The Tulia Herald (Tulia, Tex.), Vol. 88, No. 1, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 4, 1996 Page: 3 of 14
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Tocker Foundation Grant and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Swisher County Library.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
THURSDAY, JANUARY 4,19%
PAGE THREE
THE TULIA (Swisher County) HERALD
A History Of Earl Bell Cosby, Candidate
For County Commissioner, Precinct 2
Earl Bell Cosby was bom is Swisher
County on July 10,1919.
His mother and father were Oliver
and Jewell Cosby.
He was bom east ofTulia in what is
know as the Elkins and Love Com-
munity and attended the first grade in
Love School and then went to school
at the Elkins School.
When they discontinued high
school grades in the rural schools, the
Cosby family moved west of Tulia so
Roscoe, the older brother, and Orpah,
Cosby’s sister, could attend high
school.
Cosby also attended Tulia High
School and graduated from THS in
1939.
He worked for the public some
during his school years. Later, he and
his brother, Roscoe, put in a laundry
and ran it for awhile before Cosby
was drafted into the service.
He was the 12th person from
Swisher County leaving for one year
service on March 21,1941. However,
it took four years and eight months to
get out of the service.
Cosby served overseas in the Euro-
pean theater some 19 months. He re-
ceived an honorable discharge from
the service in November 1945.
His wife, Lou Rose (Whitman)
Cosby lived in Amarillo while her
husband was overseas and many more
months when he was being transferred
from one place to another. She worked
at Southwestern Public Service Com-
pany as a secretary.
After much visiting and discussion
they decided to move back to Tulia in
November 1945 for his dream was to
be in business for himself some day.
He said he felt the opportunities were
greater for "a broke soldier" in Tulia
than in Amarillo.
They purchased a house in Turkey
and moved it to Tulia. Cosby installed
the foundation, plumbing and other
necessary items.
Cosby then went to work for Joe
Arnold Service Station and Motor Co.
Arnold was getting the De Soto and
Plymouth Agency. Cosby worked for
Arnold for three years and then went
to work at the Ford dealership.
Mr. T. L. Fore, from Happy, had
purchased the dealership and Cosby
worked for him for five years.
Through his work there he had many
dealings with farmers and knew where
they all lived.
In May of 1954 Cosby secured the
franchise for a Lincoln and Mercury
dealership. He built his own building
and opened for business.
He changed from Lincoln/Mercury
to Buick, Pontiac and G.M.C. pickups
in 1959.
Since he also had a deep well ser-
vice, he had more contact with farm-
ers and sold pickups to lots of them
and continued to know more farmers
through the whole county.
During these years, he purchased
some land west and south of Happy.
Due to the help situation and
changes in his life and his family he
decided to get out of the car and pump
business in 1982 and go into farming
and ranching.
Cosby is running for county com-
missioner for Precinct 2 in the March
12, Democratic primary.
Cosby states, “I feel that I could
make you a good commissioner as I
have served on the city commission
and hospital board for some 10 years.
I served two years with my dear friend,
C. J. Vars, to help stop cloud seeding
in eleven Panhandle counties. This
was quite an undertaking as we had to
get a law passed so we could vote it
out.
“I promise, if elected, I will do my
very best to run the county business in
a very positive way and do my best to
keep the roads up in good condition.
“I would appreciate your vote,”
Cosby concluded.
EULA FLOWERS
The school was established in
1909. Elkins School began as a one
room school but as time progressed
another room was added.
Sunday School and church were
also held in the school building.
Ministers from the different church-
es in town held Sunday services. It
was the center of community func-
tions and social activities in the com-
munity.
Eula's father died when she was
four years old. He had a boil on the
back of his neck. It became infected
and blood poisoning caused his death
in 1911. Her mother took over the
job of raising and caring for the
family.
At the age of seven Eula began
school. She attended Elkins School
with her brothers. The school was
recognized as a standard rural school.
Eula's children also attended Elkins
School until it was consolidated with
Tulia’s schools after World War II.
Eula ended her formal schooling
when she married Cephus Morgan
Flowers on Oct. 8,1924. He came to
church at Elkins, and they became
acquainted at Sunday School and the
community social activities.
Cephus had lived in the communi-
ty 21/2 years before they married. In
1916 Cephus’ father bought a section
of land east of Tulia. Later Cephus
bought some of the land from his
father.
At the age of 21, Cephus began his
journey from Perry ton to Tulia. He
packed two wagons with everything
he needed to set up housekeeping
plus hay for four horses and two
mules.
His mother prepared a box of food
for the trip. The trip took six or seven
days. He arrived in Tulia in the
spring of 1922.
Since Cephus had already set up
housekeeping Eula had a home to go
to when she married. She didn't have
to start completely from scratch like
everyone else did. She moved to his
home on the Silverton Highway.
Three children were bom to the
couple, two boys and one girl. Gilford
lives in Happy. Jams lives in Plain-
view. Ncdra died in 1945 at the age
of 15 years.
A year or two after Eula and Cephus
married they built an adobe house.
Cephus made the adobe bricks. It
took him nearly two months to make
the bricks.
The walls of the house were 12
inches thick. The roof was wooden.
•v^ .The adobe house consistod of a
living room, dining room, kitchen,
and two bedrooms. They lived there
until 1948. The adobe house was
tom down and replaced with a rock
house.
The rock was brought from East
Texas. Eula and Cephus lived there
until 1957 when they built a house in
town. Eula still lives in this house.
She has moved a total of four times
in her life within a radius of thirteen
miles.
Eula learned to drive after she
married. Cephus had a roadster. He
must have been patient teaching her
A CHRISTMAS PARTY WAS HOSTED at the Highland School for
Hornet buddies. The group played games and Santa presented a
sack to each Highland buddy. Pictured with Santa is Rachel
Martin. — School photo
Asthma*
It doesn’t have to
restrict your life.
J. AMERICAN
T LUNG
I ASSOCIATION.
I -800-LUNG-USA
V YOU HAVE CANCER,
WE CAN HEIR
*Nat,
YOU CAN HEIR
I AMERICAN
WGANCBt
1-M0-ACS-234S T SOOETT
O IW4 American Canter Society
The Tulia Herald
P. O. Drawer 87
Tulia, TX 79088
Chris Russett - Publisher
Earl Moseley - Consulting Editor
Betty Bryant - Guest Writer
Marsha Dickens - Sports Editor
Diana McCaslin- Office Manager
Tammy Flowers - Typesetter
Clifteen While - Ad Production
Entire contents © 1995 by the Tulia
Herald News Company Inc.
ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION RATE
Swisher and adjoining counties, $16.00.
AH other Texas and U. S. addresses,
$19.00. The publisher is not responsible
for copy omission or typographical er-
rors which occur other than to correct
them in the next issue after it is brought to
his attention, and in no case does the
publisher hold himself liable for dam-
ages further than the amount received by
him for actual space covering the error.
The right is reserved to reject or edit all
advertising. Advertising orders are ac-
cepted on this basis only.. All published
letters to the editor must be signed and not
over 200 words in length.
Reward
Swisher County Crimestoppers is offering a reward up to $500 for
INFORMATION LEADING TO THE CONVICTION OF THOSE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE
FOLLOWING BURGLARIES: BETWEEN DEC. 20 - 28 OF A RESIDENCE SE OF
Tulia and between Dec. 21 - 30 of a residence between Tulia and
Kress. In both burglaries stereos, televisions, VCRs and assorted
other items were taken. Those with information should call 995-
4800. All calls are confidential.
Swisher County! Museum
would like to express its
*
mm
■pa
■ ...
appreciation and say
THANK YOU llS
to all who have given their time and
money to the museum. Without
you the museum could not have
stayed open full time.
Our goal for 1996 is:
•T«|do more for our community
•To create new displays
We would appreciate any ideas you
might have about displays you
would like to sec in our museum.
mm
________
1:1
A sincere THANKS to those in Swisher
County who had the dream of a museum
here and gave us a firm base upon which to
build. We are striving to grow and improve
each year.
__I mf___a._ „
poo rq»fP i ito effo rs
.............................................
Swisher County Museum
Continued From Page One
to drive, for not many husbands take
on the responsibility of teaching a
wife to drive.
Cephus and Eula farmed a section
of land. Farming consisted of grow-
ing wheat, maize, and a little cotton.
Wheat and maize finally replaced
cotton. Besides farming, 80 jersey
cows were milked twice a day during
World War II.
In addition 500 hens required tend-
ing. Think of all that milk and eggs.
Only if you have milked cows and
gathered eggs, do you understand all
the work involved in an operation
such as this.
I certainly do. I have done it. I
know from experience that milking
one cow is a job. Can you imagine 80
cows? That is a full time chore.
Eula cared for her family and did
whatever was necessary on the farm.
She stated the Lord had been good to
her.
She said she would not change a
thing in her life.
I asked her what her greatest hard-
ship was living in the country. She
said, "You learn to manage ahead. I
don't know that I ever had to do
without anything too long at a time."
In 1946-47 Cephus bought a two
place Trainer airplane. Later on he
bought a four place Pacer.
The two flew to Alabama, West
Virginia, and with the Texas Flying
Farmers. She spent a lot of Sunday
afternoons at the Tulia Airport.
Cephus wanted her to learn how to
land the plane in case anything hap-
pened to him.
She said if she Ir.J to learn to land
it she would just stay on the ground.
She was not interested in learning
how to land or fly the airplane, but
she did read the map for him.
The airplane was sold in 1954 and
replaced with a boat Sunday after-
noons were now spent at the lake.
Cephus and Eula were married 67
years when he died in 1991. I asked
Eula what her secret was of living
together that long? She replied with
a smile, "Don't go to bed angry. If
you go to bed angry, you get up
angry."
Eula spends her time volunteering
at the nursing home. She goes every
Tuesday and sings with a group.
Waldine Jackson plays the piano for
them. .
Of course, she can be found at the
Swisher Memorial Building daily.
There she eats lunch and then quilts.
She enjoys quilting and never knows
when to quit.
She crochets afghans for her chil-
dren and grandchildren. She plays
skipbow every week. Skipbow is a
card game. There are quite a few
groups of players in the county.
They play for fun but are deadly
serious when they play. They don’t
like to lose. It is important to them.
I couldn't interview heron the first
date because it was her skipbow day.
The skipbow group consists of
twelve members. They meet at the
Swisher Memorial Building or in
someone's home.
In the spring bluebonnets can be
seen in her flower beds. Cephus
planted them when they moved to
town.
Everyone has tried to plant blueb-
onnets from her seeds or from the
young plants.
Zuleika O'Daniel has tried her best
to grow some from either the plants
or seeds but has not succeeded. We
all know what a gardener Zuleika is.
If she can’t get them to grow, then no
one can.
Eula is a member of the First Bap-
tist Church of Tulia. She said you
could take 10 or 12 years from her
age and that is how long she has been
a Baptist.
I first meet Eula three years ago
when I was asked to teach her Sun-
day School class. What a thrill it is
to leach this class since it is the oldest
class in the First Baptist Church. 1
tell everyone we may be the oldest,
but we are certainly the most gifted.
Eula enjoys life to the fullest. I
asked her if she could sum up her life
in one sentence.
Her reply was, "I've had a good
life." I wonder how many of us could
say that about our lives.
* * *
Don't do for others what you
wouldn't think of asking them
to do for you.
—Josh Billings
Box Office Opens Show Starts
7 00 p m. Royal Theatre At7:3oP.m.
FRL, SAT., & SUN. - Jan. 5. 6 & 7
It Takes Two
RATED:G
Starring: The Olson Twins
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
The Tulia Herald (Tulia, Tex.), Vol. 88, No. 1, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 4, 1996, newspaper, January 4, 1996; Tulia, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth507294/m1/3/: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Swisher County Library.