De Leon Free Press (De Leon, Tex.), Vol. 118, No. 48, Ed. 1 Thursday, June 4, 2009 Page: 2 of 16
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Page 2/ Thursday, June 4,2009 / DeLeon Free Press
Personal Notes
AS READ EARLIER IN
by Jerry Morgan
THE FREE DRESS
Sheri and I enjoyed attend-
ing the DHS commencement
ceremonies last Saturday after-
noon. It is always a treat to see
the enthusiasm and potential in
DeLeon's young adults as they
prepare to leave school, and
home in many cases, to enter
the real world where decisions
and actions become ever more
important and have lasting
impacts on young lives.
Whether it be work or col-
lege, marriage or military,
things will change and never be
the same again.
From what I could see, the
area's parents and teachers have
turned out a fine batch of
DeLeon's most important prod-
uct.
Here's wishing everyone
involved all the best.
I was reading this last
weekend about three attractive
young sisters - Grace, Sophia
and Hulda Quebe (pronounced
"kwaybe") — originally from
Krum and now living in the
Fort Worth area, who are each
highly accomplished fiddlers.
They can also sing three part
harmonies that can float you
away into the clouds. They
were featured in the June issue
of Texas Co-op Power maga-
zine.
The young ladies were
home schooled by their mother
to keep them away from the
bad influences of public school.
They are close to one another in
ages and interests.
Learning to play the violin
by the Suzuki teaching method
was a part of their home cur-
riculum. It was a boring exer-
cise, however, until they hap-
pened to attend a fiddling con-
test at the North Texas State
Fair in nearby Denton in 1998.
There they watched and
listened as Sherry McKenzie
won the contest. McKenzie
played a whole different kind of
music using the same instru-
ment as they were studying,
only now they were called fid-
dles.
The experience changed
their lives. They asked Sherry
if she could teach them to play
the fiddle the same way, play-
ing western swing and blue-
grass tunes learned by ear.
McKenzie, who with her hus-
band Joey, another champion
fiddler, regularly tutored pupils
in various stringed instrument
and they agreed.
It wasn't long before the
girls had moved from Krum to
Mansfield where the
McKenzies lived and were tak-
ing lessons and practicing six to
eight hours a day.
Joey also participated in
the teaching. Besides the fid-
dle, he also played a mean
acoustic guitar, backing up the
trio of sisters as they played.
By 2004 Joey also began
teaching the girls to sing in a
three part harmony. Their first
public singing performance
was in 2005. Their vocal har-
monies have to be heard to be
believed.
The Quebe Sisters band
features the three sisters play-
ing their three fiddles, a rhythm
guitar and a stringed bass, and
their lovely singing. Their
music is made up of songs and
tunes popularized in the first
half of the previous century by
bands such as Bob Wills and
the Texas Playboys, Benny
Goodman, the Sons of the
Pioneers and many others west-
ern swing and swing band
artists. Some bluegrass can
also be heard. All of it is
learned by ear, primarily from
listening to and taping old 78
rpm recordings.
The girls and their band
are already enjoying much suc-
cess and have played in many
prestigious venues, including
the Grand Ole Opry in
Nashville, the Kennedy Center
in Washington D.C., and New
York City’s Lincoln Center.
They have had concert perfor-
mances from Canada to
California and Austin to Boston
to Bangor, Maine, including
shows with Ricky Skaggs and
Kentucky Thunder, Asleep at
the Wheel, Merle Haggard,
Riders in the Sky and others.
Altogether, it’s not bad for
three young ladies from a town
not much larger than DeLeon.
Grace, the oldest sister, is only
23, Sophia 21 and Hulda just
18. Samples of their music and
videos of them in action can be
seen on their web site,
www.quebesistersbatTd.com.
Stardom seems to be just
around the comer for this band,
and it couldn't happen to a more
deserving bunch.
The Quebe story somehow
reminds me of another small
town Texas talent that made
good.
It was in the late 1970's,
when I worked at the cement
plant in Buda, Texas, just south
of Austin. Donna, the company
president's secretary and her
husband, Alton, would go
dancing at the Broken Spoke
night club on the southwest side
of Austin every Thursday night.
There they heard a young coun-
try singer and the Ace in the
Hole Band play.
The singer’s day job was
managing a cattle ranch. I was
told that he also worked briefly
as an Ag teacher in nearby
Martindale, another very small
town east of San Marcos. His
published biographies don’t list
the Martindale teaching gig, but
he did earn a degree in agricul-
ture at Southwest Texas State
University in San Marcos in
1979.
Donna couldn't say
enough good about that good-
looking young singer and
band’s traditional country style
of music.
Sadly, it was not at the
time of our lives when Sheri
and I went out much, young
children and work and all that,
and I never acted on her recom-
mendation to go hear him sing.
I suppose if I wanted to
badly enough, I still could.
He'll be opening the new
Cowboys stadium later this
week, and his name is George
Strait.
The DeLeon Free Press, P.O. Box 320, DeLeon, Texas 76444
(Publication No. 150080) is published by Morgan Publishing Co.,
51 weeks per year, at 324 S. Texas in DeLeon. Periodicals
postage is paid at DeLeon, Texas 76444. Telephone: 254-893-
6868; Fax: 254-893-3550; e-mail\news@deleontexas.com, web site:
www .deleonfreepress .com.
Mailed subscription rates per year: By Comanche County post
office-$25, elsewhere in Texas-$30, elsewhere in U.S.-$35.
We will be pleased to correct an erroneous description of any per-
son or organization which may appear in the DeLeon Free Press if
it is brought to the attention of the editor. All reprinting rights are
reserved. Copyright 2009.
Publisher-Jerry Morgan
Editor-Laura Kestner
Office Mgr.-Kay Hodges
Advertising-Betty Wofford
Production-Jill Smith
Sports Editor-Tim White
TEXAS PRESS
ASSOCIATION
Serving the DeLeon area since 1890,
striving to be a positive voice in the community.
10 YEARS AGO
June 3, 1999. More than
$40,000 in scholarships were
awarded to 1999 graduates.
Valedictorian was Robby
Morgan, and salutatorian was
Beau Bellenfant.
A 6th grade Student
Advisory Board was intro-
duced and members included
Stacie Beaty, Cory Chupp, John
Brown and Mackenzie
Holland. Sponsors were
Sharon Lesley and Carolyn
Frasier.
The Girls Minor League
Softball team were first place
winners. Team members
included Tessie Brownlee,
Tamara Cagle, Jamie Dentler,
Karrie Warner, Emily Amaya,
Krista Escamilla, Daylyn
Knox, Page Sanders, Madison
Wilkerson, Ashley Warner,
Marie Gonzales, Jaci Foreman,
Jalecia Preston and Jade Jarrett.
Coaches were Ernie Escamilla
and Lynn Brownlee.
20 YEARS AGO
June 1, 1989. Band
awards were presented at the
Spring Concert to: Dan Collum,
Mighty Maroon Band Award
and co-recipient of the Norma
Jenkins Scholarship; Nathan
Wright, John Phillip Sousa
Award and co-recipient of the
Jenkins Scholarship; and Tobe
Thacker, Marine Corps’ Award
for Musical Excellence.
The 1989 DHS honor
graduates were Jana Simpson,
Chad Nabors, Neil Pounds,
Melanie Rush, Karla Cook,
Kathy Hamilton, Nathan
Wright, Tammy Vera, Mindy
Lesley, Darla Files, Beth Beaty
and Stephanie Polvado.
FFA officers were Karla
Cook, president; Darla Files,
vice president; Jana Simpson,
treasurer, and Rosemary Tovar,
secretary.
30 YEARS AGO
May 31, 1979. Several
Vietnam veterans were honored
at Memorial Day ceremonies
on the Comanche County cour-
thouse lawn, including John
Mack Weaver, David
Robinson, Robert Merworth,
Johnny Tucker and Miss
Stewart.
New members of the
National Honor Society were
Mark Steed, David Stokes,
Donna Nowlin, Cathy Bmton,
Robyn Donaldson, Lisa Walker
and Janet Higginbottom. They
joined NHS members Mark
Beaty, Julie Andress, Christi
Keith, Clynt Taylor and Becky
Ward.
40 YEARS AGO
June 5 , 1969. The dedica-
tion ceremonies officially open-
ing the $250,000 Proctor Area
Recreation (PAR) Country
Club was handled by the Club
directors and a special guest,
U.S. Congressman Omar
Burleson. Pictured at the open-
ing ceremony with Burleson,
on the front page of the Free
Press, were C.M. Caraway III,
Walter Durham, Dr. W.T.
Calhoun, Howard Burtschell
and Charles Taylor.
Lenward Caraway, pack
leader for local Cub Scouts and
Webelos, conducted a pack
meeting at City Hall. The fol-
lowing boys received Bob Cat
pins: Greg Hammit, Ronald
Powell, Tracy Reeves, Mark
Barton, Mark Terrill, Donnie
Morris and Calvin Bema.
Those receiving Wolf Badges
and Silver Arrowheads were
Kerry Grisham and Stephen
Box. Webelos Byron Smith
and Roy Gene Powell each
received a Geology Activity
pin.
50 YEARS AGO
June 4, 1959. The Future
Homemakers of America elect-
ed the following officers for the
1959-60 school year: Geneva
Richmon, president; Pat
Golden, vice president; Glenda
Fronk, recording secretary; Jo
Carolyn Dendy, corresponding
secretary; Patsy Reed, treasur-
er; Ann Locke, public relations
officer; Jolene Gamblin, histo-
rian; Nell Auvenshine, parlia-
mentarian; Lou Ann Qualls,
song leader; Helene Stover,
pianist, and Barbara Park,
sergeant-at-arms. Outgoing
officers were Betty Sadberry,
Linda Nabors, Marjorie Hulsey,
Glenda Fronk, Nancy
Rowland, Jolene Gamblin,
Patsy Dawkins, Cornelia Cook,
Wanda Gore, Lou Ann Qualls
and Pat Golden.
Mayor Roy Thomas
announced that the final okay
had been placed on DeLeon’s
request for Hill-Burton funds in
the construction of the hospital
addition.
Relay for Life This Friday
Special to the Free Press
By Martha Hudson
This Friday, June 5, is the
2009 Relay For Life Comanche
County, and it should be the
biggest and best ever.
Relay For Life represents
the hope that those lost to can-
cer will never be forgotten, that
those who face cancer will be
supported, and that one day
cancer will be eliminated. This
all night walking event is the
single largest fundraising
opportunity for The American
Cancer Society, and last year
Comanche County raised over
$75,000.
We have two special
guests to introduce the
Survivor’s Lap, Representative
Sid Miller and Gay land
Daugherty, both cancer sur-
vivors. This first lap is one you
won’t want to miss, because it
honors the people who have
faced cancer first-hand. As
they make their way around the
track hundreds of people will
applaud and cheer them on to
the Finish Line. These are the
Survivors!
On the second lap they will
be joined by family and friends
who have been their support
system, and the third lap will
spotlight each of the Relay
Teams.
For 12 hours each team
will have a walker on the track,
and the timing of the event is
symbolic. The darkness of the
night represents the feelings of
worry and fear that may sur-
round someone who is diag-
nosed with cancer. Walking
toward the morning light sym-
bolizes the hope that this dis-
ease can be beaten. As the sun
rises on a new day we’ll know
there’s hope for a new tomor-
row. And with each new
tomorrow - there’s hope for a
cure!
If you’ve never been to a
Relay For Life, it’s like a large
community reunion & carnival.
Throughout the night there will
be activities, auctions, raffles,
entertainment and food. We’ll
have a Locks of Love tent
where you can sign up and
prove that Love Is In The Hair!
One of our teams will be
selling Balloons To Heaven to
release during the silent lap fol-
lowing the Luminaria
Ceremony.
Our Rockin Relay
Schedule will be:
• Team Registration &
Campsite Setup begins at 4:00
p.m.
• Survivor Registration
from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
• Opening Ceremony at
6:30 p.m.
• Survivor’s Lap at
7:00 p.m., followed by
Caregivers & Team
Recognition Laps
• Survivor’s Celebration
Reception at 7:30 p.m.
• Locks of Love at 8:00
p.m.
• Luminaria Service &
Balloons To Heaven Release at
9:00 p.m.
• Fight Back Ceremony at
11:45 p.m.
• Silent Auction from 6:00
- 10:00 p.m.
If you need more informa-
tion, would like to participate,
or would like to make a dona-
tion contact Sandra Storey at
This Week’s Weather
The week started off with
a bout of high winds and rain,
followed by generally dry and
cool, pleasant spring weather.
Rain amounts received in the
DeLeon area tended to be clos-
er to an inch.
Another chance for wet
weather exists overnight on
Tuesday going into
Wednesday. After that the out-
look is basically clear.
For the latest area weather
forecast, click the weather but-
ton on our web site,
www.deleonfreepress .com.
The following weather
information is obtained from
the Corps of Engineers at
Proctor Lake. Daily readings
reflect weather activity for the
24-hour period preceding 8:00
a.m. on the given day. If
weather readings are not avail-
able, “n/a” is listed.
Date
High
Low
Rain
05-27
92
61
0.57
05-28
80
59
0.00
05-29
85
62
0.00
05-30
86
58
0.00
05-31
88
62
0.00
06-01
89
65
0.00
06-02
89
66
0.00
254-979-1651.
To learn more about the
American Cancer Society’s
research, prevention, advocacy,
patient services, and early
detection programs, call 1-800-
ACS-2345 or visit www.can-
cer.org.
Police
Report
By Detective Heather Hill
During the month of May
2009 DeLeon Police respond-
ed to 86 calls reported to
Comanche County Central
Dispatch. DeLeon officers
filed 124 case reports during
the month of May. Cases filed
consist of 6 assaults, 14 wel-
fare checks or concerns, 2 civil
matters, 3 burglaries, 2 escorts,
10 agency assist, 9 suspicious
activity reports, 1 dog bite, 1
snake shot, 2 traffic accidents,
29 traffic citations, and 41 traf-
fic warnings.
Officers had 6 adult
arrests in May. Sunny Stalker
was arrested for Assault.
Aaron Smith was arrested for
Intoxication Manslaughter.
Maria Salinas was arrested for
Theft by Check. John Van
Bibber was arrested for
Driving While License Invalid.
Paul Salinas was arrested for
Terroristic Threats.
With summer starting
everyone will be having fun.
Please remember to be safe.
2009 Cumulative Rainfall
January 0.35
February 0.53
March 3.32
April 3.52
May 2.54
June 0.00
Year to date 10.26
Proctor Lake Report
Lake Levels:
Prior week 1156.24
Current 1156.10
Full Level 1162.00
% Normal Capacity 57.9%
Discharge rate (cfs):
Prior 12
Current 12
Senior
Citizens
Menu
Wednesday, June 3:
Ground beef with spaghetti,
spinach, cole slaw, cobbler,
bread, butter, milk
Friday, June 5: Chicken
salad, baked beans, sliced
tomatoes, lime supreme jello,
cookies, milk, bread
Monday, June 8: Mac &
cheese, pinto beans, tossed
salad, fruit in jello, onion, corn-
bread, milk, butter
Wednesday, June 10:
Chicken fried steak, cream
gravy, buttered potatoes, veg-
etable medley, pineapple tid-
bits, milk, bread, butter
HOOVES & HORNS BYA.W. ERWIN
"Fer yer information......Moms are like Texas Rangers,
I/Ve're always within our jurisdiction."
Coming Events
Call 893-6868 if you have an event to list
Comanche County Relay for Life
The Comanche County Relay for Life is scheduled for
June 5-6,2009 at the Comanche High School track, from 6 p.m.
to 6 a.m. For more information, call 893-2034.
Book Fair
CCMC Healthcare Volunteers are sponsoring a "Books Are
Fun" Book Fair Monday, June 8, from 1 to 6 p.m. and Tuesday,
June 9, from 8 am to 2 p.m. in the CCMC Lobby. Proceeds go
toward purchasing equipment for CCMC.
Booster Club Meeting
The DeLeon Booster Club will meet on Monday, June 8 at
6:00 p.m. at the DISD administration building.
Spaghetti Lunch Fundraiser
A Fund Raiser Spaghetti Luncheon sponsored by DeLeon
Women's Division Chamber of Commerce will be held Sunday,
June 21, at the Reunion Center on Hwy 6. Meal will consists of
spaghetti, salad, bread sticks, drink and desert for $8.00 and will
be served from 11:30am til 1:30pm.
Quilt Show
The DeLeon 10th Annual Quilt Show sponsored by the
Women's Division will be held Fri. & Sat., June 26 & 27, 10
a.m. -5 p.m.; and Sun., June 28 from 1 p.m. - 3 p.m. at the City
Hall. Admission will be $2. For more info contact Sharon
Robinett at 254-893-6704 or Nancy Robinson at 254-842-5603.
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Kestner, Laura. De Leon Free Press (De Leon, Tex.), Vol. 118, No. 48, Ed. 1 Thursday, June 4, 2009, newspaper, June 4, 2009; De Leon, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth844943/m1/2/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Comanche Public Library.