Kilgore Magazine Issue 8

Issue 8

MAGAZINE

Jackie Clayton

Vicki Clayton

WWW.KILGOREMAGAZINE.COM

CONTENTS:

MAGAZINE

5 Old Docs Learn New Tricks

By Dr. Joey de Graffenried

7 Shakespear Festival

By Fallon Burns

7

Mary Ramos

Customer Service: Fallon Burns

Creative Director:

Mary Ramos

Amanda Reel

Contributing Writers:

10 B.O.S.S. Game Calls

By Jo Lee Ferguson

Fallon Burns John Grubbs Jo Lee Ferguson

Contributing Photographers:

14 The Back Porch

By Fallon Burns

Sean Landry

Southwest Studios

Fallon Burns

Amanda Reel

Mailing Address

19 Dear Supervisor

10

Editor:

By John Grubbs

21 Great Texas Balloon Race Schedule

421 North Center St. Suite A Longview, Texas 75601

Contact Us

OfďŹ ce : 903-757-4444 Fax: 903-236-7541 MaryRamos@msn.com KilgoreMagazine@gmail.com

Amanda Reel

KILG RE Issue 7

THE MAGAZINE ABOUT LIFE IN KILGORE

MAGAZINE

A Texas Tradition That Still Has Legs

Read Kilgore Magazine online or order your copy for home delivery at www.KilgoreMagazine.com Director Dana Blair & Assistant Director Shelley Wayne

14

ON THE COVER

WWW.KILGOREMAGAZINE.COM

Jackie and Vicki Clayton, the owners of The Back Porch located in Kilgore Texas shares their family story.

Advertise in Kilgore Magazine!

To purchase advertising space or submit editorial stories,

call 903-757-4444 or email MaryRamos@msn.com

21 2013 | www.KILGOREMAGAZINE.com | www.facebook.com/KilgoreMagazine

3

Calendar of Events

June 4 6 7 7 7-8 13 14 14 16 17 20 22 27 27

July 4 4 5

7-11 18 20 24 21-28 25 26 26 28 29

First Pumpjacks game @ Driller Park 7:05pm First Thursday Downtown Shopping, 10am till Kilgore High School Graduation World Richest Acre, 7pm East Texas Treatment Center Golf Tournament Ventriloquist Nancy Burks Worchester @ Community House, Kilgore Public Librar y Flag Day Friday After 5, Bayou Boogie will be preforming, 7:30pm Father’s Day Meadowbrook Kids Camps star t Author & musician Willie Welch @ Community House, Kilgore Public Librar y World of William, Shakespeare Workshop with the Texas Shakespeare Festival @9:45 Texas Shakespeare Festival Star ts, Ends July 28 Stor yteller/Educator Sara Ward @ Community House, Kilgore Public Librar y

Independence Day - Chamber closed First Thursday Downtown Shopping, 10am till Friday After 5, Robin & the Blue Birds will be preforming, street dance under the lights and 4th of July themed games, World Richest Acre, 7pm Zooniversity @ Community House, Kilgore Public Librar y Snake Encounters @ Community House, Kilgore Public Librar y Derrick Market, World’s Richest Acre, 8-noon Great Texas Balloon Race in Kilgore Glow 8pm Great Texas Balloon Race in Longview Par ty & Prizes @ Community House, Kilgore Public Librar y Friday Night Lights Horseshoes, 7pm, City Park Kilgore Church Women, 11:30am Texas Shakespeare Festival Ends Texas Shakespeare Festival Strike Dinner

Kilgore Public Library:

Pre School Stor y Time, ever y Tuesday, June 11-July 16 Tie-Die Class, ever y Wednesday, June 12-July 10 Movies & Popcorn, ever y Friday, June 14-July 19

For a complete listing of events please visit www.KilgoreMagazine.com

Old New O

Docs

learn

Tricks

Dr. Joey de Graffenried shares a father’s story

ld images die hard. Stereotypes take much work to overturn.

Perhaps nowhere in the professional world has this been as true as in the world of the rural dentist.

the people I love most. Even my daughter who is our non-dental family member knows our work intimately and loves to joke with us about our obsession with doing dentistry super well.”

We can all recall images of the country physician with his calm, quietness that made house calls and cured his patients with a little medicine and a lot of love. The same format has long been part of the rural dental office with long term relationships, large families of patients cared for in one office, and the bond of people all involved in one community.

Kilgore is a prime example of such settings with local dentists caring for the same loved patients for more than twenty years and through three generations.

What are some of your hobbies?

“I love to teach: that mostly includes dentistry and Sunday School. To explain something, whether it’s how much God loves us or how to put a mouth back together, gets me energized.”

I graduated from dental school before a lot of things were invented, including cell phones and email, but even old dogs can learn new tricks.

And many of the new tricks are exactly what the doctor ordered to make dental practice in our smaller towns provide excellent care supported by the newest technologies and techniques.

Today’s dentist has tremendous resources available to aid delivering excellent care to his patients. For example, technology to examine and diagnose now includes digital x-rays that give greatly increased detail with only a fraction of the radiation. In addition treatment options like replacing single teeth or whole mouths of teeth with dental implants have created options for dental health where none existed before. Our knowledge of the connection between oral health and health issues like diabetes, osteoporosis, and heart disease has joined the dental professionals to the wider medical care system.

This Father’s Day I celebrate being the father to one of those young, well-trained, rising star dentists. He enjoys the continued learning of working side by side with an experienced guy, and I love the sharing of ideas and treatment challenges. Even better, patients in towns like Kilgore get loved with long-term relationships and excellent technology.

Kilgore Magazine wanted to know...

What was your reaction when your son decided to be a dentist too?

“I wanted him to have an occupation he wanted. When he said he wanted to be a dentist I was glad, but now that I see what it’s like working with him, I realize so much more what a blessing I have been given.

It’s a huge privilege having him with me.”

What is it like working with your wife and son?

“It’s one of my greatest joys to share things that are important to me with

What are your son’s hobbies?

“Josh plays soccer, teaches youth at our church (Kilgore Bible Church), reads piles of books, and studies anything administrative.”

“Family for us is such a huge issue. Having adult children living with you or near you is one of my favorite graces from God. We have those long talks that you can only have with an intimate friend. It’s doubly special when that friend is your son or daughter.”

World of E

William

ast Texas children will once again get a behind-thescenes peak at the Texas Shakespeare Festival on June 22, when Longview World of Wonders raises the curtain on its fourth annual World of William program.

Longview World of Wonders is a nonprofit organization working to open a hands-on children’s discovery center in Longview.

The Texas Shakespeare Festival at Kilgore College has brought professional summer theater to East Texas since 1987, with a month long festival that focuses on Shakespeare’s plays, but features other works as well. A children’s play, for instance, is always a popular part of the festival.

In 2010, Longview WOW began working with the Texas Shakespeare Festival to provide children an interactive experience with the festival. During World of William, participants tour the festival center, where they might see people sewing costumes or making props used in the festival’s plays. Sometimes, the program includes surprises, such as getting to watch actors rehearsing plays or practicing sword fighting.

Longview resident Becky Supercinski has led the program for Longview WOW each year. For her, the event’s highlight is the improvisation workshop provided by the festival’s interns and some of the major actors.

“They really work with the kids on body language, facial expressions, voice, etc.,” she says. Participants work in small groups, then show off what they’ve learned to the large group.

“The best part of the event each year for me is seeing the smiles on the children’s faces and their excitement as they participate,” Supercinski says. “I have been especially pleased when a child who is shy and somewhat withdrawn at the beginning of the improvisation workshop turns out to be the star of the show.

Seeing that confidence developed is worth all the work that goes into chairing the event. That’s why I have continued to do this each year.”

to see some of the behind the scene’ things that are necessary to make the performances possible,” Supercinski says. “The improvisation workshop with professional actors is an experience not readily available in our area of the country.”

World of William is intended for children ages 5-10. Participants must be accompanied by an adult.

Visit www.LongviewWOW.com to register for World of William.

Registration deadline is June 18 and costs $12 per person, including adults. The cost includes a pizza lunch and a ticket to the children’s play. (This year’s play is “The Enchanted Forest,” by festival regular Jason Richards. He also wrote the 2012 children’s play, “Quest for the Lost Chalice.”)

Where: Festival Center, Kilgore College Campus 900 Houston St., Kilgore, Texas When: Saturday, June 22, 2013 9:45 a.m. — Check-in 10 a.m. — Tour of the festival center: see costumes, props, scenery, etc.

11 a.m. — Actors’ workshop featuring improvisation 12:30-1:15 p.m. — Pizza lunch Registration deadline — June 18, 2013 Who: For children ages 5-10 Children must be supervised by an adult.

Cost: $12 per attendee, including adults.

Cost includes pizza lunch and voucher to attend children’s play, “The Enchanted Forest,” on a date of your choice.

Participants need to contact the Texas Shakespeare Festival Box Supercinski praises Raymond Caldwell, the festival’s founder and Office to reserve a ticket for the artistic director, for making World of William possible, as well children’s play using the voucher they as the festival staff who coordinate the schedule and actors who receive at World of William. spend time with the children that day.

6“The event 2013 is special because it offers children an opportunity | www.KILGOREMAGAZINE.com | www.facebook.com/KilgoreMagazine

T

he Texas Shakespeare Festival is a professional summer theatre housed in the Anne Dean Turk Fine Arts Center at Kilgore College. TSF presents five weeks of performances of five productions: two plays by Shakespeare, a non-Shakespearean classic, a musical, and a children’s show.

Established in 1986, the Texas Shakespeare Festival was the brainchild of Raymond Caldwell, a faculty member within the theatre program. The first season of TSF consisted of two plays

by Shakespeare and the The Daisy Bradford 3, an original script commissioned for the Texas Sesquicentennial celebration telling the story of the East Texas oil boom by Gifford Wingate. The overwhelming popularity of the summer theatre experience for the people of East Texas catapulted what was to have been a one-time event into an organization that is now in its 28th year of performances. As the only professional theatre in East Texas, the Texas Shakespeare Festival is listed as a Major Festival in the book Shakespeare Festivals around the World by Marcus D. Gregio.

TSF has been featured in Southern Living, Texas Monthly, Texas Highways, and the New York Times.

2013 Schedule The Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare June 27-July 4, 6, 12, 14, 19, 21, 25, 27 Mistaken identities, misunderstood intentions, and two sets of identical twins- mix those together and the result is a “Comedy of Errors,” Shakespeare’s shortest and most outrageous comedy.

A madcap story fraught with mayhem, confusion anarchy and hilarity!

The Foreigner by Larry Shue June 28-July 5, 7, 12, 14, 18, 20, 25, 27 An incredibly shy Englishman arrives at a fishing lodge in rural

Georgia, and due to a misunderstanding, the locals assume that he cannot understand English because he is “a foreigner.”

Consequently, they speak openly in his presence about their personal affairs, deepest secrets, and sinister plans, as “the foreigner” maintains his mute presence and becomes involved in a plot to sort out their tangled lives. The result is a story that is hilarious, heartwarming and full of comic surprise.

The Winter’s Tale by William Shakespeare June 29-July 5, 7, 11, 13, 18, 20, 26, 28 The Winter’s Tale is a fairy tale for adults, a beautiful story about the evil of jealousy and the power of faith and forgiveness. One of Shakespeare’s later plays, The Winter’s Tale is filled with mature wisdom infused with youthful optimism. The tale begins with a serious question, move though lighthearted romance and end with a miracle.

Camelot by Allen J. Lerner and Frederick Lowe June 30-July 4, 6, 11, 13, 19, 21, 26, 28 Adapted from T.H. White’s The once and Future King, it is about King Arthur and his noble, idealistic attempt to establish peace and order by creating the Knights of the Round Table. It is also the touching story of his wife Guinevere and the handsome French Sir Lancelot with whom she falls in love.

The Enchanted Forest (Children’s Play) by Jason Richards July 17, 18, 19, 20, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27 at 10:00 am A modern fairy tale, touched with mystery and magic, about the powers of hope, faith and courage.

j June

27 – July 28, 2013 j

For more information call 903.983.8119 or visit

www.TexasShakespeare.com

Family Fun For Everyone

Membership Starting As Low As $70/month Meadowbrook Amenities: Formal Ballroom • Meeting Spaces Swimming Pool • Pro Shop & Practice Facility Open to the Public

i

i

Meadowbrook • 1306 Houston Street • Kilgore, Texas 75662 • 903-984-3155

Book your Family Summer Portaits Today!

903.235.8870 www.SouthwestStudios.net

Longview (903) 757-5900 8

2013 | www.KILGOREMAGAZINE.com | www.facebook.com/KilgoreMagazine

Smotherman’s

Custom Landscape

9496 State Hwy 42, Overton Texas • 903.212.3478 Call the “Gorilla” to Have the Beautiful Patio You Have Always Wanted!

2013 | www.KILGOREMAGAZINE.com | www.facebook.com/KilgoreMagazine

9

LS

B

M

S.

GA

b.o.s.s.

.O.S.

E CAL

game calls

By Jo Lee Ferguson

K

eith Caudle’s lifelong love of hunting started on trips with his grandfather, A.J. Caudle, now deceased, and uncle David Caudle. It’s those days that provided the inspiration for a new phase in his life — as a craftsman of game calls, including a duck call and a new kind of turkey call for which he has applied for a patent.

“The first time I went hunting, I was probably 5,” he says recently, sitting in his home outside of Kilgore.

His son, A.J., an eighth-grader at Sabine schools, sits nearby. “I was allowed to carry my BB gun,” Keith Caudle says, laughing. The story of the first time he killed something, though, remains a well-loved family story. He was 8, and he was dove hunting. “Nobody else killed anything, and it was my first time to carry a shotgun,” he says. He primarily hunted deer and ducks with his grandfather and uncle, though. He recalls the sounds of the duck calls used on those early hunting trips. “Back then, they were all made of wood,” he says, and they were made by hand, one at a time.

“The stuff they’ve got today is junk,” that’s massproduced and made of plastic, he says. He’s had to throw many of them in the trash over the years.

“No one makes them like they used to,” he says.

The plastic duck calls also will “freeze up” and not work in the below-freezing weather hunters often find themselves in. “To me, nothing sounds as good as wood,” he adds. “Plastic sounds too fake.” He said the closest person he’s found who hand-makes duck calls for sale is in Arkansas. That’s where he’s hoping to fill a gap.

10

Caudle is a 1991 Pine Tree High School graduate who attended Kilgore College before joining the Air Force for two years. Later, he spent five years in Iraq, working for the Department of Defense, and returned home in 2009. His day job is in air conditioning work, but he also is a longtime wood

worker. His handywork can been seen in a dish cabinet that sits in his home and dining room chairs, which are decorated with a star on the seat-backs.

In September, he combined that skill with his desire for a better duck call and started experimenting. “It took me a little time to make a duck call to where it was what I’d like,” he says. A friend provided him with a bunch of old wood to work with. In exchange, he gave the friend a duck call.

Other people started asking for him to make them duck calls as well. “It started taking off,” he says, describing a busy Christmas season. “I’ve kind of taken it slow and steady so I don’t get in over my head,” he says, but he knows that this is what he wants to do full time one day.

benefit a breast cancer awareness charity event. It was made out of pink ivory wood.

He named his business early on with the intention of avoiding anything similar to the “Duck Commander” name that has been popularized by the reality show “Duck Dynasty.” He recalls driving around one day, trying to think of a name for his business, and thinking about the name “Commander.” “I thought, ‘They can be the commander.

I’ll be the boss,” he says, and that’s “B.O.S.S. Game Calls,” for “Bring On Some Slaughter.”

Caudle also has turned his lathe into something new — a turkey call that can be used with one hand, similar to a duck call. He says it’s superior to turkey calls that require two hands to operate because it means there’s less movement to possibly scare a turkey away. He’s applied for a patent for the design, which he guards closely. The two-piece call is glued together, and the mechanism that actually makes the turkey sound falls apart if the call is opened.

Caudle says each and every call is handmade and is customizable. He wanted a design for his duck calls that would be his own, something unique that didn’t copy other products. The barrels of his calls — the end the hunter blows through — has a distinct, almost vase-shaped design that starts smaller at one end and has a bevelled edge. The wood dips in and gracefully curves back out to a wider end.

The insert that attaches at that end of the barrel is where the sound is actually made, from either a single or double reed made out of acrylic.

For now, Caudle works out of a shop at his home, but he hopes to take his work on the road someday, with a trailer set up to do work at trade shows and other events. He hopes he can “make a living at it one day,” but he has no dreams of getting rich from his passion.

“Money only goes so far anyway,” he says. “I just want to be able to make a (a game call) that sounds good, looks good and that everybody can afford,” Caudle says.

Caudle can make the barrel and insert out of wood, he says, or they can be made out of acrylic. He grimaced slightly as he recalled his original intent to make game calls only out of wood. People kept asking for acrylic. “It takes longer to make them,” he said, but “they don’t ever wear out.”

Still, the lifespan of a wooden duck call could be 60 years or more, he says. He uses a variety of woods, some types shipped in from South America or Africa. He’ll sometimes use rare woods, too, like he did when he made a duck call to

Visit www.BossGameCalls.com

B.O.S.S. Turkey Call

Each month hundreds of dogs & cats come to the animal shelter through: owner surrender, public drop off and animal control. They need your help to take care of these family pets until they can find their home or are adopted.

Please drop off the following items to the Kilgore Chamber of Commerce or Toyota of Longview: Puppy Food • Dry Dog food Dry Cat Food • Cat Litter • Bleach Old Towels • Newspapers Trash Bags • Printer Paper

Your lost pet may be at the Humane Society of Northeast Texas if you live in the following communities: Kilgore • Gregg County • Longview Gladewater • White Oak • Gilmer Lake Cherokee • Ore City

303 Enterprise Street • Longview, Texas • 903-297-2170 www. hsntx.org

12

2013 | www.KILGOREMAGAZINE.com | www.facebook.com/KilgoreMagazine

Everything You Need At Great Prices www.ETXHARDWARE.com 1111 N. Kilgore Street Kilgore, Texas 75662

903.984.2036

2013 | www.KILGOREMAGAZINE.com | www.facebook.com/KilgoreMagazine

13

By Fallon Burns

“ We Love what We Do.” -Vicki & Jackie Clayton

T

his is a story of faith, love, and friendship. It’s about knowing who you are to yourself and your community. Vicki and Jackie have served Kilgore with their time and talents. Jackie was appointed to the Kilgore Economic Development Board and the City of Kilgore Planning and Zoning Board. Vicki & Jackie are supporters of the Boys & Girls club, Habitat for Humanity, Helping Hands and Glory Days volunteers with the Main Street Program under Amanda Nobles.

I would say that Jackie & Vicki have mastered how to evolve with the times at the right time. They know how to fulfill the needs of their customers and community. Through hard work and unwavering faith, Vicki and Jackie have created a legacy for their family and community to enjoy for years to come.

T

he Back Porch is a Kilgore legend. It’s famous for good food, a wide menu and host of live music three nights a week. The story of the Back Porch begins for owners Vicki and Jackie Clayton in the 5th grade. Vicki is winding up for her next pitch at the Chandler Elementary soft ball game when a boy sitting on the fence catches her eye. The sight of 10 year old Jackie did not create immediate “warm fuzzies” for Vicki, more of an underlying disdain. But by the time middle school came around, the feelings had shifted for both parties. Soon, Vicki & Jackie were officially going steady as freshmen at Kilgore High School. I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with owner Vicki Clayton about life and doing business in Kilgore.

What was the plan after you and Jackie got married?

Vicki: We both spent two years at Kilgore College studying business where I was able to be a Rangerette. Then we moved to Austin to attend UT so we could both finish our degrees. Jackie is an extraordinary builder. He worked his way through college building homes and businesses. He built our first store, our first home and our first lake house on Lake Cherokee. Sometimes we look back and say, dang! We should have stayed in Austin! But we wanted to start our family around family. The plan was for Jackie to become a builder and for me to take on administrative work.

How did you acquire the Back Porch?

Vicki: “In the early 80’s we ate here with our two children Todd and Sami just about every day. Karen Thomas owned it at the time and didn’t want to sell to anyone but Jackie. She kept asking Jackie to purchase the business because she knew he would do it right.

What was the first year of business like?

Vicki: “Well, within 6 months we had over ten thousand dollars stolen from us. That’s when Jackie moved me out of the connivance store and into the kitchen. You think anyone can flip a burger. That’s not true. When you have a line out the door you better learn to do it right. But even after all that, Jackie fell in love with the business. We love what we do.

What made you decide to get involved with so many different businesses?

Vicki: We got into the first store with our family, and then one day they came to us and had decided to sell. That event was so traumatic and dramatic for everyone that Jackie decided to never be in that position again. That’s when we started to diversify.

Did you bring your children into the business?

Vicki: Absolutely! Sami was awesome in the kitchen. She would say she was better than me! Both our kids worked at the porch for their summer jobs and loved it. Todd is now 37 and manages our first store. Sami is 34 and has two stores in Longview. I would have never dreamed that both our children would work in the family business.

What do you do for fun?

Vicki: We love being on the lake. I love being out on the boat and in open water. We always take our family vacations towards sunny skies and open water.

Do you have any advice for people doing business in Kilgore?

Master persistence, consistency, and quality because that is what people expect. When we acquired the business it closed at 3:00pm. We wanted a night crowd. It took a long time to build the business. You have to have a plan and stick with it.

Be hard headed. If customers in Longview decided to have dinner, you have to be open. That’s why we ran it ourselves most of the time. As you grow, if you don’t put a facelift on your area or do something neat, people will quit talking about it.

What were the steps you took to create a night business?

The first step was to expand the menu. If we wanted people to come more than once a week, we had to have options. We also created a place for entertainment. We had a volleyball net up for the kids at one time, we had karaoke and trivia nights and now have the outdoor area and live music.

Is there a secret to running several businesses with your spouse?

Vicki: Being best friends.

KS

ANE ECURITY company

16

Serving East Texas For 11 Years Locally Owned & Operated • 10% Discount For New Customers • • Reference Lists Available •

2013 | www.KILGOREMAGAZINE.com | www.facebook.com/KilgoreMagazine

Kilgore’s Honor Guard

T

he City of Kilgore’s Fire Department can boast the rising of an old tradition, it’s Honor Guard. Firefighters are a close knit, tightly bonded organization. When a member of that group is lost, the urge to help is very great. We have all struggled with how to support survivors of deceased loved ones. Conventional methods never go out of style but Kilgore firefighter, Walter Herria has started something a little better.

Wikipedia defines Honor Guard as: a ceremonial unit, usually military in nature, composed of volunteers who are carefully screened for their physical ability and dexterity. Only those persons, who are highly motivated, maintain exceptionally high standards of appearance and conduct, show aptitude for this ceremonial duty. Additionally they serve as the “guardians of the colors” by displaying and escorting the national flag on ceremonial occasions. Honor guard members serve as ambassadors to the public, presenting a positive image of their service and community. The Kilgore Honor Guard attends events that honor fallen firefighters around the state of Texas. They dress in formal, military uniforms and perform the “presenting of the colors.” Their presence adds a level of dignity and reverence that most people cannot provide.

Walter Harria is the founder of the group and served in the Honor Guard during his time with the Marines. Harria says, “Opportunities kept coming up for us to do it and I had the training to put it together.” Fire Chief Johnny Bellows says, “These men volunteer their time to help loved people cope with loss. I am so proud of what they have accomplished and their representation of our department and community”.

2013 | www.KILGOREMAGAZINE.com | www.facebook.com/KilgoreMagazine

17

18

2013 | www.KILGOREMAGAZINE.com | www.facebook.com/KilgoreMagazine

Dear Supervisor,_ I

am writing this letter because it is sometimes difficult for me to give you feedback and there are some things that I expect from you as my boss. I don’t want to offend you and I don’t want to make you angry but I don’t think you know how to get the most from us as subordinates. Please know that what I am writing is intended to make you a better leader as well as make us more likely to accomplish your objectives.

We really do want to do a good job for you and I don’t think you know what really motivates us to perform. Keeping good people on the team makes everyone’s job better. Don’t ever settle for just anyone because “we” have to work with them and often “we” carry the load that they don’t. Additionally, you need to keep the best and brightest people that are currently on the team. We are concerned when good team members leave to find something better elsewhere. It makes us wonder if we should leave too.

Your integrity is most critical for us to trust you and we cannot follow you if we don’t trust you to do what you say you are going to do. Believe it or not, we don’t even have to like what you want us to do if we know you are fair and consistent with assignments.

Please don’t lie to us or someone else in our presence. We want to trust you and when you don’t tell the truth, it makes trust very difficult. We will forgive you when you make a mistake. Own up to error and those occasional lapses in judgment and we will pull for you to be successful. If you promise to do something, we need to know that you have done everything in your power to make it happen.

You are “the company” to us and when you blame or talk bad about the organization, we get confused. We see only your perspective and hope that it is a representation of what others in leadership think and expect. We don’t want to be a part of anything negative and look to you for cues on how to take that same information. Often, our behavior is a direct representation of what we think you expect from us. Regardless of whatever posters they hang on the walls or the speeches we hear, your opinion and expectations are what guides our behavior.

Your actions always speak louder than words and we judge those actions constantly. If you are quick to take a shortcut or sacrifice quality, we will too. You are never “not leading” and we do want you to be successful on the job. On or off the job, we evaluate

your motives and actions to see what you really think about many different things. This evaluation is subtle and we know you are not perfect. Know that you are under constant scrutiny from us.

We don’t always have to agree with you to respect the fact that you have strong opinions about certain things.

Respect and appreciate the contributions we make and we will give you more than you ever imagined. Undervalue our effort and you will get less from all of us. We are not “that hard” to please and if you make a sincere effort, we will give you our effort in return. The little things really do matter to us and we expect you to try to make our work easier any way that you can. When you overlook our struggles, no matter how small, we start to doubt that we are important to you or the company. If we are not important, then why should we stay with you?

Finally, we expect you to stand up for us when it counts. If we make a mistake trying to do the right thing, we hope you protect us from negative consequences. If we cannot fail, then we start to make fewer decisions and you have to do more work. We won’t show initiative or give extra effort if we don’t think you notice.

I hope you won’t take this letter the wrong way as we really do want you to be the best! We will share more later.

Sincerely,

Your Employee John Grubbs, MBA, CSTM, RPIH, is the principal consultant and owner of GCI, a high impact training and consulting firm in Texas. Specializations include executive coaching, sales training, human resource consulting, safety consulting, behavior-based safety implementation and leadership training for supervisors, managers and executives.

19

• Monday, July 22, 2013 •

6:30 am: US Nationals Practice Flight over Longview Area

Presented By

• Tuesday, July 23, 2013 •

6:30 am: US Nationals Competition Flight over Longview Area • Wednesday, July 24, 2013 •

6:30 am: US Nationals Competition Flight over Kilgore Area 6:00 pm: Meet the pilots in downtown Kilgore • Thursday, July 25, 2013 •

6:30 am: US Nationals Competition Flight over Longview Area • Friday, July 26, 2013 •

6:30 am: US Nationals and Great Texas Balloon Race Competition Flight over Longview 4:00 pm: Gates Open at East Texas Regional Airport for Great Texas Balloon Race Festival 8:15 pm: Special Shapes Spectacular 8:45 pm: Great Texas Balloon Race Opening Ceremony 8:50 pm: Balloon Glow 9:30 pm: Cody Canada & the Departed in Concert Midnight Gates Close for the Day • Saturday, July 27, 2013 •

Wednesday July 24th 8pm Downtown Kilgore Burn

5:45 am: Gates Open at East Texas Regional Airport 6:30 am: US Nationals and Great Texas Balloon Race Competition Flight over East Texas Regional Airport Ring Toss Competition and other Navigational Tasks for both US Nationals and GTBR competitors.

(Balloons will be launched from at least 2 miles away and fly over the event grounds at ET Regional Airport.

Launch site and time will vary depending on weather and wind direction) 11:00 am: GTBR Festival Closes for Midday 4:00 pm: GTBR Festival Re-Opens for Evening Entertainment Kid’s Land, Carnival Midway, Arts & Crafts Vendors, Food and Drink Vendors Open 8:15 pm: Special Shapes Spectacular 8:45 pm: Opening Ceremony 8:50 pm: Balloon Glow 9:30 pm: Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers in Concert Midnight Gates Close for the Day • Sunday, July 28, 2013 •

5:45 am: Gates Open at East Texas Regional Airport 6:30 am: US Nationals and Great Texas Balloon Race Competition Flight over East Texas Regional Airport Ring Toss Competition and other Navigational Tasks for both US Nationals and GTBR competitors. (Balloons will be launched from at least 2 miles away and fly over the event grounds at ET Regional Airport. Launch site and time will vary depending on weather and wind direction) • All times are approximate and schedule may change without notice. All events at US National Competition and at the Great Texas Balloon Race are dependent on prevailing weather conditions. The safety of our pilots, volunteers and spectators is our primary concern. All competitive flights Tues – Fri will NOT be seen at the East Texas Regional Airport but will take place over the City of Longview and parts of Gregg County. Each morning the flight launch and targets will be determined based on prevailing winds.

Solving Your Security Needs Commercial ● Residential ● Vehicles

Video Surveillance • Access Control • Gate Operatory • Restricted Key System Locks • Safes • Hi-Tech Auto Keys • Automotive

Lock Doc, Inc. ● 3506 W. Loop 281 ● 903.759.1288

Proudly Serving the Tyler, Longview and Kilgore Area

www.LocksmithLongview.com 22

2013 | www.KILGOREMAGAZINE.com | www.facebook.com/KilgoreMagazine

2013 | www.KILGOREMAGAZINE.com | www.facebook.com/KilgoreMagazine

23

Lone Star Lug Nuts Car Club

Totally 80’s Dance

24

2013 | www.KILGOREMAGAZINE.com | www.facebook.com/KilgoreMagazine

Dalton Days

Longview PRCA

2013 | www.KILGOREMAGAZINE.com | www.facebook.com/KilgoreMagazine

Rodeo

25

Managed Services Wireless and Security Web Sites and Databases Servers and Workstations Interactive Boards and Projectors Systems Engineers and Support Warranty and Installation Services Email and VOIP Phone Platforms Video Conferencing and Surveillance

Longview, Texas (903) 757-5900 26

Tyler, Texas (903) 581-7000

www.ComputerlandEastTexas.com 2013 2013 | | www.KILGOREMAGAZINE.com www.KILGOREMAGAZINE.com | | www.facebook.com/KilgoreMagazine www.facebook.com/KilgoreMagazine

26

Are you tired of fighting leaks?

If you are experiencing the following symptoms, you may have overactive bladder or incontinence: • • • •

Frequent and sudden urge to urinate Waking up during the night to urinate Involuntary release of urine, especially when you laugh or cough Leaking urine after a sudden urge to urinate

More than 15 million American men and women suffer from this condition, and many do so unnecessarily. The good news is – we are here to help.

You don’t have to be afraid to venture too far from a bathroom anymore.

A variety of treatment options are available, and Good Shepherd Medical Associates Urology can help you return to living the life you want to lead.

Charles Secrest, MD Board Certified in Urology Reconstructive Urology & Female Pelvic Medicine To schedule an appointment, call (903) 315-5799.