Burleson Star (Burleson, Tex.), Vol. 26, No. 40, Ed. 1 Monday, January 14, 1991 Page: 1 of 12
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BEST AVAILABLE COPY
Monday
January 14
1991 }
LESOXT
STAR AVI
Volume 26
Number 40
% 12 Pages in 2 Section
Who's on first?
At one time the pressure was on the
board to fire the head coach; now a
\ group wants him to remain as AD
a _ - . «... .. • .■ j*___«__/t___v->__rr'_ minlitirAfnn nmffram
Perhaps the most volatile item
on tonight's (Monday) school board
agenda is not even oti tpnight's school
board agenda.
Nowhere cm the two printed
athletic coordinator (Joan Fenrill). To
have a fulltime athletic administrator
in addition to these staff members
would be to make the athletic depart-
ment top heavy in administrative
pages that detail the workload of the personnel, board members felt.
board of trustees at its January meet-
ing is there a mention of football or
toach or athletic director,
i But if you're thinking about at-
tending the meeting, chances are
you'll hear such words more than
once.
r Last month the board opted to
relieve then-Head Coach and Ath-
letic Director John Parker of both
those duties. Parker, who has one
year remaining on his contract, sought
The cost would also be prohibi-
tive—or at best ill-timed—in a pe-
riod when the BISD, and most other
school districts, are faced with more
and more costly education mandates
from the state.
The board, which once drew
heavy fire for retaining Parker as
football coach and AD, now finds
itself under the gun for relieving
Parker of those duties.
Petitions are being circulated in
to keep the athletic director's posi- Burleson urging the board to rein-
lion, but it was the decision of the
board to offer both positions to the
new head football coach whenever
such a person was hired.
Economic considerations were
an important factor in the board's de-
cision. The ability of the district to
attract better applicants for football
coach if both positions were offered
was another.
It was noted that the district al-
ready had a junior high athletic coor-
dinator (Gary Whites) and a girls'
state Parka- as athletic director. If
quality of an athletic program, and of
its athletic director, is its ability to
provide a healthy, well-balanced
program that will develop young
people in a way that makes them an
asset to their community. To do so
requires that the individual charged
with that responsibility be capable of
being everything from a disciplinar-
ian to a substitute parent when called
upon. In this, above all else, John
Parker is without equal," the newspa-
per advertisement stated.
The ad also pointed out that Par-
ker will be paid for one more year
regardless of his assigned responsi-
bilities during the 1991-92 school
year. To retain him in the position of
athletic director therefore wouldn't
necessarily increase athletic depart-
jUUv x aiftv/i ao auuvuv uuwm/>> ** — * *
you want to sign, you can find one at ment expenses for the next school
Southern Maid Donuts or Holley's year, supporters maintained. The
Sporting Goods—if you get there growth of the school district and its
before they’re taken up for presenta- future needs was also noted in the ad.
tion to the board at tonight's meeting. Another key point supporters of
Parker backers took out an ad in Parker brought out is that a football
Friday's Burleson Star urging people coach, without *Mitional tune-
to sign the petitions and to attend consuming duties of being athletic
tonight's board meeting to personally ***** would be able to devote
express their support for making more time toward mafang Burleson
Parker the fulltime athletic director, competitive in 5A football.
“ "Perhaps the most important Please see BOARD, Page 2A
They'll Be
Lighting Candles
Heather Porterfield (left) and Sherry Dunavin (right) will be among
many people lighting candles tonight at the Johnson County Courthouse.
The candlelight ceremony is to show support for the men and women in
Saudi Arabia. It will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 14, which
in Saudi Arabia would be 3:30 a.m. on Jan. 15—the day the United
Nations told Saddam Hussein that he would have to have his troops out
of Kuwait. Dunavin’s son, 22-year-old Patrick H. Dunavin, was sent to
Saudi Arabia Dec. 23. Porterfield is his girlfriend of three years. Sherry
Dunavin's brother, Sgt. Robert Marler, is also in Saudi Arabia.
Ceremony shows troop support
BY SALLY ELLERTSON
A Cleburne woman and her son's
girlfriend have organized a candle-
light ceremony to show support for
the men and women in Saudi Arabia.
This ceremony has a very significant
date—today, Monday, Jan. 14,at6:30
p.m. —which in Saudi Arabia is 3:30
a.m. on Jan. 15. The ceremony will
take place on the steps of the Johnson
County Courthouse in Cleburne.
As of press time, President
George Bush was still setting Jan. 15
as the deadline for Iraq's Saddam
Hussein to withdraw troops from Ku-
wait. If that deadline is not met, war
grows from being a possibility to a
probability.
Sherry Dunavin's son, 22-year-
old Patrick H. Dunavin H, airman
first class in the U.S. Air Force, was
sent to Saudi Arabia Dec. 23. He is in
counter-intelligence. Dunavin's bro-
ther, 38-year-old Sgt. Robert D. Mar-
la of the first calvary at Fat Hood,
went to Saudi Arabia in Octoba. He
was three years away from retire-
ment when he was called to the Per-
sian Gulf.
Heather Porterfield, Patrick
Dunavin's girlfriend of three years,
and his mother came up with the idea
of the ceremony just last week, Jan.
6.
"Everyone who has a child or
loved one over there is invited to
come," Dunavin said of the cere-
mony. "I don't want people to forget.
All the country should pull together."
Approximately 350 candles are
-pi? ; /T*1? ’■ '
being donated by Wal-Mart, K Mart,
and several churches. Representatives
of each of the armed forces will be
handing those candles out. Rev. Don
Smith of the Rio Vista Methodist
Church will be speaking.
Forrest Chevrolet is donating
yellow ribbon to give to everyone at-
tending. Dunavin said she had called
U.S. Sen. Phil Gramm to see if he
could attend but due to scheduling
conflicts he'll only be able to send a
letter of support. She is also trying to
get State Rep. Bruce Gibson to attend
or send a letter of support. The John-
son County Commissioners and
County Judge Joe Durham are also
expected to attend.
Please see OLDER, Page 3A
771%•^
Man dies in
Friday fire
BY SALLY ELLERTSON
A Burleson man died at the scene
of a fire that began late Friday night.
Darrell Bruce Woody Jr., 29, of
224 SiE. Gardens, was pronounced
dead at the scene by Johnson County
Medical Examiners Office Investi-
gator Don Deeson.
The Burleson Volunteer Fire
Department responded to a structure
fire at 2£4 S.E. Gardens at 10:32
p.m., Friday, Jan. 11. The call was
dispatched as a working structure fire
with people possibly trapped on the
second floor of a two-story house.
There were flames coming out
of a second story bedroom when fire-
fighters arrived. The other two male
/ residents were already out of the
house, standing in the driveway.
The firefighters doused the fire
quickly anti did a prelim i ry search
but coutthnot find anyor. On a se-
condary search, the victim was found
in the fetal position underneath a pile
of clothes in a second story closet
Please see ATTEMPT, Page 2A
Victim assistance coordinator likes to help out
ihe's there to give a hand
a&fejsL.-
decisions is important to someone apprehensive before each case be- through fines and/or criminal repay
who has been a^idtim of crime. So cause every (me of them is different, ment or restitution. Restitution would
often all of the concentration in the I want to make sure I'm doing a good not be made with the rape victim but
sgSEpsa-..
nrrw^utine^him ^^her^B ut V'in ce ~ One of the most important things when they get out, then part of that
Octoba of 1984 when the Victims of for Baker to do in addition to offering money goes into a fund. In die case of
Crime Act went into effect, and Oc- support, i> » help *e victim file fo,
^SSeWS.KS!S; COm^r^pmpo» after tat medical problems^ then counsel-
'S ’’’rheBurleMnPOhce Department SSS-de* Sp tri&Sld IM =>
instituted a victims assistance pro- tim's compensation form in case there some reason the victim needs iL
eram in December of 1989 but there are any counseling or medical needs There are some stipulations.
Sno grant money so it was done on further down the line," Baker said, board determines if there is a legiti-
a volunteer basis. The grant money "It’s not a real complicated form. I try mate case, the victim must cooperate
came in by September of 1990. The to help them fill it out, get it nota- with the police, and the victim must
federal government finances 65 per- rized, and file it through here just to follow through with prosecution if
cent ($13 545) of the Burleson pro- get it in the works faster. A lot of there is someone to prosecute,
gramon a yearly grant request with victims, like all of us, tend to proems- Baker has worked with police
thcTcitv making Se remaining 35 tinate and if not filed within the first and victims on death notifications
percent in cash match with pereonnel = to dtcy arc not eligible any
“"w^S^Sdoutasvic- Tbe compensation can be for ofJercyl^ShawofBuric^ Since
tints assistance coordinator but she counsclingbutitdependsonlhccrime IhetncnnBassistanyin^mnBg!
srsrsss ktscs
ZZZiZr ,°°k ^ COim"Ttohs^Tatiomey offices are
"One of the things I like best "That is a large amount com- See RELATIONSHIP, Page 3A
about it (victims assistance coordina-
tor job) is being a part of the process.
The victim needs you. You're not
there to take care of them. You re
there to let them know someone
cares," Baker said. "I think that it's
important in a society and a system
that seems very cold, to have some-
one there who is a warm fuzzy."
Baker went through training in
Austin and familiarized herself with
community victim assistance pro-
grams before jumping in. She had
just started rape crisis training in
Tarrant County when she heard about
the job opening in Burleson.
"It's not like they're (victims)
imposing on me to call. Thats my
job. I'm enabling them to make their
own decisions again," Baker said.
"Asa victim of crime, they have been
swept up in a system where they feel
they don’t have any choices. To be
able to give them those choices again,
whetha it be something as small as in
the case of a rape victim asking—'Do
you want me to call anybody for you?
Wbuld you like your mother in the
room during the rape exam?’ or Do
you want a Coke right now?
"When they come across a vie-
tim.alotof peopfctendtosay.nl get
you the Kleenex, ril getyoutheCoke,
1 ...ui.—dniAMhai 'Thevre
V
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Moody, James. Burleson Star (Burleson, Tex.), Vol. 26, No. 40, Ed. 1 Monday, January 14, 1991, newspaper, January 14, 1991; Burleson, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth763120/m1/1/: accessed March 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Burleson Public Library.