Refugio County Press (Refugio, Tex.), Vol. 52, No. 28, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 16, 2012 Page: 1 of 16
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Volume 52, No. 28
www.mysoutex.com
Feb. 16,2012-75<
Contributed photo
Jim Henke of Refugio postponed college at the University of Texas to join the Marine Corps and
become a helicopter pilot. Shortly after receiving his wings, the Cuban Missile Crisis stunned
Americans and in the process, Henke found the love of his life. He is standing second from the
right in front of a UH34 chopper.
Cuban Missile Crisis -
a Marine s experience
Henke served, found life partner along the way
By KENDA NELSON
Editor, County Press
REFUGIO — For most people under
the age of 50, the Cuban Missile Crisis
is merely a story written on a few
pages in high school history books.
In the seven-day confrontation
between the east and west, Premier
Nikita Khrushchev of the Soviet Union
and U.S. President John F. Kennedy,
leaders of the world’s greatest nuclear
superpowers, stared each other down
for seven days as the world watched.
For Jim Henke of Refugio, the crisis
was a defining moment in his personal
life as well as in his career as a heli-
copter pilot in the U.S. Marine Corps.
After graduating from Karnes City
High School, Henke enrolled at the
University of Texas.
“I was spending a lot of money on my
education but I still wasn’t sure of the
career I wanted,” Henke said.
So, the UT student joined the Marine
Corps with a goal - to become a heli-
copter pilot.
Upon completing flight training at
Ellison Field in Pensacola, Fla., Lt.
Henke’s former fraternity brother at
UT, Thomas Jeter, formerly of Refugio,
pinned on his flight wings. Jeter, a life-
long friend, later became a brigadier
general.
A highlight of his years spent in
Pensacola was football. The Goshawks
football team included Navy and
Marine Corps flight students and the
team was having a banner season in
‘62.
“Football has always been in my
blood, and I was having a good year,”
Henke said.
President Kennedy’s speech on Oct.
22, 1962, informed the world that the
Soviet Union was building secret mis-
sile bases in Cuba, just 90 miles off the
shores of Florida. Henke’s squadron
Deaths
Nancy Annette
Hawkins Warnken
was put on alert but football went on.
The team played Ft. Lee two weeks
after Kennedy’s speech. During the
game, Henke recovered three fumbles
and knocked down a touchdown pass.
He was awarded the game ball.
Set to play in the Leatherneck Bowl
in Balboa, Calif., formerly the old San
Diego Chargers Stadium, and another
bowl game in Mexico City, Henke’s
plans to finish the season were dashed.
The helicopter pilot received orders
to New River Air Facility in Jackson,
N.C. for deployment to the Caribbean,
where a blockade continued off the
waters of Cuba.
As disappointing as Henke was
about leaving the team before the sea-
son ended, the transfer had a bright
side - the Marine was destined to meet
his future wife, Karen, a teacher at
Camp Lejeune, N.C.
“Her father was a tobacco farmer,”
Henke said. “Karen was a teacher
but she also helped in the fields of the
tobacco plantation. Tobacco is a dif-
ficult crop that requires a lot of work.
(See Henke’s, 16A)
Contributed photo
Just days short of playing football in the
Leatherneck Bowl in San Diego, Lt. Jim Henke
was deployed to patrol the Caribbean during
the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Index
Classifieds Page 8 A
Community Page 5 A
Church Page 6 A
Obits Page 2A
Sports Page 14A
Winter break
Refugio ISD students
and staff are scheduled
for a winter break begin-
ning today, Thursday,
Feb. 16 through Monday,
Feb. 20.
Regular classes will
resume on Tuesday, Feb.
21.
Half-price sale
Peace Lutheran
Church, 809 Locke St.
Woodsboro, will conduct
a half price rummage
sale on Saturday, Feb.
18 from 7:30 - 10:30 a.m.
Scout BBQ
Boy Scout Pack
188 will sell barbecue
plates, chicken and sau-
sage with all the trim-
mings, Sunday, Feb. 19
from 11- 2 p.m. at St.
Therese Catholic Church
in Woodsboro.
County lifts burn ban
Court drops employees’ life insurance, cafeteria plan
By KENDA NELSON
Editor, County Press
REFUGIO — The com-
missioners court lifted
the countywide burn ban
Tuesday morning.
Chief Deputy Sheldon
Wiginton told the court
that the burn index
had lowered consider-
ably although the “fuel”
remains. He also reported
that La Nina has changed
patterns, increasing the
chance for rain.
The county also voted
unanimously to drop the
county employees’ life
insurance and cafeteria
plan.
“If we’re out of the insur-
ance business, get rid of it
all,” said Commissioner
Gary Bourland.
'If we're out
of the insur-
ance busi-
ness, get rid of
it all.'
— Gory Bourland,
commissioner
The county dropped its
health insurance cover-
age in October of last year
but gave each employee
a $700 across-the-board
raise to defray the cost of
procuring his or her own
insurance.
The cafeteria plan with
Verity National allowed
county employees to save
for anticipated health care
costs including insurance
deductible fees. According
to a chart prepared by
the county treasurer’s
office, the county saved
$25,347.93 by adminis-
tering the cafeteria plan.
Deductions for the plan
were made prior to pay-
roll deductions, thereby
lowering withholding
costs. That, in turn, saved
(See Court, 16A)
Kenda Nelson photo
The commissioners court voted unanimously on Tuesday to drop two more benefits for county
employees - life insurance and the cafeteria plan. In October 2011, they dropped health insurance.
Sgt. Diaz
reports
better
policing
By KENDA NELSON
Editor, County Press
REFUGIO — Sgt.
Enrique Diaz told the
Refugio City Council
Tuesday night that new
policies under Police
Chief Andy Lopez Jr.
have resulted in better
policing.
“All we did was traf-
fic,” Diaz said of pre-
vious policy. “Now we
exhaust the case and
stick with it until it is
adjudicated.”
As a result, traf-
fic citations are down
but more cases are
being investigated and
solved.
Diaz used pie charts
to illustrate the work
the department has
done over the past year.
The council also
gave Bart Wales and
Rosemary Kelley a
thumbs up on their
request to hold the
Texas Independence
Wine Classic in
Heritage Park.
(See Refugio, 16A)
Brock’s trial
postponed
By KENDA NELSON
Editor, County Press
Former Refugio Police
Chief Chris Brock’s trial
was set to begin on Feb.
13 in Victoria but has
been postponed by the
judge assigned to hear
the case.
The continuance was
granted in spite of a
motion filed by Brock’s
attorney to have the
trial move forward as
planned.
Judge Bert Richardson
of San Antonio is assigned to the case. Jury selec-
tion was scheduled to begin on Feb. 13 with the trial
to follow. However, Richardson intended to recess
the case until Feb. 27 because of a conflict in his
schedule, according to court documents.
The Feb. 27 trial date conflicted with Brock’s
attorney, John Gilmore of Corpus Christi, who had
set aside two weeks to try Brock’s case.
In his motion against the continuance, Gilmore
cited several other cases set for trial in Nueces
County, some with defendants still in jail. One of
Gilmore’s other trials was to begin on Feb. 27 in
Nueces County. The attorney had trials into March.
Brock was indicted in September 2009 on three
felony counts - theft by a public servant, felony
misappropriation of fiduciary property and abuse
of official capacity. The state is attempting to prove
that Brock misappropriated somewhere between
$20,000 to $100,000 from May 1, 2002, to Sept. 1,
2008, according to court documents.
In September 2011, the state was granted a
change in venue to Victoria in spite of Gilmore’s
attempt to keep the trial in Refugio.
Currently, a new trial date has not been set.
Brock
Briefs
Donation is $7 a plate.
Bake sale
Venture Crew 188
will conduct a bake sale
Saturday, Feb. 18 at 8:30
a.m. at the Woodsboro
Square. All proceeds are
for summer camp.
RCFA meeting
The Refugio County
Fair Association will
meet at 7 p.m., Monday,
Feb. 20 at Padilla Hall.
WHS blood drive
The Bloodmobile will
be in front of the high
school building for a
blood drive from 12 to
6 p.m. sponsored by the
WHS Student Council.
RHS blood drive
The South Texas Blood
and Tissue Center will be
at Refugio High School,
205 W. Vance Street on
Wednesday, Feb. 22;
from 1-4:30 p.m.
Breakfast
Refugio Whataburger,
605 N. Alamo, will host
an all-you-can-eat pan-
cake breakfast to ben-
efit Relay for Life on
Saturday, Feb. 25, from
7-10 a.m.
Tickets are $3.
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Nelson, Kenda. Refugio County Press (Refugio, Tex.), Vol. 52, No. 28, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 16, 2012, newspaper, February 16, 2012; Refugio, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth740321/m1/1/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Dennis M. O’Connor Public Library.