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County's Veteran Memorial is Going Up
Memorial Being Raised--Workers from the Willis Granite Company delivered five of the slabs and part of the centerpiece for the Floyd County Veteran's Memorial on Monday, October 21.
SKYLER CORNELIUS, the 4-H'er who spearheaded the Veteran's Memorial project was able to participate in the excitement of placing the slabs on the courthouse lawn, October 21. Workers from Willis Granite Company stayed busy Monday putting up several of the granite name slabs for the Veterans Memorial. After being set down in the concrete, the slabs were quickly covered to await the unveiling November 11. More panels will be set within the coming days. The Memorial is being built by the family owned business, Willis Granite Company. The company is based in the town of Granite in southwest Oklahoma. Willis Granite mines, processes, and sells granite. The company owns a 350 foot tall, one mile long granite mountain--a quarry called Headquarters Mountain along with a processing plant and office building in Granite. It also has showrooms in Altus, Elk City and Oklahoma City. In 1948, J.R. Willis bought the company from Pellow Brothers. The descendants of J.R. have kept the business alive. In 1983, the eldest son, Bill, his wife, Ellen, and their three daughters took equal ownership of the company. A third generation of co-owners are also actively involved. Willis said his company is the only one in Oklahoma that quarries, or mines its own granite, sends it next door to a company owned diamond sawing and polishing plant and sells directly to customers at retail value. The company deals in veterans memorials, burial headstones, and also makes kitchen and bathroom counter tops, statue bases and signs. The company will soon be installing a second granite sign, costing about $25,000, at the south end of the state capitol. Willis Granite Products installed the first sign on the north side of the Capital eight months ago. The signs, each about 16 feet long and 4 feet tall, display lettering and the state seal engraved in gold. Floyd County's Veteran Memorial has been coming alive at the Willis Granite Company. After extensive research and name collecting by the Memorial volunteers, Skyler Cornelius, Julianne Cornelius, and Janet Milam the list was turned over to Willis Granite. The names were put in a computer, printed out, and rechecked for errors. Once corrected the computer cut letters, from the names, into rubber stencils. The stencil is then glued to the polished granite panel. Each letter is picked to expose the granite underneath and again checked for errors. The granite pieces have already been cut, sawed, and polished to get ready for lettering. The stencils are now engraved with aluminum oxide at high pressure (similar to sand blasting without the sand). The high pressure engraves the letters into the polish. A white lithochrome, made for the monument industry, is sprayed over the sandblasted surface. Next the stencil is peeled off and the panel is cleaned. "Julianne and Skyler spent many many hours checking spelling and placement of names before we even started. "Several people have been working at engraving for over a month," said owner Bill Willis. "Each panel is 8 foot tall--1 foot in the concrete, and 7 foot out of the concrete. The panels are 6 inches thick and 3 foot wide. Each panel weighs over a ton. There will be 10 panels and over 4,000 names." The Memorial design is such that names can be added in the future. "There are five steps used to design a veterans memorial, " said Willis. "The centerpiece needs a national emblem. This memorial will have a star at the top with a flag in the center. In the monument business the star usually stands for Jesus. Here it will represent the State of Texas. "The center piece will also identify Floyd County and all the branches of the military served in by the veterans. There is also a very appropriate Bible verse: 'Greater love hath no man than that he lay down his life for his friends.' The names of veterans who died in the service will be engraved on the center portion. "The names will start on the left hand part of the entrance to the circle with WWI names. Continuing clockwise will be WWII names, and so forth. The names will then go to the back and come back around to the beginning." The granite is implanted in concrete one foot deep and according to Willis should withstand higher winds than the courthouse would stand. The granite is Rushmore Mahogany Granite. "You can't scratch it with a point of a knife," said Willis. "The granite is '7' on the hardness scale. If the memorial gets paint on it then it will wash off with very little stain occurring. Normal spills of coffee and coke won't affect the granite. "The memorial is made out of material that is vandal proof and has the density to last for hundreds of generations. The only concrete that is exposed is walkways. "This is going to be an extremely important monument to this county," said Willis. "It is one way of saying 'Thanks' to the veterans who gave portions of their lives or all of their lives so we might enjoy the life we have." The memorial will
be completely erected before Veteran's Day--but will be
covered until the grand opening unveiling.
You're Invited to the Dedication of the Floyd County Veteran's Memorial When: Veteran's Day, Monday, November 11, 2002 Time: 1:30 p.m. (Veteran registration in front of The Hesperian-Beacon at 12:00 noon) Place: Courthouse Lawn Keynote Speaker: Texas Speaker of the House Pete Laney U.S. Air Force Flyover: A-WAX and T-38 Fighter Planes Bomb Threat Closes School Five Floydada juveniles have been detained in connection with Monday afternoons bomb threat to Floydada High School. According to Floydada Police Chief Darrell Gooch a call was placed to Floydada High School at 12:18 p.m., Monday, October 21. The caller said there was a bomb in the building. Students were immediately evacuated from the building and dismissed for the remainder of the afternoon. The building was declared safe after a check by "bomb sniffing dogs" from Lubbock. The juveniles were detained by police after a trace of the call. "The call was made during lunch," said Gooch. "The juveniles didn't want to go back to school. "The name of an adult was also turned over to the District Attorney in connection to the case, for possible charges." The juveniles detained were three females and 2 males--ages 15 through 16 years. A FISD public information brochure for emergency procedures recommends that parents contact the school at 983-3498 in the event of a school emergency, or listen to KFLP radio station. Information about the situation will be provided through these resources.
Whirlwinds Hold off Antelopes By Bill Gray The Floydada Whirlwinds won their sixth straight game with a hard-fought 28-21 victory over the Abernathy Antelopes last Friday at Floydada's Wester Field. The Antelopes actually won the battle of statistics (366 total yards to Floydada's 335) and had more first downs than the Whirlwinds (22-16), but, in the end it was a key turnover or an outstanding defensive play at the right time that earned Floydada its second District 5-2A contest. The Whirlwinds join the Lockney Longhorns (42-35 victors over Hale Center) at the top of the district standings going into their crucial battle for the "Floyd County Championship" this week at Lockney. Losing their second district game in as many weeks, the Antelopes take their 2-5 overall record back home to re-group against the Olton Mustangs. The Mustangs fell to Friona 24-7 last week and will try to keep alive their faint playoff hopes against Abernathy. Abernathy, led by Jared Brock's rushing, opened with a score in the first two minutes with Brock carrying the final 13 yards of the 6-play drive. Brock, the area's Class 2A rushing leader (averaging almost 164 yards-per-game), finished the night with 205 yards on 33 attempts and a pair of touchdowns. A good rush by Floydada resulted in an 11-yard punt by Abernathy late in the opening period. The Whirlwinds capitalized on the good field position caused by the short punt and covered the final 38 yards in 7 plays, with Andrew Arvizu carrying the final 17 yards. Tyler Helms connected on the point-after and the teams were tied at 7-all at the end of the first quarter. The Antelopes stormed back to open the second stanza, but a quarterback sack (for a 9-yard loss) by Floydada's Jacob Morales forced the visitors into a 37-yard field goal attempt by Hugo Martinez. The kick was short, and the Whirlwinds regained the momentum with an 8 play, 80-yard scoring drive. Helms and Brady Rainwater hooked up on a 35-yard pass which set up Dustin Covington's 4-yard touchdown at the 4:04 mark of the second period. Abernathy's drive following the ensuing kickoff was short-circuited by a fumble recovery by Floydada's Chris Wickware, but the Whirlwinds returned the favor two plays later with their only lost fumble of the game. Following the fumble recovery by Derek Brown, the Antelopes attempted to capitalize on the short field position, but were again thwarted by a key Floydada defensive play. In the final minute, Luke Miller intercepted a Bufe pass at the Floydada 13-yard line. Miller's run down the east sideline was aided by a fine, open-field block by Jacob Morales. Although the play netted the Whirlwinds the ball in the half's final seconds, the block by Morales resulted in a neck injury which removed Jacob from action for the remainder of the game. His status, as well as Morgan Tijerina's (shoulder injury) is questionable for tomorrow night against the Longhorns. The Antelopes opened the second half with a 12-play scoring thrust, capped by Ryan Bufe's 1-yard touchdown plunge. Brock accounted for all but 14 yards in the 93-yard drive, and the extra-point kick by Martinez again tied the score at 14-all. Abernathy's drive consumed almost 6 minutes, but the Whirlwinds responded with a quick, 70-yard drive. Helms' 50-yard pass-and-run to Rainwater set up Gerald Henderson's 15-yard TD scamper late in the third period. Henderson finished the night with 81 yards on 6 carries and a touchdown. Andrew Arvizu scored once and carried 8 times for 63 yards. Chris Wickware was 9 for 40 yards, Dustin Covington was 8 for 34 and a TD, and Helms rounded out the rushing with 7 for 20 yards and a score. Covington recovered an Abernathy fumble to open the final period. The Whirlwinds capitalized on the turnover with a 7-play drive. Helms scored on a veer-option play from 12 yards out that faked out the interior line as well as the Antelope secondary, and then tacked on the all-important extra point. Once again Tyler was 4-for-4 in conversion kicks for the game. When asked about the touchdown, Helms replied, "They had been going to our running backs all night on any handoffs or options. We ran the 52-veer and it was just a matter of time before I could make one click by keeping...the backs did a good job of carrying out the play and the line did a super job of blocking there on the right side...they just all helped make it happen." As it turned out, the touchdown was the difference in the final outcome. Abernathy attempted to get back into the game, but time was running short. The 'Lopes took over six minutes to march 96 yards for their final score. Brock capped the 18-play drive with a 1-yard plunge and Martinez added the conversion, but Floydada fielded the attempt for an onside kick in the game's final minute and nursed the 28-21 lead to the final buzzer. Floydada Defensive Coordinator David Kennedy commented, "You've got to give a whole lot of credit to Abernathy...they gave us one heck of an effort here tonight. We had to shore up our defense after losing our tackles (Jacob Morales and Morgan Tijerina), but we've got some good backups and they came to play. We're just real happy with this win and we're going to enjoy it...it's just the next step toward that gold ball." Head coach Lee Hurt said, "They've got a good team and they really came after us. We had a feeling they were going to come out throwing." Coach Hurt added, "That No. 5 (Jared Brock) is a great running back. Our defense bent a little, but didn't break. We gave up a lot of yards with both of our starters at defensive tackle out (Morales and Tijerina)...they've really been making our defense go and we missed them. We're just really proud of this win." "We'll try not to make the Lockney game any bigger than any other game," said Hurt. This year it will mean a little more than just the County Championship-first place in the district will be on the table. We know our kids will be ready, and you can be assured they (Lockney) will be ready...it should really be a good one!" The Longhorns are the surprise of the district going into the third week of action. They boast one of the top Class 2A runners in the area in Mark Ford. The talented sophomore rushed for over 240 yards in the victory over Hale Center and had touchdown runs of 21, 12, 80 and 61 yards. The 'Horns have been patient while learning Coach Joe Robertson's new systems, have vaulted into District 5-2A's championship picture with victories over Abernathy and Hale Center, and enter tomorrow night's critical game with a fine 6-1 overall record. Tomorrow's meeting between the Whirlwinds and the Longhorns renews one of the oldest rivalries in Texas schoolboy football. For a number of years now, the game's winner has secured bragging rights for Floyd County for the ensuing year. However, this year's contest at Lockney's Mitchell-Zimmerman Field takes on a much more important meaning - this year's victor will have an inside track on the District Championship. It will be the third notch on the way to the gold ball for one of these teams, and it promises to be a "doozie." Longhorns Beat Hale Center By Coach Edwards The Lockney Longhorns have found a little magic for the second week in a row as they upended the Hale Center Owls 42-35. The Longhorns have also won their fourth consecutive game and are tied for the lead in district 5-2A. Hale Center's offense was able to use an explosive running game to hang around with the Longhorns. However, the Longhorns were able to counter back with their own high powered running attack and coming up with key defensive plays to stagger the Owls chances for a victory. " This was definitely the best game that Hale Center has played all year," Coach Robertson said. "They were in a must win situation and had to play their best. But our boys were able to rise to the occasion and did what was necessary to win the game." It took just five plays on the Owls first possession to find the end zone. Runningback Willie Joe Johnson raced in from 28-yards out. Ortiz' kick was good giving the Owls a 7-0 lead with 8:19 remaining in the first quarter. On the Longhorns next possession, Mark Ford scored on a 21-yard touchdown run. Jesus Rios' extra-point was good knotting the score 7-7 late in the first quarter. Hale Center put together a 10 play drive on their next possession and resulted with a four-yard touchdown run by Willie Joe Johnson. Ortiz extra-point was good giving the Owls the lead again 14-7. On the ensuing kickoff, the Longhorns fumbled the football and the Owls recovered it on Lockney's 13 yard line. But the Longhorns defense stopped the Owls on four downs and got the ball back, plus they kept Hale Center out of the end zone. The defensive stop gave Lockney momentum as the first half was about to come to an end. With 1:26 remaining in the first half, Mark Ford found his way into the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown run. Rios' extra-point was good making the score 14-14. On the Owls next possession, they seemed to get a bit greedy to score before the half ended. But Lockney's Cody Bayley, intercepted an Andrew West pass attempt and returned it 40 yards for another Longhorn touchdown. Rios added another extra-point giving Lockney a 21-12 lead at the half. Hale Center began the second half by digging themselves a hole getting into a fourth and long situation. But Willie Joe Johnson faked a punt attempt and ran for a first down. Ten plays later and another fourth and goal situation, Johnson would score his third touchdown of the evening from four yards out. The extra-point was good tying the game 21-21. Lockney put together an impressive drive on their next possession marching the ball down field and scoring in 12 plays. Michael Rodriguez scampered into the end zone for a nine-yard touchdown run. Rios again nailed the extra-point giving the Longhorns a 28-21 lead with :04 remaining in the third quarter. But in the fourth quarter is when all of the excitement began. Hale Center fumbled deep in Longhorn territory on their next possession. On the very next play from scrimmage, Lockney's Mark Ford raced to the end zone scoring for an 83-yard touchdown. The extra-point was good giving the Longhorns their biggest lead of the night 35-21. Just when you thought the Longhorns were ready to put it away, Hale Center connected on a fourth and nine to keep their drive going late in the fourth quarter. With 4:27 remaining in the game, Johnson scored his fourth touchdown on a five yard run. Ortiz' extra-point was good closing the gap to 35-28. The Longhorns began their next possession at their own 25. Two plays later, Ford broke a few tackles and raced into the end zone for a 61-yard touchdown run. Rios' extra-point extended Lockney's lead 42-28 with 3:35 remaining in the game. Hale Center returned the kickoff all the way to the Longhorns 49-yard line giving them good field position. Seven plays later Jacob Rieff scored on a four-yard touchdown run. Ortiz again connected on the extra-point making the score 42-35 with 1:02 left in the game. Hale Center failed to recover the onside kick. But on Lockney's first play from scrimmage the ball was stripped by the Owls giving them another chance to tie the game. With :52 remaining, Andrew West had an attempted pass tipped and intercepted by Matt McPherson. But on the interception return the ball was stripped again by the Owls giving them a first down and another chance to tie the game. But on the very next play, the Owls fumbled the snap and Lockney recovered it to finally put an end to the game. "Our young men played hard and did the right thing when they had to," Coach Robertson exclaimed. "When you keep playing hard you tend to have a little luck….and a little luck results in success." Mark Ford finished the night with 232 yards rushing and four touchdowns. He also led the team with 16 tackles. Michael Rodiguez rushed for 55 yards and a touchdown. Ben Sherman rushed for a total of 56 yards on the night. R.J. Cruz had 13 tackles and an interception. Marcus Ascencio also had 13 tackles on the night. Both Matt McPherson and Cody Bayley had interceptions. The Longhorns increase their overall record to 6-1 and 2-0 in district. Lockney is in a tie with next week's opponent, Floydada (6-1) (2-0). The game will be at Lockney starting at 7:30 p.m.
FOY ( BRYANT) CARPENTER Foy (Bryant) Carpenter, 92, died Saturday, October 19, 2002 at Edgewood Centre in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Funeral services were held at Middle Street Baptist Church in Portsmouth at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 23, 2002. She had lived in Floydada for 45 years. She was preceded in death by her daughter, Norma Wilcox of Dallas. Survivors include her husband, Marion; her son, Wayne and wife, Norma of Atlanta; her daughter, Jane Lapriore and husband, Jerry of Portsmouth, New Hampshire; and her son-in-law, Ron Wilcox of Dallas; eight grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
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Once again, gentle reader, the elections are upon us, and I must confess we haven't spent as much time as usual in trying to figure out whom to vote for. In some races there was, and is, no problem. But in some races, particularly the statewide judicial races, we will be going to the polls about as blind as most voters. For that we will blame time spent with doctors and dentists. It seems to take them a little more time on general maintenance than has been the case in former years. They either work slower, or there is more maintenance to do. At any rate we will have no trouble on the top of the State ticket. Nor do we have any problem in recommending a vote for Mac Thornberry for U.S. Representative. With Thornberry we feel we are most fortunate being represented in the Congress by some youngster (comparatively speaking) who grew up on a West Texas ranch and still has his head screwed on right in terms of today's problems, While we have certain problems with some of the lesser lights, we have no hesitation in voting for Perry, Cornyn, and Dewhurst. Well, maybe a little in the case of Dewhurst for the office of Lieutenant Governor. We simply have an uneasy feeling about him, but not nearly as much as we do about his opponent, John Sharp, which we will get into immediately. The top of the Democratic ticket was put together by John Sharp, primarily to help John Sharp. Tony Sanchez, the Democratic candidate for Governor, had (and has) little chance of becoming Governor, but he had (and has) the millions upon millions of dollars necessary to bring out the vote in certain quarters. Ron Kirk, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senator, is black, and that is the principal reason he was selected for the ticket. Quite frankly, we think Kirk is a good man, but nowhere near the caliber of John Cornyn in consideration for a seat in the United States Senate. Sharp, of course, is simply all things to all people, a self-serving politician whose principal concern is the welfare of John Sharp. If his handiwork is successful, Sanchez will bring out the Hispanic vote for the Democratic ticket, Kirk will bring out the black vote for the ticket, and Sharp will reap the benefit by adding to that vote total his own following. Beyond that, certain problems arise. Generally speaking, the Republican candidates are more capable than their Democratic counterparts, but not in all cases. In some cases, in fact in most cases, it comes down to a choice of the lesser of two evils. In some cases the contrast is so great that there really is no problem in choosing, but it is still a choice of who is the lesser. In some cases, it is simply a matter of knowing one candidate and not knowing the other, or, in not knowing either. We have a real problem, for instance, between Judge Margaret Mirabal, formerly a Justice of the 1sst Court of Appeals, running as a Democrat for Place 4 on the Texas Supreme Court, and Steven W. Smith, running as a Republican for the same spot. We hear very good things about Mirabal. She has taken some positions generally not associated with what we might call the "Democratic base", and Smith is the lawyer who won the so-called "Hopwood" case that outlawed race as a determining factor in admissions to the Texas University Law School. Either would appear a safe bet, but on balance we would recommend a vote for Mirabal. We would be less than honest if we did not admit to certain biases in whom we vote for, or, rather, in whom we vote against. If you search the ballot for the names, for instance, you will find the names Kirk Watson and Marty Akins, one running for Attorney General and the other for Comptroller. I will vote against either, for anything, anytime. Both are simply trial lawyers who have made their wealth by suing others. Kirk was Mayor of Austin for two terms, basking in the glory and support of the counterculture, and Akins played football for the University of Texas many years ago. By training and temperament, or by any other measure, neither is qualified for the office they seek. In any case, gentle reader, go vote for your own choice. In any event, vote for the candidate who has contributed the most to your own well-being, financially, morally, spiritually and politically. Then, pray you were right.
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1997 BLACK CHEVROLET shortbed with bed cover. New tires. Excellent condition. Call 983-3320 or 983-3355.
FOR SALE--White 1992 Skylark Buick. 91,000 miles. Call 983-2740.
NEED HELP WITH YOUR COMPUTER? Troubleshooting, upgrading, repairs. Mac and PC. Call 806-983-6306.
LET ME BUILD YOUR WEB PAGE- Graphic Design Artist and proficient with PC's and Mac's. Call Jeffrey Hunter for quote, 806-652-2370. Go to www.duststorm.net for more information.
39 ACRES--Ideal location south of town. Call 903-334-9361.
CUSTOM WHEAT PLANTING--Melvin Lloyd - 983-3450.
FISHING LEASE: $400.00 per year. Irons Ranch - 12 miles north of Matador. Call 781-9949 or 778-5304.
Floydada FOR RENT--2 bedroom house. 316 W. Hallie. Call 983-3878.
FOR SALE OR RENT--101 J.B. Avenue, Floydada. 3 bedroom, 1 3/4 bath, den with fireplace. $550 per month rent or $38,000, negotiable. Call 983-5855.
Lockney FOR RENT--Clean, furnished apartment. Water and trash collection included. Call Barker Realty - 652-2642.
Floydada ESTATE SALE--428 S. White - Saturday, October 26th - 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
912 LEONARD STREET--Saturday, October 26th - 8:00 a.m. -??. Clothing, shoes and miscellaneous items.
THREE FAMILY GARAGE SALE--Large garage sale Saturday, October 26th. 718 W. California. 8:00 a.m. - ??. Furniture, babybed, strollers, marble top tables, microwave, clothes, Christmas decorations, toys, etc.
GRAZING WANTED--Wheat pasture, milo stalks and/or grass. 32¢ gain and $9.00 a head a month advance. 292-9723 or 983-5431 (night).
OWENS COOP GIN is taking applications for the upcoming ginning season. All positions are available, i.e. gin labor (male and female) and truck drivers (male and female). Apply in person at Owens Coop Gin, 1286 FM 40, Ralls, Texas.
$MANAGER TRAINEE$ - $525/week average. Call 766-7175.
HOUSES FOR SALE 3 BEDROOM BRICK HOME with 2 baths, fireplace, central heat/ac, single car garage, double drive and carport. Small shop and storage building at 816 Cedar. Good neighborhood. Call 983-5284.
HOUSE FOR SALE--3 bedroom, 1 bath with garage and cellar. 409 W. California. $24,000.00. Call 983-2967 - leave message.
PRICE REDUCED--Brick home, 3 bedroom, 1 3/4 bath, near high school. 808 W. Marivena. $39,500.00. Call 983-2389.
HOUSE FOR SALE-- 223 W. Ollie. 5 lots, storm cellar and storage building. 3 bedroom, 1 1/2 bath, den and fireplace. PRICE REDUCED! Call 983-3545.
FOR SALE--2 bedroom, 1 bath, 1 car garage. 321 W. Georgia. Call 785-0724 for information. $25,000.00.
**2 BEDROOM, 1 bath house on Mississippi. SHOWN BY APPOINTMENT---Call Sam Hale Real Estate - 806-983-3261.
FOR SALE--Weaning pigs, sows and boar. Call 983-7099 daytime or 983-2981 evening.
LOST: BLACK MALE CAT, 1 1/2 years old. Nuetered. White patch on chest. Call 983-2726.
WASHER AND DRYER set for sale. $75.00. Call 983-2082 or 983-3700.
FOR SALE--SWEET POTATOES 6 miles north of Flomot. Joe Edd Helms - Call 469-5387.
16'x 90' MOBILE HOME to be moved. Will hlep move. 3 bedroom, 2 bath, porches. Assumable loan. Call 652-2520 or 292-9820.
ALPHATEX KENNEL, AIKEN, TEXAS offers superior quality AKC Registered, DNA Certified Collies, Golden Retrievers and German Shepherds. Puppies and stud service available. 806-652-3458 or 806-292-5348.
Floyd County, pursuant to a tax foreclosure sale, is offering for sale the following property in the City of Lockney: All of Lots No. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 in Block 35 and Lots 1 and 2 in Block G of the N. B. Davis Survey located in the City of Lockney, Floyd County, Texas also known as the Webster Service and Supply, Inc. property. Any offers should be submitted to: William D. Hardin, County Judge, Courthouse Room 105, Floydada, Texas 79235.
LARRY OGDEN AUCTIONEERING-Estates, Farm, Ranch, Business, Liquidations, State Licensed and Bonded. (806) 983-5808. TX. #9240.
HANDY MAN repair, painting, wood work. Dale Griffin. Call 983-3915.
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