The Clifton Record (Clifton, Tex.), Vol. 87, No. 41, Ed. 1 Thursday, October 14, 1982 Page: 1 of 20
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Micron In Conner of TX XX
Thousands On Hand To Welcome Monarch
P.0. Box 45436
r, TX 75
PnliaEr,
75215
King Of Norway Visits Clifton - Norse
By Mike Reeder
A simple bouquet of flow-
ers bridged 180 years of
history and thousands of
miles of ocean Sunday,
October 10, as Elizabeth
Colwick, direct descendent
of original Norwegian set-
in history he would like to
witness. First, on the Da-
mascus road, when Paul
spoke with Jesus. The sec-
ond time, said Homerstad,
would be a thousand years
after that date, when King
Olaf christianized Norway.
Secret Service agents, was
escorted to the adjacent
cemetery, and the grave of
Norwegian emmigration
leader Cleng Peerson. Hun-
dreds of people pressed
against the ropes set up
near the front of the ceme-
tery, as Pernell Aars and
Lawrence Jenson made
speeches, and King Olav
layed a wreath of evergreen
and red carnations on Peer-
son's grave. At that point,
he and the other dignitaries
made their way back to the
church steps, and King Olav
spoke for the first time to
the assembled crowd. "He
(Peerson) is no longer a
rolling stone," said the
King. "He can be an
example to us all...It was
incredible what he was able
to overcome...to find this
new ground for a new and
better living...
"For over a century, peo-
ple have come to this church
See KING OLAV, Page 3-A
tier Ovee Colwick, present- Another occasion, Homer-
ed the blossoms to Nor-
way’s King Olav V at the
Bosque Museum in Clifton.
The flower presentation
was one of the last events on
an agenda which included
proclamations honoring
Olav from the Texas Senate
and City of Clifton, a parade
through Clifton in the
King’s honor, and a morn-
ing of worship and celebra-
tion at Our Savior’s Luther-
an Church in Norse.
The long months of plan-
ning on the part of the
various welcoming commit-
tees apparently paid off, as
every event went smoothly
and according to schedule,
with very few mix-ups and
little inconvenience. The
projected crowds of
20-30,000failed to material-
lize, but a good crowd was
on hand at both Norseand in
Clifton, soaking up the
pagentry, and searching for
glimpses of the King. The
Associated Press estimated
that 1,500 people swelled
the churchyard at Our Sa-
vior’s Lutheran Church in
Norse, some in lawn chairs,
and many more standing, as
they listened to the Rev.
Homerstad's sermon over
loud speakers miked inside
the church.
The King stepped off his
helicopter to the strains of a
military band from Fort
Hood, and was escorted
through the crowd and into
the church, where he was
seated near the front facing
the pulpit. Church Presi-
dent Olee Bakke welcomed
Olav to the service, as
television cameras whirred
and still photographers
snapped pictures from the
balcony. Among those pre-
sent to record the event
were affiliates of all three
major television networks,
National Public Radio,
Newsweek Magazine, vir-
tually every major daily
newspaper in the state; and
a similar contingent of Nor-
wegian journalists traveling
with the King.
In his own greeting to King
Olav, the Rev. John Fjomer-
stad remarked, "I never
dreamed I would be called
to preach toa king until I get
to Heaven. I have come to
the conclusion this spot at
Norse is about as close as I
will get to Heaven while still
on this earth."
Following the usual child-
ren’s sermon, in which the
youngest members of the
congregation gathered ab-
out the feet of Homerstad to
discuss his message, the
adult sermon began, with
King Olav sitting attentive-
ly throughout. Homerstad
drew his sermon from Reve-
lations 17:14, and titled it,
appropriately, "Children of
the King of Kings.” Homer
stad began his message
with a poem entitled "Who
Am I?", written by Dietrich
Bonhoeffer during his im-
prisonment by the Natzis.
"Bonhoeffler knew who he
was. He was a son of the
King of kings, the Lord of
lords,” Homerstad said.
"That's who you are, whe-
ther you admit it nor not."
Homerstad went on to say
that, given a chance, there
were three particular times
stad said, would be in 1854,
when the first Norwegian
settlers arrived in Norse.
"One more time I will be
there,” he concluded, "is
when we all stand before the
King of kings, the Lord of
lords. Not only the kings will
be there, but also the
peasants and paupers."
After the service, King
Olav, constantly surround-
ed by intense-looking U.S.
The Clifton Record
TEXAS PRESS
ASSOCIATION
1982
—Clifton's Oldest Business Establishment—
Thursday, October 14, 1982—Vol. 87, No. 41 ☆ ☆ ☆
Clifton, Texas 76634—25 Cents Per Copy
© 1982, The Clifton Record, All Rights Reserved
Civic Society Arts & Crafts Show Saturday
According to Mrs. O. R.
Jenson and Mrs. Billy E.
Kirby, co-chairmen, Clif-
ton is becoming a town
known for producing "big
events”, and they believe
the Civic Improvement So-
ciety’s 1982 Arts and Crafts organizations and individu-
Fair to be held from 8 a.m. als who will display their
until 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct- wares for sale on 59 tables
ober16, in the Civic Center during the gala affair are
certainly will fit into that the following:
category.
Composing the list of 49
School Board Votes
3% Tax Rate Increase
AT CLENG PEERSON GRAVESITE-King Olav V
of Norway [left, center] and Pastor John Homerstad
of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church at Norse are
pictured singing Norway's national anthem following
wreath-laying ceremonies in the cemetery. In the
background are the 12-foot monolith marking
Peerson’s grave, throngs of church members, the
news media, and interested persons attending the
event, and Our Savior’s Lutheran Church. The
ceremony has been described as colorful [as several
flags waved in the wind], and moving. Performing the
national anthems of the two countries was the Fort
Hood Band. Photo supplied by members of the
Norwegian press corps.
Entire Norse Area May Be Named Historical Site
The Texas Historical Com-
mission has announced
plans to nominate most of
the Norse area in Bosque
County to the National Reg-
ister of Historic Places. The
nomination would include
more than 25 individual
National Register sites and
a rural historic district cen-
tered around the old rock
church of St. Olaf.
According to Don Terpstra
who edits a number of
publications for the state
commission, the impending
nomination of Norse is the
result of several years of
study.
"Several people on the
staff have been working up
there in Bosque County, not
only on the Norse commun-
ity, but on a number of other
site?," Terpstra said. "For
example, the old Bosque
County Jail, which was torn
down about a year ago, was
a source of some controver-
sy, because it was a Nation-
al Register site. And a lot of
people in the community
there did not want to lose it.
"But that (Norse) nomina-
tion has been being devel-
oped for a number of years,
because there are so many
sites in the Norwegian com-
munity, and it is almost
finished now.”
Terpstra said that the
nomination would carry no
restriction on the property
owners as to the use of sites
listed with the National
Register.
"Not at all," Terpstra
said. "There’s no restric-
tion on the property owner
whatsoever. He can tear it
down; do anything he wants
to with it. The only limita-
tion is that a National
Register site, when there is
any proposed changes to it
or demolition, the owner
needs to give the Historical
Commission notice...the
Historical Commission or
the Interior Department
simply needs to be informed
of these changes. There’s
nothing we can do really to
stop it, but we do need to be
informed of it.” Terpsta
added that he and a group
from the Historical Com-
mission planned to be pre-
sent for King Olav’s recent-
ly completed visit to the
area.
Ken Brych of the Historical
Commission has been the
person actually in charge of
planning for the Bosque
County nomination. Brych
said that the designated
area would include a large
part of Bosque County west
of Clifton.
“We're not exactly sure
yet. It has to go through a
number of different parts of
the Commission, and then it
has to go to the National
Parks Service before any-
thing is put on the Register.
I’m not sure what they'll
decide as it goes down the
line.
"But the plan right now is
to put about two dozen
individual sites on the Na-'
tional Register, and then
perhaps to designate a rural
area around the old rock
church, St. Olaf’s asi a
district." '
As for historical markers,
Brych said that would, in
the case of individual sites,
be left up to the property
owner’s discretion.
"They wouIdn’ t be marked
specifically, unless the own-
er chose to have them
marked. That would be their
perogative,” Brych said.
Brych also echoed Terp-
See NORSE, Page 3-A
Acting in special session,
the Clifton Independent
School District Board of
Trustees voted Thursday,
October 7, to set an effective
tax rate of $.54355 per $100
valuation for the 1982-83
fiscal year. The rate repre-
sents the maximum three
percent increase over last
year’s rate allowed by law
without necessitating a pub-
lic hearing.
The $.54355 figure, when
broken down, represents 46
cents per $100 for mainte-
nance and operation, and
$.0835 for debt service.
According to calculations
released at the meeting by
Superintendent Richard Li-
ardon, the new rate should
generate $454,773 in reve-
nue, based on a collection
rate of 92 percent. The
collection rate normally
ends up running slightly
more than that, or about 94
percent. Liardon also calcu-
lated the amount of revenue
that would be produced with
lower rates, but left no
doubt that his preference
was for the higher figure.
"If we don’t take advan-
tage of the three percent
(allowable increase) each
time," he told the board,
"with inflation going all the
time, we will get to a point
where we might have to
have a big increase, just to
get revenues back up where
they were.
“1 put in the bud get
$436,000,” Liardon said.
"That’s what I put in the
budget. And of course the
budget included the
$110,000 plus that we car-
ried over from last year as
revenue. The new budget
shows expenditures and re-
venue as about the same.
We did increase salaries,
which is good; we have no
second thoughts about that.
But we have very little in
construction, we just don't
have much money to put
into construction. Salaries
make up about 90 percent of
the budget, so you’re going
to spend up about 90 per-
cent of that budget just
paying salaries. We don't
have a whole lot to pley
with, as far as saving any
money.”
Trustee Tom Parks made
the motion to adopt the new
rate, saying "In view of the
closeness and tightness of
the budget, and the uncer-
tainty of the tax role, I would
move that we adopt a rate of
$.54355.” Following a sec-
ond by Trustee David Con-
rad, that motion was passed
unanimously.
Liardon noted that he had
hoped he might be able to
recommend a smaller rate,
buj that the loss of taxable
property, chiefly due to
added agricultural exemp-
tions, as well as mistakes
that he says continue to crop
upon the roll, required him
to go with the higher figure.
The other major items on
the agenda were two separ-
ate resolutions relating to
See TRUSTEES, Page 12-B
Business and Professional
Study Guild; Clifton Garden
Club;Bird Cage (Goodall
and Witcher Hospital Foun-
dation); First United
Methodist Church Women;
Regina Chapter, Order of
the Eastern Star; Clifton
Lutheran Sunset Home;
Clifton Young Home-
makers’ Club; Trinity Luth-
eran Church Women;
Bosque County Art Club;
Mrs. Dolly Phillips; Mrs.
J.W. Blewett Jr.; Janet
Cole Carter; Frank Smith
Jr.; Mrs. Otto Gangshei;
Mrs. Gus Walsleben; Mrs.
Arnold Anz; Mrs. William
B. Bertelsen Sr.; Mrs. E.E.
Stewart; Mrs. M.D. Jenn-
ings; Mrs. John H. Stanley
and Mrs. J.C. Rosser; Mrs.
Curtis Winn; Melva Ket-
tler; Mrs. Clifford B. Votaw;
Mrs. Keith Patterson and
Mrs. Garland Humphries;
See CRAFTS, Page 3-A
Court Sets Tax Rate,
Adopts New Salaries
What Do Senators,
Watermelons, Reporters,
Kings, And Paradesy
Have In Common?
Read
Page 2-A
By Mike Reeder
At a regular meeting at-
tended by all commission-
ers,. County Clerk Jimmy
Gill, and Sheriff Phil Staley,
the Bosque County Com-
missioners Court voted dur-
ing a public hearing to set
an 1982-83 tax rate of 14
cents per one hundred dol-
lars of valuation, and adopt-
ed a new budget for the
fiscal year.
The public hearing was
required due to the 40
percent increase over last
year's ten cent levy, al-
though commissioners
claim that the new rate will
produce only about 28 per-
cent more revenue, because
of the drop on the tax rolls.
"We lost $30 million,”
Judge Word said at the
Monday, October 11 meet-
ing. “I’d rather have set the
rate at ten cents again, but
the fact is we can’t live with
ten cents.” No one was
present to speak for or
against the increase during
the public hearing, and
Precinct one Commissioner
Ray Miller said that he had
heard a negative comment
from only one man concern-
ing the hike.
The “Vote to adopt the
approximately $1,270,000
budget presented at the last
regular meeting passed by a
vote of three to one, with
only Precinct 4 Commis-
sioner Paul Howard voting
no. Howard’s negative vote
was cast because no break-
down of the new tax revenue
was available on paper. The
revenue generated by the
new rate will be figured into
a revised budget, now that
the rate has been formally
adopted.
Commissioners heard a
lengthy update on the status
of the recently formed
County Firefighter’s Asso-
ciation from Association
President Ray Gibbons.
Gibbons told the court that
at the suggestion of the
Cranfills Gap Department,
a classification system for
departments had been cre-a
ted to determine the man-
ner in which county funds
would be distributed to the
various county V.F.D.'s.
Gibbons said the Class 1
departments would be re-
quired to have two 800
gallon tanks, with a capabil-
ity of pumping 200 gallons
of water a minute; must
pump roll, and draft; must
hold 24 two-hour drills per
year, with at least 18 mem-
bers present for each drill;
conduct a fire prevention
program in their area school
or, if no school is nearby, a
children or youth club; have
300 feet of 1 Vi in. hose, and
200 feet of red line; posses
37180 radios; must have five
phones or beepers with the
ability to immediately con-
tact their entire depart-
ment; and must file quarter-
ly reports with the county
association concerning their
fire drills.
Class B departments will
be required to have at least
one 750 gallon tank; be
capable of pumping 200
gallons of water per minute,
and pump, draft, and roll;
have 300 feet of 1 Vi inch
hose and 200 feet of redline;
must hold one two-hour drill
a month with at least eight
members present; must
have at least one phone and
be capable of immediately
contacting at least five
members of the department
and must have 37180 radios.
Class C departments must
have at least one 275 gallon
tank; must pump, roll, and
draft; must have either
37180 radios, or C.B.’s (all
have 37180’s); must hold
one two-hour drill a month
with at least five members
present; and must have one
phone or beeper, with a
capability of contacting
three members immediate-
ly-
Gibbons said that the glas-
sifications were drawn up In
such a way that all county
departments can qualify as
currently constituted, and
that the classification sys-
tem, linked to the county
fund distribution, would
serve as an incentive for
departments to upgrade
their firefighting abilities
and move up the classifica-
tion ladder. Based on total
county funding of $10,000 a
year, Class A departments
would each receive $900 a
month, Class B depart-
ments $800, and Class C
departments $700, with
approximately $1,400 left
See COUNTY, Paqe11-B
X A
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Smith, W. Leon. The Clifton Record (Clifton, Tex.), Vol. 87, No. 41, Ed. 1 Thursday, October 14, 1982, newspaper, October 14, 1982; Clifton, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth798328/m1/1/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Nellie Pederson Civic Library.