Port Aransas South Jetty (Port Aransas, Tex.), Vol. 15, No. 1, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 3, 1985 Page: 2 of 12
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PAGE 2A THURSDAY, JANUARY 3,1985
Editorial
PORT ARANSAS SOUTH JETTY
My Eloise
By Mary Henkel Judson
DO YOU KNOW ELOISE? ELOISE
✓pi;part of my childhood. She led me
some of my wildest capers. She
'inspired mischief in me. My sister
'and I became Eloise for my mother.
And now, I have My Eloise.
.For those of you who did not have
'.the good fortune of growing up with
Kny Thompson’s Eloise, Eloise was,
is-and always will be six. She lives at
the Plaza Hotel in New York — on
>the top floor - with Nanny, her
'nurse, who wears tissue paper in
her dress and says everything three
times and wishes that Eloise didn’t
talk talk talk all the time.
Eloise has a turtle named Skip-
perdee for whom she orders one
raisin from room service every day
Thank you very much.
Eloise is very busy about the hotel
taking the elevator and stopping at
every floor, and pouring water
down the mail chute. Eloise keeps
room service busy and is a big help
to the busboys and waiters who set
up the Crystal Room. She goes to all
the weddings and usually stays for
the receptions.
; Now I have my very own Eloise:
Libby. I discovered her a few weeks
ago at a restaurant in Corpus
Christi.
Three generations of Henkel wo-
men met to have a dinner celebra-
tion upon the birth and
homecoming of my niece. It was to
be my sister’s treat since she had
some cockeyed idea that my mother
and I had done something more
than be her mother and sister dur-
ing and immediately after the birth
of little Katie. Well. I hope my
Mother and Betsy and little Katie
enjoyed it. Eloise and I were busy.
This particular restaurant is cen-
tered by a large bar on one side and
cooking area on the other. On one
side of all this is a cocktail area and
on the other is seating for dining. In
effect we had a racetrack for Eloise.
I selected this restaurant because
on the tables they have big sheets of
white paper for place mats and a
jar full of big crayons - perfect
entertainment for Libby, but not for
Eloise. After ordering and breaking
a “cocktail" for Eloise, we began the
grand march. Round and round the
center bar we went, stopping to
press Eloise’s face up against the
glass of the refrigerated case to get
a close look at the pretty red
snapper. Then we discovered an-
other refrigerated case for wine --
but lo and behold it also contained
a jug of MILK! MILK! So we got our
milk and continued our rounds,
climbing into this chair and out of
that one, stopping by the bar to
check out the oyster shucker and
trying to go for swim in his sink.
After a pit stop in the van we
returned to the restaurant with a
book that landed in a lady’s face. We
were lucky. It could have been her
plate or her drink. And she was very
nice. By this time I’d developed
frizzy hair and the sloppy look.
The hostess who seated us made
the unfortunate decision to put
Eloise back-to-back with a lady in
black. This lady in black didn’t look
like the type who would get a kick
out of Eloise, or even Libby. When I
caught Eloise’s spoonful of cottage
cheese within a quarter of an inch
of this lady’s black dress I knew it
was time to go. We got in the car
and she fell asleep. I had ordered
two cocktails during the course of
the evening and had neither. By this
time I needed one -in my ear!
If you don’t know Eloise and
don’t have one of your own, she's at
the library. Ask for her by name.
Scattershooting
A new beginning?
-By Jack L. Moore
This is that special time when
people of conscience withdraw
from the chaotic cavilling of those
less dedicated in order to assess the
past and set goals for the future;
when we look behind to see if
anybody besides Satchel Paige is
gaining on us; and when we dare to
declare publicly our resolutions for
the new year.
As you have surely come to
expect of me, I’ve given much
thought to this matter. I have medi-
tated, cogitated and vegetated,
aware always of enervated unfor-
tunates who will fail to grasp the
cosmic significance of such arcane
and prolonged germination of pres-
cient thought.
To get to it.
I think it’s a shame the way
people are down on the Irving
Cowboys just because they failed to
make the NFL playoffs and I want
to go on record with my undying
support in 1985, provided Landry
swaps Danny White AND Gary
Hogeboom either to the 49-ers for
Montana or to ABC for Meridith.
Plus, turn over the play-calling to
Hayden Fry.
Likewise, I am appalled that our
state senator Carla Truax has been
so maligned and verbally abused by
local citizens simply because he
said a lot of stupid things about the
city trying to raise money to clean
the beach. I resolve, given the
opportunity, to get behind Truax
and push him all the way-to Robs-
town, or El Paso. Wherever. He’s
earned it and we ought to pitch in
during the next election to see that
T idemarks-
he gets it!
But, there I go again mentioning
politics which is, of course, unmen-
tionable when you are of the clergy
gender. Therefore, in all hilarity, I
do resolve not to write anything
political, unless I first clear it with
all the elderly ruminants around
the area. Or until I decide it is in the
best interest of my personal well-
being to freely give voice to that
which resides, albeit uneasily, in my
heart and soul and mind and fertile
imagination!
But I do seriously resolve not to
say anything smart-alecky about
our projected federal deficit drop-
ping from $170 billion all the way
down to $210 billion once all the
votes were counted, including both
of Mondales. Provided the Presi-
dent will promise not to let Falwell
have the final say in the selection of
federal judges, unless of Jerry will
agree to pay off the national debt
with his MM collections.
Also, I do resolve to become more
involved in the whole of life in 1985.
For example, I plan to work to help
the bloodworm and sandworm
dealers of Wiscasset, ME whose
very livelihood is threatened by
unscrupulous diggers who now
take “anything that wriggles".
Would ask our congressman to
introduce legislation aimed at the
problem, but, unfortunately, the
industry isn’t into cost overruns
like the military contractors so he’s
not terribly interested.
Another area where I plan to
spend some time in ’SS is in trying to
teach the mosquitos and roaches of
our city to drink coffee. Though
scientists are still debating the ef-
fects of caffeine on humans, they
are fiat convinced that the stuff
wreaks havoc in the insect world. A
researcher says that when exposed
to powdered tea or coffee, mos-
quito larvae and mealworms “ex-
hibit distorted behavior, loss of
appetite, and loss of reproductive
ability”.
Instead of drinking the coffee
that sits around my office a couple
or three days, my number one New
Year’s resolution is to water it down
to where it’s not lethal to humans
and use it as mosquito spray.
Sounds to me as if '85 may be my
best year yet!
Panjandrum parade
-By C.M. Henkel Jr.
r&CB*tz>4aGMU
■IMS Copley New* Service
OF ALL THE THINGS I HAVE
been and been charged with being,
an empleomaniac is not on the list.
Surprising or perhaps not, because
I have always been intrigued with
politics and politicians, even to
panjandrums, the likes if you will of
the Tip O’Neils, Teddy Kennedy,
Jesse Helms. I list only a few, but to
tell the truth of the political ani-
mals I have known in this lifetime,
of high and low degree, at least 90
percent deserve to be categorized
exactly as the trio mentioned.
Now just in case I have confused
a few of you, let me save you a trip
to the dictionary and at the same
time confess that empleomaniac is
a new word to me as well. It means
a person with a compulsion to hold
public office. Also, a panjandrum is
a pompous, pretentious official
with considerable power that is
likely (most likely) to be used
unwisely. For this feliciflc know-
ledge, along with just 2,000 other
rare, useful, and delightful words
and expressions, I am indebted to J.
N. Hook, a professor of English at
the University of Illinois. True, I
don’t know Hook personally, but in
the after-Christmas lull, I discov-
ered his book, if you will, “The
Grand Panjandrum” at the library.
Hook, I opine, ranks easily with the
other great philogists of our time, H.
L. Mencken, William Safre, Vincent
Newman and of course others. Yes,
this is a fun book and I’m just
getting started. Just hope that I
don't memorize all those 1,999
words and phrases. Unbearable,
me? Meanwhile I’m just waiting to
shock some wowser when I spot
some cute little blizzard head and
he hears me ask her if she’d like to
canoodle awhile in the inglenook.
Up Hook!
IN A FEW MORE DAYS, YOU will
be reading about the stories which
are rated as the top news of 1984.1
might offer a list of my own, but why
add to the tedium? All things
considered the year was not a bad
one, even good for the majority of
us-in the United States. On the sad
side, it has been another year of
wars and threats of war. Just you
might say as the Scriptures pre-
dicted hundreds of years ago. In
this year, even as in the past,
mankind has been trying to think of
ways to prevent wars. Some of the
efforts have actually been warlike.
They have involved violence and
intolerance.
Beethoven’s 9th Symphony and
its choral “Ode to Joy" have long
been favorites with me and it has
been wonderful to hear it during
this holiday season-until I began to
hear it just a few times too often.
Even so, I always thrill to “Alle
menschen werden Brudern". Par-
don my German. Why didn’t I just
write-“Men throughout the world
are brothers”. Well that’s just what
old Ludwig B believed or hoped way
back in or around the beginning of
the last century.
AS MANY OF YOU MUST KNOW,
this scribe has never had much
regard nor respect for the peace at
any price types. In fact, I pretty well
cling to the belief that the best way
to prevent war is to be prepared,
and that is not an answer. This
much I do know about wars, and I
think I may be quoting someone.
Anyhow, stuck in my mind is that
no matter how just a war may be, it
is still war and it has never been a
solution to anything. More, war
makes men capable of enormous
heroism, but also enormous beasti-
ality. In all history of war, there has
never been a war where all the bad
guys were on one side and all the
good ones on the other.
NOT LONG AGO, THIS COLUMN
referred to an accused rapist-mur-
derer in Aransas County. The ac-
cused already had a criminal rec-
ord, was on probation after serving
two months and a few days in
prison. With no small measure of
anger, I opined that the judge who
tapped the man on the wrist with a
five year sentence for dope ped-
dling and then released him, de-
serves to suffer whatever penalty
the accused receives for his latest
crimes.
Shocked I was then when I
learned that the sentencing judge
was Vernon Harville of Corpus
Christi, one of the most respected
men on the bench in South Texas,
also one known for handing down
stiff sentences, even a bit of a "law
and order” type.
Fortunately, I was able to contact
a former criminal attorney of my
acquaintance. It is well that our
conversation was by telephone. It
might easily have lasted all day.
Summed up, the responsibility, or
guilt if you prefer, does not lie
entirely with the judge, instead
with our judicial system. Had I done
a bit of thinking before offering my
original opinion, I might well have
realized this. Actually, like most
newspapermen, I have known for a
long time something of the fallacies
of the American legal system but
never understand the whys and
wherefores as well as I might. That
still holds true.
The lack of rapport, the misunder-
standings that exist between those
of us of the Fourth Estate and the
legal profession is astounding and
ridiculous. It speaks well for nei-
ther party. Attorneys all too often
view newsmen with scorn and
suspicion. The sentiment is recipro-
cated. Among my closest friends
are a small number of lawyers. We
are friends because we purpose-
fully avoid discussion of profes-
sional differences. There have been
times when we have tried, to no
avail. A tragedy. The press and the
law are the little losers. The public
is the big loser.
!
. *.
V
*
;
:: ::
\
10°/c
141 W. Cotter
Ooff
all office supplies everyday
at the
South Jetty
749-5131
Southern Publishing, Inc.
749-5131
P.O. Box 1116 Port Aransas, TX 78373
141 W. Cotter
Second Class Postage is paid at Port Aransas, Texas 78373
Publication Number: 946-020
Advertising Manager
Murray Judson
Co-publishers
Murray and Mary Judson
Managing Editor
Mary Judson
Reporter
Maureen Sheeran
Proofreading Office Supplies/Classified Composing
Joe Bicknell Brenda Anderson Karen Thompson
The South Jetty is published every Thursday by Southern Publish-
ing, tnc. at 141 W. Cotter Avenue in Port Aransas. Any erroneous
statement regarding corporations, firms or individuals will be
gladly corrected when called to the attention of the editors.
TEXAS PRESS
■ IIassociationIII
1984
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Judson, Mary. Port Aransas South Jetty (Port Aransas, Tex.), Vol. 15, No. 1, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 3, 1985, newspaper, January 3, 1985; Port Aransas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth662780/m1/2/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Ellis Memorial Library.