August 3, 2015

August 3, 2015 by

The 1965 Class of Diboll High School celebrated their 50th reunion, July 11, 2015 at the Fellowship Hall of the First Baptist Church of Diboll. Those in attendance were: Moody Smith, Ann Smith Brooks, Bobby Baker, Hellen Rains Schmidt, Judy Taylor Kellum, Sharon Taylor Moore, Carolyn Harper Jones, Gordon Craft, Tommy Farley, Martha Weaver Hardy, Larry Powell, Dave Martinez, Gerald Perkins, Susan Schinke-Pierce, Margaret Cook Smith, Peggy Busby Roper, Gary Hendrick, Jessie Windsor, Jerry Nell Glass Wigley, Benny Ford, Ronnie Wilkins, Linda Landers Wright, Kenneth Yates, Pruett Hugg, Barbara Lester Harris, Ernest Halsell, James Leftwich, Carrol Hannah, Jennetta Taylor Whitehead and Richard Johnson. The event was catered by El Chico in Lufkin.

Gerald Perkins read a list of those from this class who are deceased: Jimmy Camp, Randall Carnley, Kenneth Clegg, Lawrence Scarborough, Joy Smith and Ulan Wilson. Also, those who served in the Military were honored for their service to our country with a Veterans pin. Those receiving pins were: Bobby Baker, Gordon Craft, Larry Powell, Dave Martinez, Gerald Perkins, Jessie Windsor, Benny Ford, Kenneth Yates, Pruett Hugg, Ernest Halsell, Ronnie Wilkins and Richard Johnson. Reunion Committee Chairman, Barbara Lester Harris said, “We had a great time reading Our Will and “Prophecy” written in 1965 and a great time sharing memories and renewing old friendships from years past”.

Carrie Hibbs provided news about their recent trip. God’s creation is so beautiful! The Hibbs’ family got to enjoy a few days in Portland Texas and Corpus Christi Texas under God’s beautiful blue skies and sunshine. The children and grandchildren enjoyed swimming at a beautiful pool then the whole family went fishing and Trey, the Hibbs grandson caught the most fish with 8. Maddie and her g-daddy climbed to the top of the highest sand dune in Portland’s park. The waves at Whitecap beach at Padres Island were big and lots of fun. Maddie and her dad built a fabulous sandcastle and then Amber and Amanda buried Brad and Maddie in the sand. God’s beautiful creation plus family equals a great time! Thank you Jesus for a wonderful time to get away with family!

Family and friends hosted a birthday party for Lester Lowery of Huntington, Texas, Saturday, August 1, 2015 at his ranch, Attoyac Farms, in San Augustine County. Lester turned 89 and was entertained by the Back Porch Boys band, starring Neal Warner and his dad Jack Warner on the fiddle. A barbeque dinner was served and all had a great time reminiscing about ole times. Groups were also given guided tours of the ranch to look at the elk, fallow deer, chital deer, wild rams, and… the Attoyac River. In attendance were his wife Othal, family members, many grand and great-grand children and a host of friends.

Two of Lester and Othal Lowery’s granddaughters were unable to attend the birthday party. Leslie Marice Clark has begun her studies at the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine at the University Of North Texas Health Science Center. Her White Coat Ceremony was July 18th. She will have four more years of studying plus residency. Another granddaughter, Taylor Lowery, was in New York City doing her internship for a sports announcer.

Hannah Bowman Pierce who has been working as a social work has now earned her administrative license to operate a nursing facility. She is presently employed at Pine Crest as the Assistant Administrator. She is the daughter of Lynda and Danny Bowman, the wife of Jason Pierce and mother to two young boys, Hagen and Westen. Lynda and her sister Marvana Cook have been fishing together on Lake Rayburn but took time off to take their mother, Maxine, to lunch at Cheddars.
Leonard and Billie Robison have been busy entertaining two of their young great-sons from Angleton, Logan and Luke. They came in for fishing licenses so I know they did some fishing, roughing it in the motorhome, and also enjoyed the new water park in Nacogdoches among other fun things.

Fran McGilvra and a friend of hers from Dekab, recently drove to Ruidosa, NM to visit with longtime friends, Wilma and Hoople Jordan. They enjoyed the cooler temperatures, the higher altitude, good food, a nice visit and a safe trip there and back home.

Have you ever been sitting in your comfortable chair holding a cell phone while it was in the process of being charged? That’s exactly what Kenneth Capps was doing when a thunderstorm moved in quickly and lightning struck their home. Kenneth felt a tingling all around the edges of the phone as the jolt knocked the phone out of his hand. Thankfully the rubberized phone case reduced the shock to some degree.

Alford Hambrick had one of his beautiful granddaughters, Josie, with him when he came in to get a flat fixed. Josie is ready for school to start and will be in the 4th grade this year.

The Angelina County Extension Office is offering a series on the “Art of DIY (Do It Yourself) Living” at their regular 3rd Monday night meetings. You are invited to attend a discussion of “Backyard Poultry” and what is needed to raise chickens for eggs or meat production. The meeting begins at 6:30 and the cost is $10 per person at the door. For more information call 634-6414.

A “Happy Birthday” to Jack Warner who will be 93 on August 11th. And also to John Ralph who will celebrate his birthday on the 10th.

Come see us…’round the table.

Filed Under: 2015 RT News, August 2015

July 27, 2015

July 27, 2015 by

Some of my classmates from DHS had lunch together and enjoyed visiting and laughing at old stories. The gathering was due to Linda Sue (Baker) Smeltzer being in Diboll visiting family. Others present included her sister, Billie Jean Capps and her daughter, Susie Jones; Nita (Ramsey) Hurley, sisters, Betty Jean Hendrick and JoAnn Rainwater; and myself. All of us attended and graduated from DHS between 1960-1963 except for Susie, of course, and all but Nita grew up attending First Baptist. The Ramseys were an integral part of the Methodist Church where Nita has directed the music for more years than we want to mention. Four of us in this crowd took music lessons from Mrs. W. F. Purdy; we can never forget the piano recitals at the Methodist church where she lined the altar with fresh magnolias every year. We were all close and some of our funnier stories were from summer church camps at Pineywoods Baptist Encampment. I refuse to believe these girls when they said JoAnn and I stole the clapper from the dinner bell and threw it in the swimming pool. My deacon dad must not have learned about it because I would not have forgotten the consequences.

In talking with Linda Sue later, I had her fill in the gaps after she and I graduated in 1962 and attended a summer session at East Texas Baptist College in Marshall. We decided in that short time that SFA would be a lot closer to home. It was during that summer of 1962, a young Richard Smeltzer had graduated with a Forestry degree from Oklahoma State University and had moved to Diboll to train as a lumber inspector. Linda’s family introduced him to her and one year later they were married. While working as a SPIB inspector they lived in New Orleans then moved to Richmond, VA for 1-1/2 years where Linda continued college. The two then moved back to Diboll where Richard worked in different areas of the sawmill at Temple Industries. During the five years they were here Linda graduated from SFA and taught English at DHS for 2 years. After their first son Christopher was born in 1967, they moved to Nacogdoches where Richard earned his Master’s degree in Forestry. They moved to Appleton, Wisconsin where their second son Eric was born while Richard was attending the Institute of Paper Chemistry where he earned a second Masters and a Doctorate in Chemistry. Dr. Smeltzer was hired by International Paper and moved his family to North Carolina for a year of post doctorate work. Then the family moved to Monroe, New York for Richard to work at IP’s Corporate Research Center. I remember Linda saying his job was creating pine trees in a test tube. They also lived in Natchez, MS for 7 years and Tallahassee, FL for 13 years.

While living in Florida Linda was hired as the Youth Minister at a Southern Baptist Church that had 350 youth. In the meantime, Christopher had graduated from Baylor and Vanderbilt and had started his pediatrics practice in Nashville. In 1996 Eric had graduated from seminary in Ft. Worth and his little brother Jonathan had graduated from Baylor. These two brothers approached their parents with the idea of starting a Christian youth camp. At the age of 57, Richard retired and he and Linda bought 70 acres high in the mountains near Etowah, TN. Eric and Jonathan followed them and that’s where Camp Living Stones began and still is. All the family members worked hard clearing and building cabins, houses, dining halls and even cooking for as many as 145 students, 3 meals a day. The camp is going strong but now Eric and Jonathan are both pastors at the River Bible Church in Mountain Homes, AR. They and their families live there and Richard and Linda plan to spend time there to be closer to the grandchildren. They have a total of eight!

Craig Ruby has decided to retire after spending 28 years in the field of education. He’s not sure what his future plans are but for now is glad to have time to relax and enjoy whatever. His wife Elizabeth continues to work for Diboll ISD where she has spent the last ten years in accounts payable. Their son Cutler lives in Dallas and is working as a parole officer. Their daughter Meredith is a senior at SFA and plans to do social work. Craig and Elizabeth plan to travel to Waco this weekend to visit his sister, Brenda and Chip Seigman and their 5-year-old twin girls, Maddie and Mack.

DHS coaches Caroline and Kyle Austin have bought a new home in Tyler and will be moving there where both of them will be working for the John Tyler school district. Coach Danny Montgomery came in the store and had to remind me he once worked at Temple Inland. He is married to Christina (Rodriquez) who teaches 4th grade here and they have two sons; Akira, age 12 and Bruce, age 6. He was looking for large washers to pitch as the family was on their way to the lake for some fun and relaxation.

Garret Peck came in with his dad, Jamey. I learned Garret had just completed football camp and is looking forward to playing this year as a 7th grader. He loves football and has been playing for years. His 12th birthday was July 18th. He celebrated the event swimming and picnicking at Camp Tonkawa with good friends, Noah Farr and Dalton Moreno and his cousin Merick Fuller. That evening they went to his favorite place, Tsubaki where he likes to eat Hibachi steak and shrimp and loves their Miso soup. Garret had lots of grandparents and family that went along for the evening including: his parents, Jamey and Star; Nan and Wayne Fuller; Brenda and Benny Dickens; Naomi Holman; Letha Grandgeorge and Susan and Richard Payne.

Martin Jones came in and told me he wouldn’t have any need to buy anymore horse feed as his beloved thoroughbred named “Booger” died at almost 37 years of age. His 37th birthday would have been August 9th. Martin had owned Booger since a colt. He was an “all around” horse that Martin had trained to ride, rope and hunt. His dad, Jack Jones had even trained Booger to plow. It’s hard to lose a good friend.

Come see us…’round the table.

Filed Under: 2015 RT News, July 2015

July 20, 2015

July 20, 2015 by

Othal Lowery and her niece Linda Lowery, stopped by late one afternoon to visit at the RT. As usual, John Ralph has old photos and other memorabilia at his fingertips. They looked at photos and shared stories of several mutual acquaintances. He just happened to have a 1946 DHS annual. Miss DHS that year was a lovely Othal Russell. She was also Football Sweetheart and Reporter for the Future Homemakers. While sitting at the round table, Othal received a call from her son, Joe Bruce, who was vacationing in Colorado with his son, Matt. They were enjoying the cooler temperatures and the good fishing. Although it was raining when he called, Joe had a taken a photo of that morning’s sunrise and posted it on his FB page. He truly has a talent for seeing beauty through the lens of a camera and sharing it with those who do not. I learned in talking with his mother though, she got him interested in painting as a young boy that surely led to his artistic photography. Joe Lowery’s work has been published on the covers and inside of many magazines and hangs on the walls of many homes. Check out his Facebook page for some awesome photographs, Joe Lowery Photography.

Four members of the Minton family celebrated birthdays at a recent family gathering at Woodlawn Baptist Church where Kenny Mayo is the pastor. Billy Frank Minton, Mutt Minton, Thomas Minton and JoAnn (Minton) Grigson are now a year older and a bit wiser. A few of the others gathered for the occasion included Frances “Pesty” Mayo; Sandra Minton; Pokey; Rosie, Nancy Jo and about 30 more. The group enjoyed BBQ brisket with all the trimmings and of course, birthday cake.

Dianne and Mike Gibson celebrated their 3rd wedding anniversary, July 14th, with good friends, Don & Sandy Hendrick. The Gibsons were invited to the Hendricks’ lake home on Rayburn and later treated to a meal at the Dairy Mart in Broaddus. The Dairy Mart is always packed because of the good food and friendly atmosphere. The Gibsons ate their famous hamburgers and the Hendricks had their fried shrimp. A few days after that, Mike and Dianne drove granddaughters, Raven and Sabra Modisette, to the Broadway Mall in Tyler. This past weekend, Mike and Dianne both served as judges at a BBQ Cook-off at the Nacogdoches Expo Center. They are always doing something fun or is it they have fun at whatever they do? Congratulations!

Crowds at restaurants usually indicated there is something good going on inside. That was the case last Friday evening when JR and I went to Wells to eat catfish at DeLeon’s. Arriving about the same time was Dwight Lyons who joined us. Sitting at the next table was Carol Ruby from Forest. He re-introduced himself and reminded us that his first visit to the RT was one rainy day when he pulled a trailer load of hay under our shed to keep it from getting wet. He came inside and when he started to leave JR insisted he stay and eat lunch. Carol is a very interesting person. He was a barber for years in Houston and knows lots of folks there and around here. Yes, he is related to Diboll’s legendary Milford Ruby, Mary Lou Havard is his aunt and he knew Jimmy and Brenda Martin when he lived in Houston. Small world.

Shane Garrett was volunteering at the Ellen Trout Zoo when he met Crissy Hall who is one of the supervisors at the zoo. It took him about month before he got the courage to ask Crissy for a date to the movies. Because she likes scary movies, they went to see Cabin in the Woods. That was three years ago. A couple of weeks ago on a Sunday afternoon at the zoo, Shane had one of Crissy’s co-workers call her on her radio to come to the hippo area, which by the way, is her favorite animal. Shane surprised Crissy when he knelt down and asked her to marry him. When she said “yes”, he put an engagement ring on her finger. His parents, Phil and Loretta Garrett and his sister, Alecia, were in the shadows and recorded the event. The wedding is September 19th. At lunch that day of the secret proposal, the Garrets had gathered to celebrate Shane’s grandmother’s birthday, Jessie Ship. Crissy was there also and everyone knew about the proposal except her. Mrs. Jessie shares her birthday with her twin, Lillie Mae McGuire.

Jana and Donald Coulter spent several days lavishing in the sun at the Silver Leaf Hill Resort on Canyon Lake near New Baunfels. With them was 15-year-old son Waylon; Jana’s niece and nephew, Steven and Tera Thompson and John and Tammy Beeson from Baytown. The group spent three days floating down the Guadalupe River, one day at Schlitterbahn, one day at the Tanger Outlet mall in San Marcus and enjoyed cooking out and swimming at the resort pool. Joining them for one day of floating down the river was Theresa and James Burns. They all returned home in time for Waylon to enjoy a birthday dinner on the 16th at Logan’s. Other family and friends that attended were: Chris Coulter; Hannah Jones; Brenda, Manuel and Jesse Herrada; Madison Villarreal; Shelia Hess; Amber Hess; Katie Hess; Karen Coulter; Nita Coulter; Chris, Debbie, Kelsey, and Dillon Haschke; Connie and Matt Moreno; Amanda Scarborough; Theresa, Tanner and Jaydn Burns. During July Waylon got his drivers permit and completed his TX Boaters Education course so he is licensed to drive the boat when the family has outings on the lake.

I received the following from Kitty Bounds: VOLUNTEERS, MENTORS AND COMMUNITY LEADERS NEEDED: Calling the Christian community to attend a start-up meeting for the forming of the Christian Men’s Center/Christian Men’s Job Corps (CMJC). This ministry will be patterned after The Mosaic Center in Lufkin for women. We have two meetings available to attend to explain our mission and gather volunteers. The Community Meeting’s” will be held on July 28th, and August 18th at 6:00pm in the Lufkin Middle School Auditorium. If you can attend a meeting, a volunteer form will be sent to you to fill out and bring or you may pick one up at the meeting. Only attend one meeting, please. Judge Paul White, Judge Bob Inselmann, Jerry Spann, Love, Inc., Police Chief Gerald Williamson, Becky Ellison state represent for CMJC, and Site Coordinator John Fulbright III, will be presenting. The mission of this ministry is to provide job training, life skills, education and personal development for men who have a desire to change their lives. The plan uses Christian principals to help them discover the love of Christ and want a better life for themselves and to become a vital part of our community. What we need right now is to gather men and women leaders, who are willing to work toward the united goals of this mission. These two meetings will provide an overview of needs and challenge you to volunteer and share your resources. Your prayers of support are needed. Please contact John Fulbright. III, @ 214-669-5276 or by email at: johnfulbright3@yahoo.com if you can attend the meeting. We also can send you a volunteer form if you cannot attend.

Please send me your vacation news to sandra@poulands.com.
Come see us…’round the table.

 

Filed Under: 2015 RT News, July 2015

July 13, 2015

July 13, 2015 by

Enjoyed visiting at the RT with two young ladies who are cousins; Shara Friese and Lauren (Calloway) Roberts. With them was 11-year-old Colson Porterfield who joined us at the table but was more interested in his video games. Their maternal grandparents are James and Barbara Smith of Apple Springs. Lauren teaches at Anderson Elementary. She and her husband, Kevin, are expecting their first child in January. Shara graduated from Diboll and Texas A&M where she majored in Chemistry. After graduating from A&M she got a job about 2-3 minutes from the college working for Fuji Film. One would presume she makes film but not so. When the film market disappeared, Fuji went into the biotechnology industry. Shara works with test tubes and microscopes wearing white coats and extra protective gear while working with the development of a large scale flu vaccine.

Waynette (Goins) Patterson was treated to a trip to Pensacola, Florida with her son and daughter-in-law, Randy and Vicki who live in the Plano-Richardson area. Also traveling with them were their two daughters, 17-year-old Rachel and 15-year-old Sara and cousin, 16-year-old Madison McMullen of Lufkin. Waynette and Madison met the others in Shreveport and the two car caravan drove to Florida where they group enjoyed playing on the beach, shopping and especially, eating. They enjoyed lots of fresh seafood at Crabs and Joe’s Crab Shack. Madison, her sister Chelsea, her parents, Lydia and George McMullen are leaving this week to enjoy the beautiful beaches and sand in Orange Beach, Alabama.

Ginger Walker, receptionist for Dr. Woody Ingram, enjoyed a trip to Pocahontas, Arkansas for a small family reunion. She carried her dad, Robert (Bob) Walker from Zavalla along with her daughters, 8-year-old Taylor and 14-year-old Hailey and her inseparable friend, Mollie Clifton. About fifteen family members enjoyed a July 4th fish fry and it was great to see her dad visit with his brother, Bill Wallace, who came from Tennessee.

Zane Anthony, a 2012 DHS graduate is the son of Ray and Teresa Anthony. Following in his father’s footsteps, Zane recently graduated from the Kilgore Police Academy and is employed with the Lufkin PD. He has dated Whitney Dugat for a couple of years. He had purchased an engagement ring to surprise her but Whitney surprised him when she found it in his pickup. They are planning a 2016 June wedding.

Abby (Anthony) Lawrence had hair appointments with Meredith Jenkins for her, Lola and Tucker. Meredith was almost through with a special coloring on 6-year-old Lola when her little brother fell from a short window sill. Being a school nurse, Abby realized it was serious. Going above and beyond the call of duty, Meredith quickly finished Lola’s hair and drove them to the ER while Abby held Tucker’s arm in place. Diagnosis revealed both bones are fractured in his arm. Tucker is in a cast and everyone is helping to keep this active 2-year-old still for six weeks. Good luck!.

Busy lady, Cecilia Mendoze, took a short break to sit down at the RT while she was delivering this month’s edition of The Journey. Cecilia graduated from DHS and played volleyball under Coach Drake. Girls’ softball was not available but Cecilia played on Diboll Youth leagues until she was14. After graduating in 1991 from high school and later earning two associate degrees from Angelina College, she began to coach and do volunteer work. She coached T-ball for 13 years, baseball for 4 years and girls softball for 6 years. She has two children, Cecilia is 10 and Hugh is 13. Cecilia is always on the go. She volunteers at the library, participates in the Diboll Civic Club, co-ordinates the Spanish Club’s dancers who have performed at The Tamale Fest, Cinco de Mayo, Officer’s Banquet and other events. She will be volunteering at the Geeks, Games and Gadgets, designed for kids and adults this weekend, July 17-18 at the Nacogdoches Expo Center. Geeks, Games, and Gadgets is a Lifestyle Event combining the best features of Man Expo, Kid Escape, and a Comic Con. Indoor & Outdoor activities including paintball, table and video games, great vendors, comedy and movie events, barbecue cook off, Guinness world record break attempt, monster truck rides and much, much more. Tickets are $15/day or $20 for 2 days.

Leonard & Billie Robison ‘s home was invaded by thousands of bees that decided to manufacture honey in the front eaves of their second story home in Deer Trace. Leonard had no takers when he offered the bees to anyone that might be interested in removing them from his house. He then called Cary Sims, the Extension Agent for Angelina County. After much discussion and persuasion, Cary who is also a beekeeper, committed to the task of removing the bees. It was an ordeal that could not be done from the top of a tall step ladder. A mechanical lift was used to raise Cary and his equipment up face to face with the throng of bees. It was a very hot day, Cary was sweating profusely unprotected from the hot sun and wearing the usual beekeeper protection. Cary devised a system using a shop vacuum that gently sucked the bees from their hive into his bee box and transported them to a new location.

A few days later, Leonard Robison was able to enjoy being outside, doing what he does best, BBQing for friends and family. Some of the neighbors, Steve and Dortha Jackson, came to visit and commended Leonard on his good BBQ. Dortha, an accomplished pianist, demonstrated her musical skills on Billie’s 60th anniversary gift, a petite grand piano. Other neighbors listening to Dortha play included Earl and Carolyn Hutson (who also played for the group); Dave and Elaine Winfrey; John and Gloria Ogden and Dick and Linda Miller.

Stay cool, be safe and come see us…’round the table.

Filed Under: 2015 RT News, July 2015

July 6, 2015

July 6, 2015 by

 

Kathy and Richard Nelson had a whirlwind first-anniversary (July 6) trip to Baytown (where Richard grew up) and Kemah. Kathy, Richard and his niece, Danielle, picked up Richard’s brother, Eddie, at Hobby Airport on Friday afternoon. They made it to Bicentennial Park in Baytown in time to see .38 Special perform a free concert with longtime friends.

Saturday morning the foursome completed the Baytown Heat Wave, an aptly named five-mile run. Eddie complained that he wouldn’t be able finish, but he outdid Richard by about 4 minutes. Richard commented that two years ago he finished the run about a minute faster and didn’t try it last year because it was too near the wedding date. So, he figures marriage has slowed him down. After running with the guys the first mile, 17-year-old Danielle fell back to keep Kathy company. Richard said he’s very proud of his wife for finishing the event about 10 minutes faster than they predicted.

Saturday afternoon, Richard and Kathy headed to Kemah. They ate dinner at Opus Bistro, which wasn’t on the Boardwalk, but about a mile away. It is definitely a place they will make it a point to go back to – especially since a total stranger paid for their meal! They had asparagus parmesan, garnished with crab meat and tomatoes; ribeye with shrimp and crabmeat; a shrimp and scallops pasta dish; and bananas foster. They highly recommend the place.
The Boardwalk area was way too crowded to really enjoy the fireworks, but a family did decide to get up and leave their table and offer it to the Nelsons. Saturday was certainly their lucky day!

I suppose you could say that Kevin and Andrea Swor celebrated a wedding anniversary with a short trip to south Texas. June 22th was their 24th anniversary and it’s also Kevin’s birthday. It was a business/pleasure trip in that Kevin was invited, along with thirty other Ag teachers, to tour businesses and ranches and listen to speakers. They were part of the LEAD (Leadership, Education, Advocacy, Development) Program. Their trip began in San Antonio with dinner at MiTerra Mexican food. Kevin and Andrea really enjoyed visiting with former DISD Ag teacher Robert Washington who now teaches in Gonzales. The next morning the group traveled to George West to visit the Sick Dog Ranch owned by Mitchell Dale who owns McRae Ford dealership in Dickenson. Mr. Dale spoke to the group about organizational values and the Ford Leadership Scholars.

After lunch was served the group traveled to tour the LaPaloma/ElCoyote Ranches. The host at the LaPaloma Ranch was a father and daughter team, Felix & Della Serna. All their ranches together total about 200,000 acres. One of their 48,000-acre cattle ranches processes 300 18-wheeler loads of cattle per week. At that location the group learned about international farming and ranching. El Coyote and its sister ranch La Paloma sprawl over the counties of Brooks, Hidalgo, Kleberg and Kenedy at the tip of the Coastal Bend of Texas near the historic King Ranch in Kingsville. The El Coyote Ranch is represented by an elite herd of Texas Longhorns. They breed Longhorns in the old tradition using today’s ideas and technology. Their blend of past and present is proven in the fact that this ranch is home to the Guinness World Book Record Longhorn; 115” tip to tip.

Thursday morning the group of Ag teachers were treated to a delicious breakfast of Chorizo, eggs and homemade tortillas and tamales at the LaMuneca Cattle Company, owned by Carlos Guerra and family. Mr. Guerra spoke about being a good steward and giving back to the community and teaching students to get involved. He lives by his favorite saying of ten two-letter words, “If it is to be it is up to me.” Carlos and his brother Victor created a scholarship fund in honor of their brother that died the summer of 1979 before he was to enter Texas A&I. From the initial $10,000 family honorarium to further youth education, the Guerra family has awarded more than one million dollars in scholarships since 1979!

The group also toured the Chorizo de San Manuel plant in Linn, Texas. This plant grinds 20,000 pounds of pork daily to make Chorizo which is a Hispanic spiced sausage with a distinct and spicy flavor. The firm’s meat products, sold under the Chorizo De San Manuel and San Luis brands, are all-natural, with no added preservatives or fillers and are available at most food retailers. The Swors are back at work but enjoyed their informative days off.
My granddaughter Cheyenne and two of her friends, Ashley Thigpen and Courtney Nicols, traveled to Galveston for a three day outing. The three good friends enjoyed their first unchaperoned trip making fun memories at the water park, Pleasure Pier and walking the Strand where they made an Old Timey keepsake photo. They also enjoyed a nice visit to the Rain Forest Café.

Spending the July 4th holiday in Bullard with Kim and Darrell Chapman were Kim’s mother JoNell Placker, their daughter Elizabeth of Dallas and Hunter Rush of Tyler. Longtime friends that grew up in Diboll were also there: Elaine (Bunch) Pinkerton of Longview; her sister Mary Alice Shivers and her daughters Kim from Georgia and Shawn of Austin. Two grandchildren, Elizabeth and Shane of Austin had to listen to lots of old stories that were shared from this group that call themselves the “Park Street” gang.

You just never know who you will find at the Round Table. One day during lunch folks who came in were treated to live music from the talented Glen Lenderman and Kevin Carter who sang for more than an hour. Glen’s wife, Cricket (Laura), came during her lunch break and sang a couple of songs with the guys. Some who enjoyed this musical treat were: Raymond and Sofia Lenderman; Karon and Dennis Lenderman; J. D. & Sue Johnson; JoNell Placker; Jeanetta Stewart; Rhonda Flowers; Fran McGilvra; Mark Hafernick; Margie Harrell; Richard Rainwater; Bubba Covington; Dee Adams; Richard Nelson, all of us and several customers who came in to shop. They ended their mini concert showing their expertise on the strings and vocals with “The Devil went down to Georgia” and “Long Black Train”. Our thanks to Glen and Kevin and we hope they will come back, soon.

Sherrel Fears called and wanted to let the folks in Diboll know that his grandson, Chris Wells and his band, will be playing at the Benita Creek Hall in Nacogdoches this Saturday, July 11th at 8PM.

Come see us…’round the table.

Filed Under: 2015 RT News, July 2015

June 29, 2015

June 29, 2015 by

 

Teresa and Ray Anthony came in the store dressed casually and we learned they both were on vacation last week. At that moment they were headed toward Crystal Beach to spend the day with good friends, Linda and Arthur Murl Jones who were also vacationing. The Jones family had rented a gorgeous beach house for the week for daughter and son-in-law, Tara and Joe Cole and more importantly, 3-year-old beautiful red head grandson, Cole. Also enjoying the week was Angel and Kory Gillespie and their 4-year-old son, “Liam”. When Teresa and Ray arrived after lunch they found Linda and Arthur Murl relaxing as all the others had gone to Moody Gardens for the day. The four decided it was a good time to tour the beach in a golf cart. Teresa said there was a nice breeze, the beach was clean and the water was beautiful. They were having fun and drove on the beach all the way to Bolivar ferry and back…FOUR hours of fun! Ray and Teresa said their “goodbyes” and drove into Galveston for a meal and arrived home about midnight. I heard later Arthur Murl suffered severe sunburn on his legs.

Teresa Anthony also shared that her granddaughter, Lola, is now SIX years old. Her parents are Abby and Brad Lawrence and her little brother Tucker is already TWO. Lola has a busy summer. She was invited to participate in the first Miss Texas America pageant which was held in Houston. The pageant was for girls four to six years of age. Lola modeled an evening gown, had an interview and received an invitation to return next year. She plans to attend Dinosaur and Zoo camps in the next couple of weeks and is taking swim lessons from Mary Grimes who also taught Lola’s mom to swim. Tucker has already completed a week of swim lessons from Mary’s daughter, Emily. In the evenings, Lola is attending VBS at Diboll First Baptist and having a great time.

The Round Table was full one day listening to Milford Ruby and his never-ending stories. But that day, J. D. Johnson told us he remembered Milford in the early 50’s coming through town in an Oldsmobile convertible with his “ducktails” flying. When Milford got out to walk anywhere you could hear him coming in his steel heel taps and he knew how to drag his heels to make the sparks fly!

I received the following email from Sterling Burnett who is married to Bobbie Joyce Wilkerson and both are DHS graduates. Thursday Bobbie & I met Janis & Clinton Clark for lunch at the Black Eye Pea in the area of Deerbrook Mall. Sterling says, “We enjoyed OUR SENIOR LUNCH & discussed our memories of Diboll High School. I remember when Clinton & Bobby Hudson came back from the Military and began school with us. They signed up for trigonometry class and the two of them were the only ones requesting the course. Our Dear Mr. Pate (superintendent at the time) taught the two of them so they could take the class that they thought would help them in the future.” We also discussed if there were any other class mates living in the Houston area but no one came to mind. They chatted for a couple hours and Bobbie wasn’t going to get that close to Dillard’s without shopping. Sterling obediently drove her to the mall where they “killed” the afternoon before returning home.
Sterling also commented that it was good to hear that our City of Diboll was recognized as one nice place to live. Actually, it was rated the #2 Best Place to Live in Texas and rated #1 as the Safest Place to Live.

The Super Seniors of Diboll First Baptist enjoyed an outing to Jasper to eat lunch at the Catfish Cabin. Driving the bus was Charlie Mann and those in the back were: Mary Ingram, Peggy Burt, Ginger Capps, Chris and Meredith Walker, Joe Miranda, Betty Page, Leonard and Billie Robison, “Little” Leonard and Camille Robison, Fran McGilvra, Ruth Mullins, Betty Kee, Joe Nell Placker, Joyce Carr, Mary Lou Havard and Kathreen Chuke. Everyone reported the food was good and the fellowship was even better!

These Super Seniors and a lot of other folks remember a sweet couple, Bro. Raymond and Gerry Dunkin who now live in McKinney, Texas but previously served as interim pastor at Diboll First Baptist. A note from Raymond said he went to visit a doctor for a hurting in the area of the appendix. A scan indicated a ruptured appendix. After being in the hospital 5 days flooded with antibiotics, doctors informed him that another scan indicated a malignant pancreas. He was quickly sent to surgery where they removed about half of the pancreas and spleen. He is home recouping and praising God for a ruptured appendix and no evidence of cancer. They may live in McKinney but there is a place in their hearts for people here in East Texas. I’m sure they would love to hear from some of you. Their address is 5701 Virginia Parkway, apt. 2212, McKinney, TX 75071.

The Fourth of July isn’t all about BBQ and fireworks. It is the day our nation severed its ties with tyranny and it is a day we celebrate our freedom, liberty and the birthday of our country. May God Bless America. Don’t forget to fly “OLD GLORY”.

Come see us…’round the table.

Filed Under: June 2015, News from the Round Table at Pouland's

June 22, 2015

June 22, 2015 by

 

While Rodney, Carol and Cameron Cheshire were in Ft. Worth for Rodney to attend a Diboll ISD board training, they learned in the wee hours of Saturday morning their house was on fire. When they arrived in Diboll, it was sad to see that they had lost everything including his new pickup. There are always sentimental treasures that can’t be replaced and for Rodney that included guns from his grandfather, Garrison Wilkins and father-in-law, Cleon Murry. This devastation did not keep them from attending church the next morning and being thankful for their safety, a loving family and caring friends. Rodney is a policeman for the city of Diboll and Carol was glad his uniforms were in the cleaners.

Plans are already made to have a Benefit Dinner for the Rodney Cheshire family. A Chicken Spaghetti Dinner that includes green beans, salad, roll, dessert and drink will be served on Friday, June 26th from 5 -7PM in the fellowship hall of Diboll First Baptist Church. The chicken spaghetti will be cooked by Margie Harrell and her crew so you can bet it will be delicious.

Adults can eat for $8 and children under 12 will be $5. You are welcome to eat there or take it home with you. The organizers would appreciate it if you could let them know if you plan to eat so they can make their plans. Please call 829-4807 or 829-2779 or email janwpta@consolidated.net (Jan Wilkerson) or franmc@consolidated.net (Fran McClain) to place your orders by June 26. A community coming together to help is just another reason I love the dear hearts and gentle people who live in my hometown.

The Diboll police department has set up a special account at the Temple Inland Credit Union if you would like to help Rodney and his family recover from this loss.
Twelve-year-old Garrison Cheshire, son of Bobby (Rodney’s brother) and Chandra Cheshire, received a 30.06 Browning rifle from his great-grandfather, Garrison Wilkins. It was Mr. Wilkin’s 35-year service award from Temple Inland. It was with this 30.06 that young Garrison had an unforgettable experience on a recent Idaho bear hunt. Garrison’s Uncle Cary Cheshire planned the bear hunt with Big Timber Outfitters of Elk Bend, Wyoming not too far from his home in Rawlings. Traveling with Garrison was his dad Bobby, his sister 9-year-old Kaydee and his grandmother, Helen “Ruthie” (Wilkins) Cheshire. They drove and on the way enjoyed seeing Pikes Peak, Cave of the Winds, Royal Gorge, Garden of the Gods and learned the history of Independence Rock before stopping in Cheyenne, Wyoming. In Rawlings, Wyoming, they spent the night with Cary and Carla Cheshire. The next day Cary, his son and daughter, Corbin and Chantry Cheshire and friend, Chase Childress joined the expedition and in two vehicles drove to Cody and into Yellowstone National Park where they observed Old Faithful, an abundance of buffalo and elk but no moose. They arrived at the bear camp near Salmon, Idaho at 9PM where the facilities included a cook cabin, tents, a camper for the ladies and soon to find out…good cooking.

It was the third day of hunting when Garrison said he was sitting with his Uncle Cary “a long time” in a ground blind. After rejecting two smaller bears Garrison finally saw his opportunity and with one shot from his grandfather’s 30.06, he got his trophy. It was an ordeal to get the bear back to camp by evening. The guys were exhausted and were relaxing around the camp fire when they learned Helen had spotted a bear cub that afternoon coming out of Corbin and Chase’s tent. There had been lots of excitement in the camp and everyone was grateful to the camp dogs who chased him away. But later that evening the bear cub returned and the dogs chased him again, this time up a tree and kept him bayed, or so they thought; the next morning the bear was observed in a different tree.

Helen Cheshire was a very prim and proper teacher and principal at Diboll ISD. She retired after 36 years of service and she and I are near the same age. Somehow, I find it hard to believe, yet I admire her, for going on this camping trip, roughing it in the wild and taking long horseback rides through the beautiful countryside. She also spent one day hunting bears. Her grandson Corbin was the only other successful hunter to kill a bear during this trip.

It was the last day when they were packing to leave, the cub was still observing them from a tree that Corbin, in his early 20’s, decided to take 12-year-old Aspen Beck, on a last minute 4-wheeler ride. After a short ride, she asked to get off when she realized Corbin wanted to “jump off” a pond dam. She realized it was a good decision when she saw the 4-wheeler roll down the steep embankment and land on top of him. Aspen managed to roll the 4-wheeler off of Corbin and run for help. Within minutes, a search and rescue team was on the scene and called Life Flight to air lift Corbin to Idaho for emergency surgery on his broken femur.

After all this excitement. Helen, Bobby, Garrison and Kaydee drove to Missoula, Montana, spent the night, got up at 4AM and drove to Spokane, Washington for Bobby and Garrison to fly home. It took them all day but they arrived in Houston by way of Portland, Oregon and Atlanta, Georgia. They were met by Garrison’s mom, Chandra and his two sisters, Laycee and Emalee.

Helen and granddaughter Kaydee drove on to Richland, Washington to visit with Helen’s aunt for a couple of days and back to Rawlings to check on Corbin. They spent three days sightseeing and talking to the lady at On Star before arriving back in good ole East Texas. That should be an unforgettable trip for everyone.
Vacationing closer to home was Jeff and Susan Eberlan who rented a house on Crystal Beach for their family to enjoy a few days of sun, sand and relaxation. Family members included daughter Stephanie and her 4-year-old daughter, Olivia; Jake Hale and friend; Kristen and Chris Straps and sons, Christian, 8-year-old twins Alex and Drew and 6-year-old Ryan; Cameron and Victor Castillo and children, Alyssa, Victor, Jr., Lori, Adan and Kaylee. Their stay was shorten by one day due to the tropical storm “Bill”. Susan has been retired since April after nine years at Atlas. She now enjoys being at home and doing the book work for Jeff’s new electrical business, Eastex Electric. He’s certified to work on Generac generators and of course, all other types of electrical work.

Come see us…’round the table.

Filed Under: June 2015, News from the Round Table at Pouland's

June 15, 2015

June 15, 2015 by

 

Nita Hurley and Betty Hendrick traveled to East Texas Baptist University in Marshall last week for a two day Senior Adult Conference. Betty’s 2015 Camry needed road testing; the ladies gave it a “thumbs up” for performance and gas mileage (averaged 44 miles per gallon).
The conference, attended by about 300 guests, provided opportunity for alumni and friends to see improvements on the lovely campus, located on the highest hill in Marshall. Betty said it was better than Homecoming because she talked with friends from the 1960’s and Nita enjoyed walking the grounds where her dad, Robert Ramsey and uncles Bennis and Herschel Franks were students when the university was College of Marshall.

In addition to outstanding preaching from Dr. Robert Jeffries (1st Baptist Church, Dallas) and Dr. David Dykes (Green Acres Baptist in Tyler), those present enjoyed concerts by the southern gospel family, the Hoppers, whose rendition of “Jerusalem” was well received; by the time the group ended with “Shouting Time in Heaven!”, many folks who did not think they could stand, did so! Also, The Singing Men of East Texas provided great music as did some soloists and quartets.
A side trip during free time took Nita and Betty to Caddo Lake; even with all the rain and some flooding, the lake is still mysterious and inviting. Their intention was to have lunch at Big Pines Lodge, but it did not open until later, so the ladies enjoyed a tasty lunch at The Hamburger Hut in Jefferson. Overall, these longtime friends shared many laughs during their travel time.

Kitty Bounds sent the following information. This month on June 30th, at noon at Gipson Funeral Home, the LIFT Program is having a “Celebrate America” luncheon with Jackie Havard entertaining us by playing the piano. Gipson’s also provides a free lunch for the participants. LIFT stands for “Living Information for Today ®”…a social support program that helps widows and widowers adjust to the loss of a spouse by engaging them in educational, social and recreational activities.
This month’s LIFT Newsletter highlights Bill Swearingen, Gipson Employee of 59 years. Bill’s comment when people ask him if he is going to retire, is ““I’m not going to ease up, let up, shut up or give up until I’m taken up. As a matter of fact I am just getting warmed up.” He said he loves working at Gipson Funeral Home because he believes he helps people at a difficult time in their lives.

If you have a program to offer, contact the Program Coordinator, Kitty Bounds, by leaving a message for her at the front desk at Gipson’s. If you are interested in attending this month, please call 634-4411 to leave your name at the front desk.

Vernon and Betty Burkhalter enjoyed a few days at Crystal Beach entertaining family members. Vernon’s brother and sister-in-law, Sam and Patty Gill came all the way from New York to be a part of the fun. Landing in Houston, Sam stopped to purchase a BBQ pit on the way to the beach and it was used to cook several meals. Some of the guests included: sisters, Bessie Furgurson, Jerri Ledford, Susie Lankford and Lisa Burkhalter; Valarie Porter and Betty and Vernon’s grandson, Heagan and Rich. Sam and Lisa’s friend, Ed, alternated the cooking responsibilities except the day Patty cooked Italian food for the group. The ladies enjoyed spending lots of time at the beach. It was told at the RT the only time Vernon didn’t have to wash dishes was after the one meal eaten at Stingray’s.

Speaking of food, Allison Amason came in for more of the Chow Chow we sell. She said, “It’s so good you can eat it all be itself.” Shane Dykes told me the pickeled quail eggs we sell are the best he has ever eaten and he has been through two jars. Clay Colwell and two-year-old son, Lewin, came in to buy a new Stihl trimmer. Professional horse trainer, Denise Wilson, came in with three young helpers; Alex, Clara and Keath Hill. Alex and Clara have already been competing and winning in riding competitions in Texas but are preparing to compete in the Canadian show season later this month. Denise is Canadian and she and her family have experienced the fierce Canadian competition.

The Diboll Business Association has a current membership of 46 businesses in Diboll whose goal is to encourage folks to shop locally. The association has completed a new map of Diboll promoting local businesses. The colorful maps are free and should be available at most businesses who are members. Maps are also available at our library and city hall. This association meets the second Monday of every month in the community room at the library at 5:30. Any and everyone is invited to attend.
The Diboll Civic Club was organized to promote Diboll. This club meets the first Tuesday of every month at Diboll Christian Outreach (Temple house on Hines Street) at 6PM. This active group of volunteers was responsible for the recent “Music in the Park”. If you didn’t attend, you missed a treat. This group also sponsors “Christmas in the Park” and “Operation Clean Sweep”. Please mark your calendar and plan to attend the next meeting. This club has accomplished much with a few but could do greater events with more people. Hope to see you July 7th. Diboll is a great place to live and raise a family. I am very proud to say I’m from Diboll.

Come see us…’round the table.

Filed Under: June 2015, News from the Round Table at Pouland's

June 8, 2015

June 8, 2015 by

 

Terry and Dale Grantham had all their family members present at Cheddars to celebrate the 16th birthday of their granddaughter, Anna Seale, who is a sophomore at Jasper High School. Her mother, Marty the youngest daughter of the Granthams’ was present along with Anna’s older sister, Maggie. Marty is a 5th grade math teacher in Jasper and Maggie has completed her first year at UT in Austin. Maggie will work as a counselor this summer at Camp Longhorn. Daughter Lisa and husband David Crager were in the group; Lisa continues to work at GP in Diboll and David stays busy with his quality construction business. Daughter, Tina and her husband Rayburn Hance, came with their two sons; 23-year-old Marshall and 20-year-old Morgan. Marshall will graduate from SFA this summer and stays busy singing and writing songs; you might be lucky to catch him performing at The Liberty Bell in Nacogdoches. Morgan is a student at Blinn College. Their mom, Tina, is a Bristol Myers pharmaceutical representative and their dad, Rayburn, works as a sales representative for Texas Document Solutions. Sometimes, on special occasions, Rayburn performs as the flashy Elvis while Marshall portrays the younger Elvis. Terry Grantham is completely retired and enjoys being at home while Dale continues to work. The only job Dale has ever had is working at Diboll Junior High where she has been for 44 years and said they coerced her into staying ONE more year!

Ruth Mullins’ 80th birthday was last December. Eighty is a special number of years. Her daughter Diane knew Ruth would not want a big party so she and her husband Bob Pennington, told Ruth they would treat her to see Neil Diamond in May when he came to Houston. The date finally arrived and it was during all the rain and flooding in Houston. The threesome couldn’t believe it when they drove ALL the way to the Toyota Center with no rain or flooding. Neil Diamond was great and it was a great way to celebrate a special birthday. Diane and Bob also treated her to see Riverdance in January as part of her special celebration.

Leonard and Billie celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on June 10th. They began celebrating early when Leonard really surprised Billie with a Baby Grand piano Thursday, June 4th. Then Saturday, June 6th, at First Baptist Church, they had a reception to celebrate with their family and friends. It was really a great event. Family who came in from out of town were daughter Debra Mader and her husband, Tony; grandsons, Michael McGowan from Dallas and Jacob McGowan and his wife Meredith from Pearland with their sons and Leonard and Billie’s great grandsons, Logan and Luke. A cousin Walter Silveria came from Georgetown and niece Lynn Warren and her husband, Johnny from Killeen. Also missionary friends, Johnnie and Lahoma Loar came from Fort Worth. Plus local family, son, Leonard, Jr. and his wife, Camellia and their daughter, Rochelle Pena were there. Camellia’s dad, Joe Miranda completed the family circle

Billie and Leonard would like to say “thank you” to all the friends who came to celebrate with them. Everyone made the day extra special for them. The food was catered by J. R.’s Barn and decorated by Vintage Blooms with Teresa Pouland and Bailey Litton. Andrea Swor made the punch and Lena Coody helped with decorations and set up. Everything was pretty and the food was delicious. The Robisons said these ladies will always hold a special place in their hearts and memories. Grandough’s Bakery made the cake and it was almost too beautiful to cut. But cut it they did and it was good. Leonard and Billie give thanks and glory to God for the family, friends and life He has provided for them and look forward with anticipation to many more years of living for Him and serving Him in some capacity.
Darla and Jack Thomason live on Fairview Circle and to celebrate several graduations, temporarily transformed their backyard barn into a tremendous party area with lots of atmosphere and string lighting. Zane Smith and Liesa Starr Larabell graduated from Pineywoods Academy. Zane is their nephew, the son of David and Tiffany Smith who co-hosted the special event. Starr is Ben Thomason’s girlfriend. Luke Weisner, Darla and Jack’s grandson was also honored for his kindergarten graduation. Zane’s dad, David, arrived early morning to prepare cooking for the main courses of BBQ and fried fish. Luke’s parents, Jill and John Weisner, also helped with the event. Zane’s grandmother, Betty (Hannah) Smith and his aunt, Sherri Weeks, prepared the delicious desserts and someone made homemade ice cream. Approximately 60 guests enjoyed the special party.

Darryl and Annette Richardson have always been faithful to follow their granddaughter, Alyssa Dotson, in her softball career. Alyssa is presently attending Navarro Jr. College in Corsicana on a softball scholarship where she is a left-handed first baseman for the “Bulldogs”. The team qualified for the National playoffs in beautiful St. George, Utah. Nancy Mize at Holiday Travel found Darryl and Annette a non-stop economical “red eye” flight into Las Vegas where they rented a car and drove 100 miles to St. George. Alyssa’s parents, Greg and Lisa, were also there. On Saturday the group drove back toward Las Vegas for an impressive tour of Hoover Dam and then on to Vegas for a dinner show at Margaritaville and back to St. George. Everyone was tired but made it safely, back to Texas. Darryl and Annette’s grandson and Alyssa’s brother, Blake, graduated from Baylor and is an assistant manager for Enterprise in Waco.

Charlotte and James McClintock spent the weekend in Victoria watching their 16-year-old granddaughter, Kaylee McClintock, compete in a 4-H Marksmanship state shooting match representing Trinity County. This is Kaylee’s second year to compete using a .22 rifle. Her team placed 11th out of 33 teams that competed. Her parents are Steven and Michele McClintock.

E. W. Scarborough is one of many discouraged farmers whose crops are a failure due to the excessive rains. He said “never” has his potatoes rotted in the ground and everything that should have green leaves now has yellow leaves. We’ve heard that so many times as folks are coming in to buy seeds to replant. George White was in buying okra, squash, watermelon, peas, corn, etc. to start over. Our farmers markets will be short on local produce this year. If you thought gas was high, wait until we see the price of produce this year.

Come see us…’round the table.

Filed Under: June 2015, News from the Round Table at Pouland's

June 1, 2015

June 1, 2015 by

 

Janet Kilgore, Assistant Manager at The Joe Elliott House, stopped by to have a flat repaired. She had her sister-in-law Jeannie Johnston from Salt Lake City with her and introduced her at the RT. Jeannie’s brother and sister-in-law is Algie Lee and Wanda Kilgore who live in Diboll. Janet had previously told us Jeannie was 86-years-old going on 50 and she was absolutely right! Jeannie was a spry petite 98 pounds; had a porcelain doll complexion; fashionably dressed with black stockings and loves to ballroom dance. She lives downtown Salt Lake City on 2nd street across from the world renowned Mormon building of genealogy. Janet was taking her to visit someone that was going to carry her to the airport for her return trip home. Several years ago while Janet was visiting Jeannie in Salt Lake City, Janet carried her family records to the Mormon facility in hopes of finding more information but was disappointed. The staff working there was happy that Janet shared her information with them. Janet said she did find a mention of her step father, William Welch and Marvin Baker and The 8 Baker Café that was once located in the front building next to where Pouland Real Estate is today which was Powell’s Grocery in years past.

Knowing how John Ralph loves “old stuff”, Jim Odom came in one day with several items from the old O. L. Hubbard Grocery and Feed that was in Lufkin in the 30’s. Jim’s wife, Sally, was the daughter of Jimmie Jean (Massingill) and O. L. Hubbbard. The building was located in the vicinity of Chestnut and Lufkin Avenue. Jim gave JR a meat cleaver, knives and a sharpener.

Tom Squyres stopped by one morning on his way to “little” Centerville school. He showed me the portable self-contained bee hive he had with him that he and beekeeper, Cecil Hunt, were going to demonstrate the importance of honey bees to Pre-K through 4th graders. Tom was kind enough to uncover the hive and show it to me and even pointed out the queen bee. Tom dedicates many hours of his time to help people, especially when children are involved.

Darrel Stanley visits the RT often. He shared that his sister-in-law and a couple of friends from Dallas stayed with he and Linda on their way to visit Hodges Gardens in Louisiana. It was during the time we were having all the rain and upon arriving at the gardens were disappointed that the blooms were all washed away or beaten down. When the group came back by the Stanley’s, Darrel suggested they go on back to Dallas as soon as possible based on the weather predictions. The girls waited a couple of days and decided to take the backroads instead of the interstate. Darrell really had a hard time not saying “I told you so” when he learned they had to wait three hours for the flooded roads to clear.

John Ogden told his wife Gloria to pack her bag for the Memorial Day weekend because he was taking her on a trip and it was to be a surprise. They drove to Llano for a car show and festival which was a big disappointment due to the weather. They drove to Fredericksburg and decided to travel on to her brother’s ranch and visit a couple of hours with he and his wife. It began to sprinkle but that didn’t discourage them even knowing they had to cross the Blanco River and a bridge to get to the ranch. The rain got heavier and they even had to wait for volunteers to cut a fallen tree across the road. The rain got heavier but nothing bad. John drove cautiously across the river and the bridge and all of a sudden, the rain got really bad. They made it to the ranch and had to spend the night. The news that night reported the Blanco River was expected to get out of its banks. The next morning they couldn’t leave because the water had washed away about 30 feet of her brother’s road. Her brother discarded the idea of using an aluminum boat because broken trees and the current made it impossible to paddle across. They spent a second night. Fearful of having to spend days and desperate to get home, her brother devised a plan of putting a 40’ ladder across the rising water. With one end in the river bed and the other end on concrete, John and Gloria crossed on their hands and knees to the other side. Someone carried them into Blanco where they met their son who had driven four hours from Houston and drove another five hours to Diboll. I bet it will be awhile before Gloria lets John “surprise” her again.
We have on display here at Pouland’s the cutest horse barn birdhouse built and designed by Jimmie Woodard. Chances to win are $1 each or 6 for $5. All proceedswill go into the Diboll Alumni Association’s Scholarship Fund.

Diboll Boy Scout Troup 128 is selling Smoked Pork Butts just in time for Father’s Day weekend. The tender meat will already be cooked and ready for a nice meal. You must place your orders by June 15th. The meat must be picked up on June 20th between 8 and Noon at the Diboll Scout House. To place an order, call Jeannette at 676-8506.

Enjoy the sunshine and come see us…’round the table.

Filed Under: June 2015, News from the Round Table at Pouland's
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