Roger Estlack

Clarendon College Regents met in a called session November 27 to consider naming an interim president following their November 21 action to end the contract of Dr. Robert Riza at the close of this month.

The board met with the college attorney for more than an hour and a half to discuss Riza’s contract before returning to open session for the matter of appointing an interim.
Regent Lon Adams said he thought the board needed to look to Vice President Tex Buckhaults to fill in until a proper interim could be named. Board Chairman Tommy Waldrop said he had mentioned to Buckhaults that the board would be “leaning on him” during the time of transition.

The board then approved a motion to name Buckhaults as “part time interim president.”
Waldrop said this week that Regents are scheduled to meet again this Thursday, December 5, for a report from the attorney and further discussion on an interim president as well as other business.

Local merchants encourage you to shop “Totally Locally” this weekend as the community celebrates “Christmas in Clarendon” and the sixth annual lighting of the Donley County Courthouse.

The Clarendon Chamber of Commerce encourages everyone to shop local businesses, and the Chamber and its partners have lined up several activities to make shopping at home fun, including a downtown Christmas Craft Fair, a Christmas Bingo promotion, three nights of Late Night Shopping, and spinning the wheel for prizes.

As part of Small Business Saturday this weekend, a Christmas Craft Fair will be held from noon to 8 p.m. at the Arena of Life Cowboy Church. Everyone is encouraged to come downtown and check out what the vendors have available there. The VFW Auxiliary will have concessions all day at the craft fair and will host their annual Soup Dinner from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Serving will continue through the Courthouse Lighting until the food runs out.

The Mulkey Theatre will offer an open house for kids from 1 to 4 p.m., and activities on the courthouse lawn get underway at 5 p.m. with Santa Claus and caroling featuring local children’s groups. The formal lighting will be at 6 p.m.

Shoppers can play Bingo at participating merchants both Friday and Saturday. Pick up a Bingo card at any participating merchant and get it marked as you make your shopping rounds. Each person getting a “bingo” can redeem their card for a prize and be entered into a drawing for $250 in Clarendon Cash Saturday night at the Cowboy Church.

The Bingo prize redemptions and drawing will be held at the Cowboy Church following the Courthouse Lighting at 7:15.

Clarendon students who entered the Chamber’s coloring contest will have their artwork on display during the craft fair downtown, and winners of that competition will be announced at 7 p.m.

The Christmas celebration continues Sunday evening with a special showing of The Polar Express at the Mulkey Theatre, sponsored by Lowe’s Family Center. Admission will be a donation to the Donley County Community Fund, and attendees are encouraged to get into the spirit of the movie by wearing their pajamas to the show, which starts at 6 p.m.

The shopping fun continues with Late Night Shopping dates set up for December 5, 12, and 19 and the Spinning of the Wheel at Saye’s / Flying “A” Tack on Kearney Street.
Participating “Totally Locally” merchants are being featured on an online blog with gift ideas from each store. About a dozen gift ideas will be featured on the blog this week at ClarendonTX.com, and those items will be up for grabs on the Wheel during Late Night Shopping. Shoppers can register at any “Totally Locally” merchant during the season, but you do have to be present to spin on Thursday nights. Four lucky spinners will be drawn during each Late Night Shopping.

“Totally Locally” merchants participating at press time are A Fine Feathered Nest, Clarendon Outpost, Cornell’s Country Store, Country Bloomers Flowers & Gifts, Every Nook & Cranny, Floyd’s Automotive, Henson’s, J&W Lumber, Mike’s Pharmacy, Saye’s Tack Store, Studio E, and Turquoise & Rust.

Local merchants are ready to help you find something for everyone on your Christmas list with their Black Friday and Small Business Saturday specials on November 29 and 30.
Details on local sales are printed in the Holiday Gift Guide included in this week’s Clarendon Enterprise and also available at ClarendonLive.com.

Small Business Saturday began in 2010 when it was founded by American Express to help small businesses get more exposure during one of the biggest shopping weekends of the year.
According to small business advocates, every $100 spent in locally-owned stores returns $68 to the local community through taxes, payrolls, and other expenditures. That same money spent in another town or online returns nothing to your local community.

Shop at home this holiday season and remember the important role your local merchants play in keeping your community strong.

Clarendon College Regents voted unanimously last week to end the contract of President Robert Riza at the end of this year.

Speaking during the board’s regular meeting Thursday, November 21, Chairman Tommy Waldrop said he saw three options for Dr. Riza’s contract, which was set to expire at the end of May 2020. Those options were to leave the contract as is, to extend the contract, or to end the contract and buy Riza out.

The chairman had suggested moving the meeting into closed session, but Riza preferred to keep it in open session.

Waldrop said the coming end of the semester and the lack of having people in key positions as reasons the board needed to address the contract issue.

Regent Darlene Spier said she was worried about an upcoming visit from SACS-COC, the Southern Association of Colleges & Schools – Commission on Colleges which accredits the college, and “putting the institution at more risk.”

Waldrop asked for a motion to extend the contract. There was none. He then asked for a motion to leave the contract in place, and there was again no motion. He asked for a motion to terminate the contract by December 31, 2019, and regents discussed needing to get an attorney involved.

Spier made a motion to end the contract, but there was no second only more discussion about how to engage the attorney. Regent Edwin Campbell said that he wanted the process to be fair to Dr. Riza.

Campbell later offered a motion to end Riza’s contract by December 31, 2019, pending negotiations. Carey Wann seconded the motion, and the remaining regents present voted in favor: Waldrop, Spier, Campbell, Wann, Ruth Robinson, Lon Adams, and Jerry Woodard. Regent Susie Shields was absent from last week’s meeting.

Earlier in the meeting the board accepted the resignation of Regent Bill Sansing. He is the second board member to resign this year.

Jack Moreman resigned after the April board meeting, during which his motion to extend Riza’s contract following the president’s annual evaluation failed by a vote of 4-5.

At press time Monday, the Board of Regents were scheduled to meet Wednesday, November 27, in a called meeting to discuss Riza’s contract, possible action on an interim president, and a presidential search.