The Silsbee Bee (Silsbee, Tex.), Vol. 61, No. 20, Ed. 1 Thursday, June 28, 1979 Page: 1 of 26
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IU‘3, Texas 75235
MRS. EVELYN ALLEN
Mrs. Evelyn Allen
Is Named Silsbee's
'Mother Of The Year'
Mrs. Evelyn Rodley Allen,
educator, Sunday School teach-
er, club woman and mother of
five, has been named the
“Mother of the Year” by a
•election committee of the
Silsbee Chamber of Commerce.
Students who attended class-
es during the years she was a
teacher at Silsbee High School
need not be told of the
dedication she brought to her
profession, and the credible job
she did in rearing five children.
Mrs. Allen, born April 20,
1903 in Gilmer to Jesse M. and
Ida Maude Towery Rodley, was
the eldest of 10 children. While
still a young girl, her family
moved to Beaumont where she
attended Beaumont High
School. The family moved on to
Hull where there was no high
school at the time. She went to
Sam Houston Normal Institute
in Huntsville to continue her
education, and returned to
begin a teaching career in
Watson school, near Hull. She
then taught in her home town.
She was married to Curtis
Athan Allen and they had five
children, Curtis Jr., Betty,
Theo, Neil and Philip. In
addition to her own children
she helped raise two stepchild-
ren, Tommy and Bruce.
In addition to the responsibil-
ities of rearing a family, she
found time to continue her
education. The Allens moved to
Huntsville during World War II
where she again enrolled at
Sam Houston State College to
complete her degree require-
ments and update her educa-
tion.
Mrs. Allen came to Silsbee in
1942 and began her long tenure
in Silsbee schools until retire-
ment six years ago. She retired
from the Silsbee school system,
but not from teaching. She
went on to teach one year in
Kountze and two years in Sour
Lake.
For the few who do not
know, Mrs. Allen’s field is
French, Spanish and Latin with
some English and Social stud-
ies. It mattered not which
subject she taught, she is very
proficient at all of them.
The Mother of the Year’s
success in rearing a family is
accented by the careers of her
children and their offspring,
marred only by the tragic loss
of her oldest son. Curtis Jr. was
killed in an industrial accident
several years ago.
Her youngest son, Dr. Philip
Allen, is assistant superinten-
dent of Lumberton schools and
will take over the superinten-
dent’s job next fall. Her oldest
daughter, Dr. Betty lies, is
high school principal at Lum-
berton. Another son, Neil, a
retired Lt. Colonel from the
Marine Air Command, teaches
in Silsbee schools. A second
daughter, Theo, a homemaker,
is married to Curtis Keown.
Two of her daughters-in-law,
Kim and Kay Allen, are teach-
ers. Tommy works for DuPont
and Bruce is retired and lives in
Tennessee.
Mrs. Allen is proud of the
fact that most of her five
children, 23 grandchildren and
seven great-grandchildren live
within a 30-minute drive of her
home at 665 North 6th St.
Motherhood and teaching
have not taken all of Mrs.
Allen’s time over the years.
She has taught a Sunday School
class at the First United
Methodist Church for many
years. She is a charter member
of the Silsbee Little Theater,
belongs to Delta Kappa
Gamma, honorary teacher
soroity, the Woman's Club, and
Silsbee Art League.
A reception honoring Mrs.
Allen is scheduled for July 8
from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Gulf
States office on Ave. H and
North Sixth St. She will be
showered with gifts from local
businesses in recognition of her
honor.
Applicants File Resumes
Seeking Commissioner Post
Judging from the interest
already shown by the number
of aspirants applying for the
Precinct 4 Commissioner post
left vacant by the death of J. L..
Loftin, County Judge Ray
Martin may need to extend his
timetable beyond Monday to
make the appointment of a
successor.
Martin stated during the
June 25 meeting that he
expected to make the appoint-
ment on July 2. Martin said
Tuesday afternoon that he had
received resumes from four
persons and three others had
been by his office to ask about
the office. Only one of the seven
interested person lives in Sour
Lake.
Resumes have been received
from Pete Trest, Clarence
Cowart and J. D. Brown, of
Lumberton, and L. J. Breaux,
of Sour Lake. Expressing in-
terest and seeking information
concerning the appointment are
, C. E. Meadows, Jerry Harrell
and Joe Baker, of Lumberton.
Trest, 50, a former commiss-
ioner, ran a write-in campaign
against Loftin in the General
Election last November. The
results were so close that a
recount was held with Loftin
winning by a small margin.
Cowart, 41, is self-employed.
He spent 13 years working in
the Beaumont solid waste de-
partment. Brown, 42, is a
Lumberton contractor. Baker,
who has served as foreman for
Loftin and has served as liason
between the precinct and com-
missioners court since Loftin
became ill, has been boosted for
the job by numerous Lumber-
ton residents. He has not filed a
resume with the judge, but is
expected to hand one in before
the Monday deadline.
Breaux, 45, is a Sour Lake
resident and Beaumont busi-
nessman. He founded and still
operates Superior Coffee Co.,
College Street Cleaners, Tri-
Towel and Uniform Rental, L.
P. Advertising, Tri-City Ship
(Soa Applicant*, Sac. 1, Pop# 10)
The Silsbee Bee
VOLUME 61-NUMBER 20
SILSBEE, TEXAS 77656, THURSDAY, JUNE 28,1979
26 PAGES IN 3 SECTIONS
Third Lowest Bid Gets
Garbage Dump Contract
city council
Budget Amended,
Fire Officials Are
Approved Tuesday
Two lower bids were passed
over to give the Hardin County
garbage dump contract to a
Kountze firm by a 3-1 vote of
Commissioners on Monday.
D&J Equipment Co. entered
a bid of $44,800 for the
12-month contract which was
awarded to them after low
bidder Frank Morris, of Sils-
bee, was summoned to Kountze
to tell the commissioners he
had no garbage dump experi-
ence, but had 30 years know-
how with dirt moving equip-
ment. He said he had studied
state health rules for dump
maintenance. His bid was
$42,500.
An earlier vote which saw a
2-2 split with Commissioner
Rex Moore, of Silsbee, voting
with Kountze Commissioner T.
S. Hooks while County Judge
Ray Martin and North Silsbee
Commissioner James McGallion
voting against the award to
D&J. Martin expressed his
desire to hear Morris, the
lowest bidder, before awarding
the contract to anyone. E. Dale
Hatcher, of Hull, entered a bid
for $44,200, but none of the
commissioners appeared inclin-
ed to consider an out-of-county
bid.
After Morris had his say,
Hooks stated that his motion to
award the contract to D&J still
stood. He said he though the
D&J offer would be the most
advantageous. Moore again
offered a second. This time
Martin voted with the two
while McGallion held his
ground with a negative vote.
The D&J Equipment Co. is
owned by Kountze City
Councilmen Dale Williford and
John Richardson. The firm has
been employed to maintain the
dump following the termination
of Pascal Dickerson's contract
on June 12. D&J was employed
by Hooks to put the dump in
order before state health in-
spectors return sometime this
month. The inspectors had
previously found seven infrac-
tions at the solid waste site.
Other bidders who gave their
qualifications to the commiss-
ioners Monday were S. C.
Langham, of Kountze, and E.
C. Sewell, of Silsbee. Langham
told the court that the work he
had done while Dickerson held
the contract qualified him for
the job. He said he felt he could
do a satisfactory job, that he
knew what is to be done and
that he is out there every day
anyway. Sewell said he has the
equipment to operate the
dump and cited his experience
Area Man Gets
Six Years For
Beaumont Breakin
A Lumberton man was sen-
tenced to six years in prison
Tuesday on a charge of burglar-
izing a freight company office in
Beaumont last Dec. 21.
Joseph Dale Ebarb, 24, en-
tered a felony guilty plea in
Jefferson County criminal court
to entering the Yellow Freight
System office at 4650 Lefin
Drive.
A misdemeanor no-contest
plea to driving while intoxicat-
ed was entered in Jefferson
County court on June 22 by
William Howard Pleasant, 36,
of Lumberton. He was fined
$200, plus court costs, and
assessed six months probation
of 90 days in jail.
Two Lumberton men wer
indicted along with a Beau- ,
monter for possession of a
controlled substance in Jeffer-
son County grand jury action
last week.
Randy Rhea Brumbeloe, 19,
Edward Allen Taylor, 18, both
of Lumberton, and Brian Lewis
Hampshire, 19, 5030 Concord
Road, were accused of being in
possession of a unlawful sub-
stance at the Concord Road
address on May 5.
in assisting former Commiss-
ioner Howard Barrington to
maintain a dump site.
Hatcher, who had the second
lowest bid, did not appear at
the meeting. He is not a
resident of Hardin County.
Langham's bid was the high-
est at $50,000. Sewell was next
highest at $48,887.61.
A question to Martin from
the audience was whether the
county could recover from
Dickerson the $10,000 paid to
D&J for the cleanup job to
meet state health inspection.
The judge said he thought the
only recourse in such case
would be through the civil
court.
Martin said the new contract,
which is being drawn, would
include requirement for a per-
formance bond. This would
eliminate future loss in such
cases. D&J was given immedi-
ate possession of the dump with
the contract to be presented at
the next meeting of the com-
missioners court.
Sheriff Asks Replacement Of
Plumbing Torn From Jail Cells
Sheriff Billy Paine appeared
before Hardin County Com-
missioners Monday to ask for
new plumbing fixtures in the
tanks in the jail.
Paine told the court that
three commodes and other
plumbing had been torn from
the walls and floors in the last
month by prisoners. The latest
incident happened last week
and caused flooding of the
sheriffs office and the hallway
toward the main lobby. The
tanks, cells designed to hold
intoxicated persons, are located
on the ground floor of the jaii.
The type plumbing requested
by the sheriff is the same as
that in the cells of the jail on the
third floor. All pipes are
enclosed in a closet and the
stainless steel fixtures are
bolted to the floor and wall.
Plumbing in the tank will
include commode, lavatory and
drinking fountain.
Paine said Purchasing Agent
April Reynolds had found two
cabinets which would costs a
total of $1556. Commissioners
appointed Pain and Custodian
J. C. Busby to hire a plumber
and supervise installation in the
two tanks.
Commissioners gave Airport
Chairman Don Hawthorne per-
mission to negotiate with the
Texas Aeronautics Commission
for a radio controlled lighting
system at Hawthorne Field.
The system, to be purchased
and installed at no expense to
the county, will put the present
lighting at the control of the
pilot wishing to land, Haw-
thorne said. The radio will be
tuned to a given frequency and
the mirophone keyed two or
three times to turn on the
runway lights for landing. This
will save the county 70 to 80
Most Businesses
To Close For
July 4th Holiday
The wheels of business
will almost corns to • holt
noxt Wodussdey os most
businesses and government
institutions will close in ob-
servance of Independence
Day.
Bonks, savings and loan
companies, post offices,
county, city and federal of-
fices will dose down for the
day. Most business piarts in
Silsbee wilt not bo open.
All supermarkets, with
the exception of Minimox,
will open for business that
day. Ail other stores ore ex-
pected to dose.
The Silsbee Bee will be
open on Wednesday, but will
observe the holiday by
closing the office supply
store and offices on Friday.
percent on the electric bill,
Hawthorne said. The lights
now are turned on by photo cell
and remain on during the
darkness. The beacon and wind
sock lights will continue to burn
all night. The radio system
would cost about $3,000, if it
was bought and installed by the
county.
Commissioners signed a
$70,000 note to First National
Bank of Silsbee for funds to
construct the operations build-
ing at the field. Work is already
under way.
County Judge Ray Martin
told the court he expected to
announce his appointment of r.
commissioner for Precinct 4
next Monday. His statement
came in answer to a question >y
Katherine Nunneley, of Lum-
berton.
Mrs. Nunneley, a resident of
Boggy Creek Road, wanted to
know who was handling the
duties of the precinct office.
Martin told her Joe Baker,
foreman for the late Commiss-
ioner J. L. Loftin, was handling
most of the duties. Any pro-
blems he may have are handled
by other commissioners at
present.
Commissioners decided to let
Custodian J. C. Busby check
government surplus in an effort
to locate an air conditioner for
the senior citizens meal center
in Kountze. J. W. Livingston
had requested an 18,000 BTU
air conditioner.
Two Arrests Clear June 13
Church Theft At Lumberton
Sheriffs deputies arrested
two men, which cleared a June
13 burglary at the Lumberton
United Pentecostal Church in
which money, checks and a
guitar were taken.
Deputies James Williams and
Bobby Gentry booked Michael
Dale Gore, 19, of Vidor, and
Kenneth Charles Langlinais,
20, of Lumberton. The men
were arraigned before Justice
of the Peace Sid Johnson, who
set bond at $2,500 each. Both
men remained in jail on Mon-
day.
Williams said the men alleg-
edly broke a window atrthe rear
of the church building and
unsuccessfully tried to remove
a back door. The men are
accused of rifling the desks and
filing cabinets in the offices
taking eight Silsbee State Bank
checks, a Pam base guitar with
case and approximately $50 in
small bills.
Burglary investigations have
been the menu for the sheriffs
officers during recent days.
Williams and Gentry called at
the residence of Leland Dazey,
195 Wren, Lumberton, to check
a breakin. Dazey told the
officers he left home on June 9
and returned on June 16 to find
someone had entered a window
on the north side of his home
and had taken several items.
Reported taken were a Rem-
ington 12 gauge pump Wing-
master, Marlin-Glenfield .22
caliber semi-automatic rifle,
GE portable black and white
television with nine-inch screen
and approximately $150 in
assorted change kept in a large vestigating a theft at Armour J
bottle. There were several Wrecking Yard on Highway 327
other guns left in the case, West of Silsbee. Glenn McWill-
Williams said. iams told McCabe that some-
Deputy Ronnie McCabe in- (So# Sharlft, Sac. 1, Poga 10)
Police Arrest 33 Persons
During Six-Day Period
City Police were kept pretty
busy during the period from
June 18-June 24 with 33 arrests
being logged for varied offen-
ses, according to Chief A1
Burleson.
Edmond Perkins was picked
up on a warrant from Kountze
on a robberty by assault
charge.
Police secured a warrant for
Alfred Artis, charging him with
disorderly conduct and hinder-
ing apprehension. Darrell Dean
Artis was arrested on a crimin-
al mischief warrant.
Evanoez Robertson, 17, of
Call, was arrested and charged
with unauthorized use of a
mutor vehicle he was accused of
taking from the parking lot of
the First Pentecostal Church.
A case of vandalism and theft
was reported at Landolt Oil Co.
when someone broke the win-
dows out of a truck and took 20
gallons of gasoline.
A windshield was broken in
an auto while it was parked on
the parking lot of the Silsbee
State Bank on the night of June
23. That same night someone
broke into the Pinehill Swim
Club on Highway 418 East and
threw a pool table into thd pool.
Bicycles were reported stol-
en from 435 North 6th St., 965
North 6th St. and No. 18 Prince
Hall Villa, all on the night of
June 24. The bike from Prince
Hall Villa was recovered. Also
reported stolen on the night of
June 24 was fishing gear from
775 North 8th St.
Someone entered the home of
Beatrice Fountain, 610 South
12th, on June 23 and took $800
and her bank book. Thomas
Smith, 400 East Ave. E report-
ed he had lost $252 in a strong
arm robbery. Diane Harmon,
343 North 1st, reported a TV
and tape equipment were taken
from her home on June 22.
City dispatchers logged 60
calls for police during the June
18-24 period. There were 27
traffic citations issued with 20
other drivers receiving warn-
ings. Officers reported 88
assists, such as giving direc-
tions, assisting disabled motor-
ists and various other duties
required of policemen. Police
patrol units logged 2,144 miles
in performance of their duties.
Silsbee city council voted
Tuesday night to amend the
budget to add new revenue and
distribute expenditures with
the sanitation and police de-
partments getting the largest
slice.
City Finance Director Cesar
Dominguez explained that the
$47,411 in new revenue was
above that estimated when the
budget was approved last year.
Current taxes brought in
$6,700 while sales tax refunds
soared $31,000 above expecta-
tions. Fines collected by the
nunicipal court amounted to
$3,0)0 while interest added
another $1,500. The county
library contract brought in
$5,0)0.
Dominguez said the rise in
fuel costs has the biggest effect
on the budget. This is reflected
by an increase of $2,000 to the
gasoline fund for the police
department. That department
also got $1,800, which goes for
the new filing system and a
revenue sharing balance of
$1,317 for new motor vehicles.
Total added expenditures come
to $5,117.
The sanitation department
got an added $1,500 for gaso-
line, but the largest expendi-
ture in that department is
$11,465 additional for mainte-
nance of motor vehicles.
Machinery maintenance gets
$8,182, lease of a dozer (already
spent) $1,693, and $4,500 for
new instruments and appara-
tus. Total added expenditure
for sanitation is $27,340.
Other departments receiving
adjustments are Street $1,954;
Library $5,000; Maintenance
$1,500; Corporation Court
$500; Building Maintenance and
construction $1,000 and $6,000
transferred to the water and
sewer fund. Dominguez said
this figure represents an in-
crease in the electric bill of
$2,000 for the supply, purifica-
tion and distribution, and
$3,000 for the sanitary sewers
and treatment plants.
In other council action,
approval of new fire depart-
ment officers was given. Al-
though council approval is
required only for the fire chief
and members of the fire com-
mission, Dominguez said all
officials were submitted and
received the blessing of council
members.
Officers elected by the de-
partment to serve for the next
year are Joe Thompson, presi-
dent; Ricky Kolls, vice presi-
dent; Pat Richardson, secre-
tary, and Don Miller, treasur-
er.
John Price was named chief,
with Thompson and Kolls being
named to the fire commission.
These are the three which
require council approval.
Silsbee little League
Closing Ceremonies
To Be Saturday
Closing ceremonies will be
held at the Little League field
off Highway 92 Saturday night,
featuring the crowning of the
queens and recognition of divis-
ion winners, according to Presi-
dent Jack Martin.
Martin said the all-stars for
both the major and minor
league will be announced at the
closing ceremonies.
LOCALS
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Bled-
soe, with South Hampton Re-
fining Company of Silsbee,
attended the. 46th Annual Con-
vention of the Texas Motor
Transportation Association
(TMTA) June 20-22 in San
Antonio. The Convention was
held in conjunction with the
Southwest Trucking Show.
Dwain and Joe Price have
returned home after a two
weeks visit in Portland, Oregon
and Seattle Washington.
Thompson, who replaced Price
on the panel, will serve two
years, while Kofi's term is for
three years. Billy Slaydon is
the third member. Other offic-
ers are Robert (Bo) Welborn,
fire marshal, and Rickey Wel-
born, assistant fire marshal.
The council gave final
approval to Bo-Mac Concess-
ions for the remainder of the
year. The firm is owned by
Robert McClelland and will
have the food and soft drink
concessions at all city parks,
Dominguez said.
Kyle Worley, a Silsbee High
School sophomore, was named
a member of the City Parks and
Recreation Board. He is the son
of Mr. and Mrs. Richard
Worley.
Permission was granted to
the Hardin County Sheltered
Workshop for use of the library
parking lot for a street dance on
July 6. The request was made
in a letter from Jo Ann Fries,
unit director. The dance is to be
held in conjunction with a rodeo
sponsored by Silsbee Trailrld-
ers and Southwestern Bell to
benefit the workshop.
North Hardin Water District
was on the agenda to present a
sewer plan, but a representa-
tive did not appear, Dominguez
•aid.
J. L. LOFTIN
Final Rites Hold
For Commissioner
J. L. Loftin
Final rites were held at 4
p.m. last Saturday for Hardin
County Precinct 4 Commission-
er J. L. Loftin, 58, who loot a
long fight with cancer.
Eulogies were numerous
from friends and associates.
The remaining members of the
commissioners court Joined in
passing a resolution honoring
their departed colleague.
The resolution pointed to
Loftin’s military service as an
air force captain and two years
as a prisoner of war. The
eulogy told of his civic and
other endeavors, including his
presidency of the Southeast
Texas Regional Planning Com-
mission, a position he held at
the time of his death.
Loftin had been incapacitated
for the past few months with
other commissioners taking
care of duties when his employ-
ees needed assistance.
Funeral services for Loftin
were held at 4 p.m. on
Saturday at the United Metho-
dist Church in Sour Lake, his
home for the past 48 years.
Interment was in Forest Lawn
Cemetery in Beaumont. He was
a native of Batson.
Loftin is survived by his
wife, Irene; son, Jim Loftin, of
Crystal Beach; daughter, Lissa
Loftin. of Sour Lake; three
brothers, G. C. of Alvin;
Donald H. of Waco and Harmon
of Sour Lake; one sister, Mrs.
Doris Parker of League City.
Masonic Lodge No. 1002 was
in charge of graveside services.
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Read, R. L. The Silsbee Bee (Silsbee, Tex.), Vol. 61, No. 20, Ed. 1 Thursday, June 28, 1979, newspaper, June 28, 1979; Silsbee, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth820668/m1/1/?q=Lamar+University&rotate=270: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Silsbee Public Library.