Students Making Smart Food Choices
LOCAL BUSINESS
SPOTLIGHT
Ricebirds Claim Revenge Over Terry
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Volume 131 Number 87 • Saturday, January 9, 2016
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14 Pages, 1 Insert
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Killer makes plea for clemency By SHANNON CRABTREE scrabtree@leader-news.com
Three weeks before his date with an executioner, the killer of a Wharton County game warden has made a plea for clemency. The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles received the request Wednesday on behalf of James Garrett Freeman, the Wharton County resident convicted of the March 17, 2007 capital murder of Game Warden Justin Hurst of El Campo. Found guilty in a November 2008 trial, Freeman has been held on death row since Nov. 10 of that year.
In August 2015, Wharton County 329th District Court Judge Randy Clapp signed the order setting Jan. 27 for Freeman’s execution. Now, Freeman’s attorney Donald Vernay requests the board consider “commutation of (the) death sentence to (a) lesser penalty.” The request comes as no surprise, Wharton County District Attorney Ross Kurtz said Thursday. “It is one of the options for his lawyers to use to delay or stop the execution from taking place on the 27th,” he said. Kurtz, Wharton County Sheriff Jess Howell, Judge Clapp and the Wharton Police Department
were notified of the clemency plea and given the option of sending a statement to the board before it rules. The board’s recommendation is forwarded to the governor for consideration. The governor then has the option of granting clemency – commuting the sentence to life in prison. “The governor alone decides why or why not to grant clemency,” Kurtz said. “I oppose it, and will be sending my comments, as allowed, to the board expressing so.”
JAMES FREEMAN
(See FREEMAN FACING DEATH, Page 8-A)
Expect lane blockages on Jackson next week
FROM THE GROUND UP
Orange cones and lane blockages will be the norm on East Jackson Street for about a week, according to state officials. Crews will be performing pavement repairs on targeted sections of the road, said Cari Hensley, spokesperson for the Texas Department of Transportation’s Yoakum District. “It will be spot repairs, a single lane at a time,” she told the Leader-News. The cones, which first appeared Thursday morning, will be moved about as repairs progress. “It should be about a week if the weather cooperates,” she added. The National Weather Service forecast calls for mostly sunny, cool days next week, with scattered showers Monday and Wednesday.
PICTURES
WITHOUT A PAST
Help Solve Mysteries – See Page 5-A
El Campo Chief Terry Stanphill, at right in jacket, watches workers pour more concrete below ground at the site of the new police, fire and EMS station along with Assistant Police Chief Gary Williamson, far right facing camera. Inclement
LOCAL WEATHER Saturday
Slight Chance of Showers DAY: 20% HIGH: 62º NIGHT: 0% LOW: 35º
New police, fire, EMS center set for fall opening By SHANNON CRABTREE scrabtree@leader-news.com
The West Loop site may still look like just a muddy field when you drive by at 40 mph, but a closer inspection shows El Campo’s new $10.1 million Public Safety Building slowly rising from
Monday
Partly Sunny DAY: 0% HIGH: 53º NIGHT: 20% LOW: 38º
Tuesday
Slight Chance of Showers DAY: 20% HIGH: 60º NIGHT: 0% LOW: 43º Last Week: Avg. High: 60º • Avg. Low: 42º
RAIN GAUGE
Last 7 Days............................. 1.32 In.
Last 30 Days........................... 2.98 In. Same Time In '15...................... 3.47 In.
Year To Date........................... 1.31 In. Year To Date '15....................... 0.45 In. Data Collected by LCRA at El Campo Memorial Hospital
BURN BAN LIFTED COUNTY’S MEAN KBDI: 46 Burn Ban is put into effect when the mean KBDI reaches or goes above 500.
the ground. Wednesday, concrete trucks were racing the rain to pour footings while other BLS crews shaped forms and continued work on below ground systems. If the weather cooperates, construction could be complete in nine to 10 months – but so far, Mother Nature has seen fit to send moisture by the bucketful, 15.52 inches since work started, according to the Lower Colorado River Authority gauge on the hospital grounds. “They’re still behind, the rain really slows them
Never Give Up
Sunday
Sunny DAY: 0% HIGH: 52º NIGHT: 0% LOW: 33º
L-N Photo by Shannon Crabtree
Station work progresses despite rain
ALSO INSIDE: VIEWPOINT......................................Page 4-A OBITUARIES.....................................Page 7-A SPORTS.............................................Page 1-B LIFESTYLE.........................................Page 3-B CHURCH LISTINGS..........................Page 4-B CLASSIFIEDS & REAL ESTATE........Page 5-B
weather has delayed work, but the building is still set to open in the fall, replacing the current 1970s-era facility on East Jackson.
Blind electrician finds his way through challenges of lifetime By JODY LARIMER reporter@leader-news.com
Nothing stopped Franklin Ruzicka from living life to its fullest. Typhoid fever, polio, blindness and electrocution were not enough to slow him down. Will and determination, the retired electrician said, as well as the support from his late wife and a former boss are what kept him going. “I know God was with me always,” Ruzicka said from his recliner Thursday as sunshine poured through the living room window. At an early age, Ruzicka began having vision problems which stemmed from no illness or family genetics, he said. His eyesight continued to deteriorate to where he is now “worse” than legally blind, he said. Ruzicka has wanted to tell his story for years, he said, to send a message to all who go through life’s trials. “A lot of people think they’ve got it tough, but good things will happen if you want them to,” Ruzicka said. “Don’t give up. Don’t quit.” His wedding picture, photos of his three children as well as other memories (See RUZICKA, Page 6-A)
Franklin Ruzicka sits outside his apartment Thursday, enjoying the warm weather. Despite many setbacks, he managed to become a master electrician. L-N Photo by Jody Larimer
down,” said Chief Terry Stanphill, the city’s public safety director. “It’s not only the work, but things like getting equipment stuck.” As with most construction sites, the West Loop lot is crisscrossed with the tracks of heavy equipment and sporting deep ruts in the soft spots. But it’s also dotted with upright white pipes, each one evidence of progress on plumbing. “Two-thirds of the plumbing is in, but the jail is still to go,” Stanphill said, pointing to a section (See STATION, Page 8-A)
Page 6-A
El Campo Leader-News • Saturday, January 9, 2016
Feature —Ruzicka begins electrical career, family (Continued from Page 1A) were proudly displayed or hanging on walls. “I might cry,” he said and paused for a moment to compose himself before starting from the beginning. Born in Temple in 1943, his farming family moved to Lane City in 1949 before eventually settling in El Campo in 1959. He suffered major setbacks, however, before making it to the Pearl of the Prairie. “I had the typhoid fever when I was six,” he said. Crops weren’t doing well in Lane City that year and his family came to El Campo to help pick cotton. That’s where he contracted the illness, he said. He recovered after a few weeks, but a few years later, experienced more health issues. “At the age of 10, my eyes started going bad and at 11, I got polio,” he said. “I don’t know how I got that. It was summertime, I wasn’t even in school. After spending nearly three weeks in isolation, he went through two months of 104-degree fevers before recovering. “Polio was really bad at that time,” Ruzicka said. His eyesight continued to diminish and by the time he entered his sophomore year at El Campo ISD, he was struggling with grades. “I couldn’t see the blackboard, they sent me to the Texas School for the Blind,” he said choking up. “It hurt my feelings. I didn’t want to go away.” Academically, he didn’t do well, he said, but he did win a heavy-weight wrestling gold medal while attending the blind school. “We ran track too,” Ruzicka said. “Most people don’t realize blind people can run track.” He never graduated from school, but began working for Foremost Dairies in El Campo, loading trucks and helping on route deliveries when necessary. “I quit in 1963 because I was a teenager,” he said. But funds soon dwindled and he went to Bay City in search of work. That’s when his electrical career started. He interviewed against two others for a job at Ampere Electric. “I told them, ‘I don’t even know how to put a plug in the wall. I don’t know anything,’ and they said ‘you’re hired.’” Apparently, the others were too confident, he said. It was that same year, 1964, that he met his future bride, Carol Kutac of Louise, at a Plainview dance. “Back then I smoked,” Ruzicka said. “I thought I was real smart. I walked outside and there were three girls standing there and I asked if anyone had a match. Carol said, ‘I do.’ and there was my match.” The following year brought a new job and a new wife. He began working for Martin Electric in April as a
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Beating Odds
Despite life-threatening illnesses, blindness and electrocution, Franklin Ruzicka beat the odds and got married, had three children and became a master electrician. He is pictured (left) with Martin Electric Colleague Eddie Reckaway. where they lived the next 38 years. Ruzicka quit Martin Electric in 1983 to start his own business: Franklin Electric. He had a long list of customers including Texaco, Mobile and J.G. Stone. All was going well until 4:30 p.m. on Sept. 6, 1986. “I had been working all day,” Ruzicka said. “I was dirty and sweaty, but got a call to check one more motor.” He was checking the control wires when he hit a lug that was supposed to be dead. “My son had to pull me off there,” he said. “He had to hit me five or six times I guess. I was out, of course.” He spent five weeks at Memorial Hermann where he had about six surgeries to treat the burns and place a graft skin from his stomach onto his right hand. “Then I had to quit,” Ruzicka said, adding he sold the business to Penner Electric. Ten years later, however, he decided to do some more work. Just odds and ends, he said, mostly for David Pratka at EC Machines and Repair. Ruzicka served the community as well, through his participation with the Jaycees, serving as vice president and earning Outstanding Jaycee one year. He also helped with the volunteer fire department’s barbecues, St. Andrew’s annual picnics and was a member of the Knights of Columbus. In May of 2014, after almost 50 years of marriage, Ruzicka’s wife died from mel-
journeyman’s electrician and stayed there the next 18 and a half years. “I was a very good conduit bender they said,” Ruzicka said. During the next two decades, he worked hard and learned a lot from founder Charlie Martin, he said. “He made my life there,” Ruzicka said. “He was a good influence. A good man.” Ruzicka left an impression on several he worked with. Susie Slattery, Charlie Martin’s daughter who still works at Martin Electric, is one of them. “He’s a very special man to all of us,” Slattery said. “He’s an honest, truthful man ... someone I could go to. Even today.” His memories of her father are what she cherishes most. “It’s nice to visit with people who were there at the beginning,” Slattery said. Larry Staff also worked with Ruzicka at Martin’s for five to six years. “He was a hard worker,” Staff said. “He had trouble with his limited vision, but he wasn’t scared of work.” Ruzicka presented an engagement ring to Carol on her 18th birthday and she said yes. They were married Oct. 16, 1965 and the following year they brought a son into the world. “We didn’t mess around,” Ruzicka said. A daughter came in ‘67 and another in ‘71. They moved residences a few time before settling on Michael Street,
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anoma. “My wife was beautiful,” he said. “She was a hard worker, a good cook and raised over 75 babies.” Carol owned a daycare center where she raised several locals. His children are grown and most either working in the electrical or medical field. Several grandchildren have also joined the family. “I was strict with my kids,” Ruzicka said. “They had to earn everything. That’s why they’re successful today. I doubt they would say I was strict though.” Ruzicka finally decided, at the end of last year, to hang his hat up at the age of 72. “I’ve had a good life,” Ruzicka said. “I don’t know how much better it could have been. If it hadn’t happened like that, I might not have met my wife. God had it all lined up.”
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Pizza Anyone?
A
mid flashing lights and clinks of yet another game ticket dispensed, the small boy with the bright red cap looks up and smiles. “I want to do that one next,” he shouts, giving Mom a tug in the appropriate direction. And with a sigh and a subtle cellphone check, she follows. It’s just one of countless family scenes played out within the Gatti’s Pizza game room walls over the years. There are few, if any, places like this to be found in El Campo – and it’s just a small part of the company that prides itself on pizza, fun and family. Small, but important, Gatti’s Pizza El Campo owner Jake Lutz said, “You should be here at one o’clock Sunday. It’s PACKED.” As the people filter in, pizzas roll out of the oven – generally custom-made to the tastes of those about to partake of the buffet. The restaurant bills itself as family friendly and works hard to ensure that’s not just a saying. “We monitor the crowd closely,” Lutz said, adding that’s from attire to attitude. “We want them (patrons) to feel welcome and safe.” And, of course, they want them to enjoy the eats. Everything’s fresh, the owner proudly says, from inside the restaurant serving up gooey cheese on a bed of Italian sauce and dough. Here, as a matter of fact, they make the dough each day, giving it 10 to 12 hours to rise before forming it into the
El Campo Leader-News • Wednesday, November 16, 2016
Page 3
Gatti’s offers food, fun for families
oni is, of course, the most popular. Spaghetti with sauces, dessert pizzas and bread sticks (AKA sauceless pizzas cut into thinner strips just like all other chains) are about the only other offerings. Until you get to the salad bar that is. Then, it’s time to find that mathematician again because the possible combinations easily number in the thousands if not more. Pizza, salad bar and the game room with the small prizes it offers draws whenever youngsters are there. “In the summertime, it’s constantly busy,” Lutz said. It’s not just the adults who find themselves bellied up to the green bar selecting between spinach and lettuce, tomatoes and onions. “It’s prepped fresh everyday. People enjoy it. They know it’s going to be fresh,” he said. And there are definite favorites. “Like dressing. Thousand Island? We go through maybe two gallons a week. But Ranch? And it’s hand-made by the way, we use 28 to 32 gallons every week,” Lutz said. Dining areas are divided with televisions and decor, each encouraging a specific crowd. There’s the cartoon room, the sports room and the family dining area as well as one they try to keep quiet for those L-N Photos by Shannon Crabtree not interested in the noise. Pizza Time You’ll see senior citizens, teens, Gatti’s Pizza owner Jake Lutz lays out slices of pepperoni for a buffet-bound pizza. Cusfamilies with infants and those young tomers consume hundreds each day. Above, Isiah Trevino waves before pointing out his (See GAME ROOM, Page 4) selection. The pizza? It’s “good,” he says. balls that will later be rolled out into pizzas. “The dough actually rises three times,” Lutz said. All vegetables and the like are prepared too – little comes to the store premeasured just waiting to be plunked into the oven. At Gatti’s they keep it simple. You won’t find a whole lot of pizza variety until you start talking about the toppings - then you’d need to be a mathematician to figure out the total number of possible combinations.
IN BUSINESS SINCE 1929
87 YEARS
“We stick with the basics. That’s what people like,” Lutz said. On a recent weekend, three-year-old Isiah Trevino of Bay City brought his mom JoAnn. Just big enough to peer over the edge of the buffet counter, he offers assurances the food is “good” while pointing out a specific slice of pepperoni. He’s concentrating too hard on his next selection to offer much more of a review other than a big smile. A good day is 350 to 400 pizzas consumed by patrons at the buffet. Pepper-
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Page 4
El Campo Leader-News • Wednesday, November 16, 2016
—Game room draws families
Fun & Games ... Food Too
(Continued from Page 3) enough to be literally bouncing with excitement over the game room in the restaurant on any given day. Then there are folks like Maria Sanchez of Louise, the designated game room ticket holder for a group of youngsters one weekend. Or six-year-old Dominic Mcek of Boling who is more than willing to explain how the skee-ball game works while winding up for another toss. A grocer/food service industry person his entire life, Lutz bought the local store in September 1993 and took over operations the next month. From Amarillo in North Texas, he planned on being a meat cutter when he got out of high school and got married. He soon found groceries and the pay they offered more enticing, however. Lutz came to the Gulf Cost for work as the market manager for a Victoria grocery store before moving to San Antonio. His first job with the Mr. Gatti’s chain was in Victoria. “I started at the bottom,” he said of that first part-time job as a pizza delivery guy. Earning $3.65 per hour, “I had two kids to support and a house payment,” he said. Continuing to work at grocery stores for a total of 15 years, he moved to assorted cities including Seguin and Amarillo before winding back up in the area, still owning his Victoria home through transfers and family changes. He has three children: ages 41, 40 and 22; as well as six grandchildren
Patrons make thier way through the Gatti’s Pizza game room where many of the machines offer ticket rewards which can be turned into prizes at the booth shown at back right. At left: Brandon Litzau of Midfield loads up his plate at the pizza buffet while below six-year-old Dominic Mcek of Boling makes another toss at the skee ball games. L-N Photos by Shannon Crabtree
with another on the way and one great grandchild. He still lives in Victoria, making the drive daily to the store. “I knew it was a good restaurant (when I bought it) and I knew it would support me,” he said. Lutz takes his days off, when he takes them, during the week so he can
IN BUSINESS SINCE 1904
be at the store during the busy weekend hours. An average week is far beyond what most would call a full-time job, but he says he’s trying to take it easy. “I’m down to 60 hours a week,” he said. “That’s down from when it was way above 80 hours.” Some of his employees have been
112
IN BUSINESS SINCE 2001
YEARS
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with him years – if not decades – like Velma Dufner, the day manager; as well as Ericka Ramirez and Gregoria Gaona, the night managers. “They are trusteed employees,” he said. Like all businesses, the El Campo Gatti’s has seen both boom and almost bust years. “2010. We were flat for the whole year” Lutz said,“I just threw up my hands and said ‘God, do you want to keep the doors open?’ ... and that same month we came back.” Efforts to promote the eatery not just in El Campo, but throughout the area helped make the difference, he said. Families came then and come now from throughout Wharton County, Bay City, Palacios, Columbus and other small communities to dine and play. Gatti’s, again like all other restaurants, struggles to find good employees, ones who actually know how to work, he said.“It seems to be a worsening trend,” he said. Those who do, stay as part of his typically 21-employee workforce. Others come and go. Lutz doesn’t belong to clubs or organizations. He simply works – on the job and at home. “I work on my house,” he said, adding the 1930 structure has solid wood throughout – even the walls – and like most older homes is always in need of a minor repair or renovation generated by one of those ‘You know I could do this’ moments.’ “I don’t have time for any other hobbies,” Lutz said. He still rolls out the dough when needed and makes a lot of the deliveries too. “I’ve done everything ... I still unload trucks, mop floors, clean the bathrooms, bus tables. I don’t ask people to do what I won’t do.” –By Shannon Crabtree
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