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Vol. 57 No. 34
Distributed FREE To The Citizens of Bridge City and Orangefield
100th Christmas celebrated by local woman Tommy Mann Jr. For The Record
“You get one life. Live it like you enjoy it,” says Cecile Foreman, 100 years old, from Orange, Texas. Born on December 15, 1915 in Louisiana, Foreman traveled to Texas at nine months old and has lived in the Orange area ever since. “Texas is the best place I have ever been,” she notes. And in her century of life, Cecile has seen many events and experienced many transitions. “I traveled, and explored, but I call this place home,” says Foreman. She lived on her own until Ike took her home, and she now resides with her eldest daughter, Ann Hoffpauir, and her husband. Ann is the oldest daughter of seven children. Mrs. Foreman’s eldest son, Roland Sullivan, from her marriage to James Melton Sullivan, is 84 years old. Cecile Foreman married Hugh (“Tubby”) Foreman in 1944, and they had six children together. “Tubby” Foreman passed away in 1993. Mrs. Foreman also has several grandchildren and great-
grandchildren. She grew up in a neighborhood surrounded by her extended family. Her cousins were her neighborhood FOREMAN friends, “six of them lived next door, five across the street, and there were six of us,” and they spent their time playing together. “Everything we did was fun,” Foreman says, “hop scotch, jacks, marbles. I was a good marble player. The boys didn’t like for me to play marbles or baseball.” She enjoys the closeness of family, “they are my favorite people,” Foreman asserts. Her best friends were Lela Hare and Lorraine Youngblood. She also recalls her close friend Ina Guidry who moved away. There have been quite a few transformations during Foreman’s lifetime. She was born and raised Catholic. And she is a member of St. Mary’s in Or-
100TH Page 2A
BCISD begins search for superintendent Tommy Mann Jr.
For The Record
With the timeline firmly established, the search for the next superintendent of Bridge City ISD is underway. The Bridge City Independent School District’s Board of Trustees has begun the process of searching for its next superintendent and has established its timeline for the process. The Trustees opted to hire a firm, Arrow Educational Services, Inc. which is located in Henderson, Texas, to assist in the search for the next superintendent. Arrow Educational Services, Inc. was assisted more than 130 school boards select a superintendent since 1998, according to its website. According to Jerry McInnis, president of the BCISD Board of Trustees, more than 30 applications were received from potential candidates. “We’ve completed the application process and began the screening process of applicants last (Thursday),” McInnis said. “Once we finish this process,
the firm will present a list of candidates to the board which fit our criteria.” Once the Board of Trustees receives its KING list of candidates, it will begin the first round of interviews. Interviews will be conducted on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016, as well as Wednesday, Jan. 6, and Thursday, Jan. 7. Once this round is completed, the Board is expected to narrow the field down and conduct interviews with “semi-finalists” on Wednesday, Jan. 12, and Thursday, Jan. 13, 2016, with the announcement of a lone finalist for superintendent to follow that same day. Mike King, the current superintendent of Bridge City ISD, announced in October he would be leaving the district for a job in the private sector. King is expected to remain with Bridge City ISD through the end of January 2016.
Week of Wednesday, December 23, 2015
A New Rod For Gramps A Sabine Lake Christmas Story
cars. In between fishing trips with his Grandfather, he carried out the neighFor The Record bor’s garbage, and as summer turned into Young Cris had been going fishing fall, he raked since he was old enough to walk. leaves all Gramps, as he had called him, was raising Chris as best he could, living on a fixed income. Cris’ parents were taken from him in a car crash wen he was only six months old, and his Gramps was just like a dad to him. Gramps had lost his wife to cancer a year before Cris was born, so the two of them needed each other very much. Living within a mile of one of Texas’ largest bays, Cris enjoyed the time he and his grandfather spent on its shores. Gramps had spent many hours schooling him in the finer art of angling for redfish and he always admired the pretty coppercolored battlers that his gramps caught and later cooked for dinner. Cris fished with pushbutton reel on a rod that was tattered and missing an eye or two. Limited as to what he could catch on his smaller outfit, he was just as happy catching croakers for Gramps to use for cut bait to lure the redfish they ate. Gramps fished with an old knuckle-busting reel that had no drag and direct drive mounted on an old sixfoot rod that was a little stiffer than he would like, but it was all he had, and he couldn’t afford a newer model, so he made do. In the spring of Cris’ eighth year, he accompanied Gramps to a local pawn shop where Gramps was going to try to sell his old shot gun to help pay for some of his medical bills. Gramps reasoned that since he was too old to tromp the salt marsh after ducks any more, he might as well use the gun for something good. over the neighborhood. While in the pawn shop, Cris noticed Finally two days before Christmas, he his grandfather wander over the rack of had enough money saved. Cris hopped fishing rods in the corner and pick up a on his bicycle and pedaled down to the shiny seven-foot rod with a new, bright pawn shop … only to find that the rod red Garcia reel on it. Gramps held the and reel that his Grams had so admired rod admiringly, sighting down the had been sold only hours before. length of it. He tested it for balance and Disappointed and with his gaze fixed made several casts before setting it back on the ground, Cris slowly rode his bicyin its place. cle back home. He knew he did not have Cris knew then what he wanted to enough money to buy Gramps a brand give his Gramps for next Christmas. new rod and reel. He needed time to try All summer long Cris did as many and figure out what to do, and he knew odd jobs as he could, saving every penny no better way to think things over than he earned mowing grass and washing go fishing.
Robert Vail
Grabbing his push button reel and rod, he quietly slipped out the back door as Gramps napped in his chair. He figured he would be back before Gramps even knew he was gone. When he arrived at the edge of the bay, he noticed that the tide was unusually high and the bay as calm as glass. Only the occasional swirl of a passing mullet dimpled the surface. Cris had brought only one piece of cut mullet, because he didn’t really think he would catch anything, but he enjoyed the peace and solitude. Mainly he wanted to try and figure out what to do about Gramps’ Christmas gift. Casting out his piece of bait, he held onto his rod but let his mind wander. Watching a lone seagull glide effortlessly overhead, he pondered what to do. Suddenly he felt a sharp thump on his line. Then it slowly began to move to one side. Reeling in the slack, he set the hook into what he instantly realized was a bigger fish than he had ever hooked. He pulled on his flimsily rod and reel as hard as he dared, and to his amazement, the fish began to swim toward him. Reeling for all he was worth, he had the huge fish wallowing in the shallows at his feet before he knew it. He reached down and gently slid his hand under the gillplate of the huge red, hefting it to better admire it. When he lifted the fish, he noticed a shiny new hook in the opposite corner of its mouth. String was still attached to the hook and it dipped into the water. Laying the fish on the bank, he grabbed up the string and began pulling. He felt a resistance from something on the other end of the line. Tugging harder he saw the tip of a rod break the mirror surface. Giving a final yank, he couldn’t believe his eyes when a new rod and Garcia reel–just like the one in the pawn shop–emerged from the water. What luck! Turning his attention back to the huge redfish, he found that it was gone.
SABINE LAKE Page 2A
DPS announces increased patrols during holidays Larry Johnson For The Record
AUSTIN – The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) will increase patrols for an eight-day period that includes both the Christmas and New Year holidays. From Dec. 24 – 27 and Dec. 31 – Jan. 3, DPS troopers, as well as law enforcement across the state,
will be patrolling roadways throughout the holiday weekends looking for drunk drivers, speeders, seat belt violators and other drivers who are endangering themselves and others. “Drinking and driving is always a concern during the holidays, and these DPS patrols help by identifying impaired
or reckless drivers who endanger the safety of the traveling public,” said DPS Director Steven McCraw. “We urge Texans to do their part to save lives by always driving sober and adhering to all traffic laws.” During the Christmas/New Year holiday enforcement effort last year, DPS troopers made 403 DWI arrests. DPS
enforcement efforts also resulted in 7,274 speeding citations, 724 seat belt/child safety seat citations, 292 fugitive arrests and 166 felony arrests during the enforcement period. DPS offers the following additional tips for safe travel during the holidays: • Don’t drink and drive.
Designate a driver or take a cab. • Slow down – especially in bad weather, construction areas and heavy traffic. • Eliminate distractions, including the use of mobile devices. • Buckle up everyone in the vehicle – it’s the law. • Slow down or move over
for police, fire, EMS and Texas Department of Transportation vehicles and tow trucks that are stopped on the side of the road with emergency lights activated – it’s the law. • Don’t drive fatigued. • Drive defensively, as holiday travel may present additional challenges.