The Boerne Star (Boerne, Tex.), Vol. 105, No. 91, Ed. 1 Tuesday, November 15, 2011 Page: 2 of 22
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Page 2A
The Boerne STAR
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
OBITUARIES
Larry A. Miller
July 20, 1940-Nov. 13, 2011
pane-glass window and that was
the first time I had ever walked
without a major limp. I’d been
walking on a two-by-four. Now
I had a piece of carbon fiber that
assisted me. So that was really
ATHLETE
FROM PAGE 1A
Larry A. Miller passed away at his home in
Boerne on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2011, at the age ■
of 71. He was born on July 20, 1940, in Mos-
cow, Idaho to Emma and Marvin Miller.
Larry attended Kinman Business Uni-
•versity in Spokane, Wash. He spent his
career in accounting and management. Dur-
ing his retirement, his primary hobby was
woodworking.
Larry is preceded in death by his mother
Emma Miller and his son Jed Miller. He is B
survived by his wife, Connie Miller, with
whom he just celebrated their 50th wedding
international competition in Bar- mercial item that we can use on
celona, Spain. patients.”
He decided to aim for the pen- Technology, Bourgeois went
tathlon team — a sport in which on, continues to rapidly change
athletes compete in long jump, the field of prosthetic devices,
shot put, and the discus throw, Thus, where many people have
along with both 100- and 400- a closet full of shoes, Bourgeois
meter races, has a variety of prosthetics.
Bourgeois had the help of two “I have three legs that I use,” •
Austin-area Paralympic competi- Bourgeois said. “I have a walk-
tors, as well as the sometime ing leg, I have a leg that I can
assistance of university coaches, get wet - it doesn’t have a micro-
but mostly, he says, he just did processing system - and then I
his own training, figuring things have my running leg.”
out on his own. Such innovations are life chang-
“My technique couldn’t be
exactly like an able-body’s tech-
nique,” the athlete explained. “For
example, in the throwing events,
50 percent of your strength comes
from your lower body.”
The field of artificial limbs is an amazing moment for me! That
one for which Bourgeois feels was a huge moment - all of a sud-
justifiable passion - in fact, the den I was free!”
athlete credits prosthetic progress The second significant pros-
for much of what he’s been able thetic step occurred in his
to achieve. adulthood. At that time strap-
As a small baby born without a suspended prosthetics - which
fibula, Bourgeois had been sen- actually hadn’t changed much
for centuries, were replaced by
vacuum sockets that allow the
prosthesis to fit as tightly as an
actual limb.
Again, Bourgeois remembers
the day with utter clarity.
“March 3, 2003, was another
tenced by multiple doctors to a
wheelchair-bound childhood.
However his mother and father
persisted until they found a sur-
geon who would operate on the
10-month-old so that he could
be fitted with a prosthesis. “Now
he won’t have any excuses,” the
physician reportedly said.
It seems apparent, though,
that no excuses would have
been offered anyway. “My aunt
was born with (a disability),”
Bourgeois said, “and my grand-
parents made the loving mistake
of raising her to be 110 percent
dependent on them. To my par-
ents’ credit, they saw that mistake
firsthand.”
Bourgeois’ four older siblings
weren’t allowed to mollycoddle pivotal date for me,” he said. “I
him either. “They were told early went from a strap-suspension -
on, ‘don’t help him get up. Treat really just a crutch - to a vacuum
him like a normal brother,’” socket. I could extend my leg and
Bourgeois said. “And they did.” pull with my hamstring when I
Bourgeois notes that it’s easier walked -just like anyone does.”
to be disabled these days than it So natural did the new limb feel
was in the 1970s. He even uses that he forgot to take it off when
the word “taboo” to describe the he went to bed.
way in which his one-leg condi- “I rolled over to kiss my wife
tion was perceived. goodnight and shortly after that,
But he credits the demands and I kicked her and she said, ‘Ow!
expectations of his family for When did you start sleeping with
not falling behind. “(My brothers your leg on?’” Bourgeois laughed
and sisters) physically pulled me at the memory. “I’d forgotten I
to their level,” he recalled, add- was an amputee for the first time
ing that because of the bars they in my life.”
raised, he was always a “good His handicap, however, had
athlete. hardly slowed him down, not the company with whom he’s still
It wasn’t just the people in his even by normal able-bodied employed today.
life, though, that helped him to standards. Bourgeois has had a special leg-
excel; Bourgeois also credits the Bourgeois was point guard for up, so to speak, in the prosthetic
technology that became available his high school freshmen bas- business.
as he matured. ketball team, and he played Because his childhood limb was
The legs that I had growing up intramural basketball at the Uni- so grossly inefficient, Bourgeois
gave me back 10 percent return, versity of Texas as well, along is now an advocate for proficient,
the athlete said, standing and with playing golf. up-to-date prosthetic devices. His
limping a few steps in order to He’d always been a well- current leg he enthuses wives
demonstrate the function of his rounded athlete, Bourgeoisack % percent5”
original prostheses. “Ninety per- recalled. But as he moved toward Onlv hers gotten older has
cent of the energy that I put the completion of a bachelor of Bomly as herJ? the colder has
Parade entry deadline set ===========
The deadline to enter the 26th Department or can be obtained at crutch. direction in my life,” Bourgeois way it’s supposed to be, Bour-
annual Weihnachts Parade is Fri- the Parks and Recreation Adminis- He remembers the day when said. “I didn’t know what I geois said.
day, Nov. 18, at 5 p.m. at the tration office at 1017 Adler Road, that first changed. At the age wanted to do, but I felt like there Materials are lighter, stronger,
Boerne Parks and Recreation There is a cap of 100 entries in of 15, accompanied by his dad, might be something out there, faster now,” the athlete said, “but
Department. the parade. Bourgeois went to be fitted with Then I picked up a Sports Illus- then we started putting comput-
The parade will be held Dec. 3 There were 100 entries in the anew innovation - a carbon fiber trated and I read an article about ers on board.” The athlete shoved
beginning at 6 p.m. The parade 2010 parade. prosthetic. So responsive was Diana Golden - she is a below- up the hem of his shorts, reveal-
will run from the south end of For more information or to vol- the new leg that he remembers the-knee amputee, Paralympic ing the apparatus by which his
downtown starting at River Road unteer to help during the parade, clearly the sensation of those first world-class skier for the United prosthesis stays attached.
and head north to Johns Road. contact Tori Bellos, special events few strides: it felt like he was States. At this point I was an “The leg I have now has a
Parade entry packets can be found & programs coordinator for the goose-stepping and the teenaged intramural jock; I’d never heard microprocessor. All movement
on the City of Boerne’s website Boerne Parks and Recreation Bourgeois was mortified. of the Paralympics, never even inside my socket has been elimi-
under the Parks and Recreation Department at 830-248-1543. "I told my dad, ‘I can’t go back knew it existed.” nated. There is no rotational or
to school like this -I look like a Something crucial clicked (in and out) force. I don’t know
dork!’” Bourgeois smiled. “But inside the young man, and after if you saw The Dolphin Tale
this week, he said. The project is my dad said, ‘Son, no - come some quick research, Bourgeois movie?
expected to take approximately outside.’ learned that he had just one year “Hangar put the tail on the
180 days to build, but an opening "And we went out to where I to train for the U.S. Nationals, dolphin. And the material that
date for the park has not been set, could see my reflection in the in the hopes of advancing to we used on the dolphin is a com-
In other matters, commissioners:
• Took no action in lifting the
countywide burn ban. ===== financial emergency.
• Approved compensation for DIN N E D The number of families receiv-
emergency response call-outs in DIAVIER ing assistance has increased over
November FROM PAGE 1A last year and the need continues to
EISA REHM N HCSEML*“n ----:-----:-------------
andpridse.niteimu CeSort The firm As a result, last year more than 10 tons of food to seniors, chil-
collected. 150 families received a complete dren and families each month.
• Approved the purchase of Inter- fried turkey dinner carefully pre- By the end of 2011, staff esti-
net service for the road and bridge pared by the Christian Men of mates that 97,500 pounds of food
department facility at 1133 N. FM Boerne and their volunteers, will be distributed throughout
3351 from GVTC. Since 1985, HCFS has offered Kendall County.
• Approved moving the county’s an array of family support services The average number of families
long distance phone service from to help stabilize families in crisis served is about 200 each month,
which holds the contract to provide to enhance well-being and foster although in September 2011 the
service to state entities at the rate seli-suinciency.food pantry served 252 families,
of 2.4 cents per minute. The move Services include a food pantry For more information, phone
will save the county approximately and assistance with clothing, rent 830-249-8643 ext 1# or visit
$1,900 per year, or utilities for families facing a www.hcfamilysvcs.org.
Miller
anniversary in September.
He is also survived by his sons Allan Miller and wife Dana of San
Thensberger-Jisher
Funeral Tame
ESTABLISHED 1882
111 E Rosewood • Bourne, Texas 78006
830-249-2321 • www.ebensberger-fisher.com
Antonio and Craig Miller and wife
Melinda of Bastrop; his daughter
Judy Martin and husband Todd of
San Antonio; his father Marvin
Miller; and his sister Marilyn Jo
Miller of Moscow, Idaho. He was
blessed with five grandchildren:
Scott Miller, Sean Miller, Eliza-
beth Miller, Luke Martin and Jacob
Martin.
Services are pending at this time.
To check service times and to leave
condolences for the family, please
visit www.ebensberger-fisher.com
and select the Obituaries tab.
Arrangements with Ebensberger-
Fisher Funeral Home of Boerne.
Francis Lee Dill
Sept. 23, 1933-Nov. 10, 2011
After a long illness, Francis Lee Dill passed away at Town and
Country Manor in Boerne on Thursday, Nov. 10, 2011.
He was born Sept. 23, 1933, in Seguin. Francis had lived in Boerne
, and surrounding area for over 30 years. He was a man of many tal-
: ents - a carpenter, rock mason, school bus driver, and he worked at the
Longbranch Saloon since its opening.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Francis A. and Addie
; Lou Dill; two brothers, Raymond and John; and his son David Dill.
; Francis is survived by his wife, Barbara Dill; his sister, Lou (Henry)
• Glass; his children, Jeff (Stacy) Dill, Kenneth Dill, Janet (Kenneth)
; Wilson, Diane Kinney, Karen Dill, Theresa Dill; stepchildren, Vic
; (Amy) Barrett, Monya (Ken) Graff, and Kathy West; as well as 24
grandchildren, and 18 great-grandchildren.
: Special thanks to the staff at Town & Country Manor for their assis-
! tance and wonderful care of him.
A celebration of Francis’s life will be held at Longbranch on Thurs-
day, Nov. 17, from 4 to 7 p.m. In accordance with his wishes, his
body was donated to the UT Health Science Center. In lieu of flowers,
please make a donation to the charity of your choice.
COUNTY
FROM PAGE 1A
behalf of the two groups and
is responsible for overseeing the
grant.
The organizations have raised
more than $600,000 cash and in-
kind contributions to match the
grant. No county funding is going
into the project.
TP&W has already approved the
plans. During the meeting, com-
missioners also approved working
out terms for a joint venture
between the county and the center
to provide potable water to both
the center and the park.
The two youth groups will pro-
vide approximately $12,000 in
engineering services, permitting
work and materials so an existing
county well can be certified by the
Texas Commission on Environ-
mental Quality as a public supply
well to serve both the center and
park patrons. A second well will
not be necessary.
The agreement will allow potable
water to be available to park visi-
tors sooner than planned. Kendall
County Parks Director Richard
Tobolka updated commissioners
on the status of park infrastructure
construction at Joshua Springs on
Monday. Construction began on
Sept. 26.
'Allen Keller Company of Freder-
icksburg is building the amenities
stipulated in a Texas Parks &
Wildlife Department recreation
grant.
The cost of the project is $1.21
million. The plans call for con-
struction of three miles of trails,
a; pavilion, restrooms, seven bird-
ing towers, two observation decks
near water features, and picnic
tables.
Tobolka said underground water
and electric lines have been com-
pleted and the sewer lines are
under construction.
-A cedar fence has been built
under an agreement with the Texas
Historical Commission. Founda-
tion work for the restrooms was
completed and the slab poured
last week, and forms for the nine-
foot high walls are going up now,
Tobolka said.
Pad work for the 100-by-70-foot
pavilion has been completed and
work on the foundation will begin
DINNER
FROM PAGE 1A
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“Life is not that serious to let something like
this slow you down ... As the youngest of five kids,
waking up in the morning not knowing where my
leg was hidden - that was a challenge!”
- Thomas Bourgeois
He shrugged, smiling. “Well,
not for a below-the-knee, right-
handed, right-sided amputee. You
just can’t push off of your foot to
that extent. So I had to modify
and adapt some styles.”
Whatever his improvised train-
ing, it was clearly right on point.
Not long after, Bourgeois was
awarded a bronze medal at the
1992 Summer Paralympics in
Barcelona. And that was just the
beginning.
Many medals, recognitions,
and set-records later, the athlete
finally retired from sports to work
for Hanger Prosthetics & Orthot-
ics, one of his title sponsors - and
ing, he asserts, thus he urges
people who need comfortable,
updated prosthetics to aggres-
sively pursue them.
“If there’s somebody who is an
amputee and they’re not wearing
a prosthesis because they don’t
have insurance,” Bourgeois said,
“they need to learn that there are
other resources out there.”
He also advises being selective
regarding the field’s profession-
als. “If your relationship with
your prosthetist is not the best
it can be, then you need to find
someone else,” Bourgeois said,
“because that communication
will determine your prosthetic
outcome.”
Persevere until the desired
result is achieved, the athlete
said. “Educate yourself, and real-
ize that there are opportunities
for folks who have disabilities -
in all walks of life.”
Bourgeois himself, of course,
stands as one of the world’s best
examples of the opportunities
that exist for folks who have
disabilities.
Thanks to the technology that’s
shaped his carbon fiber limbs,
this elite area athlete is able to
stay in shape at the local YMCA,
while also running the streets of
Boerne.
No hiding - Bourgeois is simply
not shy about who he’s been, who
he is and why he happens to be
that way.
“I get asked by kids every
day, ‘What’s wrong with your
leg?’ ‘Why’s your leg like that?’
Why’s your leg messed up?’”
Bourgeois - himself a father of
two young boys -smiled. “It’s
so fun, because (my prosthesis)
has an ‘on’ and ‘off’ button and
it blinks!”
He laughed and gave an on-the-
spot demonstration.
“Life is not that serious to let
something like this slow you
down.” He laughed again, recall-
ing a childhood memory. “As the
youngest of five kids and waking
up in the morning not knowing
where my leg was hidden - that
was a challenge!”
“There were times,” Bourgeois
admitted, “when I felt like, ‘Why
me?’” However, the athlete who
retired from competition almost
a decade ago, feels that he’s
enjoyed an exceptional life -
even a lucky life. “It’s okay to be
disabled,” he said.
“Embrace the cards that you
were dealt and play them until
you find the winning hand.”
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It’s Happening Here In Leon Springs, Texas
JOIN LEON SPRINGS BUSINESS ASSOCIATION AT OUR
Welcome new members:
Barnes Employment Group
Todd Barnes
Custom Eye Care at the Rim
Elaine Vlasak, OD, PA
Dave's Frames
Dave Gathings
Doris Tipps
Mary Kay Consultant
Teri St.Charles
RUWellness
Rene Urteaga
TPL Real Estate Investments
Laura Lally
November Luncheon
Who:
What:
Barron Perales, ITEX Payment Systems
Networking & Information Mixer
Perales will speak about ITEX, a business community
that trade/barter their skills and products. ITEX is
described as a marketplace for B2B cashless
transactions across North America.
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The Membership Trading Community
When:
Thanks again to our September mixer supporters:
Scenic Loop Cafe
San Antonio River Authority
An Empty Vase Florist
TMI The Episcopal School of Texas
Longhorn Cafe
Wash Tub
Thursday, November 17th
11:30 AM- 1:00 PM
(Lunch will be served at 11:50 AM)
Where: Dominion Country Club
One Dominion Drive, SATX 78257
TON OR RENEW YOUR
JOIN SEHSHIP TODAY
Go to www.LeonSpringsTX.com ISBA ML
Bufffet menu: Vegetarian Lasagna Rolls, Chicken Parmesan, Soup and Salad Station
with Antipasto. $20 members & RSVPs (guests are welcome), $25 at-the-door.
Please RSVP to leonspringstx@gmail.com, or call 210-860-8926.
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Cartwright, Brian. The Boerne Star (Boerne, Tex.), Vol. 105, No. 91, Ed. 1 Tuesday, November 15, 2011, newspaper, November 15, 2011; Boerne, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1687210/m1/2/?q=peddler: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Patrick Heath Public Library.