Orange County Cooking Cooking With Katherine Page 8A
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See Section B
County Record The Community Newspaper of Orange, Texas
Vol. 52 No. 6
Week of Wednesday, May 9, 2012
County celebrates seniors with good time rally Penny Leleux
For The Record
The Veteran’s of Foreign War Hall in Orange was filled with senior citizens and local vendors in the health field Tuesday at the 43rd Annual Senior Citizen Rally Day, “Getting Hooked on Health.” The yearly event gives locals the opportunity to meet with a variety of health care providers and others that offer services to senior citizens. It also offers them a free meal, a chance to play Bingo and win door prizes. Each year a deserving man and women are each named Senior Citizen of the Year. Thanks to the nomination by Rosa M. Hinojos, Mrs. Capitola Pearl Ball, known as “Capp” to her friends, was named as the female recipient. Born in Tennessee in 1920, Ball has been active in the church for decades.
Capitola Pearl Ball was named as the Senior Citizen of Year at the 43rd annual Senior Citizen Rally Day for her service to the community. Named as male Senior Citizen of the Year was Steve Draughn.
The oldest person in attendance at the OC Senior Citizen Rally Day was Inez Turner, 103. Turner still attends church activities and other events regularly. RECORD PHOTOS: Larry Trimm
She moved to Orange in 1987. At the age of 91, Ball continues to head the church’s prayer chain, coordinates funeral dinners and sings in the choir. The fact the she is legally blind from macular degeneration does not prevent her from visiting the Meadows and Pinehurst Nursing Home each week, sponsoring a child in Africa, and visiting the sick and homebound each week. Her doctor says she is living a long life by staying active and caring for others. “She is someone very special, a role model for me and for all of us,” said Hinojos in her nomination letter. Master Gardener Steve Draughn was named as the male “Senior Citizen of the Year.” He was nominated by Daphne McIntire for his work with Junior Master GardenSENIOR CITIZEN PAGE 3A
Claybar chairs Country mother gets things done last meeting as Mayor of Orange David Ball
For The Record
David Ball
For The Record
It was the end of an era Tuesday morning at the regular meeting of the Orange City Council. Mayor William Brown Claybar presided over his last meeting after serving in the post for the past 10 years. Former Councilman Jimmy Sims will take over the reins at the next meeting and be sworn in as mayor. “I have thoroughly enjoyed it,” he said. “No mayor can do all things by himself. We have had quality citizens to serve on the city council. “Being mayor is about managing competing interests.
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Someone has to make those decisions. You can’t be all things to all people, but there are things as a city you CLAYBAR have to do very well and we do some things very well thanks to the city staff.” Claybar went on to say he had the privilege of working with two outstanding city managers with one who stuck around for long. He added his tenure as mayor has been scandal-free with no personal attacks and citizens have been treated with respect. Claybar said he sees no reason for that tradition not to continue in his absence. “This council has made some very difficult decisions. Orange County is fighting a trend though because our demographics are not the same as the State of Texas. We don’t have as large of a Hispanic population as the rest of the state and that’s where the growth is occurring. We have to differentiate ourselves as a community of choice. People choose to live here. It’s been a great pleasure to serve. It’s been stressful at times. I’m honored and I’m humbled,” Claybar said. In other city business, the city and the Orange County Navigation and Port District made an even-steven land swap. City Manager Shawn Oubre reported the city will be relinquishing land at the end of Georgia Street to the Port in exchange for some river front property near the boat ramp and Cooper’s Gully for the city. Oubre said the exchange benefits both parties involved. CLAYBAR PAGE 3A
Devra Cormier of Orangefield is one independent and self-sustaining woman. For instance, she can cook, sew, can fruits and vegetables, garden, she knows livestock and she’s involved with rodeo. She was also recently chosen as The Soil and Water Conservation Districts of Area IV for conservation homemaker. “We have seven grandchildren, six girls and one boy. We have two daughters, Karen and Janet. I take the grandchildren to school in the morning and I pick them up from school. I take them home to my house, feed them snacks and let them play. They love the tree house. I enjoy it,” Cormier said. Four of the kids rodeo and Cormier has an arena on their land. They’re also traveling to rodeos every weekend. Cormier cooks everyday because her husband, Bobby, loves home cooking. In fact,
she’s been cooking all of her life. “I’m in the kitchen all the time. Everything I cook is good. You can tell by looking at Bobby,” she joked. Cormier enjoys cooking so much, she owns over 100 cookbooks and she reads one every night before she goes to bed. She has also wrote her own cook books with her favorite recipes, though they’re not for sale. Those will be passed on. Cormier has also cooked in cast iron cookware in campfire type settings. They once had Thanksgiving dinner using cast iron. Though she doesn’t know how many head of cattle they own, Cormier knows it’s a bunch. In addition, she also raised horses, chickens, peacocks, turkeys and goats on their 100 acres. She gathers eggs every morning from the chickens. The drought last year was hard on the cattle, so the Cormier planted rye grass COUNTRY MOM PAGE 3A
Devra Cormeir was recently honored with an award from The Soil and Water Conservation Districts of Area IV in the conservation homemaker category. Cormier cooks, sews, gardens, raises livestock and hunts in addition to helping out with the grandchildren. RECORD PHOTO: Mark Dunn
New district to improve life in Orange David Ball
For The Record
When Hurricane Ike brought its massive storm surge on shore in Orange County, virtually every home and business owner was affected by its devastating force. This included the City of Orange Housing Authority and the residents of its public housing units. “When Ike hit in 2008, we operated 331 apartments. A total of 90 apartments were severely damaged,” said Ms. Tanya Wilson, Acting Executive Director of the City of Orange Housing Authority. “Hurricane Ike nearly shut down our ability to provide decent housing to the low-in-
A ribbon cutting ceremony was hosted by the Orange Housing Authority on Tuesday morning for the new James Zay Roberts Homes on Burton Street. The new units will replace the older Arthur Robinson project. Many dignitaries attended and spoke at the event, including Mayor Brown Claybar of Orange. Funding for the project was made possible through hurricane disaster recovery funding. RECORD PHOTO: David Ball
come citizens in our community.” “Our Board and staff have been working diligently with the help of many others in this room today to successfully address the affordable housing needs in the City of Orange. Today is another day where an important milestone has been reached in our recovery. The completion of the 112 housing units we are cutting ribbon on this morning puts us at completing approximately 15% of our ‘wish list’,” said Wilson. “I’d like to thank the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs, the Texas General Land Office, the Southeast Texas Regional NEW DISTRICT ’ PAGE 3A
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