12 minute read
Historical marker recognizes Lubbock church
Page 2 • January 2023 • Golden Gazette Historical marker recognizes Greater St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church
A Texas Historical Marker was dedicated at Greater St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church at 306 East 26th St. on Dec. 11. Rev, Dr. J. H. Ford and Deacon Dale Richardson unveiled the marker, with Judge Curtis Parrish presiding. The congregation marked its centennial in October 2021.
Funding by Newby Family
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The Lubbock County Historical Commission unveiled a Texas Historical Marker on Sunday, Dec. 11 recognizing the Greater St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church.
The church, beginning its second century of service, is located at 306 East 26th St. The Texas Historical Commission (THC) has designated Greater St. Luke’s as a signifi cant part of Lubbock and Texas history by awarding it an Offi cial Texas Historical Marker.
From its beginnings in 1921, Greater St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church has been a spiritual and social center in Lubbock.
Organized by Rev. Wiley and originally known as Caldonia Baptist Church, the congregation fi rst met in the neighborhood’s Masonic Lodge at 16th Street and Avenue A. Worshippers purchased a lot at 1802 Ave. A in 1924 and met in a wooden shelter before building a frame structure. In 1950, new property on 26th Street was purchased and a brick sanctuary was dedicated in 1957.
Greater St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church, one of the earliest African-American churches in Lubbock, celebrated its centennial in Fall 2021. It remains an active and vibrant congregation, maintaining their historic church for future generations.
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Hate has talked so loudly for so long. Greed has talked so loudly for so long. Liars have talked so loudly for so long.
Love has got to stop whispering. – Marianne Williamson
Golden Gazette • January 2023 • Page 3
“Crocodile Rock” became Elton John’s first Number One hit single on MCA Records. (In time, eight more would follow.) But rather than appreciate his rare good fortune, John apparently
grew weary of the song and later grumbled, “The last time I have to sing ‘Crocodile Rock,’ I will probably throw a party… It became a big hit, and people love to sing along with it.…I play to amuse people and to entertain people, but I have to say, when the last show is done at the end of the last tour, I will never sing that song again.”
I remember when rock was young
Me and Susie had so much fun
Holdin’ hands and skimmin’ stones
Had an old gold Chevy and a place of my own
“Crocodile Rock” is a microcosm of the past. A ret-
Don’t compare yourself to others. There’s no comparison to the sun and the moon. They shine when it’s their time. Traditions reveal what you value enough to repeat. And, done with love, they build warm, happy associations.
– Daniel Willingham rospective fueled by longing for bygone days with a girlfriend - priceless moments impossible to retrieve. Yet Elton’s lyricist Bernie Taupin has admitted, “I don’t mind having created it, but it’s
not something I would listen to…I don’t want people to remember me for ‘Crocodile Rock.’ I’d much rather they remember me for songs like ‘Candle in the Wind,’ songs that convey a message, a feeling. Things like ‘Crocodile Rock,’ which was fun at the time, was just pop fluff.”
Elton’s hit song was based on two Bill Haley oldies – “(We’re Gonna) Rock Around the Clock” and “See You Later, Alligator” (“After ’while, crocodile”).
But the biggest kick I ever got
Was doin’ a thing called the Crocodile Rock
While the other kids were rockin’ ‘round the clock
We were hoppin’ and boppin’ to the Crocodile Rock
John told rock historian Fred Bronson, “I wanted it to be a record all about the things I grew up with, all the great ‘50s and ‘60s records that we used to love. I always wanted to write one song, a nostalgia song, a rock and roll song which captured the right sounds. ‘Crocodile Rock’ is just a combination of so many songs, really— ‘Little Darlin’,’ ‘Oh, Carol,’ some Beach Boys, they’re in there as well, I suppose. Eddie Cochran, too. It’s just a combination of songs.’”
Elton was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight in 1947. He was 10 when his parents divorced. By then the chubby, soft-spoken lad had six years of piano playing under his belt. With his rock-musichating father out of the picture, John received encouragement from his mother when she handed him a copy of Elvis Presley’s breakout hit “Heartbreak Hotel.”
“I went on from there,” he said. “Pop was my whole life.” He began using his pocket money to buy records and then pick out their melodies by ear on the family piano.
In “Crocodile Rock,” Elton John manages to create an enduring music masterpiece that roars along with high-octane gusto, pounding piano lines and whirling synthesizer riffs adding to the retro-rock feel, as do the growling guitar lines, pulsating bass notes, and throbbing drumbeats.
It is, one might say, a justabout-perfect pop disc.
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Page 4 • January 2023 • Golden Gazette Grant to fund development of parenting skills
The Office of Dispute Resolution (ODR) for Lubbock County has received a Texas Bar Foundation grant.
Since 1965, the Texas Bar Foundation has awarded more than $24 million in grants to Texas law-related programs. Supported by members of the State Bar of Texas, the Texas Bar Foundation is the nation’s largest charitably-funded bar foundation.
Lubbock’s grant funds will be used to explore and develop parenting skills for
I have come to believe that caring for myself is not selfindulgent. Caring for myself
is an act of survival. – Audre Lorde those who are in a courtordered supervised visitation activity.
Dr. Elizabeth Trejos-Castillo is vice provost for International Affairs and C.R. Hutcheson Professor in Human Development and Family Sciences at Texas Tech’s College of Human Sciences.
Trejos-Castillo and her Positive Youth Development Lab are collaborating with dispute resolution for this project.
She will be conducting research and assisting with development of new parenting skills for participants. Trejos-Castillo’s research will focus on how parental mental health issues and toxic stress can affect interactions with their children.
Unfortunately, many families involved with supervised visitation have experienced some level of trauma that has probably been ignored and needs to be addressed.
Using the collected data, it is hoped that parents will be provided tools to facilitate positive relationships with their children and improve parenting skills. It is also possible the research may suggest the need for additional court-ordered parenting services to allow parental/child relationships to flourish.
The county-university collaboration provides participants access to an abundance of resources that will enable ODR to make referrals when the need arises. It is hoped these efforts made will have a lifelong impact on the parent/child relationships of participants.
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The LBK Brand
(Continued from Page 1) ing, media, healthcare, and energy. The Chamber staff organized and coordinated the efforts.
Q: Why does Lubbock need a community brand?
A: Lubbock continues growing, and with every new person, business, or idea, comes endless possibilities that drive our city’s narrative to a place of strength and prosperity. In order to share with residents — both new to Lubbock, and those who grew up here — how strong our community truly is, a clear brand that both unifies the city and allows for individualism, is just what is needed. This brand is a way to rally the masses and build pride in the city.
Q: What was the process that helped develop what the Lubbock brand should be?
A: The community brand project began more than a year ago when an agency with deep expertise in community branding was hired - Civic Brand. The process included research and engagement, brand audit, strategy, design, and messaging. The team worked to ensure every corner of Lubbock was listened to through the comprehensive community survey, interviews, and focus groups.
Q: What is the significance of LBK, and why was that selected as the logo moniker?
A: LBK has long been used within the city as a shorthand way of identifying it. It’s something that already existed. For this reason, it seemed only right to keep what had been organically created by the locals.
Q: How much of my tax dollars went to this branding project?
A: This was funded by private businesses within the community.
Q: Can anybody use the community branding materials?
A: Yes. As long as you adhere to the required brand guidelines designed to maintain strong brand integrity, all local businesses and sole proprietors are encouraged to utilize the community branding materials on print materials or digital content at no cost or fee.
Q: Will I be able to use the branding in ways that fit my small business’s individual branding (change colors of community brand logo, etc.)?
A: Absolutely. The community branding logo was designed to be universally flattering. Its color can be changed as needed to complement other brands’ colors.
Q: Is there a website I can go to for more info?
A: Lubbock.is/LBK
Q: Who can I contact with questions?
A: Contact LEDA for any questions, 806-749-4500 or lubbockeda.org.
By Amy Sweezey
Filling out forms and paying taxes can be complicated, especially when you’re a caregiver. If you aren’t a fi nancial advisor or accountant, some tax tips for caregivers may be just what you need when trying to determine what you can and can’t claim.
Unfortunately, a lot of caregivers miss out on tax credits and deductions every year because they don’t realize how much they are spending taking care of a loved one.
Know What You Spend
Keeping good records is key to knowing what you’re spending and how you can claim the tax benefi ts you deserve.
In the 2017 study The Journey of Caregiving conducted by Merrill Lynch and AgeWave, 52 percent of caregivers said they had no idea how much they’d spent on caregiving-related expenses. Surprisingly, 45 percent couldn’t estimate the amount spent in the last 30 days.
Besides keeping track of expenses, it’s important to know the diff erence between a tax deduction and a tax credit. A tax deduction lowers your taxable income while a tax credit directly reduces your tax bill.
Tax Tips for Caregivers: Deductions
• Determine if you can claim your loved one as a dependent. There are specifi c IRS rules related to how much is spent caring for a relative whether living inside or outside the same house. • Caregiver tax deductions can be applied to nonrelatives, too. If you are caring for a non-relative as part of your household, you may still be eligible for benefi ts. • When multiple caregivers are sharing responsibility, decide who will receive the tax break. If several siblings share the cost of a parent’s care, only one sibling can claim the parent as a dependent. • Sometimes you can use your Flexible Spending Account (FSA) to pay for a relative’s medical expenses. • If you work as a nanny, senior caregiver or other domestic helper, ascertain if you are considered an employee or an independent contractor. Those two titles diff er and the IRS requires diff erent forms and diff erent taxes. If you are paid more than a specifi c amount (in 2021 it’s $2,400) for caregiving in a year, the IRS considers you a household employee. - Source: IRS.gov
Tax Tips for Caregivers: Credits
Establish whether or not you qualify for these specifi c caregiving credits: • Other Dependent Credit: This allows you to claim a loved one (that is not your child) as a dependent with a credit up to $500 depending on income. You don’t need to be living in the same house as this dependent to receive this credit. • Child & Dependent Care Credit: Many people think this only applies to child daycare costs, but you may be eligible for this credit if your loved one attends a senior care facility during the day or has in-home care. • Medical expenses deduction: If your loved one qualifies as a dependent, you may be able to deduct a portion of their medical expenses if you pay for them. Don’t forget to keep all the receipts from the pharmacy, doctor and insurance company. Many places will send a printed list of expenses at the end of the year if you ask. - Source: Jo Willetts, Director of Tax Resources for Jackson Hewitt
If you’re still confused, get help from a professional. Tax attorneys, qualifi ed fi nancial advisors, and many accountants can provide advice on the best ways to save money on your taxes.
We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what
we give. – Winston Churchill
When gratitude becomes an essential foundation in our lives, miracles start
to appear everywhere. – Emmanual Dagher
You did it your way!
Be remembered your way, too! PLANNED GIVING can help.
Often a planned gift can help you make a more significant gift than you might have otherwise imagined - without sacrificing income or security for your own family.
There are many forms of planned gifts:
LIVE ● LOVE ● LEGACY
* RMHC of the Southwest can arrange FREE legal assistance making RMHC part of your planned gift.
For more information about the programs of RMHC and ways to get involved, call
806-744-8877
Ronald McDonald House Charities® of the Southwest 3413 10th St. • Lubbock www.rmhcsouthwest.com
