Pennyrecord issue111115

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THANK YOU VETERANS The Penny Record Extends Our Appreciation To All Bridge City and Orangefield Veterans

The Record TheRecordLive.com

Vol. 57 No. 28

Distributed FREE To The Citizens of Bridge City and Orangefield

Week of Wednesday, November 11, 2015

County approves fund request for BASS University Tommy Mann Jr. For The Record

It appears two highly successful professional bass tournaments are still paying dividends for Orange County. Officials with The BASS University have reached out to John Gothia and other local contacts about the possibility of holding a two-day class in Orange County in early 2016. This program is highly popular and is held around the country each year. “This is a great opportunity for Orange County,” Gothia said to commissioners. “It shows what we’ve done over the past four years with our success with the Bassmaster Elite Series tournaments we’ve held.” Gothia’s purpose in speaking with Orange County Commissioners on Tuesday was to gain approval for a $10,000 request in hotel occupancy tax funds,

which will be utilized to promote the event and attract out-of-area participants to attend the two-day class and stay in loBurton cal hotels. The BASS University is a program which allows anglers from the general public to have the opportunity to interact with some of the top professional anglers in bass fishing and learn techniques and valuable information. The program is a two-day class and is slated to be held Jan. 23-24, 2016, in Orange County. Approximately five such classes are held from December through February each year, which is when most professional anglers are off from the tour trail and available to

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Filing for March Primary elections begins Saturday Tommy Mann Jr. For The Record

The 2016 election year looks to be a big one and it all begins with the March Primary elections. Filings for the March Primary elections begins Saturday, Nov. 14 for candidates in Orange County who want to run for office. Interested candidates may file with the county chairperson of the Democratic Party and Republican Party. The filing period ends on Monday, Dec. 14. There are several county positions which candidates can file for this coming election year, including Orange County Sheriff, which is currently held by Keith Merritt. Two of the four positions for

Orange County Commissioner are open for filing as well. The Precinct 1 position will surely draw interest as current Commissioner David Dubose announced earlier this year he would not seek re-election. The Precinct 3 seat, which is held by John Banken, is also slated to be on the ballot. All four Orange County Constable positions are also open for filing. Current Constables are Chris Humble, Precinct 1; David Cagle, Precinct 2; Mark Philpott, Precinct 3; and Weldon Peveto, Precinct 4. Other positions available for filing include Orange County Attorney, currently held by John Kimbrough; Orange County Tax Assessor/Collec-

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‘Light of the World’ Christmas presentation returns to Bridge City Staff Report For The Record

Save the Date! One of Bridge City’s most memorable Christmas season events will be returning in 2015. The community Christmas program, “The Light of the World” will be held Thursday, Dec. 3, at Bridge City High School. The curtains go up at 7 p.m. The presentation is coordinated by Project GLOW and

produced by Terri Gauthier. The Light of the World presentation is designed to give youth in Bridge City the opportunity to use their gifts and talents to benefit the less fortunate. All proceeds are donated to the Bridge City/Orangefield Ministerial Alliance. Project GLOW was created to begin a holiday tradition in the Bridge City community,

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Students from area schools, including these from Little Cypress Junior High, along with others representing Mauriceville Middle School, West Orange-Stark Middle School, Bridge City Middle School and Orangefield Junior High, spend Monday afternoon placing U.S. Flags on the graves of U.S. Veterans at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Orange and Hillcrest Memorial Gardens in Orange. This program is done to recognize these American heroes and is coordinated by Claybar Funeral Homes and Cemeteries. RECORD PHOTO: Tommy Mann Jr.

Army sword a family honor One Sword Serves Three Generations

David Ball

For The Record

Duty. Honor. Country. These are three words many use to describe the military. There is another thing that comes in threes- three generations of the Nicholas family of Orange serving the nation. One visible momento of that service is a U.S. Army service sword passed down through the generations. Three dates are inscribed on the sword for three generations who have served the nation. The first was great-uncle, James Morris Nicholas, who graduated Texas A&M University in 1937. The elder Nicholas served in Patton’s army during World War II. The second generation was Scott. The third will be Bill Nicholas’- Scott’s father- grandson, Tyler Joe Stevens who graduates from A&M in December 2015. Three graduation dates will be on the sword. The family must bleed maroon and they have a long and distinguished legacy of military service. Bill’s daughter, Laura Nicholas, for instance, is also working on a doctorate degree from A&M. She works in Informational Technology and she transformed the system for Pearland ISD. Bill was a Coast Guardsman. He later worked as a risk management engineer at plants before retiring 18 months ago. He

now does consulting work. Eighteen years ago the Nicholas brothers started their careers earning academic and military honors. Scott was a senior at Texas A&M University, majoring in history and government. Chris finished an associate’s degree in design and drafting at Lamar Institute of Technology. Both received high honors from their schools. Scott was the executive officer of the Corps at A&M and on an ROTC scholarship he earned after his second year. He was also named to the commandant’s honor roll for the second time in college. Scott was the former commanding officer of the Parson Mounted Cavalry. He carried the sword of his great-uncle during the review. After graduation, Scott signed a six-year PHOTO: Lt. Col Scott Nicholas, has his name inscribed on a U.S. Army service sword after he graduated from Texas A&M in 1997. His great-uncle, James Morris Nicholas, was the first to have his name inscribed after graduating in 1937. The third generation will be Tyler Joe Stevens who graduates from A&M in December 2015.

enlistment with the U.S. Army and he was commissioned as a second lieutenant. Later, he became an Apache helicopter pilot. He first served with the Special Forces group, the Army Rangers. In 1996, Scott led the Parsons Cavalry onto the field for review and marched past then Gov. George W. Bush and 6,000 spectators. His parents, Bill and Madeline Nicholas, were among those spectators. Bill and Madeline said the nicest thing was hearing the announced say that Scott was from Orange. Bill also has roots in Port Arthur. Scott made the dean’s list at A&M every other semester. Scott’s brother-in-law was a captain in the Army and he flew helicopters in Vietnam. His brother-in-law drove to the PX in Fort Polk, La., purchased a captain’s uniform, and then drove back to Texas to swear-in Scott for military service. Bill’s father once met General Patton at

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