Mount Vernon Optic-Herald (Mount Vernon, Tex.), Vol. 140, No. 39, Ed. 1 Thursday, April 24, 2014 Page: 3 of 14
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Section A, Thursday, April 24, 2014, Page 3
Mount Vernon Optic-Herald
RELAY FOR LIFE
Jimmy Foster named honorary
chairman for 2014 Relay for Life
By SUSAN REEVES
Optic-Herald Staff
Jimmy Foster has been
named as the honorary chair-
man for the 2014 Relay for
Life event. It will be Saturday,
May 3 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
at Don Meredith Stadium.
He will lead the survivor's
lap at the beginning of the
event. “I am going to walk
as far as I can,” Mr. Foster
said. “I need the exercise,”
he added.
Mr. Foster has lived his
whole life in Franklin County.
He was bom in a house just
yards from his current home,
worked in construction, and
drove a truck for Pilgrims for
13 years. He and his wife,
Mary, will celebrate their 40th
anniversary in May. They
have two sons and daughters-
in-law, Wesley and Cassie
and Will and Katie, and two
grandsons, Cameron and Ace.
Mr. Foster's battle with
cancer began in January 2011
with what he thought was a
cold or the flu. He was anemic,
and during tests to discover the
cause, a tumor was found in
his colon. He had a colonos-
copy January 27 and surgery
to remove the mass January
28. He initially took 12 rounds
of chemo, and the tumor was
still there. He then endured 30
more rounds of chemo, but the
tumor continued to grow.
“After my first surgery, I
told the Lord he would have to
take care of this,” Mr. Foster
Cancer survivor Jimmy
Foster is the Honorary
Chairperson for the 2014
Relay for Life event.
said. “Mary has been by my
side through everything.”
On November 5, 2013, Mr.
Foster underwent a new radi-
cal surgery called hyperther-
mic intraperitoneal chemo-
therapy (HIPEC). It delivers
a highly concentrated, heated
chemotherapy treatment di-
rectly to the abdomen during
surgery. The surgeon removed
any visible tumors, and then a
solution was pumped through
his abdominal cavity and out
again. After the surgery, he
suffered both respiratory and
renal failure and spent seven
days in ICU.
Since that time, he has
had several more surgeries to
repair a leak in his intestine,
install a colostomy, repair a
hole in his bowel, etc. He has
been in and out of rehab fa-
cilities. After his last surgery,
the doctors did not close the
incision in his abdomen. They
left it open.
“That was the strangest
thing, I could not understand
why he did not continue to
bleed,” Mary Foster said.
The incision has begun to
close up on its own and new
skin has started to grow. Their
battle is now in a holding pat-
tern to see if the HIPEC has
worked. He recently had a CT
scan, and is waiting on those
results.
The couple has decided to
discontinue raising their min-
iature donkeys. They currently
have three jennies and one
jack that they need to either
sell or give away.
A banquet to honor cancer
survivors will be Tuesday,
April 29. If anyone is inter-
ested in attending who has not
spoken with coordinator Janie
Cowart, please give her a call
at 903-316-2437 to confirm
your attendance.
A special candle lighting
ceremony will be conducted
during the event May 3. Each
luminaria is $5.
Information about purchas-
ing luminaria, forming a team,
or walking in the survivors'
lap is available by contacting
Sara Allen by email at sara.
allen@ cancer.org or by phone
at 903-399-5136, or visit their
website at www.relayforlife.
org/mtvemontx. -2014
NATURE
On- line registration deadline
Friday for inaugural BirdFest
By LILLIE BUSH-REVES
Optic-Herald Staff
The deadline for on-line
registration is Friday, April 25
to attend the inaugural Prairies
and Pineywoods BirdFest.
The festival registration
fee of $70 covers all tours and
events except the Saturday
evening Keynote Speaker/
Dinner. Dinner Saturday eve-
ning prepared by the chefs at
Selah Ranch is an additional
$30 and can be optional for
attendees. On-line registration
for the two day / two night
event is available at www.
birdingmtvemon.com.
The keynote speaker is pro-
fessional nature photographer
and author, Noppadol “Nop”
Paothong. A Texas-sized Tex-
Mex dinner will be served
while participants learn about
Nop's decade-long research
project on the diminishing
grassland grouse and prairie
chicken species.
“We are so honored to
have Nop here from his home
state of Missouri to speak to
us of his critically important
work of bringing awareness
of our festival birds, the prairie
chicken and grassland grouse,
to BirdFest attendees,” Donna
McFarland, festival chairman
for the sponsoring Franklin
County Historical Association.
Mr. Paothong was recently
awarded the Gold Medal “Ex-
cellence in Independent Pub-
lisher's” book award in New
York. He will share many of
his images of the species' mat-
ing rituals, habitats and videos
from behind the scenes. The
author will have his award
winning book available for
purchase with signing oppor-
tunities after the presentation.
Birders of all experience
levels are welcome. With
the knowledgeable guides on
the tours, novice to seasoned
birders will be able to share
birding in this region.
“There's no better way to
become a more experienced
birder, or just get started, than
to attend a BirdFest,” stated
Mrs. McFarland.
Those new to birding are
encouraged to check out the
information on Texas Parks
and Wildlife's website at
www.tpwd.state.tx.us. Click
on Wildlife/Birding.
- 2014
E-ogs we N* Awn anew Mtisms) esnsroge bsj
H orrTliiifsS - { Fr Sit 9-1
SOS N. Grt&r Sfvd-, Pittsburg
903-960-5818
The only place in East Texas
to custom mix flavors!
*
Find ni m. II at dragortvcifats-MW.
Mount Vernon
Eastern Star
Scholarship Fundraiser
Fried Catfish
and all the trimmings
April 26 4-7 p.m.
Mt. Vernon Lodge Hall
(1-30 Service Road Mt. Vernon)
Adults - $8, Children under 10 - $4
\ .r-/V x /
—S Door Prize
Door Prize
Original Painting by
Kay Howell
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MVISD
Dual
language
program
meeting
Tuesday
By SUSAN REEVES
Optic-Herald Staff
A second opportunity for
parents of incoming Kinder-
garten age children to learn
about the new Dual Language
Two Way program will be
Tuesday, April 29 at 6:30 p.m.
in the elementary cafeteria.
The meeting is mandatory if
parents are interested in enroll-
ing their child in the program
that will begin with the 2014-
15 Kindergarten class.
There will be an applica-
tion process for the estimated
20 positions in the program.
These students will be paired
with students for whom Eng-
lish is a second language. The
goal is that both students will
become fluent in both English
and Spanish and be considered
bilingual and biliterate.
Mount Vernon ISD is the
first district in Region VIII to
offer this program.
- 2014
COMMUNITY
Knott to be Day of Pray er speaker
By SUSAN REEVES
Optic-Herald Staff
The Rev. Kory Knott
will be the speaker for
Franklin County's 2014
National Day of Prayer
event. The annual lun-
cheon will be Thursday,
May 1 at the First United
Methodist Church's Fam-
ily Life Center at noon.
The Rev. Knott is the
Senior Minister at Custer Road UMC. He
received his bachelor or arts degree in Bibli-
cal studies/psychology from the Evangel
University in Springfield, Mo. and his master
of divinity from the Perkins School of Theol-
ogy at SMU. He served as senior pastor of the
Argyle UMC in Argyle, Texas for 11 years.
Prior to that, he served as associate pastor of
Highland Park UMC in Dallas 1995-2002.
He also furthered his education by receiving a
Certificate in Leadership from the Cox School
of Business/Perkins School of Theology,
SMU in 2010.
He and his wife, Jennifer, have been mar-
ried for 13 years and have three children,
Taylor, age nine, Zachary, age six, and Reed,
age three.
This will be the 63rd annual event world-
wide and the eighth year for participation
locally. Last year, approximately 500 people
attended in Mount Vernon.
This year's theme, “One Voice, United in
Prayer,” emphasizing the need for individu-
als, corporately or singly, to place their faith
in the unfailing character of their Creator.
The theme is highlighted by Romans 15:6 .
Shirley Dobson is the Chairman of the
National Day of Prayer Task Force. Anne
Graham Lotz will serve as the Honorary
Chairman.
The NDP was established as an annual
event by an act of Congress in 1952 and was
signed into law by President Harry Truman.
President Ronald Reagan amended the law in
1988, designating the first Thursday of May
each year as the NDP.
Members of the local committee are Kitty
Ramsay, Jane Glosser, Jill Lowry, and Garry
Romines. A total of 60 tables will be avail-
able. Anyone who would like to be a captain
for a table or who needs a ticket should con-
tact one of the committee members or call
Mr. Romines at 903-537-2201. - 2014
Kory Knott
Fireman ham
Optic Photo by Susan Reeves
Wade Powell with the Mount Vernon Saturday, April 19. The fire department
Volunteer Fire Department places a smoked 456 hams as part of the Easter
smoked ham in the trunk of a vehicle on ham fund raiser.
ABigT our de Cypress
THANK YOU
To Everyone Who Helped Make
The 10th Anniversary Event The Best Ever!
Sponsors
A WOOD COUNTY
SOUTHWESTERN
“ ELECTRIC POWER
COMPANY
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KLKCTHtC f OOl'KR.Vm K
Your TouchMonii tiiviuv Partner ,r
A urn.f of American Electric Power
WAVING
Luminant
fife Brookshires O
ETMC
Ben E. Keith Morr-Is Better DJ Service
Brooksey Crow Trucking Mount Vernon House
City of Mount Vernon Hotel/Motel Mount Vernon Optic-Herald
Tax Board
Country Stove Warehouse
Dairy Bar
Dairy Queen
Don and Gail Morris
Ernie Snapka
ETEX Insurance
Franklin County Hotel/Motel
Tax Board
Jordan Health Service
Just Sayin'
Longhorn Tire
Northeast Texas
Land Titles, Inc.
Professional Land Title Co.
Prosperity Bank
Rex and Carolyn Tillery
Richardson Bike Mart
Roadside Mafia
Texas Country Farm
Supply-Mt. Vernon
The Frame-Up Gallery
Tom Ramsay Real Estate
Tom Scott Lumber
A SPECIAL THANKS TO ALL The Emergency Personnel
for Keeping Our Riders Safe
Our Place for opening for Breakfast
Rest Stops:
Key Club Republican Party
Alamo Mission C&S Heating and Air
Franklin County Water District Luminant
Clearwater Baptist Church Lowe's
Guaranty Bond Bank Trey Deuce
The Rotary Club of Mount Vernon
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Bush-Reves, Lillie. Mount Vernon Optic-Herald (Mount Vernon, Tex.), Vol. 140, No. 39, Ed. 1 Thursday, April 24, 2014, newspaper, April 24, 2014; Mount Vernon, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth831444/m1/3/: accessed July 11, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .