancer
Society's "Relay for Life." They have
several fund-raisers planned and they
Wanted me to share a couple of them with
all of you. A garage sale and a bake sale
will be held 7:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. March
13 and 7 a.m. - 3 p.m. March 14 in the
Community Room of the Co-op. If Nan or
CHRIS DAVIS
elcaminoreal@consolidated.net
brittle it is worth the trip to
the co-op. You can pay your
electric bill and help out a
great cause all at the same
time. They are also taking
orders for Easter hhes at
$10 each, to be delivered be-
fore Easter, Call (903) 683-
2248 and ask for a Relay for
Life team member. We all
have someone in our fami-
lies who have fought the
battle with cancer. I think
that Joyce Brooks and Nan
Glaze's peanut brittle and
homemade bread might be good enough
to cure cancer. It certainly couldn't hurt.
Please go out and help this worthy cause.
I can't remember the last time that
we've had a good rain. My potatoes finally
came up and I think the only reason they
did was to beg for water. People are say-
ing that I need to put on a burn ban if it
doesn't rain soon, but I've never heard of
us having a burn ban in March. A burn
ban won't do my garden any good. It has
already burned up, and there wasn't any
smoke. A good prayer for rain would be in
order about now if any of you preachers
are listening. The preachers in Rusk who
are opposing that we I/dry election need to
be very specific when they pray, so as not
to interfere with any rainfall.
I walked outside the other day and a
poof of wind blew a bucket full of pollen
in my face and I thought I was going to go
bhnd before I found some eye chops. My
azaleas are already blooming and Easter
is still nearly four weeks off. The pollen is
good for the car washing business and the
doctors, but it isn't good for much else.
My mother-in-law had a toothache last
week and she asked me to call the dentist
office for her. I called them up and told
them what her problem was, and they
started asking questions that I couldn't
answer because it wasn't my tooth. I
told them to call her. A few minutes later
another lady from the dentist office called
me back and asked me if I was aggravat-
ing their new employee. I promised that
I wasn't and that I didn't even know they
had a new employee. I wish that. I had
known she was new. I must admit that
I did call the dentist office a few months
back and asked about having my mother-
in-law's fangs removed or ground off at
her next scheduled appointment, but the
toothache call was legit. Okay, I did call
the one time and tell them that my moth-
er-in-law was allergic to pain medicine
and it was alright to chill without it, but
she really did have a toothache this time.
I just clon't know where these people get
off questioning the integrity and truthful-
ness of a member of the judiciary such as
myself,
I appreciate the people who took the
time to let me know about the things that
were important to them that they need
telling. I'll see ya next week! And remem-
ber, A liberal is a man who will give away
her mother are cooking bread or peanut everything he doesn't own.
wrwFrTeTre/wn
TOW
!
-< Brandon
Mitchell show-
ing his cow with
some help from
Christopher
McClendon at
the Alto Buyers
Group Livestock
Show on Satur-
day. The Chero-
kee County Jr.
Livestock Show
will be held
March 26-28 in
Jacksonville at
the showbarn.
K
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Whitehead, Marie. Cherokeean Herald (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 160, No. 3, Ed. 1 Wednesday, March 11, 2009, newspaper, March 11, 2009; Rusk, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth152877/m1/3/?q=%22Places+-+United+States+-+Texas+-+Cherokee+County+-+Rusk%22: accessed July 9, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Singletary Memorial Library.