NETX Crossroads Nov 2022

Chri mas Lights

An

ever-evolving tradition

By TONI WALKER, page 16

Jessica Rivas

By TONY BASSO, page 20

Chateau

By KATE STOW, page 28

By EMILY SANDERS, page 32

Photo by Bryant Allen

brings Christmas with

country charm to Mount Pleasant

By KENNY MITCHELL

Christmas season is just around the corner, and we will all soon see the sights of the yuletide all around us with lights, nativity scenes and all of the rest adorning the streets of where we live.

There will be festivals, shopping specials at your favorite shops, and the smell of eggnog and peppermint will fill the air in downtown coffee shops.

All of those season’s greetings will soon be found all across Northeast Texas, and not to be left out of the merriment is the city of Mount Pleasant.

Boots and Bells will once again bring the sights and sounds of Christmas to down town Mount Pleasant as the city’s annual festival has plans

to be bigger and better than ever in 2022.

A celebration born in the midst of the pandemic, Boots and Bells was born out of a need to brighten people’s lives and a call to reinvigorate the historic downtown area of the city. County Judge Brian Lee, Titus Regional’s Terry Scoggins, City Manager Ed Thatcher and many others heeded the urging of business owners to step it up with the downtown Christmas décor. Organizers then saw the draw of a focus on the city’s history of being a town rich in the cowboy culture, as well as the trailer capital of Texas. They then mixed in a little grit with the traditional offerings of the season, added some charm, and Boots and Bells was born.

From there, the building blocks of a spectacular festival just seemed to fall into place.

First came the vision and craftsmanship of Miss Purdy, a carpenter, artist and seam stress who designed custom props like the stagecoach, wag ons and more. Then came the addition of the brilliant lighting brought on by Mike Kurtz of Majestic Christmas Company. Kurtz, who has ties to Mount Pleasant, was all in.

Then, a Dallas area business, the Four Winds Carriage Com pany, was looking to escape the traffic and crime of the big

city, and they fell in love with Mount Pleasant, and 2022 will be their third year of bringing their special way to see the lights around town.

All of this came to fruition and the festival continued to grow through the efforts of city leaders, Ricky Harris and the parks team, and local business owners and volunteers that sought to do something good for the community.

All of the effort was geared toward the goal of establishing Mount Pleasant as a holiday destination, while at the same time assisting local businesses by increasing the number of shoppers downtown. While the effort came with challenges brought on by COVID, organiz ers took precautions for safety while promoting the square as a safe place to venture out with family and friends and enjoy the sights and sounds of Christmas. In its inaugural year, Boots and Bells gave the city a boost in downtown sales tax revenues, to help offset the impacts of the pandemic.

A testimony to the value of their efforts came through the voice of a child. City Manager Ed Thatcher was out enjoying the festival one night in its first year. Thatcher tells the story of meeting a young family that was out enjoying the lights and festivities and eating a corn

dog. A child in the family told Thatcher, “This is just so amaz ing. This is my town, and I am so happy to be here.”

That one voice of encourage ment spurred organizers to continue the effort and to make it bigger and better.

Boots and Bells is now in Year Three, and it, along with the Pinefest and Juneteenth celebrations, have become signature events for the City of Mount Pleasant. The events

have fostered a renewed pride in the city and have become events where every department within the city joins in to make them special, as Thatcher and others have joined hands to foster a culture wherein the city staff takes pride in pre senting a quality effort for the community they serve, and the visitors who come to Mount Pleasant to enjoy the various celebrations.

Boots and Bells 2022 will

again see new features with the addition of more lighting around town including downtown, Caldwell Park, city entries and buildings and the Mount Pleasant Civic Center. e ursday, November 17, kicko of Boots and Bells will also see an added feature as the Mount Pleasant High School Jazz Band will be on hand to kick o this year’s festivities with music.

Kicko night is sure to be one you won’t want to miss as it will include the musical stylings of Memphis Soul, free cocoa, cookies and glowsticks, a photo booth, cowboys on stilts, and what Christmas celebration could there be without a downhome, country-style version of Jolly Old St. Nick.

e kicko night will also play host to more food trucks than ever before, with tents and a dining area to enjoy the delicious o erings on those trucks, and the always popular carriage rides. New features for 2022 include a Christmas Carnival Game Alley, Santa’s Reinsteer, a story walk on the square, and miniature train rides at Caldwell Park.

So, without a doubt, downtown Mount Pleasant is the place to be for holiday revelry this year. Come and enjoy the bright lights, festive atmosphere, and fun for all ages, and while you are there, take advantage of the host of downtown shops and cross some names o of your Christmas shopping list.

e 2022 Boot and Bells is bigger and better than ever and comes with all of the free Texas-style fun and frolic that only comes in a town that prides itself on being a place where down-home style and southern hospitality is simply a way of life. See you there.

The Carson House

This old house takes on a new family

By ELIZABETH LANNING

There is an old house in downtown Pittsburg, nestled amongst tall, bending trees just on the other side of the railroad tracks that bisect Mt. Pleas ant Street. Built in 1878, this house has lived for well over a century. It has watched the roads change from dirt to paved thoroughfares, the Northeast Texas Fair come and go, and generations be born, live, and die beneath its steep roof of protection against the Texas sun and winter storms.

The Carson House was built by Pierce Ligon before Pittsburg was incorpo rated. C. George Kirschbaum purchased the two story building in July 1887, and

his son-in-law, William Henry Carson for whom the house is named, bought the home from Kirschbaum in December of that year.

Alice Carson Parker, William’s daughter, owned and lived in the home when she was in Pitts burg until the 1970’s, operating a beauty parlor in one of the rooms for about 40 years. She sold the home to a local realtor, and in 1989, Brian Gornick pur chased the home and began a renovation of the pre-Victorian house. Gornick said that one of the determining factors in buy ing the house was “the concern of the people of Pittsburg for preserving the historical land marks of the city”.

In 1991, Carson House Inn opened, housing Beno’s Little Italy Restaurant as well.

In December, 1995 Clark and Eileen Jesmore bought the Carson House and operated it as the Carson House Inn and Grill.

Doug and Wanda Cole purchased the property several

years previously, but found that the upkeep was a little more than anticipated.

Thus the old house has passed through many hands before being purchased by Mark and Sondra White in 2022.

Mark, owner of Mark White Construction Services, would often do odd jobs for the Coles, but was surprised when Wanda asked him one day if he would be interested in purchasing the property.

The house was in need of much repair, and it wasn’t a simple task to even clean the floors. The lovely old wooden floors were black with grime and age. Dry rot was through out the building and had to be repaired. After three and a half months of hard work by Mark’s construction crew, friends, and family members, the Whites

The refurbished Carson House.

Sophia Carson, wife of William Henry Carson.

The dining room, polished to a fine shine, showcases the tall ceilings appropriate to the time as well as the 16th century kitchen piece against the right wall.

finally moved in on June 1.

When asked about the hard est part of the project, both husband and wife agreed that the paint was the most difficult. They wanted the color scheme to be historically accurate, as well as complementary to the community. They spent much time matching colors and discovered a paint scheme that in not only unique for the present period, but is appropri ate for the historical period they wished to reconstruct. Unfortunately, all the trim had to be hand-painted, much to the dismay of the painting crew. Nonetheless, this overwhelming task was finally completed, and they are pleased with the result.

“I think we got it back to the color is should have been,” Mark stated.

According to Alice Carson Parker, the house was always painted yellow and trimmed in dark green. But in 1921, Sim Wright asked if he could paint the house. He was badly in need of money, and though the lady of the house, Sophia, remon strated that the painting was not necessary, William gave Wright the job in order to help a neighbor.

Wright painted that house “the brightest yellow and the greenest green he could find.” The house was repainted in 1939, and this paint was still

there though faded. Nonethe less, two coats of white paint were required to cover it.

Mark and Sondra have opened their home as a bed and breakfast, and plan to open a restaurant in the future, featur ing locally-sourced products.

The several rooms in the home each have a name that resonates with the history in these old walls. Sophia’s Room reminds one of William Carson’s wife. The Pitt and Camp Rooms are reminiscent of the years in which it was once a boarding house. And Mabel’s Room is a gentle tribute to Mark’s grand mother.

“We want this to be like stepping back in time,” Sondra explained. Thus the only TV is in the parlor, also known as the media room.

The Airbnb in the back looks like a renovated railway car, reminiscent of Carson’s owner ship of a small circus and short line railroad.

William Henry Carson was born in Pennsylvania in 1845. He was too young to serve during the Civil War, but was given a job in the Government Com missary.

Carson arrived in Fort Worth about 1866, and found a job driving a team of mules. By dint of saving and hard work, he eventually became the owner of several mule teams, hiring

others to drive them. At one time, he owned an interest in a short line railroad in Mexico, and an interest in a small circus. As a traveling man, he stopped in Pittsburg, and met his future wife Sophia Kirschbaum. Carson was 41 and Sophia was a mere 19 when they were married in 1886.

Carson got into the lum ber business and became the general manager of the Yellow Pine and Tram Company. He owned several lumber mills, and also worked for the Central Coal

& Coke Company

located in and around Ken nard, northeast Texas, and even Oklahoma.

A true entrepreneur, Carson also owned a store building in Pittsburg which was rented to Phillip Dolinsky for his depart ment store.

The Carson House was a rent house at one time, as the Lock ett and Tapp families had lived there, and it is known that Mrs. Kirschbaum kept roomers and boarders there.

with mills

One of the upstairs bedrooms, carefully decorated in turn-of-thecentury style.

William Henry Carson in 1902.

A.V. Tapp recalled living in the Carson House when about three years of age, and Roy Lockett claimed to have been born there on June 29, 1885.

Tapp remembered a fire that started in the small room on the north side of the building. There were charred boards in that area that were found many years later when repapering the closet near the fireplace.

But some things really never change—such as the expectation of certain visitors. Raccoons have discovered the little pond, care fully mucked out and cleaned up by Sondra, and love to bring their young to go fishing.

“This is a long-term project,” Mark added, explaining that they intend to stay here and “do it right.”

Having lived in several places across many states including Las Vegas and northern California, Mark and Sondra have more or less come back to their roots.

Sondra was born in the old

hospital in Pittsburg where her grandmother, Clara Jester, worked as a nurse. She lived with her Granny for many years, and learned from her many of the oldtimey chores. She even remem bers purple-stained fingers from purple hull peas with pleasure.

Mark attended high school in McKinney. It was through a high school friend and his girlfriend that Sondra and Mark were introduced.

As owners/operators of Mark White Construction Services, in which their sons Austin and Marshall also have a hand, they are busier here in Pittsburg than they ever anticipated.

“We are in business of making people happy,” they both agreed.

“There is no place like Pitts burg.” Mark said warmly, as Son dra nodded her agreement. They have lived here for 20 years now and both agree that, “This was the best decision we ever made to move here.”

The Carson House Bed and Breakfast

We have three guest rooms—2 with a Queen bed, and 1 with a King bed— with private bath. The Camp Room also has a Jacuzzi.

Enjoy breakfast downstairs on the patio, or dining room. Our Bed and Breakfast is tailored to meet the needs of the business traveler, but still charming enough for a romantic weekend escape, or for those who just wish to take a trip back in time.

We have high speed internet, a TV, and fireplace in the parlor, and breakfast is included with price.

In addition we have the Carson & Barnes Train Car-inspired Airbnb with one full bed in the bedroom, bathroom, and kitchenette. Breakfast not included with the Train Car.

Rooms start @ $125.00 per night.

Find us at www.thecarsonhouse. online, or call us at 903-235-8280.

We are located at 302 Mt. Pleasant St., Pittsburg, TX 75686

Travel Channel names Texas the “8th Most Likeliest Place to See Bigfoot”

By KATE STOW

Recently, Travel Channel published a list of the eight best places to catch a glimpse of Bigfoot using “nev er-before-released data” from the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO). Accord ing to Travel Channel, “ is exclusive tracking information comes from BFRO’s Followup Log and Tracking System (FLATS) – the world’s ultimate sasquatch database of compiled sightings and testimonies.”

With 806 recorded sightings of Bigfoot (compared to 23,000 nationwide) it’s no wonder that the biggest group of Bigfoot experts is located in Texas. In fact, it’s located in Je erson – just South of Cass County. Now consider that the Legend of Boggy Creek took place in Fouke, Arkansas - just East of Cass County.

If we have Bigfoot sightings to the left and right of us, then surely they aren’t sprouting wings and ying from one point to the other. According to the Texas Bigfoot Research Conservancy (TBRC), which is dedicated to proving the exis tence of the animal commonly referred to as Bigfoot, there have been six o cial recorded encounters in Cass County in the last century.

e TBRC claims that East Texas is home to the majority of reported sightings, partly due to the vast amounts of forested land and ample water supply. Daryl Colyer, a TBRC researcher, attributes the numerous sight ings in East Texas to the densely

forested and sparsely populated land, which receives ample rainfall annually.

e rst of the six encounters took place in the Knight’s Blu area of Queen City, just south of the Sulphur River in November 1917. e story was told from the witness, just 18 at the time, to her grandchild. e family of

ve was riding in a mule-drawn wagon heading home to their farmhouse in the bright moon light when the mules began to act up.

“She said her daddy said something about a snake, then they heard ‘something.’ I honestly don’t recall her exact words, ‘screaming’ or ‘squalling’ like a high-pitched eerie wail,” the grandson told investigator Charles DeVore. “She said they watched as a tall gure came out of the trees and stood full in the moonlight. It was as tall or taller than a man and covered with long dark hair. I do remem

Reported sightings in Texas

ber that my grandmother said it stood absolute erect and walked slowly toward them, like a man, not slouching like an ape. All the time it was howling and shrieking and motioning angrily at them. Her father red a shot at this thing and it turned and ran back into the woods.”

e grandson went on to say that when the family arrived at the house all of the dogs were cowed under the porch. ey barricaded the doors, but the creature didn’t return. A search of the woods over the next few days by male family members and neighbors failed to turn up any evidence.

e family had a few more encounters with a “large hairy booger” in the Knight’s Blu and Antioch areas before Lake Wright Patman was built. At one point the grandson’s father had a frightening encounter while hunting and refused to discuss it with the family.

In 1956 the grandson was taken on a night hunt with the men of the family south of the Sulphur River in the Antioch community. “ e group en countered a very large footprint that looked like a barefooted human except much too large.

e group stood around the footprint looking at it by the light of kerosene lanterns and discussing what it might be. e adults used it reinforce their insistence that the kids keep up and not lag behind or something might get them,” the report reads.

In the Summer of 1977 a family reported an encounter in Hughes Springs. Two sisters and a friend found a 16” foot print by the pond at the back of their property. “We found where something had eaten a wild duck that was always at the pond. ere was a very scary feeling back there. No one ever went back there at night. Strange noises all the time seemed to be the norm.

“One night, my sister was alone at the house, when some thing scared the horses and cattle so bad that a horse ran right into the side of the house. It seemed like it was trying to get in! e animals were always in an uproar.”

In October 1990 a mother and her children were driving down Highway 59 to Atlanta, where they lived. At approximately 11:00 p.m. they witnessed some thing on the right side of the road, tall and hairy like a bear, cross the road in front of the car.

According to Investigator Colyer, “ e primary observer instinctively began to slow down from her estimated speed of 60 miles per hour; she recalled ‘hit ting the brakes.’ e others in the vehicle yelled at her not to stop or slow down; they were quite disturbed by what they were seeing.”

In November 1993 a young man in a wooded area near Linden reported his encounter: “It was about 1:00 - 2:00 A.M. in the morning, I woke up to go to the bathroom, when I woke up I happened to look towards the window and I saw this huge gure standing on our front deck. ere was a security light outside so it made it more visible to see. I knew that it was not a person, my father is 6’3” and that creature was much taller and more broad shouldered.

“I did not see his actual body just the outline mostly through the window. It was just huge, and

I was too scared to walk to the window and look out, I just laid down on the pallet I had made earlier that night while I was watching movies.

“I have noticed strange events occurring around our property, such as our ducks had ended up dead, heads had been completely torn o , and on the way to the pond in the pasture was a dead cow with most of its insides torn out. Now we did smell rotten odors, but we brushed it o as being water moccasins because they do have a terrible odor when nearby, and at the time did not think anything of it. We also raised horses but nothing had re ally disturbed them. I was about 7 when this happened so I was terribly frightened.

“A few days after the event I was out back and I looked into the eld and saw something large walking on two hind legs I would guess about 100 meters away. I know it was way too large to be

guess about 100 meters away. I know it was way too large to be anything human. Ever since then I have been scared to go out into the country at night anymore.”

Four young men had a fright ening encounter while camping in an undisclosed location in Cass County during the Summer of 1997. ey witnessed a crea ture pulling small trees out of the ground by the roots and yelling. According to investigator Craig Woolheater, “He remarked that as he had submitted his sighting, his wife told him about a sighting she and her mother had a number of years ago. In that event, the two women saw both an adult and a juvenile “bigfoot” cross the eld and road in front of them. e creatures stopped brie y to look at the women, then moved into the woods. e mother of the witness’s wife said those were the “wild people.” He also mentioned that he has heard numerous

reports of such creatures being seen near Douglassville (those residents refer to the creature sometimes as the “Woolly Booger”) - 10 miles from this sighting area. As an additional point, this area of his sighting is in the extreme northeast Texas area, 30 miles from both Texar kana and from Fouke, Arkansas. is area has been a location of such reported sightings for years.”

A truck driver reported the nal encounter in August 2004. As he was driving North on Highway 59, a few miles outside of Atlanta, he reported the following: “I saw this huge beast just step over a six-strand barbed wire fence. I slammed on my brakes and then just took o . I was scared to death. is was no man and damn sure not a bear. I only got a look at it for no more than 4 or 5 seconds. When I made the curve it was stepping over a 4’ fence like it was nothing. It saw me

and didn’t run, but just turned its head and continued to walk down the fence line. I should have taken a longer look, but I was re ally freaking out at this point, so I just drove on into Atlanta.”

Woolheater, of Je erson, became interested in Bigfoot research in 1994 when he came across a seven-foot-tall grayhaired creature on the side of the road in Louisiana when he was driving home from a trip. e vision so inspired him that in 1999 he founded the Texas Bigfoot Research Center (TBRC), a volunteer-run, self-funded orga nization dedicated to nding the Lone Star State’s Sasquatch.

Woolheater and Colyer bonded over their “big ape” fascina tion and banded together to form www.texasbigfoot.com to investigate and record encoun ters. Woolheater, who runs the website, takes the information down and either follows up with

an interview himself or delegates to one of his twelve volunteer investigators, who make calls over the phone or in person many weekends out of the year.

Colyer alone has investigated reports from more than a hun dred folks who have written to the website.

Both men believe wholeheart edly in Bigfoot and are not em barrassed by their conviction.

Although they only list six reportable encounters in Cass County, Woolheater insists there are many more – possibly just not reported. “ ere are many Bigfoots populating the area between Fouke and Je erson,” he said.

Woolheater advises anyone that has had an encounter with a possible sasquatch, to ll out a form on the website or call the TBRC in Je erson. Tickets to the conference can be purchased at: https://2022tbc.eventbrite.com

An ever-evolving tradition Chri mas Lights

By TONI WALKER

With Christmas right around the corner, you may begin to see Christ mas lights adorning homes, shops, downtown areas, and more. For generations, it was commonplace for families to load into their vehicle one evening dur ing the holiday season and drive around, looking at Christmas lights. Two local groups o er an updated version of those Christ mastime, light-seeing treks.

Just outside of Longview, on Highway 259 about 34 minutes from Dainger eld, sits Carmela’s Magical Santa Land. Carmela’s opened in 2016 as Christmas Light display for the entire family. e

display has grown to feature over four million lights in a variety of displays. From dancing trees, nativity scenes, favorite charac ters, and displays for each of the 12 Days of Christmas, there truly is something for everyone. ere are even patriotic displays honoring service men and women of each military branch, as well as remen, police o cers, and more. Over the last several years, Carmela’s has ex panded to include a walking trail, visits with Santa, and hot cocoa.

In the true spirit of Christ mas, Carmela’s is run strictly on a donation basis. ere is no entrance fee to drive through, but donation boxes are available

Courtesy Photos

at the exit. Thanks in part to the free entrance fee and the spec tacular display, traffic regularly has to be re-routed on Highway 259 to accommodate the line for the property.

Carmela’s opens each year near the first of November and remains open through the first of the year. This year, the display opened Nov. 4, with hours between 5:30 p.m. until 10 p.m. through Dec. 31. From Jan. 1 through Jan. 5, the facility will close at 9 p.m.

Another yearly event that brings a large number of visi tors to the area is Daingerfield State Park’s annual Christmas in the Park. The four-day event brings scores of visitors. In 2020, according to the Park’s social media page, just over 5,000 people visited the park during the four-day event. Held the week before Christmas each year, the holiday event brings campers and visitors from far and wide to

the park. Whether recreational vehicles or tents, campers fill their spots will all sorts of decorative notions. The park is filled with inflatables such as Santa Claus, the Grinch, and more. Lights, lights, and more lights greet visitors as they enter and drive through the different camping areas.

As an added incentive to decorate, the park gives prizes to the best decorated site, and of fers free camping for the week of the event to those who decorate. This year, the event is scheduled for the week of Dec. 12-17. The drive through portion of the event will be open Dec. 14-17. Park fees are typically waived for the event.

As you are planning your family holiday outings, consider either of the two attractions mentioned above if you are look ing for a fun filled way to intro duce your family to the tradition of Christmas lights.

Roach Law Firm

John Lawrence Space mission commentator reminisces about NASA

By ELIZABETH LANNING

John Lawrence was raised in upstate New York, but did not want to stay there. Born into a “blue collar family”, Lawrence didn’t want to end up stocking shelves or pumping gas so he joined the Air Force at the age of 18.

“I had always loved to write, and read books,” Lawrence explained. He was sent to Viet nam as a reporter, and covered such missions where records were required. Some of these were classi ed assignments.

After nishing his one-year tour, Lawrence was sent to Hawaii where he covered the splash-down of Apollo 11 as a member of the Air Force in a section which has since become the space force. He was responsible for organizing press conferences, and worked closely with space personnel and White House reporters.

“It was tough to impossible to please those insu erably ar rogant White House reporters,” Lawrence remembered.

rough programs o ered by the Air Force, Lawrence went to college graduating from Tex as A&M cum laude and 31st in his class. He also has received a Bachelor’s with a degree in Journalism, a Master’s Degree, and a PhD in behavior.

“I owe everything to the Air Force,” Lawrence said sincerely.

In 1980, Lawrence was ap proached by NASA and asked to join the space program in Houston. So he retired from the Air Force and joined NASA

as a Public A airs O cer. In this capacity, he worked very closely with astronauts, spe cialists, and space personnel.

Once a shuttle clears the tower in Kennedy, Lawrence explained, live updates are brought to the public by the commentator located in Houston. is commentator describes live events occurring moment by moment. Conse quently, he must understand the details of the mission and the technical language of the specialists in Mission Control. He must understand what is going on or where to get the information to relay it to the public in layman’s terms.

Lawrence thought this would be easy with his techni cal background, but discovered that he had to “get up to speed.”

e Air Force in the 1960’s, Lawrence explained, taught duty, honor, loyalty, country, and integrity. He learned these core principles from senior personnel who were largely

from the World War II era.

When he arrived in NASA, senior personnel were largely composed of those who had worked on the Apollo missions.

“I owe a lot to them,” Law rence said.

In 1986, Lawrence was preparing to take the mic from Steve Nesbit, his colleague and fellow commentator in Houston, just as the doomed Challenger was lifting from the launch pad. Seventy-three sec onds after lift-of, the Challenger exploded, taking the lives of the seven astronauts on board.

“I felt like a house had fallen on me,” Lawrence said explain ing how closely everyone had worked together. “I knew them all well,” he added, saying that he could not speak for a min ute and was glad Nesbit was at the mic.

After the Challenger blew, NASA received a lot of “help” from the White House. “And understandably,” Lawrence added.

But Lawrence explained that budget people were not program people; thus NASA needed someone to go to Washington DC and “deal with the Senate and Congress.”

Lawrence was given the responsibility of eight billion dollars—half of NASA funding. Many of the Senators and Representative in Congress were not solidly behind the space program, making Lawrence’s job somewhat of a tricky one.

“ ey were within one vote of killing the space station,” Lawrence added. But within three years, he had built sup port among two-thirds of the members in both Houses.

Lawrence spent 10 years in Washington DC, and in 1993 was ready to come home. It was a good job, but taxing. He returned to Houston in 1996, and retired about a year later as Chief of Operations and Program Support.

Upon retirement, Lawrence and his wife, Mary Ellen, packed a couple suitcases and took o for a badly-needed trip. ey had owned a shing cabin near Grand Saline for some time, and knew that they wished to live in East Texas on the shore of a lake. Bob Sandlin t the bill.

“ e lake is a living thing,” Lawrence said, describing the ever-changing light on the waves. “I get to watch it all the time.”

In some ways, Lawrence is disappointed in the turn that

John Lawrence is a journalist and published author, and lives on Bob Sandlin where he can enjoy the delights and beauties of the lake at all seasons.

NASA has taken. “It’s not 1970 anymore,” he said.

While satellite technology has expanded, the shuttle program has been cancelled. Lawrence explained that the shuttle fleet was composed of 134 ships, and each was capable of at least 100 trips.

“The shuttle had a long life. Apollo was a very robust and good system. They have a tendency to abandon the robust systems.

“The Challenger and Co lumbia were both terrible,” Lawrence added, continuing, “Space flight is a risky business. Anytime you have a controlled explosion, there’s gonna’ be ac cidents.”

Lawrence believes that aban doning known risk for unknown risk is unwise. “It’s going to just be a new risky system.”

Lawrence feels that he got to enjoy NASA at its best. He

described the plan to go to Mars after the moon landing. But now he feels that politicization has succeeded over the real goals of space travel.

“It’s heartbreaking to see such standards. We didn’t discrimi nate; we had the best people. It is very distressing. We were so proud of what we did and built. Now it feels like it was for noth ing. I feel things are not getting better, but worse.”

Lawrence knew some of the best in the business while in NASA, including Allen Sheppard whom he knew as “Shep”, and Bob Crippen, or “Cripp”, pilot of the first shuttle.

“He was the best astronomer of them all,” Lawrence said em phatically. “They all said Cripp was the best. He was not only a good friend, he campaigned for me,” he continued, referring to his bid for Congress in the early 2000’s. “That was a real honor.

ACCIDENTS HAPPEN.

Fixing mistakes... That’s what we do!

John Lawrence ran all the shuttle program press conferences up to the Challenger accident. This was the 11th Shuttle flight in June 1984. On the dais, from the left, are astronauts George Nelson, James Van Hoften, Terry Hart, Dick Scobee and the Mission Commander, Bob Crippen.

John Lawrence working at Mission Control where he learned the details of a flight in order to relay this to the public.

Jessica Rivas

By TONY BASSO

DeKalb

High School

Senior, Jessica Rivas was crowned the 2022 Homecoming Queen on the evening of September 23rd before the DeKalb Bears faced off against Tenaha for homecoming. Rivas’ crown did not stay on long, as she quickly traded it for a helmet and warmed up with the rest of her team getting ready for the game. Rivas would go on to make an impressive tackle in the backfield that night, proving to herself, and others, that anything is possible.

“Growing up, I was sur rounded by football almost every Sunday with my family”, said Rivas. “We would watch the games and my brother also played at DeKalb, so we would go watch him too. But the moment I was interested in playing was the spring be fore eighth grade. I asked the coach if I could play, and he was excited to have me.”

Rivas shared that the move did not come without some hesitancy. She noted, “Hon estly, I was in doubt of myself. I thought I wasn’t strong enough or fast enough to be able to play. But now that I know the game so well, I feel like I can compete as long as I give it my all. Never giving up has brought me to where I am now.”

DeKalb Head Football Coach says that Rivas is a great addition to the team; “My counselor came to me and said that a new girl want ed to get into athletics,” said Griffin. “I said,’’ Great, let’s get her in the girl’s athletic

program.”

“She says, well, she wants to play football,” Griffin explained. “So, I spoke with Jessica, and we talked about the rigors of the game and so forth.”

“Jessica says, Well, I’m coming from Alabama, and I played at the high school I was at there,” Griffin ex plained.  “So, I said, Well, then you kind of know what you’re in for.”

“We eventually got her into

boy’s athletics and of course allowed her to change in the girls locker room,” said Grif fin. “She comes out every day and jumps in there and lifts weights with the rest of the team.”

“She did all the running, mat drills, and everything,” said Griffin. She’s never missed a workout, she’s at every practice, participates as a backup offensive guard and defensive tackle, and she’s played in several games

now and even has made some tackles.”

He continued, “She’s very dedicated and more so than maybe some of the other people on the team. We’re proud that she’s on our foot ball team.”

Rivas explained what the support of her peers has meant to her.

“Honestly, it means everything to me to have the amount of respect from my peers and team. I never knew I had that much sup port from everyone.”

As far as her pregame honors, Rivas said, “I still have no words. I’m honored to become this year’s home coming Queen.”

Rivas says that the coach es at DeKalb High School have made her experience rich.

“Great coaches make your experience as a student athlete better than ever”, said Rivas. “They are there to teach not just about football, but about how to have a bet ter life for yourself and to get what you want most in this world. I am forever grate ful to have a great coaching staff that helps me get better

“The kids really respect her and she’s earned that respect, and our hats are off to her,” said Griffin.

every day and is there when I need them. To the community, thank you for the support of the team and I.”

Rivas plans to hang on to the sport of football after high school. She noted, “My goals after high school are to go to college and become a football coach. I want to be able to teach young men and women who play that you can do anything you put your mind to, you just have to work for it with blood, sweat, and the occasional tear.”

DeKalb High School Principal Clayton Little spoke of Rivas and her involvement.

“First, I am so proud of all of our students who were nominated for Homecom ing Queen”, said Little. “ e courage it takes to represent your school on the homecoming court is something to admire in itself.”

“To even be nominated by our student body, each student on the homecoming court had to show a quality that portrays a leader and what it really means to be a DeKalb Bear”, said Little.

“For Jessica Rivas, our DHS Homecoming Queen, she is very well deserving.”

He clari es his remarks by saying, “Jessica is active in extracurricular sports, such as football and basketball. Jessica is also a hard-working student and has been an A/B Honor Roll student since joining our district. More importantly, Jessica is an amaz ing individual with a caring heart for people. Jessica’s big heart helps to show other students just how much they belong and their worth. I couldn’t be more proud of Jessica and to have her as our DHS Homecoming Queen.”

Collins Academy

Teaching the young to appreciate the old

By KATE STOW

With an infectious pas sion for history and preservation, Gary Endsley has made a career of teaching the young to ap preciate the old. Through his work at Collins Academy in Jefferson he has been instru mental in building and main taining the Port of Jefferson nature habitat – as well as many other projects.

With his summer interns, college biology major Cam eron Gentile and high school student Jackson Cain, he is currently working to identify and record the contents of a 50-year-old time capsule exhumed in Atlanta, Texas. The items were in a standard concrete coffin vault, but the seal had leaked over time and

most of the contents were under water.

The time capsule project is a labor of love for Gary, who has donated well over $2,000.00 in materials and labor, to his hometown cause. “This is a great opportunity for these guys to learn how to deal with these kinds of artifacts,” he said.

As items are dried, cleaned and identified they are placed in acid-free envelopes by reference numbers. Where names are legible, Gary draws on his own knowledge, as well as asking other Atlanta resi dents to find the addressees. So far, many items have found their way into the hands of their intended recipients.

Other projects Gary and

his interns are responsible for include the Port Je erson His tory and Nature Center, which involves beekeeping, gardening and native ora and fauna pres ervation. e Center is a handson, outdoor learning center and environmental park promoting habitat restoration along the historic riverfront in Je erson, Texas.

is is one of several sites where school groups have improved wildlife habitat under the guidance of Collins Academy and the U.S. Army Corps of En gineers. Educational programs, activities and outreach projects demonstrating the impor tance of history and nature are developed and managed by the Collins Academy team.

A refrigerator in the Collins laboratory contains nothing but seeds of every native Je erson plant, as well as some of the invasive ones. One of those inva sive plants is the rapid multiply ing, destructive Giant Salvinia water plant.

rough his work for the Caddo Lake Institute – an orga nization founded and chaired by Linden native Don Henley – Gary has helped to eradicate and control the growth of Giant Salvinia on the lake. Another Caddo project he is part of is the reintroduction of Paddle sh to the waterway.

e “American” Paddle sh (Polyodon spathula) is now the only surviving paddle sh species on the planet. e paddle sh has inhabited Caddo Lake, as well as other rivers and bayous of the Mississippi River Basin for over 350 million years, making them 50 million years older than the dinosaurs and the oldest living species on our continent. Paddle sh, which can grow to seven feet, weigh 200 pounds and live for 30 years, are now rarely found in any rivers in Texas.

Caddo Lake Institute and their partners have experimentally released paddle sh t with radio transmitting tags on the Texas side of Caddo Lake and facili tated two separate releases on the Louisiana side of the lake, (not tted with transmitters. e continued success of this project has led to CLI to assist with a second phase – the release of thousands of juvenile paddle sh into Caddo Lake to restore a vi able population for the future.

Over the past half century, paddle sh populations have been on the decline. Attributable causes are over- shing, pollu tion, and alterations of rivers which have changed the natural ow and resulted in the loss of spawning habitat and nursery areas. Caddo Lake institute looks to restore the healthy ows to the lake and surrounding watershed that these sh require to survive.

In 2011, the Corps of Engi neers and the Northeast Texas Municipal Water District agreed to revise, for 5 years, some of its operations at Lake O’ the Pines and provide the ow regimes for Big Cypress to the extent water is available. In exchange, CLI agreed to perform several sets of experiments to evaluate the bene ts of the new release pat terns. e Paddle sh work is one of those experiments.

Collins Academy sta is also building high quality virtual eld trips that are available to anyone at any time. e Story of Je erson, a backbone history of how steamboat navigation made Je erson important to the set tling of Northeastern Texas and all points to the West is available for viewing and expansion. It is aligned to the Social Studies TEKS for Grades 6-12.

For more information on these and other programs, the website is: collinsacademy.com.

By TONI WALKER

“Our Family Serving All Families”

The Horn family continues legacy of Morris County funeral service begun in 1945

By TONI WALKER

It’s a fall Sunday morn ing in 1985. Two happy, laughing brothers scamper through South Union Missionary Baptist Church. A grinning adult is overheard say ing, “oh, those are the Horn boys”.

Meanwhile, a short distance away, 28-year-old Roy J. Nail became the third generation to invest compassion and care into serving grieving families of Daingerfield, Lone Star and Morris County, joining his father Roy A. Nail at Nail-Haggard Funeral Home.

In time, the two stories would become one.

e family-owned Nail-Hag gard Funeral Home’s rich history started when the landmark building housing the business today was built as a Victorianstyled home in 1899 by the R.N. Traylor family, on land pur chased in 1883 from the Mitchell Family. In time, Robert Nail, Roy J.’s grandfather, revered the home’s outstanding quality and historical essence. So, he, along with partner George Haggard, purchased it for conversion into

a funeral home, o cially open ing in 1949.

In the following decades, NailHaggard Funeral home would grow and gain the trust of the community they were called to serve. By 1967, Nail-Haggard became a member of the pres tigious “International Order of the Golden Rule,” an honor given by invitation only. As the busi ness grew, so did community trust. e cooperative work of ministers, florists and medical professionals combined with the compassion grieving families

felt in their time of need, made Nail-Haggard Funeral Home one of the most honored names in East Texas.

Soon, the “Horn boys” were introduced to mortuary and funeral services by their father Harold, who held a mortu ary science degree. Harold served Rader Funeral Home of Longview for 27 years, after a 5 year-stint at Texarkana Funeral Home. e older brother, Jason, now 44, came to the funeral ministry early and today has over 25 years’ experience in

professional mortuary services. Almost by divine plan, young Jason met and married his wife Genia, whose mother worked for more than 30 years at Rader Funeral Home.

So, two families grew simulta neously serving East Texas with loving compassion toward those who lost loved ones. In time, Horn Professional Mortuary Ser vice worked occasionally with Nail-Haggard Funeral Home preparing and caring for those who passed on. is mutual participation was the spark of what is now unfolding in Morris County.

Roy J. Nail knew he, like his father, would reach a point when the family business would transition to a new generation. Long before it was needed, he began searching for the right combination of professional service, a compassionate heart, the drive to reach out and be part of the community, and someone he could trust with the Nail-Haggard legacy. It took sev eral years before Roy found the people he was looking for, and in 2018 he first approached Jason Horn. Roy’s idea was to provide continuity to the families he, his father and his grandfather had served. His goal was to seek an experienced, caring, family oriented and respected team. To place the 72-year legacy of Nail-Haggard into lesser hands, would be unacceptable.

Roy wanted someone with deep roots in Daingerfield. Jason Horn is a Daingerfield native, with ties to Lone Star and Mor ris County reaching back to his grandparents. His grandmother, Mary Lanagan and his grandfa ther, 91-year-old Mayo Lanagan, who served as Director of Public Relations at Lone Star Steel since June 1, 1953. So, the two men met. ey talked, sharing experiences and history. And

While Jason (right) and Genia were in Uvalde in May, they worked alongside “Libby,” a Certi ed Grief Therapy Goldendoodle as she comforted the peers and families of those who tragically lost their lives. “Rosie” (center) has begun her journey to follow the steps of her half-sister “Libby” to become certi ed to serve families that need her here at Horn-Nail-Haggard Funeral Home.

when Jason said his goal is to “serve each family as our own”, Roy knew he had his answer.

Driving by 400 Webb Street recently, local townsfolk have noticed the 1899 structure un derwent extensive beautification in the past year. Careful, loving updates and restoration com pleted, with an eye toward recognizing and honoring historic values. Likewise, acknowledging the part the home played in so many families lives for seventy-two years.

Now, the new Horn-Nail-Hag

gard Funeral Home is carrying forward the tradition of service and “family first” focus. All current pre-need policies will remain in e ect and transfer over with full services. New preneed counseling and pre-need policies will be handled with the same traditional care and compassion as before. Every me morial service will be carefully tailored to honor each family’s needs. From football memora bilia used as casket covers, to a horse-drawn carriage transport ing the casket, the Horn fam ily does their best to live their

motto of “Our Family Serving All Families.”

Over the past year, the Horn family has continued timehonored traditions begun by in the funeral home’s early days, as well as made new traditions. For example, beginning in 1949, the porch light at Horn-NailHaggard Funeral Home has been a visible indicator that a family is being served and someone is lying in state or is in residence at the funeral home. Before the times of instant noti cation through social media, people would see the light and know to

inquire about who passed, order owers and plan to attend ser vices. is is a tradition the Horn family has continued over their time at the funeral home.

e Dainger eld community is not the only community served by Horn-Nail-Haggard Funeral home. Jason and Genia Horn, along with Jason’s brother, Jona than, traveled to Uvalde, Texas in May to assist Hillcrest Memo rial Funeral Home following the tragic shooting at Robb El ementary School. Knowing that Hail-Haggard Funeral Home had been instrumental in Dainger eld’s own tragic shooting in the early 1980s made the trip even more meaningful as the Horns were able to assist the only local, family owned and operated rm in Uvalde with preparations and arrangements for the lives lost during the Uvalde tragedy.

Seven decades of loving care and the gentle hallmark spirit

of servanthood will remain as guiding principles each day go ing forward. Jason and Harold Horn are the new funeral direc tors, while Jason’s wife Genia oversees administrative activi ties. As for the future, look no further than their son Carson, who began mortuary school last year, after serving three years with Rader Funeral Home.

Roy J. Nail understood the best way to thank the fami lies trusting Nail-Haggard for decades, was to ensure the funeral home would not only continue, but be elevated to ever higher standards of service to the community. In Jason and Genia Horn, and their family, Roy found the right family for Daingerfield and Morris County. To learn more about the new Horn-Nail-Haggard Funeral Home, visit www.hornnailhag gardfh.com or drop by and see the renovations yourself.

Chateau South

WThen Virginia Elizabeth “Gin ger” Turner was a young girl Gainesville, Texas, she dreamed of growing up to be a princess that lived in a castle on a hill. Upon finding that only happens in fairy tales, she wrote her very own tale, and built her very own castle on a hill.

Virginia’s father, Percy Edwin Turner, was born of modest means in 1885 at Gainesville, Texas. He married Mary Eliza beth Rivers in 1915 at Bastrop, Texas. Virginia was the oldest of two daughters.

Percy Turner owned a lumber company and a lot of land, including what became down town Houston. The ExxonMo bile Corporation home office is

By KATE STOW

located there. Turner invested heavily in Humble Oil, which was bought by John D. Rock efeller’s Standard Oil Company, which became Exxon.

When Virginia and her sister, Beverly, came of age, Turner gifted them with stocks in the oil company. Atlanta residents recall Virginia having a fake-fur tiger tail hanging out of her gas tank – a nod to Exxon’s “Tiger in Your Tank” motto.

After graduating from Hocka day Junior College in Dallas, Vir ginia attended the University of Texas where she was a member of Pi Beta Phi social society and Katherine Gibbs School of New York; she was also a member of the Girls Cotillion Club. While a student in Austin, she met Jesse

Brooks, who also attended the university before going to Baylor School of Medicine.

Brooks was the son of Atlanta dentist Marshall James Brooks. He and his brother, Marshall James Brooks, II, owned Brooks Hospital at the time he mar ried Virginia. Their mother, Ouida Miles Brooks, was the granddaughter of Rev. Jesse J. and Martha James Dodd, the daughter of a large planter in Georgia.

The Dodd’s set out for Ar kansas from Atlanta, Georgia soon after they married in 1856, but decided to settle in Texas instead. Upon hearing the Texas and Pacific Railroad would be laying track between Marshall and Texarkana, the Dodds

bought property and built a small town East of Queen City and north of the present Atlanta High School. Martha named this location “Atlanta” after her hometown in Georgia.

The railroad decided on a different route and the name “Atlanta” was transferred to the new location just a few miles south. The Dodd’s remained on their homestead, which is still owned by their descendants.

The Rev. Dodd passed away of yellow fever in 1870 while on a trip to visit his brother-in-law in Atlanta, Georgia, whose home was later purchased by the State of Georgia for the Governor’s mansion.

Only three of the Dodd’s eight children lived to adulthood. Eva

Caroline, born in 1863, married W.A. Miles, who became the rst druggist in Atlanta, with an o ce on East Hiram Street. ey resided in a large two-story frame house standing on N. West Street. Ouida was one of their ve children; her brother Jesse Miles worked at their father’s drug store, which remained in the family for the next century.

When Ouida’s children, Jesse Miles and Marshall James Brooks, II, rst opened their medical practice and hospital, it was in their grandparent’s home on N. West Street. After Jesse married Virginia, they built a new hospital on the corner of Louise and Miller Streets; the also opened a new drugstore, Tri-State Drugs, on

the corner of Hiram and William Streets.

Jesse and Virginia wed in 1948, in Houston, Texas, and took a honeymoon trip to New York, Chicago and Quebec, Canada, before making their home on Cameron Street in Atlanta. It was there that Virginia began planning for her castle on the hill she gazed at through her kitchen window.

at hill, framed by a winding creek, was at one time the site of a Caddo Indian village, as many paleo artifact nds have proven. e T&P Railroad tracks run adjacent to the property, with the old brick factory site on the other side.

Travelling abroad had been a common treat for the Turner sisters. When Beverly married

a Houston antique dealer, those European vacations involved massive shopping sprees. Virginia and Jesse joined them regularly.

It is unknown how many times, or what years, that Virginia visited Marie Antoinette’s “ e Petit Trianon Palace” in Versailles, France, which was built in 1774 as a gift from her husband Louis the XVI. But in the mid-1950s, plans were drawn to recreate that stately structure in the little Texas town Virginia now called home. What became known as “Brooks Mansion” started as a mail-order kit of numbered Italian stones. Rather than build an exact replica of Marie-Antoinnete’s palace, Virginia added two more windows for a total of twenty. e original blueprints are framed and hang in the corner o ce of the home.

e 12,482 sq ft (7,223 heated) home on 48 acres has graced

Atlanta with its opulence since 1960 when it was completed.

e home, located on North Louise Street, has marble and hand-crafted parquet wood oors, 12-foot ceilings, three replaces, and multiple living areas throughout. ere are seven bedrooms, ten baths and quarters for the live-in servants.

e house is built in the shape of a square, with a courtyard placed in the middle, complete with swimming pool.

All bathrooms are marble, some with sunken tubs and separate showers. Each bedroom has its own bathroom and large walk-in closet. Every room has double French doors adorned with vintage hardware leading outside. e “state-ofthe-Art” 1960’s style kitchen came equipped with an island, indoor grille, double-oven, and a huge food prep pantry.

e large family living area has a working built-in stereo

(turntable and eight-track player) hidden in the wall. Each room has a push-button pad connecting to an intercom system, and a buzzer on the floor of the formal dining room was meant to signal the waitstaff to bring the next course.

The full-size attic incorpo rates a piece of local history, as the walkways are made from the old basketball court of the first Atlanta High School – the twostory brick building on Louise Street that was demolished in the late 1950s as the Brooks Mansion was being built.

Virginia furnished the mansion with only the finest of antiques she and Beverly could find on their European jaunts. When Percy died in 1967, the sisters divided up the remaining stocks. It was said that at one time, Virginia was the largest single stockholder of ExxonMobile.

When Virginia died in 2018 at

the age of 97, she had outlived her husband and oldest son, Miles, by about 15 years. Her youngest son, Charles, died two years after her.

The beautiful house on the hill was left to ruin, with no responsible caretaker. This year the “Brooks Mansion” was given new life by Dallas buyer Rual Suarez. He has painted, cleaned, refurbished and refurnished the home, and has turned it into “Chateau South” - a wedding venue like no other in East Texas.

Since Virginia and Jesse were rather particular about guests they allowed in their home, the place has remained a mystery to Atlanta residents – until now. Suarez has opened the home to local events, dinners, club meetings and free tours, giving locals a good look at what they previously could only imagine: a castle on a hill fit for a princess.

1400 College Dr. 903.791.1110 Family I Dental | Behavioral Health | Walk-In Clinic Pharmacy OBSTETRICS 2604 St. Michael Dr., Ste. 410 903.614.5570 PEDIATRICS 1411 College Dr. 903.791.1110

PEDIATRICS Houchen I Hortman English | Hogue 618 S. Grove St. 903.927.6620

A

not provide a prescription refill service.

PEDIATRICS Dr. J. Charles | S. Fernandes, MD 620 S. Grove St. 903.935.9441

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH 622 S. Grove St. Ste. 105 903.702.7900

A A ELLINGTON MEMORIAL CLINIC 1011 S. William St. 903.796.2868 Family I Pediatrics Dermatology BEHAVORIAL HEALTH 1011 S. William St. 903.796.2868 WALK IN CLINIC 1011 S. William St. 903.796.2868

The Rancher’s Table

A local meat ministry strives to provide high quality protein to those experiencing food

insecurity

By EMILY SANDERS

Give a Cow.

This thunderous, three word edict marked the beginning of The Rancher’s Table, a local meat ministry and nonprofit charity founded one-year ago to help the growing number of families and persons facing food insecurity.

The words jostled Ed Williams as he lay on his couch watch ing televised preaching while recovering from what was a long, arduous battle with COVID-19 that had wreaked havoc on his body and had seen him placed on a ventilator for some time.

Ed was so weak, infact, he was unable to use his hands or arms.

“I spent 57 days in the hospi tal, 22 of which were spent on a ventilator,” Williams said. “As I recovered, my doctor and the nurses all told me that the only reason I was still on this earth is because God had a plan for me and I had work to do for him.”

Ed, being a brutally honest type, admitted that he didn’t commune much with God and he had sincere doubts that there were any plans or work God had in store for the likes of him.

“God and I didn’t talk much,” Ed said. “I really didn’t think he would want me doing anything for Him … mainly because I didn’t feel I was worthy of Him.”

Six months had gone by after Ed had been released from the hospital to his home in Dod dridge, Arkansas, before he said things began to change for him.

Jimmy Smith demonstrates using a Dutch oven to bake cobbler, a method 1872 Atlanteans would have seen as quite common. The proceeds from 3JC chuck wagon went to Ranchers’ Table Meat Ministry.

Ed found himself watching a few minutes of televised preach ing each Sunday, always turn ing it off before the end of the message. Ed was battling with himself and God’s message and often found it easier to just shut it all out.

One morning, all that changed.

“ is particular Sunday morn ing, I got up early and had a cup of co ee before I turned on the news,” Ed said. “I saw that this church, of which I had only previ ously watched bits and pieces of, was about to come on. At that moment, I told myself that I was going to watch this entire service.” e message of that service? It was about helping those less fortu nate and how a simple gesture can make a huge impact on others.

“Well there I was, sitting on my couch, my wife sitting quietly by the replace, and me thinking ‘what can I possibly do to help others in need?’,” Ed said.

What happened next, Ed, nor his wife could have predicted.

“ is calm, yet rm and some how soothing voice said to me–loud as thunder: ‘Give a Cow’,” Ed said. “I looked across at my wife…I scanned the room. I turned to look behind me on the couch. All the while my mind was arguing with itself.”

Ed said he thought “What do you mean give a cow, I’m trying to get MORE cows, not give them away!”

It was then that he had an epiphany: God wanted him to start a ministry. A meat ministry. Hence the short, but sweetly rm edict “Give a cow”.

“It hit me clear as day. at’s why I’m still here and this is what I am supposed to do,” he said. “ e more I thought about it the more I understood that this seed was actually planted just a few short years ago by my dear friend Mike ‘Shorty’ Smith.”

is is where Ed Wiilliams got the idea to start Rancher’s Table, a local, non-pro t meat ministry meant to help provide high quality protein products to community members that are experiencing food insecurity.

It all goes back to Ed’s friend ship with the late Mike ‘Shorty Smith, who taught Ed everything he knew about the cattle indus try just a few short years ago.

Unfortunately Mike passed away in 2018.

“Mike and I were alike in many ways. We both had a good work ethic and, most of the time we had second jobs year round,” Ed recalled. “I began to help Mike construct steel buildings, but I never let him pay me because I wanted to learn from him, and fully expected to get his advice when I built my own shop house.

Ed’s buddy Mike continued to try to pay him, but Ed would just walk away laughing as he remind ed Mike that he would need his help some day. Eventually, Mike found a way to make Ed accept a type of payment for his help.

“Mike called me one day and asked if I could come by the col lege as soon as I got o work at the prison,” said Ed. “When I walked in Mike was standing there with an envelope in his hand and a big grin on his face.”

“He handed me the envelope and said: ‘Now, you won’t let me pay you for helping me so I am go ing to give this to you to buy cows for your grandkids’,” Ed recalled. “I started to interrupt and he quickly said ‘I have the talking stick right

now so just listen.’

Ed recalled his close friend Mike laughed while he continued on with his scheme to pay Ed for his time.

“Now, when these cows calve, you feed out the bull calves and sell them,” Mike said. “Put that money in a savings account for the grandkids. When the cows have heifer calves you keep them, raise them, and breed them–Now you have another cow producing.”

“You keep doing this until graduation when you tell your grandkids they can get full market value for the calves and use the money for college,” Mike contin ued. “ e grandkids can then have the savings from the sale of the bulls to buy a dependable vehicle.”

Ed recalled that the two of them just stood there laughing until Ed told his buddy: “Mike you put a lot of thought into this and it’s actu ally a good idea. e only thing is, now I have become my grandkids’ ranch hand!”

Ed said the two friends laughed and then went on to their night jobs, with Mike sadly passing away just one year later.

“Looking back over the years

and all the countless conversa tions we had together, Mike always had his faith in God and I admired that about him. Now I know that Mike not only planted the seed but also laid out a plan to make it grow and keep on growing,” Ed said. “ is ministry is dedicated to Mike’s memory. My family is very fortunate and very blessed.”

Ed said a cow or two isn’t going to make or break his family, but could keep some less fortunate families from going hungry.

“So, with the Good Lord’s help, the sky’s the limit when it comes to our ministry.”

Ed said he called up Mike’s widow Rita Smith (now Vazquez) to ask for her blessing in starting the ministry in honor of her late husband.

“Do you know she actually told me that day, that God had spoken to her too, that He had told her that something would be com ing her way,” Ed said. “Ain’t that amazing.”

“We want to help those in Northeast Texas and Southwest Arkansas who are experienc ing food insecurity,” Ed said. “I thought to myself, I have a few cows, I’m more fortunate than most–not rich by no means. But this is what God wants me to do. God really did have a plan for me and that’s why I survived.”

Ed said that statistics show a staggering 20 percent of folks in Miller, Cass, Bowie and surround ing counties do not have enough food on their table.

is is why building and continuing to build a network of ranchers, food banks, butchers and volunteers to work together is imperative to help the ministry grow.

Mike’s widow, Rita Vazquez, and their son, Mike Smith are glad to come to events like the recent Founder’s Day Fair in Atlanta, Texas to help raise money for the foundation.

At the September Founder’s Day Fair, Mike’s brother Jimmy

Jimmy Smith, owner of 3JC Chuck Wagon, takes a break from the heat with friend and founder of Ranchers’ Table Meat Ministry Ed Williams at Atlanta’s Founder’s Day Fair in September. Ed honors his friend, Mike Smith’s, legacy of love with Rancher’s Table dedicated in his memory. Jimmy and Mike Smith were brothers.

Smith, and Jimmy’s wife Connie brought their impressive John Deere color inspired, all original chuck wagon, dubbed ‘3JC’ that Jimmy and Connie painted to gether. e running board of the wagon was made by the Amish. ey made pies in a dutch oven and generally impressed all who passed by dressed in their 1870’s regalia, marking the period that Atlanta, Texas was rst formed.

“Next time we may do pork sandwiches,” Connie said.

Connie’s sister, Lanida Hackett, and her husband Jimmy Ander son, also dressed up and helped tend to the wagon and get the word out about e Rancher’s Table Meat Ministry.

Ed still humbly describes himself as his grandchildren’s rancher, but happily so.

“I’ve donated cows, gotten oth ers to donate cows to distribute to food banks,” Ed said, adding that churches often know of fam

ilies who need food and will help to pass out meat to the commu nity from Rancher’s Table.

“Food banks typically pass out nonperishables and no meat,” Ed said. “After looking at this, we decided we are strictly a meat ministry.”

Ed o ered this advice to those curious about getting into minis try: “Look at your neighbor, look at the people around you. See if they are in need”

One thing Ed and e Ranch er’s Table noticed was that a lot of elderly people are on a shoestring budget and, as Ed said, “Many of them can either buy their medicine or eat.”

For this reason, the ministry had 301 lbs of meat taken to as sisted living elderly facilities.

“A lot of them said they hadn’t had meat in so long, they were so happy to get it,” Ed said. “Myself, I’d rather eat my pride than starve and I genuinely hope everyone else feels the same.”

So far, Rita and her new hus band have started a chicken coop to help with the ministry and Ed has a nephew in Nashville that gives cattle or donations. e group is able to raise some funds through Connie and Jimmy’s chuck wagon at area events.

Even local Future Farmers of America (FFA) kids in the area donated their pigs to turn into sausage for the ministry, which Ed said was so kind of them.

“Hopefully someday someone will let us lease their land so it can become a more self-su cient operation,” Ed said.

According to their Website, therancherstable.com, e Ranch er’s Table is a 501(c)(3) non-pro t organization as de ned under

section 501(c)(3) of the IRC, which includes charitable organizations, churches and religious organiza tions, and private foundations.

ose who wish to donate or give to e Rancher’s Table are recommended to donate to them directly with a cash or check, but may also donate us ing Cashapp:$RanchersTable or donate using a donation form on the aforementioned Website (therancherstable.com)

Ed cites Luke 3:11 as an inspira tion in continuing on in the meat ministry:

“He answered and said to them, ‘He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.’”

–Luke 3:11 NKJV

Jimmy and Connie Smith picking on one another under the canopy of their chuck wagon, dubbed “3JC”, where they served up peach cobbler and ice cream at The Atlanta Founder’s Day festival with proceeds to bene t The Rancher’s Table Meat Ministry, in memory of their brother Mike Smith.

When my dad su ered a stroke, it was my turn to help him with important decisions, like making the right choice in rehabilitation. I asked the medical professionals that treated him who they trusted for the best care and outcomes. They referred us to a place that created a rehabilitation program

specifically designed for his needs using advanced technology and innovative treatments. And he was cared for by a highly trained, experienced sta that showed professionalism and compassion throughout his recovery. Now I know why they are the trusted choice of medical professionals.