Burleson Star (Burleson, Tex.), Vol. 25, No. 124, Ed. 1 Wednesday, August 8, 1990 Page: 1 of 12
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BEST AVAILABLE COPY
Wednesday
August 8
1990
B«?N
Vol. 25
Issue No. 124
12 Pages in 1 Section
[© 1990 Burleson Publishing Inc
Burleson, Texas 4 For The Good Life
Single Copy 50$
'■is
It may be miniature but
there’s nothing small
time about this circus
By JAMES MOODY
It may be a miniature version of
the Greatest Show on Earth, but
there's nothing small time about the
Dorsey Circus.
No shortcuts.
No short c hang ing the folks who
come to see it with anything less than
total authenticity.
There's rarely even a short cir-
cuit in the wiring.
But, just like the real thing, it's
definitely for small fry of all ages.
And that's not just small talk.
After watching the Dorsey Cir-
cus for a few minutes, many people
aren't convinced that it's not the real
thing there in front of them. The tiny
performers take on a life of their own.
You can almost visualize friendships
among the circus people. Petty jeal-
ousies and animosities. Love, hate,
and all the rest of the other normal
human emotional responses.
Could such a thing be possible?
You'll have the opportunity to
judge for yourself as the smallest and
most complete version of the circus .
will be on display at Fort Worth
Town Center through Sunday, Aug.
12.
If you had asked a weary Bob
Dorsey at the opening of the two-
week long exhibit, he might have told
you it took almost that long to set it
up. Itprobably seemed that way since
he and three others worked for 16
hours creating a wonderland of lights
'$m- *•* m»im for aUvmms toenjoy. tt-
You'll find it all there: the tra-
peze artists, the side shows, the ani-
mal acts, the high wire act, the magi-
cians, the sword swallower, a naked
lady. In all, there are over 4,000
pieces under this miniature big top.
Actually, there arc four big tops
and these tents arc among the few
items that Dorsey himself did not
make, paint, or both. His mother did
the sewing on the tents.
"A naked lady?" most people
ask Dorsey in a belated reaction
when it finally soaks in what he's said
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"Si \
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about such a lady being a part of his
circus. t
"1 never even give them a hint of
where she is," he laughs. "I just tell
them she's in there somewhere. It’s
really a good gimmick to get people
to study and look over the circus very
carefully.” ,
And it's certainly worthy of a
second and third look, whether or not
you find his lady of infamy. The
circus represents 33 years of work.
The lady's not actually naked
anyway. She has a towel around her
and was inspired by a fully-dressed
woman who was fascinated by the
circus.
"This lady looked everything
over closely for the longest time,"
Dorsey said, "and then told me that
there was only one thing wrong with
it.
"She said that the restroom on
the train should have a shade over the
window so nobody could see in while
it was being used.
"That was a big compliment to
me because it meant that the people
in my circus had become real to her."
After he told his daughter of this
incident, she bought him a figure of a
lady draped in a towel as a joke.
The bain had its beginnings in
the ag shop at Burleson High School
more years ago than Dorsey cares to
remember. But he does remember it,
and fondly.
"A.E. Frazier helped me while I
was making fie cars." he sSfil (it life
Burleson educator and the man for
whom an elementary school here is
named.
"I worked with eight foot
lengths of wood and I'd cut off pieces
the size of the car I was making," he
added
The very earliest work he did on
the circus pre-dates that even. There
arc three circus wagons that he made
when he was 8 years old.
The day the exhibit opened he
celebrated his 54th birthday.
Please see MINIATURE, PG. 3
mi
The Greatest—and also the Smallest—Show on Earth
BwUson Siar/JAMES MOODY
Bob Dorsey makes some final adjustments to his miniature circus as he performing a variety of acts, has used his own expertise and knowledge
prepares to showcase 33 years of handicraft for two weeks at Fort Worth of circus lore to authentically duplicate the sights, sounds, and even
Town Center. Dorsey, who spent 14 years working with the circus movement of an actual circus. The exhibit is free at the shopping mall.
Verdict on increas^n school taxes delayed
BY SALLY ELLERTSON
The Burleson school
could not act on f£oettfcu|fe^ll
because the district did not receive
the appraisal roll.
"We can't figure the effective tax
rate until we have the tax roll," Su-
perintendent Gordon Cockerham
told the school board members.
That will delay the computation
of the new tax hike, estimatkl to be
three cents. Even after the effective
tax rate is calcuated, the increase in
taxes won't be finalized until the
board approves the budget, which is
in its third draff
Speaking of the budget, the
board added four special education
chers, four special education
(TAG) teacher, aparenting program,
arid removal of metal gas tanks as
regulated by the Environmental Pro-
tection Agency.
In a point disc ussed prior to talk-
ing about the budget, the board ac-
cepted the low bid from Goodin
Roofing Inc. of Fort Worth fora little
over $112,000 to re-roof the Burle-
son Junior High School. The funding
for the roof will come from current
reserves instead of being included in
the new budget, as was figured in the
reading of the second draft.
After much discussion, the
board decided to budget 10 comput-
tflfbrtfwphysicm:
at Burleson Junior High School,
where the most students are involved
with the computers.
The board also approved pur-
chasing two cottage classrooms, esti-
mated at $32,000each, for the Taylor
Elementary school campus. The
extra classrooms were needed to
keep the 1 -22 student ratio in grades
kindergarten-fourth and to lower the
class size in (he upper elementary
grades. Taylor Elementary has the
greatest growth potential and all of
the classroom space is in use.
Two resource groups arc slated
to go into the cottages as well as two
other classes. The cottages arc
equipped wMl restrooms, air condi-
tioning and heating, and a chalk-
board.
Richard Grummet, BHS assis-
tant principal and spokesman for the
student discipline ad hoc committee,
fielded questions from the' board
members about the findings of the
committee. A1 Tiller, board member,
expressed a concern that the parents
of the children need to know why
their child is in the discipline pro-
Please see FOUR, Page 4
'Miracle babyT born at 28 weeks; weighs 3 pounds, 2 ounces
BY KIM WEST
Burleson's miracle baby was
bom by Caesaerean section at Harris
Methodist Hospital this past Sunday,
Aug. 5. Faith Nicole Alexander, the
infant who underwent experimental
surgery even before she was bom,
weighed 3 pounds, 2 ounces, and
measured 15 1/2 inches in length at
birth.
Faith, the daughter of Mike and
Teri Alexander, arrived at Harris
Methodist Hospital at 10:55 p.m. She
was bom three months premature.
Burleson made Miss Alexander's
acquaintance just over a month ago,
when it was discovered the unborn
child suffered from a diaphragmatic
hernia, a condition in which the or-
gans move through a hole in the dia-
phragm into the chest cavity. The
condition prevents a fetus' lungs from
developing while in the womb, which
keeps the baby from breathing at birth
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Water Guzzler
This little girl scout takes a long drink from her canteen while enjoying
the many activities at the Sunset Meadows Twilight Camp put on by the
Circle T Girt Scout Council. Nearly 99 children were participating in the
camp activities Monday evening.
if not corrected.
After learning of their unborn
child's condition, the Alexanders be-
came aware of experimental surgery
being performed at the University of
California at San Francisco to correct
the problem. Eight surgeries had been
performed; the Iasi two were suc-
cessful.
On July 5, Teri Alexander be-
came the ninth person to undergo the
operation, which her husband deemed
a success. Doctors who performed
the surgery have declined to discuss
it until the results are published in a
scientific journal.
Teri's first scheduled trip home
was canceled after the amniotic fluid
began to leak. She underwent a sec-
ond operation on July 18 to repair the
tear that allowed fluid to leak.
The Alexanders were given a
warm reception by the media on their
return to Texas on Thursday, J uly 26.
Their story has been featured on the
broadcast news stations in the M etro-
plex. \
By the next day, (Friday, July
27) Teri learned how to use equip-
ment that monitored her activity and
transmitted the information back to
the UCSF medical team. For an hour
each day she attached a machine to
her stomach that montored contrac-
tions. The information was then trans-
mitted to California via phone mo-
dem.
It was through this vehicle that
doctors learned of Teri's increased
contractions on Sunday.
"I didn't feel well on Sunday,"
Teri said from her hospital room on
Tuesday afternoon. "I started having
contractions and then a severe pain in
my upper abdomen."
The doctors advised her tocheck
into Harris Hospital immediately.
After she arrived the waiting medical
mam tried to stop the contractions for
almost five hours. Faith was taken by
C-section several hours later.
With her original due date set at
Oct. 23, Teri was just in her 28th
week of pregnancy at the time pf
Faith's birth. The two previous survi-
vors of the fetal surgery were taken
by C-section at 32 weeks and 36
weeks. Doctors and the Alexanders
had hoped the child would not be
bom until late August so that the
lungs could develop properly.
Faith remains in critical condi-
tion at Harris Hospital and is ex-
pected to stay at the hospital for two
months. She is being given pure
oxygen through a ventilator system.
"When she (Faith) was first bom
they said the first three days were
critical," Teri said. "I think the next
week will be critical."
Teri added, "Every 24-hour pe-
riod is a milestone. She's a little
trooper."
The Alexanders have been told
to expect many ups and downs in the
next two months as their daughter
gains strength. Teri said the infant's
lungs change from day to day, and
that they seemed to be doing much
better yesterday afternoon than yes-
terday morning.
She also noted that Faith has
been sedated since birth because she
fights the many tubes that are helping
to sustain her. ~
"She’s a fighter," Teri said.
The Alexanders extended a warm
thank you to Burleson residents for
their support and prayers. A special
thanks goes to Wall Feed Store for its
support.
Teri is expected to be released
from the hospital on Thursday or
Friday.
"The Lord has been good to us,"
she concluded.
A fund has been set up at Farm-
ers and Merchants State Bank to help
the Alexanders with the expenses they
have incurred.
Both sides await judge's
decision in Dennis case
by Nancy Huckaby
Review Editor
After nearly four more hours of
testimony, attorneys for both Mayor
Hal Dennis and city councilmen
Charles Reasons, Tommy Jetton, and
Jim Strickland and the City of
Crowley rested their cases on Mon-
day, August 6, in Judge Michael
Shatunan's District Court #348.
Now it is left up to Judge
Schauman to decide whether or not
to uphold a temporary injunction
against the city council, and set a date
for a trial to determine if Dennis was
unlawfully ousted from his position
as mayor. It is not known how long
he will take in making that decision
in a case which has split the town's
citizens into two camps.
If upheld, the injunction would
in effect nullify a 2 to 1 vote to oust
Dennis, which came at a special
called meeting held on July 12 when
the city council heard charges
brought against Dennis by Reasons.
Because Reasons did not par-
ticipate in the vote and Councilman
Sterl Blondy' Malone was absent
Please see DENNIS, Page a 0
A
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Moody, James. Burleson Star (Burleson, Tex.), Vol. 25, No. 124, Ed. 1 Wednesday, August 8, 1990, newspaper, August 8, 1990; Burleson, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth762734/m1/1/?q=music: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Burleson Public Library.