The Canadian Record (Canadian, Tex.), Vol. 120, No. 4, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 28, 2010 Page: 2 of 32
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TH U RSDAV ZS JANUARY ZD 1 □
THE CANADIAN RECORD
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
RECORD
ESTABLISHED 1893
INCORPORATED FEBRUARY 1998
PO Box 898, Canadian, TX 79014
Phone: 8DB.3Z3.B4BI
Fax: 80B.323.5738
BEN EZZELL Publisher/Editor
Publisher 1948-1993
NANCY EZZELL Publisher
LAURIE EZZELL BROWN Editor
editOrScanadianreccrd.com
MARY SMITHEE Business Manager
mary@canadmnrecord.com
ADVERTISING Holly Henderson
Jaquita Adcock
advertising@canadianrecord.com
NEWS/FEATURES
Cathy Ricketts, Julia Schaier
news@canadianrecord.com
SPORTS Jason Turner
jas:tfil@canadianrecord.com
DESIGNS PRODUCTION
Laurie Brown, Cathy Ricketts,
Holly Henderson, Jason Turner
PHOTOGRAPHY
Laurie Brown, Jason Turner.
Cathy Ricketts, Alan Hale
CONTRIBUTORS: Mary Jane McKinney,
Bob Rogers, Ruth Beasley,
Robin Mitchell
USPSD87-9BD
Periodicals postage paid atthe Post
Office in Canadian (Hemphill County),
TX. Published weekly in Canadian by
Nancy M.Ezzell
POSTMASTER: Send address changes
to The Canadian Record, PO Box B9B,
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RECORD
and theEzzell Family
WINNERS OF THE
2DD7 Gish Award
FOR CHUIWGE,TENACITY'S INTEGRITY
IN COMMUNITY JOURNALISM
Outside the box
IT ISN'T MY CHARACTER to write let-
ters to the editor or express my thoughts ei-
ther. But a few things have been brought to my
mind and I don't believe they are going away
until I write what is on it.
It would be very easy for me at my age
to ignore the controversy over a golf course
and an arena. Why, Canadian is perfect for
me—it's a beautiful community to raise kids,
just the right size, nice grocery store, lumber
yard, couple variety stores and more. I don't
need anything else.
But I love Canadian and I want to see it
still on the map a few years down the road, and
not just a dot in the road. I
challenge a couple of these
commissioners to get their
heads outof the box and look
around the surrounding
areas, because that is
what happens when small
towns become stagnant. I
am soooo glad God thinks
outside the box.
Canadian is so blessed
to have people who have
a vision and the ability to
make it work. We enjoy the
good comments, the upkeep
and growth of Canadian.
And that wouldn't be
happening if someone
didn't have a vision and the
knowledge to make it work.
Now I wasn't present
when each commissioner
was approached about the
arena and the golf course
to hear the commitment they made, but I
also know what was written in the November
5, 2009 issue of The Canadian Record. And
now, thex-e is a question in my mind about
the integrity of a couple of commissioners,
because of that article.
What or who do they think is going to keep
our hotel/motels and eateries from becoming
vacant buildings? Sorry to say, it isn't a new
jail. And I'm not saying that should be out of
the picture, but add that, too. I believe it can
m
ill
[ill
i
m
MM
be done. Do the feasibility studies, and see if
the possibility is there.
I'm no expert on these matters, but we've
been to a couple of small communities that
have exclusive, prestigious golf courses
and indoor arenas. The golf course I have in
mind is at Hulett, Wyoming. Ever heard of
it? Probably not. It's a ranching community
with the population of only 471 and the Devil's
Tower Golf Course. Very prestigious; draws
celebrities (KevinCostner for one), people who
want to get away from all the hoopla. Beautiful
homes builton the edge of the golf course. This
course is in the middle of nowhere. Rapid City,
SD is the nearest major city—106 miles away.
One man, a lumberman, had a vision and made
it work. People with money will go to this stuff,
if it's done right. And the only way to know is
to have some studies done
on it.
Wouldn't it be nice to
have some revenue coming
into town most of the year?
That can be done with
an indoor arena—cuttin'
horse competitions, steer
ropin', barrel racing, kid
rodeos. We have traveled
with our grandkids the last
couple years to rodeos they
participated in. And as a
spectator I enjoy the indoor
arenas. The protection
of an indoor arena would
bring more spectators
and more spectators mean
more money spent in town.
It gets pretty hot sitting in
a grand stand.
We haven't attended all
their rodeos, but I know
this much as a grandparent, I'll surelypickthe
rodeos that have an indoor arena. The safety
of the kids means something also. The outdoor
arena is used to warm up horses. There wasn't
any worry about a run-away horse or space
enough to warm up a horse.
Be open-minded, commissioners. Think
outside the box. It can be done. Be a partner
and a player and look into it.
JOANNE WHEELER
HELDMLS
A bad Aggie joke
HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT the Aggie
at the funeral? The preacher asks if anyone
would like to say a word about the dearly de-
parted. The Aggie raises his hand and says,
"I would iust like to say a word about Texas
A&M!"
Just an Aggie joke that reminds me of our
Texas Governor...and that fact that it's always
better to laugh than cry.
But seriously, Texas voters, need to send
Governor Perry to the unemployment line!
Why? Anyone who would mention secession
as a solution to our $1.3 trillion dollar national
debt, and who presently holds any state or
national office, should be fired. Not only is he
stupid, he's a really bad Aggie joke!
When those of us who pay the Federal
government our fair share of obscene income
taxes, along with State and local taxes, we,
the taxpayer, expect to get some of it back for
schools, roads, etc. I, for one, would like to see
Texas get its fair share of the money back.
I don't want a Governor who feeds at the
trough of government—who feeds on my
taxes—andwho,whentheFederalgovernment
offers to send us back some of my hard-ear ned
money, says, "Hey! It's got strings attached."
The reason for strings attached is to keep
Governor Perry from stealing it. Governor
Perry is unfit to hold any office,
I close with best wishes to all! And, I love
your paper!
JOHN D. SEAMAN, Perryton
A steady hand
at the wheel
NINE YEARS HAVE PASSED since Frank Belcher was hired
to be Canadian ISD's school superintendent. They have been
nine very productive years for this community's public schools,
and relatively untroubled ones.
This week, Superintendent Belcher takes his leave, turning
oyer his office to Kyle Lynch, who has been his unofficial
understudy for several years. Lyneh—who leaves his own
rather sizeable shoes to fill—has attended school board
meetings, researched and prepared various school policies and
become knowledgeable about the issues that face this district.
Lynch has been well-prepared by Belcher for the job he is about
to assume. He has a long-established working relationship with
the school staff and teachers and coaches and students, and
has earned their—and certainly our—enormous respect. We
expect the transition to be a seamless one.
Having thrived under Belcher's leadership, this school
district—students, parents, educators and taxpayers—now
has the opportunity to express its gratitude and appreciation,
which should be abundant.
Superintendent Beleher's tenure here has beendistinguished
by the quiet demeanor and calm, self-assured professionalism
with which he has performed his job. He has guided his board of
trustees through the complexities of school finance. With their
help, he has crafted policies and successfully campaigned for
severalmulti-milliondollarbondissueswhichhave optimized our
tax dollars and prepared this school district and—arguably—
this community for what may well be a more challenging fiscal
future. He has overseen numerous construction and remodeling
projects—any one of which could have driven a lesser man to
tears.
Supt. Belcher's time here has not been without its
controversies, nor should it be. When a community cares as
much about its children and their education as this one does,
there are bound to be a few hard-fought battles along the way.
But Beleher's hand has been steady and his judgement sure
throughout his administration.
We who expeet—and often demand—proper recognition of
our students and their achievements, should now demand the
same of ourselves. Superintendent Frank Belcher has earned
our respect and deserves our praise. We hope you all will join
us in honoring him at Fr iday's come-and-go reception from 8:30
a.m. to 4 p.m. at the administration building.
Can't take the weather
with you
LARRY GATLIN, SELF-CONFESSED gadget junkie and
The Canadian Record's official computer god, has set up a NO-
AA-certified weather station on the roof of his home here in Ca-
nadian. He has made the data he gathers available online to the
general public and to several weather observation programs, in-
cluding Weather Underground.
Gatlin will not disclose how much he has spent on the sys-
tem, nor will we wager a guess as to its cost. He admitted this
week, however, that despite the price: tag, there is no way to put
a price on your six-year-old being told by his mother to go do
something outside and hearing him reply, "But Mom, the wind
is blowing 21 mph out there." Priceless, is our closest guessti-
mate.
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Brown, Laurie Ezzell. The Canadian Record (Canadian, Tex.), Vol. 120, No. 4, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 28, 2010, newspaper, January 28, 2010; Canadian, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth220824/m1/2/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Hemphill County Library.