The Pharr Press (Pharr, Tex.), Vol. 51, No. 13, Ed. 1 Thursday, March 31, 1983 Page: 2 of 12
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Page 2, The Pharr Press, March 30,1983
LETTERSi
Seen’ round the town
March 22,1983
TO THE EDITOR
Pharr Press
Pharr, Texas
As a former School Board
Member and friend and critic
of the P-SJ-A Schools, I would
'like to respond to the
“anonymous” letter to the
Editor recently published.
Because I am a former Board
Member, i know where the in-
formation is and where it can
be secured. So I want to
discuss a few points raised by
Mr. Anonymous.
POINT 1. If the Chief Ad-
ministrator is controlled by
San Juan politicos, isn’t it
curious that San Juan has the
fewest principals of any of the
three towns? Fifteen PSJA
School principals reside in
Pharr, five in Alamo or the
Alamo area and four in the San
Juan area (of these, two live
outside the City limits). The
rest live outside the district.
Now Mr Anonymous—doesn’t
that make you stated FACT a
flat falsehood?
POINT 2. If the complaint is
that the mayor of San Juan is a
school employee; so is the
mayor of Pharr and two of the
Pharr commissioners and the
wives of at least three Pharr
commissioners. The point is
this—when you are the biggest
employer in town, this is bound
to happen. Also, the PSJA area
is still not blessed with an
abundance of educated
people. The better educated
people, those who have the
time to get involved in public
service and politics, are
teachers. Soon we will have
doctors and lawyers and
engineers. Now we have
teachers.
POINT 3. Pharr is not being
that unfairly taxed if it pays
about 60% of the taxes.
If you had taken the time to
check things out, you would
not have made much a wild a
nd untrue statement. An unof-
ficial count from the-PSJA
Pupil Accounting Jpffjce
reveals that approximately
59% of the total student body
is from Pharr or the Pharr area.
These figures are approximate
because some Ridge Terrace,
Hall Acres and Evans Sub-
division children go to Austin
Jr. High and some San Juan
children go to Ford School.
San Juan children make up
about 24% of the school
population and Alamo makes,
up about 17%.
POINT 4. As to the political
distribution of the School
Board-it is UNIMPORTANT. As
a former Board Member I can
tell you that once you are elec-
ted, you do not think Pharr or
San Juan or Alamo but PSJA.
The Chief Administrator, as
you call him, does not let you.
Everything Is presented on a
district wide basis and not on a
locality basis.
There is something to be said
for proper representation and
you do well, Mr Anonymous, to
question the representation we
presently have from Pharr. Of
the three from Pharr, only one
has proven himself. The other
two-well-you already know
what happened to our former
coach--and why. Maybe Pharr
should look to quality and sin-
cerity instead of quantity. A
school board member must
stand for Civic Service—not
Political Control; For Unity of
Purpose-not “TAKE-OVER.” A
Board Member must stand for
equal representation—not
POLITICAL POWER; for
cooperation-not domination.
They must stand for sincerity-
not intimidation.
POINT 5. Your contention that
the gentleman’s agreement
has never been held to its value
by San Juan and Alamo is
again another gross falsehood.
The record will prove that Pharr
has been the only one in the
history of PSJA to break the
gentelman’s agreement. If you
are indeed interested in our
School District, you will find
that Local Policy BBB-2 states
i the distribution of the board
! members.
My recommendation to you,
Mr. Anonymous, is that before
you claim something to be a
fact, you should AT LEAST
know what you are talking
about. An example of fact as
truth Mr. Anonymous, is that
you LACKED being brave by
not signing the letter to the
Editor. Since that is a fact~and
you are not brave-what does
that make you?
Sincerely,
Dario L. Martinez
TO THE EDITOR:
O.K. Fathers, you still haven’t
done away with these cement
slabs you have put in our
streets on North Cage.
But instead you are throwing
away some more bad money
after more bad money spent.
This time you have paid a
welder to go in and replace
some of the wood covers with
metal covers and have you
noticed these are ends and
pieces.
Oh! While your repairing
, some of the Shinggles need
renaillng if your are determined
to spend some more bad
money after bad!
Somebody in the City Hall will
take a hint that we want these
Cement slabs take up. Until
they wake up and get these
removed. There is going to be
people calling people like me,
to think and get things done.
A Concerned Citizen
For A Better Pharr
Walter E. Hoyler
P.O. BOX 710
THE PHARR PRESS
Pharr, Texas 78577
787-2291
The Pharr Press dedicates it-
self weekly to the reporting of
news items in the Pharr San
Juan Alamo area as well as
surrounding communities
such as Hidalgo, Las Milpas,
Lopezville, and portions of
McAlen and Edinburg. We
report the news to the best of
our ability and keeping in mind
and in spirit that reporting the
■■■STAFF BOX ■■■
Juan Carlos Morales,
Publisher, Editor
Anna Morales
Business Manager
Reporter
Yolanda M. Martinez
Composition Manager
This Week Column
Alicia E. Daniel
Advertising Representative
Vicente Flores
Circulation Manager
truth in all areas is our main
goal. Dedicated to a well roun-
ded newspaper covering the
areas of Editorial comment,
Womens News, Sports,
Spanish, La Prensa, Historical
News, School and Youth News
and Entertainment. Published
each Thursday morning in
Pharr, Hidalgo County Texas in
the Lower Rio grande Valley.
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
*7.50 annually in county.
*11.00 annually out of county
Chris E. Flores
Production Manager
Layout and Design Editor
Dario Rangel
Photographer
Contributing Columnists:
Lloyd Glover Editor Emeritus
Don Adkins, Poet
Minta Riddle, Did You Know
Chris E.FIores, horoscope
Michelle Moore, PSJA Report
Addle Alvarez, PAU Sports
Lloyd Glover
Editor Emeritus
Panther Junction
if" <^vTWV' I i
No. 2 on Big Bend National
Park.
Panther Junction is the name
of the headquarters for Big
Bend Park. It is 70 miles from
Marathon. Here you obtain
maps, and special information
about the park, the condition of
the hiking trails, those that are
closed, if any, and you can pick
up the series of lectures that
will be given in different
locations in the park during
the week. There is a service
station here and a small store
in connection. Minor car
repairs can also be made here.
Chisos basin is 10 miles from
the headquarters, up a winding
road, with many switchbacks.
Large trailers cannot make this
trip, without a special escort
around the sharp turns. Also
you need good brakes and you
travel in either second or low
gear.
Rio Grande Village, which has
a trailer camp and campgroun-
ds, service station and store is
20 miles to the southeast of
the junction. This is an easy
ride and picturesque as you ar
e driving toward the massive
Sierra Madre Range in Mexico
all the way. Bouquillas Canyon
is 25 miles from the Junction.
Nearly everyone who visits
the Park sees Bouquillas
canyon, as it is the easiest to
see of the three canyons cut by
the Rio Grande River. We went
to the overlook and to the
canyon parking lot again,
climbed the bluff to the top to
see the river. The canyon is
about one mile down the river.
The walls rise from 1200 feet
from the water. You wonder
how such a canyon could have
ever been cut by such a tame
river as the Rio Grande. The
elderly can easily make this
hike, but they have to take their
time climbing the bluff and
descending the bluff that leads
to the bottom.
Another short hike that is not
strenous is to the Hot Springs,
which is upriver from Rio
Grande Vil+age. The Hot
Springs flowing into the river
were discovered more than 80
years ago by a man named
Denton who was in poor health
himself and he made a health
spa out of the area. People
came from all over the U.S.
during the next 25 years to
bathe in the hot water. There
was a store here, a post office,
and a motel with 10 rooms was
built. He built a swimming tank
on the river where the hot
water came out of the moun-
tain. The hot water is still
coming out. Most hikers take
their shoes off and sit on the
concrete railing and soak their
feet in the water. Some bring
their bathing suits and swim in
the river here. It is a
phonemena that geologists
have diffuculty in explaining.
The hot water has been flowing
here for more than 80 years, as
that was when it was first
discovered and it probably has
been flowing like this for cen-
turies.
The trail to the window in the
basin is one hike that all who
are In reasonably good health
try to take. It is five miles from
the basin and four miles from
the stables. We chose to ride
the horses and it was a great
experience. The horses are
trail-wise and easy to handle.
They stop when you pull on the
reins and start when you lift
them. They will trot when you
hit them with your heels or with
your line. You get another per-
spective of the “Window” from
what you get from the Lodge.
You gradually descend into a
small canyon and you have to
walk the final 300 yards to the
window, where you look out
the flat plane to the west thru
an opening eight feet wide at
the bottom and 30 feet at the
top. A small stream of water
shoots out thru the window to
the basin floor below, a
straight drop of 200 feet.
Santa Elena canyon is the
most beautiful of the canyons
in the Park. It is located at the
western edge of the park, some
35 miles from the basin. Along
with the window in the basin,
this is the most photographed
site in the park. This is not as
easy a hike as Bouquillas, as
the trail is steeper, as you have
to climb to the top of the
canyon and then descend to
the river. The walking trail is
only on the U.S. side.
Here agin the walls rise nearly
perpendicular. We had a
pleasant surprise on our hike-
we saw three horses on a san-
dbar on the Mexican side
about one-half mile up the
river. The sand bar has plenty
of grass and many small trees
and reeds and they seemed to
be healthy enough. How they
got there was explained in
three ways--came down the
river on a flood; swam up the
river, or they were forded there
by man. They could not of
come down the 1300 foot
walls, nor could they have
walked there along the sides.
We rather believe the third
theory.
Santa Elena is awesome,
more so then Bouquillas.
Again, it is hard to comprehend
how it was ever made by such
a small river as the Rio Grande.
(Next Week-Lost Mines Peak
Trail.)
************************
We were pleased to read that
classroom annex at PSJA
Memorial Ninth school has
been dedicated in memory of J.
Lee _ Stambaugh, long time
PSJA Supt. of Schools, now
deceased. He was the second
Supt. to serve the PSJA
District, starting in 1920 when
the District was composed of
only Pharr and San Juan, and
continuing until 1942, when he
enlisted in the Army in WWII.
Had we been in town we would
have attended the ceremony.
He was one of our favorite
people. Although he will be
always remembered here as
the Supt of Schools, he wrote
two books, in collaboration
with his wife, both historical.
The one about the Rio Grande
Valley was the best that has
ever been compiled and is still
referred to by historians who
are researching the history of
this area. He died October 28,
1976.
An editorial appeared in the
McAllen Monitor about the wet
zone policy of the Pharr City
Commission. The editorial was
published when we were out of
town and then we didn’t see it
until several days after our
return. Having attended rpore
city commission meetings in
the 70s when the present
policy was adopted then anyoe
anyone else and knowing the
history that led to it, we were
going to answer the editorial,
but Arnoldo Mata did so very
well on this page last week.
Our only further comment is
that the McAllen editorial
writer did not know the facts or
the history of cantinas-beer
taverns in Pharr, and all we can
add is that he was “all wet” in
his conclusions.
Easter Fool
fsor.oR -3 si 'isrhaid
r?«M A -• M
By Don Adkins
This poem is dedicated to all
you women with your Easter
Bonnetts and pretty new
dresses. 1 put a lot of hard
thinking into making it show
how much we appreciate you
getting all prettied up for us.
Having such fun
we didn’t think
about our grave we’d dug
Thanks to the
Easter Spirit
Mom said, 1 love
that colored rug
We couldn’t hardly wait
for church
And the hunt
for the Golden Egg
With the biggest Easter basket
Out on the farm we bought
some eggs
To color and hide somewhere
Mom said they’re
Easter Bunny Eggs
But children are all 1 saw out
there
yet
1 ran and tripped
and hurt my leg
My friend, she helped
me boil the eggs
1 guess for about
an hour
Them that broke
pooched out so neat
Just like an Easter Flower
In one basket
don’t put all your eggs
Think what happens
if you fall
That’s wht we did,
things went all wrong
1 thought I’d
broke them all
Jane got the die
from her momie’s house
Said we’d need
cups like before
She was so smart
and 1 so dumb
But she was five
and 1 was four
They hid the eggs
the Gold one too
We searched for it
everywhere
Jane helped me up
to that birds nest
Can’t see a thing
no gold egg there
We got the dye
all over us
Our hands, our faces, her dress
We got those eggs
all colored up
but mom Is bound to see the
mess
1 had hardly touched ground
when another couple tried
He felt the nest
and yelled out loud
“I’ve got an egg”
“It’s gold” (1 cried)
Happy Easter
..TO ALL OF OUR READERS
Juan Carlos, Ana, Carlitos,
Yo//, Alicia, Vicente, Chris,
Dario, Lloyd, , ,
Michelle and Addie
I thought for me
. the world would end
The sky would surely fall
Till I looked and saw some lit-
tler kids
A crying with
no eggs at all
The moral of this story is
Things never are that bad
Just look around
and you can count
The blessing that you’ve had.
Getting back to the Golden
Egg
I wasn’t even canay
Nothing but a painted rock
They April Fooled him dandy
When they found that egg, I
turned green with envy til I
found out it was just a rock.
Then I was tickled pink.
Speaking of colors, did you
know that blueberries and red
when they’re green. Oh! April
Food to you Easter Bon nett
weaving ladies. This poem
wasn’t about hats, pretty
dresses and all taht stuff after
all. Sorry bout that.
4
TEXSS LOSE V
AFTER BEING CHASED FROM LOUISIANA JEAN LAFITTE THE
BUCCANEER SAILED HIS FLEET INTO GALVESTON BAY IN MAY, 1817.
LAFITTE BUILT A COMBINATION HOME-FORT-WAREHOUSE CALLED
/eMaisntiRnugB-\\te Red House,
-
ill
bj
A VILLAGE CALLED CAMPEACHY SPRANG UP AROUND THE
RED HOUSE’ CONSISTING OF SLAVE MARTS, GAMBLING HALLS,
SALOONS AND SIMILAR DENS. A RIFFRAFF CROWD OF FUGlT/UES,
FORTUNE HUNTERS, PIRATES AND OTHER OUTCASTS FLOCKED THERE.
IN TIME THE PIRATES LEFT AND THE VILLAGE BURNED DOWN. TODAY
UPON THE RUINS OF CAMPEACHY STANDS THE CJVf O^GALVESTON.
T
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Morales, Juan Carlos. The Pharr Press (Pharr, Tex.), Vol. 51, No. 13, Ed. 1 Thursday, March 31, 1983, newspaper, March 31, 1983; Pharr, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth866387/m1/2/: accessed April 23, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Pharr Memorial Library.