Navasota Examiner | 2019 The Examiner 125th Birthday by Gretchen Dyson

125TH ANNIVERSARY THE NAVASOTA EXAMINER

! s n o i t a l u t gra

n o C

125 YEARS

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nniversaries are odd celebrations. We acknowledge the achievement of successive years of a marriage, job or business in a world full of impermanence, but we often fail to consider the hours of labor, heartache, joy, success and failure that come as part of the package. The Examiner is celebrating 125 years of continuous service to the citizens of Navasota and Grimes County, and, personally, I am celebrating 10 years of working in this building – a mere drop in the bucket compared to this paper’s century and a quarter stint, but an achievement none the less. History and achievement are all around us in Grimes County. Do you ever think that we walk the same sidewalks as the illustrious Frank Hamer or imagine the people who lived their lives in the buildings that we now buy clothes and antiques? I remember, when I worked at The Bank of Navasota from 1998-2008, I would stare at the Examiner offices directly across the railroad track

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from the drive through window and wonder how in the world those people could put the newspaper together each week. Unbeknownst to me, I would soon know … it’s a beast! In 2009, as the Examiner turned 115-yearsold, I was also beginning a new chapter in my life. I had a newborn baby boy, and I was busy being a mother not a businesswoman. I wasn’t looking for a job. I definitely wasn’t looking for a career when then Examiner sales representative, Christina, called me on a Thursday morning demanding I find someone to watch the babies—as I was watching hers too—get dressed and show up at the newspaper office, with resume in hand, of course. Dave Kucifer was the publisher at that time—a man who celebrated his share of anniversaries in this office— and we talked about family and friends before he told me I would start as the receptionist the following Monday. The look on

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125TH ANNIVERSARY THE NAVASOTA EXAMINER

THE NAVASOTA EXAMINER

STAFF

Established 1894

ANA I. COSINO PUBLISHER MATTHEW YBARRA SENIOR NEWS REPORTER ANGELA SCURLOCK ADVERTISING SPECIALIST SONYA BOBO OFFICE MANAGER/BOOKKEEPER CAITLYN DRUCKHAMMER OFFICE ASSISTANT CONNIE CLEMENTS REPORTER DEBORAH RICHARDSON CONTRIBUTING WRITER MICHAEL CARRINGTON CIRCULATION INA LINDLEY CIRCULATION

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An exerpt from History of Grimes County: Land of Heritage and Progress Grimes County Historical Commission, Published 1982

ergers were not uncommon in the late 1890s. This was how the Navasota Examiner and Grimes County Review came into being in 1894. M.L.O. Andrews, publisher of the Navasota Daily Examiner

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and Ed. F. Blackshear, publisher of the weekly Grimes County Review merged the two publications under the name of the Navasota Examiner-Review and formed a partnership that continued until 1909 when they separated. Andrews moved to Houston and Blackshear continued as publisher of the small daily and weekly. Along with the two newspapers, Blackshear conducted an insurance business. His last location was in the Holly Building at the corner of Farquhar and McAlpine. Under his new management, a linotype machine was installed, and other plant improvements were made. In 1921 or 1922, Blackshear sold to an association of individual stockholders composed of Navasota businessmen. Rev. S.W. Adams, who at the time was serving as Chamber of Commerce manager, was placed in charge of publishing the two newspapers. He had considerable experience and was a linotype operator as well as a printer. This arrangement continued for only a short time and the plant was sold

to two brothers, Dan W. and Sam E. Lowe. The latter became editor and publisher. Dan was interested only in a financial way. Effective May 1, 1924 the business was sold by the Lowe brothers to George T. Spears and J. G. Whitten. Whitten, who was working for the Spears’ owned Breckenridge American, came to Navasota to serve as publisher and general manager. Since that time the plant has continued in the hands of either Spears or Whitten or both. During World War II, the paper was leased to other publishers most of the time. G.W. Brooks, the first lessee in the early days of the war, suspended the daily operation. He later surrendered his lease to the owner, George T. Spears, Jr. On February 13, 1947 J.G. Whitten and son, R.H. (Bob) Whitten, became owners with R.H. as publisher and GM. At the time this history was being compiled he had served as publisher thirty-four and one half years. The elder member of the firm, J.G. SEE HISTORY PAGE 5

History

continued from 4

Whitten, passed away November 1, 1971 at the age of 89. Clark Whitten, who is a journalism graduate of Texas Christian University and the youngest son of the R.H. Whitten family, joined the firm in May of 1980. Since 1947 a complete transition was made from a letterpress operation to offset. The change was made gradually beginning in 1965. In 1976, an old hotel building next door known as the Geisel House was purchased and restored as a press room for the firms’ three unit Goss Community Press. In 1980 all letter press job printing equipment, hand-set type and metal were sold to

was accomplished over a sixmonth period without overtime. Down through the years the Examiner has had many wellknown, long time employees. Most notable was G.W. Brooks who began working for the Examiner at the age of nine and continued until his retirement. News Editor Pat Craddock joining the Examiner-Review staff in 1959. He has also served as program director and chief engineer of Radio Station KWBC which went on the air in 1960 with J.G and R.H. Whitten as owners. The Examiner has been a frequent winner in Texas Gulf Coast Press Association and Texmake room for a new office suite issue ever published in Navaso- as Press Association contest. In July 2002, The Navasota Exwhich has just been completed. ta. It was printed four pages at In 1954 Whitten & Sons pub- a time on a hand-fed Babcock aminer was purchased by Granlished a 65-page Centennial Edi- newspaper letter press and fold- ite Publications and is still under tion which is the largest single ed in eight-page sections. This their direction.

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125TH ANNIVERSARY THE NAVASOTA EXAMINER

A lifetime of memories

often sit at my desk and wonder how I made it into my current role. I was raised in Navasota and have many fond memories of not only this town but the Navasota Examiner newspaper as well. The history of this small-town publication covers the community in a big way and always has throughout the years. I love being greeted by those who let us know what a wonderful job we do and strive to learn from the criticism we might receive. Long before I was on a sideline taking photos or preparing content for our weekly publication, I was just a child who remembered memories being captured in The Examiner. I remember an early photo in elementary of my mom and I along with Coach Charles Wilson that was captured while I was participating in Jump Rope for Heart. My mom still has that newspaper clipping saved. While I was in the stands cheering on the Rattlers, I remember watching David Woehler on the sidelines snapping photos of the action with his wife Carol alongside him taking notes. My uncles clipped and saved photos and made scrapbooks of their sports journeys. I often spend time searching through archives and reliving some of those moments, finding photos of my dad, uncles, aunts and recently found one of my father-inlaw winning a district championship in basketball. Newspapers capture history in a way that pales in comparison to no other form of media. There are nu-

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merous stories that The Examiner has covered that I will never forget whether it be a high-profile murder, tear jerking story or teams being cheered to victory. Growing up Navasota athletic directorandheadfootballcoachCasey Dacus was featured often in The Examiner for accomplishments from Little League, Little Dribblers, high school sports and academics. His dad was also featured for leading his basketball team to an undefeated 3A State Championship and the school's first appearance in the football state championship. Decades later, Casey returned to Navasota and is now the athletic director of his alma mater, a family history that was captured and is still being captured through our local newspaper. The common misconception is newspapers are being replaced, but living and working in this community I see firsthand that is a far stretch from the truth. Yes, there SEE YBARRA PAGE 18

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Remembering The Examiner

n honor of the 125th anniversary of the Navasota Examiner, I was asked to share some memorable moments during my 25-years as a subscriber. I do have a few - some are funny, and some are sad. Probably my funniest memory occurred around 1998. Since I prepare reports from the Grimes County Sheriff’s Office and Navasota Police Department for The Beat page, this little story is especially significant. The Beat was one of the first pages my husband and I read when the paper arrived. There was either a lot less crime back then, or less reported, or the page writer had a lot of free time because he/she added person-

al anecdotal comments about many of the calls received by Dispatch. We loved reading it! One Saturday night sitting on the porch after dark, I heard what I thought was a woman screaming. Keep in mind that Bedias didn’t exactly fit my vision of the pastoral retreat I expected the country to be, particularly Saturday nights. Trucks were constantly tearing up and down Bracewell Road. There seemed to be a lot of bonfires and gunfire. So, why would I NOT think it possible that a woman could be screaming? When it happened a second time, I knew I would never forgive myself if I didn’t call the sheriff’s office, only to read about a kidnapping or mur-

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der in next week’s Examiner, so I called. I explained to Dispatch what I heard, how many times I heard it, but they must have heard my husband in the background when he loudly said, “It was probably a cow!” Because in the next The Beat, there was my call about a woman screaming and the newspaper writer’s comment, “It was probably a cow.” Not too long after that episode, I recall that a woman (NOT ME) complained in a Letter to the Editor and the humorous commentary stopped. I often wondered how The Examiner writer knew what my husband said, but I stopped reading The Beat with any regularity until two years ago when it became my responsibility. Now dear reader, you have no idea what comments I would like to add but if I did, I wouldn’t be around to write this column! Speaking of columns…right up there with Erma Bombeck, Leon Hale and Louis Grizzard is my favorite columnist and she just happened to write for the Navasota Examiner – Joy Stephenson. I never met Joy, but I loved her style. She was honest, humorous and put in print exactly what I was thinking. Joy passed away but I hope that she would not be disappointed in how I’ve filled that void she left on the Opinion page. There were a couple of sad articles I never forgot over the years and both involved children. I didn’t know Josh Fultz when his precious Jadyn was born with Charge Syndrome, but The Ex-

aminer article made it impossible not to feel the love of their church family as they rallied around Josh and Leigh Ann. I didn’t know Sarah Korpita or Examiner publisher Scott McDonald either when he bared his soul about the senseless death of little Eli Korpita, Sarah’s son. Scott’s poignant commentary told me his newspaper was part of the community, not apart from it. Transitioning from reader to writer, I have met amazing people, witnessed history-making, exciting events in the past 5-plus years, and I continue to learn something from every meeting I cover and every person I meet. I can’t begin to count how many people I’ve interviewed but I have been awed, honored and humbled by what people have shared with me about their hopes, dreams and accomplishments. I hope that when someone sits down with The Examiner, they know that to us it’s not just another interview and the result will be more than just another story. On this historic occasion, The Examiner is fortunate to have at its helm Ana Cosino, a publisher who encourages her writers to nurture and run with their ideas. And with that kind of trust and optimism, the Navasota Examiner is sure to be here another 125 years! Connie’s Corner A tribute to the past and hope for the future By Connie Clements Examiner Reporter

Remembering The Examiner — Falling free… 125TH ANNIVERSARY THE NAVASOTA EXAMINER

from Dave’s Desk BY CONNIE CLEMENTS Examiner Reporter

avasota resident Dave Kucifer is one of many publishers who played a role in The Examiner’s historic 125 years in print. He served the weekly from October 2004 through December 2009, ending his service to the industry he loved on the front page and above the fold. The photo of the 73-year old newspaperman skydiving with the headline “Falling free at 73” perhaps spoke

volumes about retiring from 50 years in the newspaper business. While Kucifer’s body of work and the events of that time are part of print history, his perspective on community newspapers and modern journalism is a timeless reminder of their purpose.

After graduation from the University of Houston and a military stint, Kucifer went to work for the Tyler Morning Telegraph as an ad salesman. From there he, his wife Shirley and their growing family moved around Texas, once to Oklahoma, to manage a series of daily, weekly and semiweekly newspapers in small towns like Dumas, Kilgore, Sweetwater and eventually Navasota. Kucifer said, “The only time I’ve been out of the newspaper business was when I was in the service.” He also has the distinction of being one of the few Examiner publishers who transcended eras, coming from the “flatbed,” where

TRANSCENDING ERAS Kucifer’s first taste of the newspaper business was his Houston Chronicle paper route in junior high school but it was a D.E. (Distributive Education) class in Orange, Texas, which triggered his interest. Kucifer said, “D.E. had limited opportunities but the only one that appealed to me was newspaper ad sales.”

HAPPY

125

SEE KUCIFER PAGE 11

Retired Examiner publisher Dave Kucifer still wears his Examiner shirt. Kucifer said, “I’ve been in the newspaper business virtually all my life. I still miss it.” To which wife Shirley added, “It’s in his blood.”

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125TH ANNIVERSARY THE NAVASOTA EXAMINER

Remembering The Examiner

was very honored when the Whitten family asked me if I would consider writing the “Anderson News” in their weekly publication of the Navasota Examiner. The debut of my first column was on Dec. 22, 1994. Back then the papers came out every Thursday. Goodness, that means this December I will have been writing for the Examiner for 25 years. When I took the job never would I have imagined I’d be writing for this long! The Whitten family was very good to me and let me write pretty much anything I wanted. After they sold the Examiner, I worked for many publishers and editors over the years who have changed rules and cut the columnists back on articles. That’s progress I guess? I love looking back at old issues of the Examiner to see what was happening in the early days. As far back as I’ve been writing, a few headlines have come to mind concerning Anderson. The Anderson-Shiro basketball team made it to the state playoffs several times in the 90s; the town was incorporated in 1994 and

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newspapers to go out of business. What people don’t realize when a continued from 9 newspaper goes out of business is that the community loses a great type was handset, as opposed to to- asset. There is no way to hold govday’s web press. It was also during ernments accountable. The web his tenure with The Examiner that just does not do it. I don’t think the owner Granite Publications took community appreciates it until it’s gone.” the newspaper online.

Kucifer

GETTING THE JOB DONE John Freeman became Mayor; my husband Don was appointed Grimes County Sheriff in September, 1998; the new Grimes County Jail was completed in 1998; the courthouse was renovated under the Texas Historical Commission in 2002; I took over as Mayor of Anderson in May, 2003; the Anderson-Shiro baseball team won the State Championship in June, 2006; the first annual Trunk or Treat on Main St. began in October, 2008; Anderson-Shiro got their first football team starting in 2009 with junior high and high school football starting in 2012; and this year in 2019 we celebrated the 125th birthday of the Grimes County

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Courthouse. These are just a few of the “Anderson” headlines that come to mind but the one that stands out the most in my life was the day I got home to read the paper and on the front page our new county jail was wrapped in “crime scene tape.” I’m sure most of you out there remember that – I surely won’t forget it thanks to the Sheriff! As far as the future - who knows what’s in store for us. At the courthouse birthday party, a time capsule was buried and will be opened in 25 years in the year 2044. It will be interesting to uncover all the items enclosed. I’m not sure if I will be around then but God willing - I will be 90

years old that year! Sadly, because of other means of communication these days, people don’t read newspapers like they used to - I’m from the “old school” so I still do! With all that said, congratulations to the Navasota Examiner for bringing us the news for 125 years! Gail Sowell Anderson, TX Examiner Columnist

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Upon arrival at The Examiner, Kucifer inherited a staff of three - a bookkeeper, an editor and one advertising rep. At one point, he had no editor and covered events himself out of necessity, handling both the writing and the business side. Over time Kucifer hired writers whose names are still recognized by Examiner readers - Dave Lewis, Scott McDonald and Rosemary Smith. One of Kucifer’s last acts as publisher in 2009 was to hire a young sales rep by the name of Ana Cosino. LOSE A NEWSPAPER, LOSE AN ASSET As publisher, Kucifer’s philosophy was simple. He said, “The community paper’s first responsibility is to serve the community. It’s to pursue the facts in an unbiased manner, which is not being done today by many newspapers.” He added, “One of the most difficult things I faced throughout when I wrote something, was to keep self out of it. You have to be so careful how you state things.” He continued, “The saddest thing for me is the loss of newspapers. There have been over 290

125 YEARS OF THE EXAMINER As for The Examiner’s longevity, Kucifer said, “It’s a testimony to the community that they’ve continued to support it because without their support, it wouldn’t have been done. It’s a credit to the ownership that realizes the responsibility it has of providing an unbiased ‘news’ paper. I use it in quotes because so many papers aren’t. They’ve become propaganda pieces.” Kucifer believes publishers should be active in the community. Both he and current publisher Cosino served as chairmen of the local chamber Ambassadors. He also believes in a newspaper’s obligation to put a community’s best face forward. He said, “There are a lot of good people working for the benefit of the community and I appreciate their service. We’re supposed to be the No. 1 cheerleader because we’re the only voice a city has. Ana is doing a good job. I think she realizes this.” Kucifer continued, “It’s our position to serve, not to be served. But of course, we have other things we have to concern ourselves with. Primary is profit. If you’re not profitable, you can’t serve.”

125TH ANNIVERSARY THE NAVASOTA EXAMINER

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125 YEARS

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125TH ANNIVERSARY THE NAVASOTA EXAMINER

Remembering The Examiner BY SCOTT MCDONALD Examiner Publisher from 2009-15

y journey to Navasota began at the University of Texas and then The Dallas Morning News as a sports intern. After four years in Dallas, I became the managing editor of a newspaper outside of Austin that was a sister paper of the Navasota Examiner. After three years in Cedar Park/Leander, the higher-ups asked if I would like to be the next publisher in Navasota. My only question to the company president was, “Where is Navasota?” I took a blind leap of faith, left all my friends and moved to

Navasota just hoping for the best. When I moved here in 2009, city hall was in an old bank building at the corner of Farquhar and Washington Avenue, the police station was in the same place it had been the last half century, Ruthie’s still served barbeque and the old Youens building was mothballed and still standing. I had moved to Navasota in December 2009, just two weeks before Christmas. I loved how the city lit up downtown with Christmas tree lights and other decorations along Washington Avenue. I loved how Christmas music piped through the outdoor speakers at Noto’s. It was cold, it was colorful and it took me back to my hometown in

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Louisiana where I grew up as a child. At this point, all I needed was someone to double-dog dare me to stick my tongue to a frozen light pole. Slowly, I got to know the people in town, one by one. Business by business. I first got to know Sheriff Don Sowell, then Mayor Bert Miller, City Manager Brad Stafford, County Judge Betty Shiflett, the Navasota school administration, coaches and some of the town’s movers and shakers. During this time, the feeder roads on Highway 6 still went two ways, Hilley’s (or Circle H) was the Texaco bus stop, Stripes was nowhere on the radar and everyone here swore that a Walmart Supercenter would be built in the next year. We’re still waiting. The Examiner had a good, solid crew when I came here as publisher. We tackled stories that meant a lot to both Navasota and Grimes County. These range from fighting an overpass in Plantersville, covering crowded local government races and the opening of new businesses. It was working hard to get lots of photos in the paper, whether it was Little League Opening Day, Anderson’s first football teams, new city employees or highlighting local businesses. We tried to make sure all stories that mattered got covered, whether good or bad. When asked to write something for this 125th commemorative edition, I always think back to top stories we covered.

Sometimes we covered stories that seemed bigger to the staff than what was reflected in rack sales of the newspaper. No matter how many newspapers we sold, or didn’t sell, we had to keep pushing ourselves to be a better newspaper than we were the previous week. We tried to cover meetings as if they were the most important things that ever happened. We wanted to treat the seventh grade football game like it was the Super Bowl. Because to everyone involved, it was the biggest thing happening in their lives at the time. The first huge story we covered that comes to mind happened in 2011. I had driven down to Galveston Island for a day of fun at the beach, and I left my phone in the car that Father’s Day Sunday. When I got back to my car and ready to drive back, there were several missed messages from our editor, Rosemary Smith. “Big fire in Plantersville,” was the first one. “Really big fire,” she wrote in another. “I’m going to check it out.” When I got back to Navasota early that evening, I learned of the Dyer Mill fire that torched more than 5,200 acres and burned 30 homes to the ground. Thankfully no one was harmed in that fire. Our job as a community newspaper was to not only document what happened, but help facilitate aid and shelter information. SEE MCDONALD PAGE 13

— Remembering The Examiner 125TH ANNIVERSARY THE NAVASOTA EXAMINER

McDonald continued from 12

Another memorable moment was when the city of Navasota completed construction of its new city hall. It was a proud moment for the city. But with triumph came mother nature, and a monsoon one morning completely flooded the town, especially downtown, which was building new streets and drainage at the time around city hall. Perhaps the biggest event during my time at the Examiner was the Navasota High School state championship football season in 2012. SEE MCDONALD PAGE 18

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Congratulations on turning 125 years old on September 23, 2019. My favorite stories covered over the 14 years that I have been reading the Navasota Examiner are: 1. Topping my list is the coverage leading up to and on the day of the 4141 Bush Train coming through Navasota. The coverage reached around the world, and the world was quoting from our local publication. The Examiner showed wonderful professionalism, respect and a great completeness in its coverage of that once-in-a-lifetime event. 2. This is a tie for 2 and 3. It is the coverage for the Navasota Rattlers winning the state football championship. The banner headlines and photos told the story in the way that it deserved to be told. I’ve seen that issue framed on a number of walls in this town and I believe that the coverage will forever be etched in the memories of those of us who were rooting for the Rattlers. I’ve known several publishers over the 14 years and Ana Cosino is my favorite. She has brought a new perspective and energy to the publication, and adapted The Examiner’s technology to keep the paper alive and relevant to our community. Sincerely, Johnny McNally Navasota Age: 59

Congratulations on 125 years Navasota Examiner! There are a lot of memories of past newspapers, but it would be the coverage of all the exciting things that have occurred in my 14 years here. New City Hall and streetscapes, new businesses, two football State Championships. I can go on but will not bore you. Of course my favorite publisher is Ana Cosino. There will be a lot of changes in the next 25 years. Navasota will continue to grow and will be a destination for many visitors, and the newspaper will have a new façade on their building while still printing a paper, they will be even more into electronic media. Best of Luck to the next 125 years! Brad Stafford, Manager, City of Navasota Age: 53

Congratulations on 125 years Navasota Examiner! I always enjoy the “Year in Review” as it is very helpful to me when preparing the State of the City address. The police reports have always been an interesting read, especially to those who do not live in small towns. I hope that the “paper” is still around in 25 years, because it is always more special to see a picture in the “paper” rather than looking at it on a screen—I actually do both! Of the inserts done over recent years, the 125th Anniversary of Navasota was the best to me, because it is something I use to this day, refer to it because of the history—a summary of Navasota’s history. Still love to hear “get your paper yet”? I read the internet version early on Wednesday mornings, but still get my “paper”! Bert Miller Mayor, City of Navasota Miller Insurance Agency Classic Rock Coffee & Kitchen Co. Age: 54

Congratulations on

125 Years!!

We appreciate everything The Examiner has done for us and we look forward to continuing our partnership for many years to come!

Happy 125th Navasota Examiner! I will say that one summer when my four youngest grands were with me for the summer, I took them to the Examiner. They were shown around and allowed to go in the back of the building to see all the books and old newspapers. They were so excited. I love Connie’s articles. She is one of the most down to earth journalists with interesting stories. For a small weekly paper, you all work very hard to capture the entire community happenings. Georgia Molitor Examiner Columnist Navasota, Texas Age: 68

Cosino

continued from 3

my face quite literally describes my favorite emoji—you know the one, lips pursed and eyes a bit wide. I walked out of the office and called my mama, crying! You weren’t expecting me to be calm about something like that, were you? Dave retired that same year, and Scott McDonald began as publisher in December. In 2017, after five publishers, I truly felt the universe was telling me what people across the world had been saying for years—newspapers were a dying breed and it was time for me to move on to other things. I even went so far as to pray, update my resume, speak to my coworkers and, of course,

do a great deal of crying. I was upset, but I felt like it was time and the right choice. As is often the case, the universe and God knew what was needed for me and for this paper. I was offered the job of publisher and after years of transient leadership, The Examiner once again had a born and raised Navasota native at the helm. This job is not easy; as I said before, it is truly a beast! But there are also amazing perks. We get to take a peek behind the scenes as Grimes County continues to make history: sideline passes for state championship games, backstage passes to Texas Birthday Bash, one on ones with local celebrities and food … lots of food. We have experienced once in a lifetime events and have met the most wonderful people, many of

CONGRATULATIONS ON

125 YEARS

which are incredibly dear to my heart. We have also witnessed the ugly things, things we don’t like to talk about much—after all, someone has to be there to take the pictures and tell the stories of murders, crime scenes and accidents that appear in the paper each week. There is nothing that can prepare you for those things, and try as we might, we can’t erase those visions from our minds. I spend many hours steering this paper, time away from my son and family. I’m pretty lucky; my son is very familiar with the paper and Navasota, and he loves it just as much as I do, sacrifices and all. This paper has stood the test of time for 125 years. During that time there have been a host of people who have stood looking

across the street wondering how we get things done each week; some understand we pull our hair out on Mondays and Tuesdays, some think we have an easy job, and some think it must be some form of publishing magic just like I once thought. We have some great adventures here, but it’s also crazy most of the time. It’s not an easy task, but I have and have had some amazing people in my corner—Nicole Shupe, Carrie Little, Dave Kucifer and Scott McDonald, to name a few. I am thankful for the relationships I have made, for my staff and for this community. The Examiner and I look forward to many, many more years of serving Navasota and Grimes County. Here’s to another 125 years, Happy Anniversary Grimes County!

CONGRATULATIONS ON 125 YEARS IN GRIMES COUNTY!

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HOURS Sunday - Thursday 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. Friday & Saturday 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.

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125TH ANNIVERSARY THE NAVASOTA EXAMINER

Ybarra

continued from 7

are other ways to get news but not many connect with the community like small town newspapers do. Staff at The Examiner are vested in the community because they are all homegrown from the publisher to sales and circulation. Being a “small” newspaper, opportunities are imminent that other forms of media can’t provide. I am a prime example of that. I was afforded an opportunity to write sports with no experience and a GED being my highest form of education. To this day I am still grateful to Scott McDonald for giving me my break into media. Years later our current publisher Ana Cosino was also willing to

take a chance and offer me a fulltime position as the senior news reporter, my current role for just over a year. I have been able to cover several memorable events including the George H.W. Bush train procession, and I have met many people along the way that will forever impact my heart like little Lizzy Greer who won her battle with cancer and is now rejoicing in Heaven. There are more memories to be made and a lot more news to be covered and I know The Examiner will be here to cover each of them. I’m not sure who will be working here in the next 125 years, but I know The Examiner newspaper is a legacy that will never die. Matthew Ybarra Senior news reporter

Celebrating 125 years of The Examiner

Debra M. White-Finke Debra M. White-Finke Financial Services in association with

Tax & Business Services Specialist 811 N. LaSalle| Navasota, TX 77868 p: 936.825.6395 | f: 936.825.7242 c: 936.443.6450 debra.white-finke@hrblock.com

McDonald continued from 13

It wasn’t just a game or two. It wasn’t just the playoffs. It was an entire season that brought a community together. Folks knew the Rattlers had something special brewing that season, and the entire community rallied around it. The stands were packed for home games, and the Rattler faithfuls traveled well on the road. There were downtown pep rallies and a fever pitch unlike anything I’ve seen in any other town. During the playoffs, it looked like a sea of blue in the crowds. Rattler fans showed up early — sometimes two hours before kickoff just to get their seats — and they were loud. With each passing playoff game, the crowd was bigger, louder and more of a force behind the players on the field. Then at Cowboys Stadium, the whole town seemed to show up and put a nice, big, fat exclamation mark on the season to tell everyone in the state that Navasota was the best. Though it was a football game, and a football season, it felt like a statement that the city was the best as well. Sharing those moments was incredible, and I still have the shirts, hats and posters to show off my pride. Then there were down times. In small communities, it’s easy to get to know a lot of people. I had the honor of meeting so many great people who have left this Earth, some who lived well into their years and others who left us way too early.

Navasota and Grimes County have great entertainment, from street music festivals to classic car shows, great parades, BBQ cookoffs and great food. It’s a unique melting pot of sixth-generation ranchers to the newest newcomers. It’s Aggies coexisting with Longhorns, and Bearkats living next door to Red Raiders — and all others in between. Navasota and Grimes County as a collective unit is a microcosm of what towns all over the world should be like. Here, I’ve made lifelong friends regardless of color, religion, political stance or whether they root for the Cowboys or Texans. I’m glad to have made so many friends and acquaintances through my time at the Examiner. So what will happen in the next 25 years with the town and the newspaper when both hit their 150th marks? Well, if I had a crystal ball that told me the future, then I would make a lot of money betting with folks. But here’s the deal. More people will move to town. More schools likely could be built. People will come and go, and some will leave us much too soon. The newspaper will still be around, but maybe in a different format. There might be a bus system in town 25 years from now. There could be hotels downtown and a burgeoning business district outside a rail station in Roans Prairie. Heck, there may even be a Super Walmart or Whataburger by then. But the people here will still be the same, down-to-earth folks that have made this place blossom now for the last 125 years.

Congratulations on

125

years!

From the City of Navasota

Thank you for the local news coverage and the wonderful projects you produce for the community. Here’s to many more years of history making news for our Navasota and Grimes County residents.

125TH ANNIVERSARY THE NAVASOTA EXAMINER

WHERE YOU ALWAYS GET A NICE PRICE!

CONGRATULATIONS ON

125 YEARS!!!

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