Cherokeean/Herald (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 141, No. 50, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 18, 1990 Page: 2 of 20
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PAGE TWO—CHEROKEEAN/HERALD OF RUSK, TEXAS—THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 1990
Tfye Cljerokecaif/Hcrald
UPS 102-520
Descendant of the Cherokee Sentinel established Feb. 27,1850.
A Consolidation of The Rusk Cherokeean, The Alto Herald
and The Wells New 'n Views effective April 1.1989
"lexas Oldest, Continuously Published, Weekly Newspaper"
Second Class Postage Paid at Rusk, Texas 75785
Published weekly with Thursday dateline by
E. H. Whitehead Enterprises.
618 North Main Rusk, Texas 75785
214/683-2257 214/586-7771 409/858-4141
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
PAYABLE IN ADVANCE
Inside County *13 per year
Outside County $15 per year
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POSTMASTER: Send address changes
to CHEROKEEAN/HERALD
P. O. Box 475 - Rusk, Texas 75785.
A time to be proud...
Many persons deserve congratulations on the
completion of the 200-bed psychiatric building at
Ihe Texas Department of Criminal Justice Sky view
Unit in Rusk.
First and foremost are those who are employed at
TDCJ. By the very nature of their work, theirs is not
an easy task. Add to their strain the problems of
renovating a facility to accommodate their needs,
and in a new location. Many of them are former
employees of Maximum Security Unit which was
removed to Vernon.
It has been three years of difficult work and many
emotional moments. But survivors we are. Every-
one values the ability to work and equally important,
the opportunity to work. This is a blessing.
After years of little coherence in a treatment plan
lor the mentally ill inmates of Texas, we now stand
on the threshold of a new concept. We are, in fact,
privileged to be the first in the state and nation with
"state of the art" in structure and personnel for this
Trees...a vital, renewable resource
EMERGENCIES DO HAPPEN. Jerry Rix, director of the Meals on Wheels program,
discovered a need for an emergency first aid kit at the site. He asked for help and here
he receives the personal donation of a kit from County Judge Emmett Whitehead.
-staff photo
Remember...
DEADLINE
TO
REGISTER
FOR THE
MAR. 13
PRIMARY
ELECTIONS
IS
FEB. 11
Sound-Off • • • Letters to the editor
Dear Editor,
I am writing to you about an out-
standing experience my family hod
with a business in your community.
The business is Isaac's Motor Co.
We are from Niceville, Fla. and
were visiting family in Houston
County over the holidays. On the
afternoon of Dec. 25, Christmas Day,
I had a relatively minor accident
just west of Alto. Although no one
was hurt, a significant amount of
damage was done to my Chevrolet
Suburban. It was subsequently
towed to Isaac's.
The next day the mechanics made
an assessment of the damage. Al-
though that list had been made,
work could not be done until our
Insurance company could send an
adjuster to review the damage
To make a long story short, Mr.
Dub Isaac waB sympathetic to our
situation and helped us immensely.
Ultimately, the Isaac Motor person-
nel gave 110 percent and made all
the necessary repairs by Sunday,
Dec. 31. We were able to drive our
Suburban home with our family and
all the Christmas presents we had
received.
Although I have not had the op-
portunity to do business with other
establishments in your community,
if they are of the quality that Isaac's
Motor Co. is, I'm sure it would be a
very pleasant experience. With
merchants like Isaac's, I'm certain
your community of Rusk makes
favorable lasting impressions on
visitors that pass through your area.
Roundabout.. .with Marie Whitehead
As its designers have indicated, our facility will
provide a model for others to emulate. This is impor-
tant, but it is not the most important aspect of this far
reaching service.
We have joined hands in partnership with TDCJ.
This is a beginning. Our area leaders have ex-
hausted every effort to bring these negotiations to
a successful conclusion. The personnel at Rusk
State Hospital are to be highly commended for their
patience and helpfulness in achieving this opportu-
nity for the area to grow.
Saturday's celebration is the high point in a three
year journey toward greater service. It is the result
of teamship, togetherness. Every person who had
any connection with this project is to be praised for
a "can do" spirit which is necessary to all successes
in life.
This we have done. Of this we may be proud. And
we can say together, "Congratulations on a job well
done."
What a difference three years can
make! And yet it seems only yester-
day that 1987 had barely begun.
And a lot of us were experiencing
similar symptoms of apprehension
and anxiety. We were aware that
change was in the wind. That makes
most of us a bit edgy.
The trend in Texas had been a
slow, but steady and deliberate
move away from large institu-
tions of service for the mentally
ill...and toward smaller, commu-
nity oriented facilities of serv-
ice. As this handwriting on the
wall was being read, rumors
surfaced. About the possible
closure of at least two state hos-
pitals. Then it was no longer
rumor, but a recommendation
from THE Legislative Budget
Board!
Tremors rippled across RSH per-
sonnel. These were felt by all per-
sons who were aware of the possible
loss of this facility. Clearly, if RSH
was doomed to the chopping block,
more than a Band-Aid was needed!
The spring of 1987 (when the 70th
Legislature was in session) will
always stand out in our minds as a
time when the impossible was
achieved.
Did some feel that our area
was being just a bit greedy in
pursuit of state dollars? Perhaps
they did. BUT...look at it like
this: "State services are man-
dated and shall be provided."
Somewhere. Sure. BUT...why
not here? Texas in 1987 was (still
is) suffering from prison over-
crowding. If RSH was to be
closed, or at best diminished in
its service, why not pursue a
plan for prisons?
And now, three years later. Many
trips to Austin by the Better Half,
Jim Perkins, Joe Terrell and Bruce
Stovall...representing the Rusk
Industrial Foundation. ..providers of
the 58-acre expansion site. Much
negotiating, consulting, compromis-
ing. In every struggle, there is both
give and take. Vernon took MSU.
Many of us thought our hearts would
break. But change has no room for
sentimentality. Change is inevitable
and the best thing to do is accept
and grow and prosper and be thank-
ful!
Saturday we have the oppor-
tunity to join in a historic,
momentous celebration of dedi-
cation. After so much dedicated
effort, it is truly fitting that we
pause to dedicate the nearly $8
million, two-story
structure...which is a model for
other prisons in the U.S.
It is state-of-the-art, one of a kind
and if you possibly can, attend the
10 a.m. ceremony around the flag
pole area. If the weather íb bad, the
function will be moved indoors. It is
truly a unique facility...and
strangely enough, it happens to be
in a unique setting.
We can say unique because
where else in Texas has TDC
been located...once...and
left...and returned. For those
who don't remember local his-
tory, it may be helpful to recall
that in the 1870s a prison was
established here and operated
until its closure in 1917. That
original stone structure contin-
ues in service today as the main
office for Rusk State HospitaL
In a sense, 1987 was just a com-
ing-home for TDCJ. It is good, isn't
it, to congratulate them on their
return here and to share in this
significant step forward in growth
Bervice for the state and this area!
What a great day Saturday will be
for TDCJ and all of us who support
this fine facility. Equally important
is congratulations to the Texas
Department of Mental Health and
Mental Retardation for their splen-
did cooperation in the uniqueness of
this arrangement—two state
services,co-existing, side by side, in
total effort to provide for the needs
of people.
Certainly, 1990 is off to a great
start! Is it too late to say, (again)
"Happy New Year!" Until next
week? -mw
,t l
•• I
20,400,000 seedling trees
give boost to area economy
Ai
By: JEAN LOWRY
Did you know there is a plant
nursery near Alto that raises more
than 20 million pine seedlings and
400,000 hardwood seedlings each
year and contributes an estimated
$360,000 to the local economy? Ac-
cording to Joan Landrum, office
manager at Indian Mound Nursery,
these seedlings are sold at approxi-
mate cost to Texas landowners for
reforestation and windbreak plant-
ings.
The Indian Mound Nursery is
located six miles west of Alto on
Highway 21. The original site was
73 acres acquired by the State of
Texas in 1940 with citizens of Alto
donating funds toward its purchase.
Several ever-flowing springs in
the area were a factor in the selec-
tion of the site for a nursery. Three
springs were developed and the
water cha nneled into two reservoirs,
each about five surface acres, for
irrigation purposes. The presence
ofthe springs probably accounts for
the original use of the area by the
Caddo Indians. An "IT shaped
mound about 30 feet high located on
the north side of the nursery prop-
erty is believed to have been con-
structed by the Caddo Indians as a
placet worship their Sun God. An
additional 127 acres was purchased
in 1977.
The nursery, which is operated by
the Texas Forest Service, a part of
the Texas A & M University Sys-
tem, has been actively involved in a
genetic improvement program since
1951 to provide Texas landowners
with seedlings of superior quality
over woods-run stock.
There are seven species of pine
seedlings such as slash pine, which
shows excellent rust resistance as
well as improved growth and form
over regular loblolly when planted
on good sites; the drought-hardy
loblolly which has been proven to
survive a couple of weeks longer in
a drought than regular loblolly, and
the Virginia pine which has been
favored by Christmas tree growers.
Hiere are twenty species of wind-
break seedlings such as bur oak,
green ash, lacebark elm, mulberry
and oriental arborvitae. All seed-
lings are grown from seed collected
from seed orchard trees selected for
their superior growth and excellent
characteristics.
Growingthese seedlings is a year-
round job as constant care must be
taken in all phases of production.
About 60 employees are used De-
cember through February, the lift-
ing and shipping season, and 10 em-
ployees the rest of the year.
In the fall, soil samples are taken
from all areas and tested. Top dress-
ing is determined from the results
[a
of these tests. In the spring, the
land is prepared for planting. A
rotary tiller is used to prepare and
shape the beds. Each bed is four
foot wide with an alleyway for equip-
ment. An automatic circular irriga-
tion system runs between each nine
rows, which is called a compart-
ment. A special seed drill is used for
planting. Most pine seed are sown
in eight drills on each four foot wide
seedbeds.
Twenty-five to 27 plantable seed-
lings are produced per square foot of
nursery bed space.
Seedlings are grown in each
compartment for two consecutive
years, then a ¿overcrop of millet
and rye grass is grown for two years.
This cover crop is plowed into the
soil for enrichment.
Immediately after sowing, a
mulch is applied to the beds to con-
serve moisture, prevent rain dam-
age and reduce soil temperatures.
A chemical is used in the summer to
control insects, weeds and grass.
In December when the seedlings JÍJ
are approximately nine months old
and the temperature has been be- &
tween 35-46 degrees for 400 hours,
3
WISD board meets,
names superintendent
a mechanical lifter lifts the seed-
lings which are then taken to the
grading building. These seedlings **
move down a conveyor belt where
they are culled, graded and sprayed
with a gel to hold moisture. They
are then bundled in bags and stored
at 36 degrees in a refrigerated seed-
ling storage building ready to be
shipped to landowners throughout
Texas.
|
£
s
R. Perry Muse was named super-
intendent of Wells ISD when the
board met in regular session Jan.
11. Muse follows Dr. Victoria Wil-
liams who resigned to take a similar
position in New Jersey. Muse has
been with the district for nearly
four years as high school principal
and he was offered a contract for 18
months.
Elementary Principal Richard
Hawthorne and school Counselor
Robert Luce will assume some of
the duties until a new high school
principal is hired. The search for
someone to fill that position is esti-
mated to take three to four weeks.
Erica Calhoun was named ele-
mentary student of the month and
Tommie Lynn Seymore was selected
high school student of the month.
Each month, the faculties of each
campus honor a student who shows
leadership and academic excellence.
School Counselor Robert Luce
gave a report on the gifted and tal-
ented program and its extension in
the coming school year to include
the high school. He reported that
the selection process would be about
the same as for the elementary
program which was begun last
September. The program is a state-
mandated one and in the high school,
the language arts courses will be
the first gifted and talented classes
offered, according to Luce.
Trustees inspected the remodeled
boya,restroom in the rock building.
They also approved the start of the
remodeling of the girls restroom in
that same building. |N
Scheduling of the annual board
retreat was tabled until the next
meeting as was action to solicit bids
for a new security system.
Superintendent Muse reported
that signs denoting administrative
names and offices would beinstalled
in the new high school addition. The
board voted unanimously for that
installation.
In informational items, Muse
discussed damage to the gym floor
from broken water pipes following
the recent freeze.
Other reports included possible
sale of school surplus items, brick
work on the damage to the gym wall
and the telephone bill.
R. Perry Muse
New Superintendent WISD
Singletary
Memorial Library
By: Peggy McArthur
Thought* to Ponder:
If the road to hell is paved with
good intentions, where must the
road paved with bad intentions
lead? -JR
LIBRARY HOURS: Monday 1-6
p.m.; Tuesday, Wednesday, Thurs-
day and Friday 12 noon - 5 p.m.
STORYTIME: Wednesday 10:30
a.m. January is "Dinosaur* month.
NEW BOOKSt
Free Money For Small Busi-
nesses and Entrepreneurs - This
is a revised and updated directory
to sources of small business capital
provided by nonprofit and govern-
ment agencies.
Head First, the Biology of
Hope • Norman Cousins - The
author of Anatomy Of An ¡Unta* i
convinced that the mind can help
mobilise the body's healing re-
sources and offers scientific evi-
dence.
NEW FICTION INCLUDES:
The Boat Of A Million Yean •
A new science fiction novel by Paul
Anderson.
Babylon South • Jon Cleary -
Twenty years after his death, High
Court Judge Springfellow's body is
discovered and the Australian de-
tective Scobie Malone is called upon
to investigate the murder.
Lets go back in time with Jan De
Hartog and explore ancient Rome
along with retired sea captain
Martinus Harinxma. The name of
this mystical adventure ia The
Centurión.
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Profeá
Kenrl
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$21
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Cherokeean/Herald (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 141, No. 50, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 18, 1990, newspaper, January 18, 1990; Rusk, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth151939/m1/2/: accessed April 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Singletary Memorial Library.