Making their mark
Eggemeyer to lead economic development, tourism office
Chandra Eggemeyer has hit the ground running as Clarendon’s new Director of Tourism & Economic Development, and the Donley County native says she’s ready to start helping local businesses.
The Clarendon Economic Development Corporation board confirmed Eggemeyer’s position last Monday, August 20, after she was selected by a committee consisting of CEDC board member Steve Hall, Chamber of Commerce President Bonnie Campbell, and City Administrator Lambert Little.
Many people may remember her as Chandra Ford, which was her maiden name when she graduated from Clarendon High School in 1998 and headed off to Abilene Christian University to study political science.
That led her to a position with Congressman Charlie Stenholm and eventually put her on the path to a master’s degree from Angelo State University in public administration.
“I worked in Washington, DC, and then in [Stenholm’s] district, and that’s when I knew I wanted to be in government,” Eggemeyer said.
After five years with the congressman’s office working on military and veterans’ affairs as well as agriculture and immigration issues, she spent two years with the Texas Commission for Environmental Quality as an advocate for small businesses and local governments as they struggled to understand and comply with sometimes complex regulations.
Eggemeyer then moved over to the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) as a rural economic development representative and stayed in that position for four years where she worked with small towns to capitalize on ag tourism and nature tourism opportunities, and that’s when she began to see her hometown of Clarendon in a new light.
“I’ve seen towns promise the world and then not be able to deliver,” Eggemeyer said. “A lot of towns would kill for our location at Highways 287 and 70.”
Eggemeyer said the Texas Department of Transportation in 2010 estimated an average of 15,000 cars come through Clarendon every day.
“I know the traffic can sometimes be bothersome, but we have to look at it as potential sales tax revenue,” she said.
One of Eggemeyer’s first priorities will be to find ways expand current tourism events and come up with new events.
“I’d like to see us tap different groups to come to these events. Perhaps we could kick off the Chuckwagon Cookoff a day early and have an event for bikers or runners, for example,” she said. “The key to it is we have to get people to come and stay here for four hours. If they stay for four hours, they’re probably going to buy a meal. And yt’s even better if we can get them to stay overnight.”
Eggemeyer’s most recent experience has been in the private sector with Village Farms Greenhouse in Monahans, a $50 million project that she first learned about while at TDA. She has learned the challenges associated with bringing a big new employer to a small town.
“Not every town is going to get a Toyota plant,” she said. “Before you go after big employers you have to look at infrastructure issues. If someone wanted to bring in 100 employees, could our city handle it? Could our schools handle it? You have to be sure you can deliver.”
Eggemeyer also wants to help expand local businesses and has begun talking to individual merchants to see what their needs are. She says her office stands ready to help current and potential new businesses find the tools they need to be successful.
“I’m here to make people aware of the possibilities and the resources that are available,” she said, and she’s glad to be home.
“The quality of life here is great. It’s nice to be in a town where everyone is friendly, and I have family here also,” she said. “I was so excited with they posted this position.”
Eggemeyer’s husband, Jared, is also excited about the small town atmosphere since he grew up in Miles, a town of about 800 people.
Eggemeyer can currently be reached at City Hall where she has a temporary desk, but in a few weeks her office will be in the old Mulkey Theatre barbershop.
“I think the Mulkey is an exciting project,” she said. “I think it is good that Clarendon has made that a priority. It will take a lot of time and resources, but we’re going to be glad we did it.”
Clarendon firemen save house
Quick action by the Clarendon Volunteer Fire Department saved a house on West Third Street from being a total loss Tuesday morning.
Dispatchers paged out firemen at 8:26 a.m., and they were on the scene five minutes later. A total of five trucks and 11 firemen responded.
Clarendon Fire Chief Jeremy Powell said fire fighters noticed smoke coming from the attic vents and then saw flames coming from the kitchen window at the back of the house. The blaze was under control in about an hour.
The Josh Allred family was moving into the home this week and had part of their belongings there. Powell said boxes were on top of the kitchen stove when the electric company turned power onto the home Tuesday morning. No one was home at the time of the blaze.
Powell said fire and water damage was contained to the kitchen area, but the rest of the house suffered smoke and heat damage. The owner of the rent house reportedly has the structure insured , and the Allred family has renter’s insurance that will likely covering their belongings.
Leona Ruth Lingenfelter
Leona Ruth Lingenfelter, 80, died Tuesday, August 21, 2012, Amarillo, Texas.
Funeral services were held Friday, August 24, 2012, at the First Baptist Church in Howardwick with Rev. Dave Stout, Pastor, officiating. Interment followed at Panhandle Cemetery, Panhandle, Texas. Arrangements were under the direction of Robertson Funeral Directors of Clarendon.
Leona Ruth Lingenfelter was born March 1, 1932, in Vici, OK to Albert and Anna Rinner Stevens. She married Walter Owen Lingerfelter on July 1, 1950, in New Mexico. She retired from Panhandle ISD working as a Custodian and Bus Driver. Leona was a member of the Order of the Eastern Star chapter in Panhandle. She had been a resident of Howardwick since 1994, where she was a member of First Baptist Church.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Walter Owen Lingenfelter, and several brothers and sisters. She is survived by her son, Henry Lingenfelter, of Hedley; her daughter, Julie Bryant, of Annahawk, TX; 2 brothers, Ron Stevens of Vici, OK, and John Stevens of Washington; her sister, Thelma Laiola, of Anaheim, CA; 3 grandchildren; and 3 great-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers the family suggests memorials be sent to Clarendon EMS, PO Box 1240, Clarendon, TX 79226 or First Baptist Church of Howardwick, 235 Rick Husband Blvd, Howardwick, TX 79226. Sign our online guest book at www.RobertsonFuneral.com
Sandell to have free movie Sunday night
The Sandell Drive-In Theatre is celebrating the tenth anniversary of its re-opening this weekend, and Sunday, September 2, has been dedicated as Customer Appreciation Night with the showing of a free movie.
The Sandell was opened in 1955 by Gary Barnhill and named for his two daughters, Sandra and Adele. It closed in 1984 and was re-opened in 2002 by John Morrow.
“The Hunger Games” will be the feature presentation and donations will be taken to help support the renovation work of the Mulkey Theatre. Everyone is encouraged to come celebrated the Sandell’s anniversary and help “Bring Back the Mulkey” at the same time.
Opinion: Ten Commandments could cost county
Why pay for entertainment when we can simply watch the goings-on and pronouncements of our politicians and public figures? Think of the money that could be saved. The news of this political season has sometimes bordered on the wacky.
Actually, we can begin close to home, right here in beautiful Donley County. Displaying the Decalogue in public places, court houses, etc., has repeatedly been ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of the United States. Even so, Donley County has decided to display the Ten Commandments in front of the Donley County Courthouse Annex.
Our county commissioners approved the placement of this monument on the Courthouse Square. I understand that a few folks convinced the commissioners that this action is a good thing to do and is constitutional, perhaps based upon a misunderstanding of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision regarding the monument located on the Texas State Capital grounds, and the actions of surrounding Texas Panhandle communities.
In the past, counties in Georgia, Oklahoma, Alabama, and Kentucky have challenged the constitutionality of the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States. To date, all the challenges have been ruled unconstitutional. Two of the poorest counties in southern Kentucky were forced remove their Decalogue monuments, and were then compelled to pay the American Civil Liberties Union $400,000 in legal fees. This is what is often called an unintended consequence.
A group of citizens got a burr under their saddle and are of the persuasion that they can successfully challenge the Supreme Court’s position. Supposedly, this group of people has pledged to defend Donley County in the event of a lawsuit challenging the monument. If so, is their commitment in writing. Will this group also pay the legal fees that may result from this action? If not, it could get really expensive.
Personally, I think the Donley County Commissioners’ decision puts Donley County at risk. I’m not sure Donley County will be able to meet the standards the Supreme Court has placed upon public officials who choose to challenge the law and display the Decalogue on public property. The nation’s highest court has put officials on notice that their motives must be clearly secular for such displays to pass constitutional muster. What happens if the Supreme Court rules against Donley County?
Past decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court are somewhat conflicting and exhibit doctrinal instability regarding the religious display cases. The Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth Circuit Courts have issued conflicting rulings that will ultimately need to be clarified. I’m not sure it’s prudent for Donley County to join the fray and risk an enormous legal expense, in addition to losing a private investment of $20,000 for the monument.
There is still time to stop this project if the silent majority will speak up.
Thankfully, our county commissioners are not the only public officials living on the edge. For example, consider Republican Lubbock County Judge Tom Head. Not wanting Missouri Republican Todd Akin to grab all the recent political headlines, Judge Head proclaimed that civil unrest or even civil war, possibly including a menacing United Nations invasion force, trekking across the Great South Plains towards Lubbock, could result if President Obama is re-elected.
Head, a Texas Tech graduate with a degree in psychology, stated, “(Obama is) is going to try to hand over the sovereignty of the United States to the U.N., and what is going to happen when that happens?” Head then added, “I’m thinking the worst. Civil unrest, civil disobedience, civil war maybe. And we we’re not just talking a few riots here and demonstrations, we’re talking Lexington, Concord, take up arms and get rid of the guy.” The Judge then went on to predict that if that happens, Obama will “send in U.N. troops.
“I don’t want ‘em in Lubbock County. OK. So I’m going to stand in front of their armored personnel carrier and say ‘you’re not coming I here.’” He wants “trained, equipped, seasoned veteran officers to back me.”
I’m pleased to report that Judge Head was not born in Lubbock County or anywhere near the Texas Panhandle. He was actually born in Highland Park, a wealthy suburb of Dallas. Let Dallas claim the credit for Head’s unusual world view. My family and I moved to Lubbock when we left Clarendon in 1959. I attended elementary school, junior high, high school, and some college in Lubbock, and don’t want folks to get the wrong idea about people from the Hub of the Great South Plains.
Back in Missouri, Republican senatorial candidate Todd Akin claimed that the bodies of women who are “legitimately” raped are somehow magically able to fight off pregnancy. Of course, Mitt and the rest of the Republican hordes immediately distanced themselves from Akins’s pronouncement, as they should have.
Finally, conservative Republican Congressman Kevin Yoder of Kansas, added another headache for Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan when it was recently revealed that he, while amply fortified with liquor, went skinny dipping in the Sea of Galilee, on a recent Congressional junket to Israel.
Yep, our politicians and public officials are, indeed, a cheap source of entertainment, which is disappointing. Personally, I’d rather spend the money.
Guest Feature: Donley native still spry at 102
By Dennis Kirk Knowles as told by Edna DeBord Dishman
On November 25, 1992 just before Thanksgiving, it was like any other day. Edna DeBord Dishman shared 59 years of her life with her husband, Elmer Dishman. She married Elmer at 22 after being courted on horseback by her admirer. The couple experienced the great depression, World War II with seasons of droughts and times of prosperity.
I remember a quote by Edna, “No one knows when they walk out the door in the morning, if they will ever walk back through that door in the evening” and this was the case on that cold day in November. Elmer and Edna were driving to Amarillo when they were involved in a car wreck. Edna suffered a broken jaw and five broken ribs. Elmer lost his life. After this tragedy, Edna would wake up in the middle of night realizing she was all alone. One night, she finally said, okay Lord I give it all over to you for I cannot go on like this anymore. This is when things began to change for this 82-year-young lady. Edna shared that this was a turning point of her life and the beginning of a new chapter.
Edna went to Salt Lake City after looking at a condo with her son, Keith Dishman. She was visiting her daughter, Ann Reeve. Edna spent this time reflecting on her life and meditating on direction from God. Before traveling to Utah, Edna was considering leaving Clarendon, Texas, and starting a new life in Dallas Texas. This would be Edna’s biggest Leap of Faith leaving Donley County where she had lived for over 80 years. Edna started unpacking her suitcases after arriving back to Clarendon from Utah. The phone rang and it was someone wanting to buy her house. This was an answer to prayer. She felt like there was a bigger plan for her life and dove into the waters of uncertainty, head first. Edna sold the household items and started this new adventure at the age of 85.
As Edna settled into her 7th floor condo overlooking the vast expanse of trees along Turtle Creek in Dallas, she quickly made friends with her new community. I walked through her high rise, recently, and mentioned her name to varied tenants. The faces lit up saying how she was such an inspiration and friend. Edna is a stranger to no one as she shares her faith and pearls of wisdom. Some of her neighbors will see her in the gym as she works out on the treadmill each day.
In her nineties, Edna and other contributors helped renovate the Parlor at her Methodist church in Dallas. She also helped in implementing a wireless system, in which, individuals with hearing impairments could be able to hear the service during church.
At 100, Edna felt a need to be a part of a production entitled, “It Gets Better.” This was a national campaign to encourage teens not to give up on life from the abuse of bullying. Her heartfelt words of encouragement are still being heard to this day. There was a young man she mentored who had thoughts of suicide and desperation. Through her tenacity and love, he found his calling in life. Edna stated, love is the key to everything and she has lived by this motto all of her life.
When Edna was 101, she and some other durable saints started an intercessory prayer meeting at Grace United Methodist in Dallas. Edna is a strong believer in the power of prayer. She said one of her keys to a long, successful life is when she wakes up in the morning her thoughts and prayers are on others and not herself. Another key she shared is to not live in fear. She stated, “When I came to earth, I was sent on a mission and life will continue until the work is done, so fear has no room to exist. It is God’s Will, not mine.”
One of Edna’s greatest desires was to have a blond hair, blue eyed grand baby. At 101, she was able to experience this. Her great grandson, Austin Craig and wife had a son, Jackson Reeves Craig. Edna held her blue eyed, blond hair great, great grandson on a recent trip to Salt Lake City, Utah.
In parting, Edna reflected as she looked across the trees of Turtle Creek in Dallas. She stated, “Life is like a season, you see all the buds on a plant, it becomes a flower. The seasons change, the flowers fall. The leaves begin to turn red, yellow, brown, and orange. As the leaves fall, they all come together and the snow covers them in the winter season. Well, this is how life goes. There is a time to live and there is a time to die. Fear will never dwell in my heart for Heaven is my home.” One of her favorite bible verses is Luke 12:1-4. It states, “In my Father’s house there are many mansions, if it were not so, I would have told you so, where I am there you will be also.”
Ferguson retiring after 34 years with ASCS/FSA
There will be an open house honoring Bruce Ferguson on August 29, 2012 from 8:30 am to 11:30 am at the Donley County FSA Office located at 321 S Sully ST in Clarendon, TX. For the past 34 years, Bruce served the farmers and ranchers of Donley, Armstrong, Potter and Oldham counties. Come by and congratulate him.
King defeats Landtroop in runoff
Canadian School Board President Ken King will represent Donley County in the Texas House of Representatives after he defeated incumbent Rep. Jim Landtroop of Plainview in yesterday’s Republican Primary Runoff Election.
King received 53.99 percent of the vote across District 88 compared to Landtroop’s 46 percent. Locally, the margin was much wider with 77.35 percent of Donley County Republicans supporting King.
Landtroop had been the top vote getter in the four-man race in May’s Republican Primary, but he fell short of the majority needed to secure his party’s nomination. Donley County voters also preferred King in May with Landtroop coming in fourth locally.
Following the primary, the other two challengers – Mac Smith of Pampa and former State Rep. Gary Walker of Plains – both endorsed King, and retiring State Rep. Warren Chisum also endorsed King in the final days of before the election.
With no Democrat running for the House seat, King is the presumptive winner of the November election and will represent District 88, which was formerly represented by Chisum but was redistricted to include Landtroop’s home base of Hale County.
In statewide GOP races, Republicans nominated Tea Party favorite Ted Cruz over Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst 56.79 percent to 43.20 percent to run for the US Senate seat currently held by Kay Bailey Hutchinson. Cruz will face Democrat Paul Sadler, who won his party’s runoff yesterday with 60 percent of the vote over Grady Yarbrough.
Locally, Donley Republicans favored Dewhurst, 55.96 percent to 44.03 percent; and county Democrats sided with Sadler 63.08 percent to 36.91 percent.
Warren Chisum fell short of his goal becoming the Republican nominee for Railroad Commissioner, losing his bid to Christi Craddick 40.19 percent to 59.80 percent. Local voters preferred Chisum, 69.81 percent to 30.18 percent.
Barry Smitherman was the choice of both state and local Republicans to fill an unexpired term on the Railroad Commission over challenger Greg Parker with the vote breaking roughly 62 percent to 38 percent at both the county and state levels.
State and local Republicans also picked John Devine over David Medina to run for Supreme Court Justice, Place 4 with Devine capturing 53.27 percent of the statewide vote and 37.46 percent of the local vote.
Letter: City should finish what it starts
I am writing this letter in reference to our supposed “crown jewel” of Clarendon – East Fourth Street. I was curious to know if by chance our city administrator could explain to us why it is not being properly maintained with gravel to seal it off. It is a joke to waste the manpower and money to not to maintain this after having gone to both the trouble and expense to do so. It is in worse shape now than it was before this little project even began.
If the street project coming up is going to be handled in the same way, it will also be a tremendous waste of time, money, and effort. A contractor should start and finish the job so somebody will be liable. We might not be able to do as many streets but to be done correctly is what should matter.
I recall also that the board stated that when the “Zipper” was purchased that they were ready to see it running. What a waste of money this has been. No more than this piece of equipment has been used, it would have been more efficient to rent it.
Speaking directly to the city administrator, I would like to inquire as to what job you have completed since you took the position with the City of Clarendon? The solution to our water problem, as far as you are concerned, is to flush the fire hydrants when we are in the middle of a drought. I specifically recall you coming to my house on a Saturday to see the waste water that was coming into my tub. I asked you to see the water sample that you took that day. I never got to see it because you never sent it. I think you were probably afraid of the results. That has been almost one year ago, and I have been complaining for four years. I am not alone on this issue.
We need to finish the projects we have started before even thinking of beginning a new one. I encourage more people to voice their opinion on the street issues. Everyone wants to see our town look good and to thrive, but it can’t happen on the path we are headed. We have some very talented city employees but, but they can only do what they are allowed to do. We need to see better results for the cost of the streets, and we certainly have the capabilities in house to fix the problems.
Billy Chadwick,
Clarendon
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