Roscoe Icon Bernard Shelan Dies in Longview

Bernard Shelan, 96, one of the last of a disappearing generation and for years one of the best known people in Roscoe and west Texas, died in Longview last Wednesday night. 

After making his name as a football player for the Roscoe Plowboys and the ACC Wildcats in the 1930s, he served in the Army Air Corps in World War II, got married, and after the war returned to Roscoe to raise three sons with his wife, Sylvia. 

He took over the family business, Shelansky Dry Goods, and over the years developed it into one of the most prominent western wear stores in the Big Country.  Always one of Roscoe’s most active and civic-minded citizens, he was a long-time volunteer fireman and member of the Lions Club.  He will be remembered for his friendliness, good cheer, and community involvement.

A complete obituary is provided below.  

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WRONG-WAY DRIVER CAUSES FATAL CRASH ON I-20 WEST OF TOWN
 

A memorial wreath on I-20 where Cory Lynn Carlile died.

A driver going the wrong way on I-20 early Friday morning collided head-on with another car three miles west of Roscoe causing one fatality and one injury.

According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, Gustavo Cervantes, 36, of Wichita Falls, was driving a 2002 Dodge Ram eastbound in the westbound passing lane of I-20 when he crashed into a 2006 Toyota SXC at approximately 2:41am.  Cervantes was taken to Hendrick Medical Center in Abilene and has since been released.

Cory Lynn Carlile, 41, of Rowlett, who was driving the Toyota the right way, wasn’t so lucky.  A technician for Exterran, a natural gas company in Fort Worth, he was apparently killed instantly and was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. The body was taken to McCoy Funeral Home in Roscoe.

The crash occurred .4 of a mile east of mile marker 233, just west of the Duncan-Hastings road overpass.  It is currently under investigation by the Texas Department of Public Safety.

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ROBOTICS CLASS WINS PUNKIN’ CHUNKIN’ CONTEST
by John Cox

The catapult built by the Physics class.

Roscoe Collegiate High recently completed a Punkin' Chunkin' Contest.  Robotics challenged the Physics class and the Ag Department to a contest with each team having a week to construct a catapult.

Robotics won the event with a long throw of 90 feet for the pumpkin and 120 feet for a basketball.  They used a trebuchet design as seen in the photos.

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RHS CLASS OF 1962 CELEBRATES 50TH ANNIVERSARY WITH REUNION IN SAN ANTONIO
by Ann Klepper Etheredge

Several members of the Roscoe High School Class of 1962 celebrated their 50th anniversary with a reunion recently in San Antonio.  Friendships were renewed and many memories were shared of "how things used to be and who we were back then."  Age & fading memories did not allow the truth to interfere with good stories. 

The older, but never "former," Plowgirls and Plowboys took a barge ride on the San Antonio River, ate some great food, and took lots of pictures—at least those who knew how to operate their phones or cameras took pictures! 
 
It was a wonderful weekend with lots of laughter.  At the end of one evening, the group gathered in a circle and surprised others in the restaurant by singing "The Eyes of Roscoe" and loudly cheering, "R-R-R-o-s, C-C-C-o-e, R-O-S-C-O-E, Roscoe!  Roscoe!  Roscoe!" 

Those attending were Ruth Ellen (Richburg) Hill, Diane Smalligan, Betty (Parks) Graham, Kathryn (Kerby) Rister, Retha (Dooley) Antoniello, Pat (Nations) Althof, Joe Darrell Powell, Warren and Georgia Haney, Wade and Judy McLeod, Lewis and Monica Cleckler, Ed and Lynda (Hastings) Stafford, and Cliff and Ann (Klepper) Etheredge.

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WEATHER REPORT

The sorry state of Lake Trammell.  The stench of the visible dead fish fills the air around what's left of the water.  (Photo courtesy of Robert McBride.)

Beautiful Thanksgiving weather was followed by a cool weekend with highs in the sixties and lows in the forties.  On Sunday the high got up to 77°F, but then a cold front came in, and yesterday morning Roscoe got another freeze.  The temperature dropped down to 30°F and stayed there for about four hours.
 
Today’s high should be in only the sixties, but the forecast is for warmer weather tomorrow with highs in the mid to upper seventies through the weekend and into early next week.  Lows should be in the fifties.
 
Despite the day-to-day fluctuations, the long term view is that the area still needs more precipitation.  Last year’s drought has still not been completely overcome, as can be seen by the current state of Lake Trammell, pictured above, which is almost dried up.
 
Unfortunately, there is no rain in the forecast.

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✡  BERNARD M. SHELAN    

Graveside services were held at 2:00pm on Sunday at Congregation Shearith Israel Cemetery in Dallas for Bernard M. Shelan (né Shelansky), 96, who passed away last Wednesday, November 21, from natural causes.

Bernard M. Shelansky was born on July 17, 1916, in St. Louis to Charles and Rae Shelansky and raised in South Philadelphia. At the age of 13, he moved with his parents and brothers, Harold and Bobby, to Roscoe, where his parents opened Shelansky’s Dry Goods.  He quickly embraced his new life and made many friends by joining the Boy Scouts, taking on a paper route, and playing sports—especially football.  Although he was small in stature, his speed and agility on the football field earned him many accolades, including the nickname Mousie and a football scholarship to Abilene Christian College.  By the time he finished senior year there, he had set a record for kickoff returns that remained intact for the next 20 years.

In 1938, he graduated with a B.S. Degree in Physical Training and moved to Houston to teach courses at the Houston Jewish Community Center. In 1941, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps and was stationed in Houston. During this time, he met and dated Sylvia R. Krawitz of Tulsa, OK. They were married in Houston in 1943 and after the war returned to Roscoe to assume ownership of the family store. During the ensuing thirty years, they developed Shelansky’s Dry Goods into the region’s most prominent western wear store and a social hub of the community. 

For 18 years, he was an active member of the volunteer fire department, often leaving his store at a moment’s notice when the siren signaled. He fought ranch fires in 106°F temperatures and winter fires so cold that the water from the fire hose froze on contact. He was a Lion and a lifelong member of the Elks Club, as well as a Shriner, where he was a 32nd degree Mason, and served as president of the Shriners in 1966.

He and Sylvia raised their three sons, Ronald, Charles, and Evan, to believe in the importance of honesty, hard work, humor, and education.  He encouraged all three boys to participate in sports and taught them the significance of teamwork and perseverance. He was admired by friends and family for his strength of character and will.

In 1979, he and Sylvia sold Shelansky’s Dry Goods and retired to Abilene, where they remained until 1993, when they relocated to Longview to be closer to their youngest son, Evan, and his family. They were longtime members of Temple Mizpah in Abilene and Temple Emanu-El in Longview.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Charles and Rae, and two brothers, Harold and Bobby. He is survived by Sylvia Shelan, his wife of 69 years; his sons and daughters-in-law, Ronald and Lillian Shelan of Santa Rosa, CA, Charles and Norma Shelan of Olympia, WA, and Evan and Debbie Shelan of Longview; granddaughters Naomi Shelan and Rick Dell’Ara of San Francisco, CA, Lillian and Casey Berman of San Francisco, CA, Aliza Shelan of San Francisco, CA, Ashleah Shelan of Los Angeles, CA, Heather and Tim Cole of Melbourne, Australia, Erin and Wade Skinner of Flint, TX, and Stephanie and Doni Katz of Berkeley, CA; and his four great grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his name to the Shriner’s Hospital, Temple Emanu-El,  Longview, TX 75605.

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Happy Thanksgiving!

If you’re reading this, then you’ve made it to Thanksgiving for another year, and, if nothing else, you can be grateful for that.  But of course there is always more than that to be thankful for, and tomorrow most of us will once again be getting together with family somewhere to give those thanks, celebrate, and enjoy the day. 

Most of us will also be eating those once-a-year dishes reserved for the day: roast turkey, dressing, giblet gravy, sweet potatoes, and cranberry sauce, topped off with mincemeat or pumpkin pie.  With the possible exception of the sweet potatoes, does anyone actually ever eat any of these dishes any time during the rest of the year?  I know I don’t.

All you football fans will be happy to know that, once again, the day will be a football extravaganza on TV.  Yes, one of the teams, as always, will be the Detroit Lions, but they won’t be playing the Cowboys this year.  Instead, they’ll face off against the high-flying Houston Texans at noon on CBS. 

Then, at 3:30 the Cowboys get their turn on Fox, this year against RGIII and the Washington Redskins, and with the way the Cowboys have been playing this year, there is no telling how that one will turn out.

Unfortunately, there is no Longhorn-Aggie game this year for the first time in decades.  Instead, Texas will be playing TCU at 6:30 on ESPN, in a game that strikes me as something of an anticlimax.  Aggie fans have already had their Thanksgiving game.  It came weekend before last against Alabama. 

In any case, Happy Thanksgiving, and here’s wishing you all a safe and wonderful holiday break!

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COMMUNITY CENTER TO HOST THANKSGIVING DINNER

If you want to enjoy a good Thanksgiving dinner without the hassle of fixing it, or if you’re away from family this year and have nowhere to go, the solution to your problem is at the Roscoe Community Center, which is hosting a Thanksgiving Dinner from 11:00am-3:00pm with turkey, dressing, and all the trimmings.

The price is $6 a plate, including drinks and dessert, and all are invited.

Donations and help are also welcome. For more information, contact Helen Perry at 325-766-3149.

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ROSCOE MAN FINDS WHAT MAY BE OLD MITCHELL COUNTY COURTHOUSE CORNERSTONE

Juan San Agustin and the Mitchell County cornerstone.

Recently, while on a family outing to Lake Trammell, Juan San Agustin noticed a limestone rock his family members were walking over.  Curious because of its square shape, he dug it out of the dirt, turned it over, and was surprised to find that on the side that had been down there were letters etched into it, the most prominent being the numerals 1884.

He also noticed that badly rusted barbed wire had apparently been used to tie the stone to something.  He was unable to make out what the words said but knew he had something historical and was afraid to knock off the rust and caked dirt for fear of damaging the letters.  He took the stone home and later brought it to me since he knows I am the curator of the Roscoe Historical Museum. 

The stone is 12” x 11” x 5” and weighs 45 pounds.  After carefully brushing off some of the rust and dirt from the letters, I was able to make out what they spell:

                                                  MITCHEL. CO.
                                                  COURTHOUSE
                                                          1 8 8 4
                                                   HARRY HALL

Speculating that what San Agustin might have found was the cornerstone of the original Mitchell County Courthouse, I did some research online and found information that said the original courthouse was built in Colorado City in 1883 of native rock.  It was torn down shortly afterwards because the original surveyor made a mistake and built it in the right-of-way of Oak Street instead of facing Oak Street, as intended.  The second courthouse was demolished to make way for the current one, built in 1924.  

Although the lettering on the stone is neat and carefully done, it is not professional work such as you'd see on a tombstone, so another possibility is that the rocklayer, who may have been the Harry Hall whose name is on the stone, carved the letters himself before laying the stone in the courthouse wall. 

In any case, after the original courthouses were torn down, it appears that someone picked up the stone, tied barbed wire around it and threw it into Lake Trammell, perhaps for use as an anchor for a trot line. Then it lay there forgotten for many years until San Agustin saw it and picked it up. 

The cornerstone has been donated to the Heart of West Texas Museum in Colorado City and will soon be on display there.  Patty Pharis, the curator of the museum, was surprised and glad to get the relic of an earlier time.

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PLOWGIRLS’ WIN STREAK SNAPPED AT FOUR BY COLORADO CITY 27-23

The Plowgirls suffered their first defeat of the season last night as Colorado City pulled out a come-from-behind victory to win a close game 27-23.  Previous to that, the Plowgirls were riding a four-game winning streak after beating Winters in Winters last Friday evening.

Against Colorado City, the score was tied 5-5 at the end of the first quarter, and at halftime the Plowgirls led 13-12.  They then led by two at the end of the third quarter 19-17, but in the final frame, they were overtaken by the Lady Wolves and lost by four points. 

Even so, Colorado City as a 2A school is larger than Roscoe, so the defeat, while disappointing, is something the Plowgirls can take in stride and learn from.

The Plowgirls were led in scoring by Stina Tomlin with 5 points, while four girls—Faith Boren, Kendall Moses, Carolina Perez, and Torrey Willman—had 4 each.  

Last Friday, the Plowgirls won their fourth game in a row with a victory over the Lady Blizzards, 37-27. 
 
At the end of a closely played first quarter, the score was 8-7 in favor of the Plowgirls, who extended their lead in the second quarter to be up at halftime 18-9.  By the end of the third quarter, the Plowgirls were ahead 27-17 and went on to win the game by ten 37-27.

Leading scorer for the Plowgirls was Carolina Perez with 10 points, followed by Faith Boren with 8 and Mirian Solis with 6.

The Plowgirls are now 4-1 and will play their next game next Tuesday, November 27, against the Lady Bearcats in Hawley.

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PLOWBOYS’ FIRST BASKETBALL GAME CANCELLED

The Plowboys were originally scheduled to play their first basketball game of the season last night against Colorado City, but the game was called off because the Wolves won their bi-district football game over Crane 20-0 last weekend and so are still involved in the football playoffs.  

The Plowboys’ first game will now be Hawley next Tuesday in Hawley. 

With this year’s re-alignment of the districts, both the Plowboys and Plowgirls will have new district foes.  As members of Class 1A-II Region 2, District 13, they are now in the same basketball district as Hermleigh, Highland, Ira, Loraine, and Westbrook, and will play each of those teams twice, once at home and once away.  

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WEATHER REPORT: NICE FOR THANKSGIVING

If the meteorologists are correct, then tomorrow will be pretty much a repeat of today with mostly sunny skies and a high in the mid to upper seventies.  Friday and the weekend should also be nice but a little cooler with highs in only the sixties.  Still, the weather should be clear, so people out driving this weekend should be fine, at least as regards the weather.  

There is a 20% chance of precipitation tonight.

The forecast weather is pretty much a repeat of what we’ve just had all this past week—sunny skies and the mild temperatures typical for this time of year.   There have been no more freezes, so plants not killed by the freeze of the week before are still alive and kicking—and if the forecast is correct, they may still be growing this time next week.

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Cotton Crop Larger Than Initially Expected

Cotton modules at the Co-op Gin west of town.

A couple of months ago, most estimates for this year’s number of bales to be ginned by Roscoe’s Central Rolling Plains Co-op Gin were in the 32,000-45,000 range—not a bad year and certainly a great improvement over last year’s drought crop of less than 10,000, but still somewhat below average. 

But as cotton has continued to come in since then, estimates have steadily risen, and now Gin Manager Larry Black is guessing the Co-op will gin somewhere between 50,000 and 55,000 bales, and possibly even more than that.  As of Monday, the gin had already produced almost 15,000 bales with 2100 modules waiting, and there is still plenty of cotton in the fields to be stripped.  

Yields vary depending on area, of course, but averages are generally running somewhere between half a bale and a bale to the acre for dryland cotton. 

If reached, this revised estimate will make this year’s crop comparable to the 57,184 bales produced in 2008—about midway between the record 109,991 bales of 2007 and last year’s disastrous 9,966.

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“Injun Robert” and the “Sunrise Wind” Ceremony

So, how well does this year’s total correspond to the prediction made last spring by “Injun Robert” McBride?  

You may recall that on March 22 he performed the old Plains Indians’ “sunrise wind” ceremony, which supposedly foretells the outlook for the year’s crops, the same ceremony that used to be performed each year on March 22 by palefaces “Injun George” Parks of Roscoe and “Injun John” McCrim of Muleshoe.

The wind at dawn on March 22 was out of the southwest, which foretells an inferior crop.  However, performing the ceremony on March 22 without regard to leap years, as this year is, doesn’t correspond to the Indian practice of always doing it on the first day after the beginning of spring. 

As discussed in the March 28 issue of the Hard Times, the Indians obviously did not have calendars or leap years and instead had their own methods of determining the exact arrival of spring.  Since the day after the arrival of spring this year fell on March 21, that is the day the Indians would have used for their ceremony.

And at dawn on March 21, the wind was out of the northwest, foretelling an average crop according to Indian lore—and that is just what we are getting, confirming at least for this year the accuracy of the “sunrise wind” ceremony.

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ROBY DEFEATS PLOWBOYS 14-7 IN SEASON FINALE

Sterling Dowden goes over from the one for Roby's first touchdown.

In games between closely matched teams, the winner is often the side that gets the breaks—and such was the case Friday night, when Roby got at least three to emerge victorious over the Plowboys 14-7.  In the final analysis, two deflected passes and a fumble sealed the fate of the Plowboys.

A big part of the first quarter was taken up by a long opening drive in which the Lions moved the ball methodically down the field but were finally stopped on downs deep in Plowboy territory.  The Plowboys took over but couldn’t score, and the first quarter ended 0-0.

The Lions got on the scoreboard in the second quarter when Sterling Dowden completed a Roby drive by going over from one yard out.  The extra point was good, and the score was 7-0.  The Plowboys responded with a drive of their own.  Vincent Pantoja scored from the five, and Rafael Pantoja’s extra-point kick was good, tying the score at 7-7. 

The Plowboys had another long drive right before the half that was stopped by a fumble on the Roby 9-yard line.

In the third quarter Roby moved the ball down the field, but the Plowboy defense stiffened, and on fourth down and seven from the 22, the Roby quarterback threw a pass that was batted into the air by a Plowboy defender, and the Lions caught their biggest break of the night as the ball fell right into the arms of a Roby receiver, who caught it and ran to the two-yard line before being tackled.  The next play Sterling Dowden went over for the touchdown, and Roby took the lead 14-7. 

In the final quarter, Roby got another break when a Lion runner fumbled the ball that just happened to bounce right into another Roby player’s arms.  Their third break came as the Plowboys were driving down the field, and with only two minutes left, a Plowboy pass was deflected and once again landed in a Roby player’s arms for an interception.  That killed the drive and the last chance for the Plowboys to tie or win the game. 

For the evening, Cutter Davila had 14 completions on 27 attempts for 146 yards with one interception, while Eduardo Gallegos led the Plowboy rushers with 30 yards on four carries.  Jesus Leanos and Shelton Toliver led the receivers with 4 receptions for 59 yards and 6 receptions for 33 yards respectively.

The Plowboys end the season with a 2-8 overall record and 2-5 in district play.

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PLOWBOTS EXCEL AT REGIONALS IN DALLAS

The Plowbots' Web Design Team that won second place; back row,  l to r: Eduardo Gallegos, Mike Rosas, Alejandro Ortega, and Rene Diaz.  Front row: Braiden Moore and Amber Craig.

The Roscoe Collegiate Plowbots were one of three teams representing the Big Country Hub in the Regional B.E.S.T. Robotics Competition in Dallas this past weekend.  Sweetwater High competed in the Robot Competition, and Roscoe and ATEMS (the Abilene Academy of Technology, Engineering, Math & Science) competed in the All-Around B.E.S.T. Competition, which included events in marketing, web design, exhibit, spirit, and engineering notebook, in addition to the robot event.

The Plowbots improved their performance in all areas, but the highlight of the weekend came when the team’s web design members took second place—even though it was their first year to compete in web design and they were going against teams from Arizona and New Mexico as well as Texas. 

This year’s team has over 40 members from grades 6-12, led by co-presidents Faith Boren and Brant Burnett, who are both four-year members.  In addition to the Web Design team, pictured above, the team’s groups include the following members: 

Spirit Team—Jovana Pena, Micheala Horton, Joshua Stegge, Ty Fullwood, Shelby Spencer, Adrian Lomas, Kenley Reed, Andrew DeLeon, Ethan Morris, Mason Hernandez, Jayden Gonzales, Liv Madden, Veronica Cuellar, Bonnie Anglin, Caleb Boren, Adrienne Laurens, Austin Willman, and Megan Kirkland;

Build and Drive Team—Jose Chivera, Francisco Garcia, Parker Payne, Zack Rangel, Paul Pantoja, Corey Carriker, Braxton Parrott, Camden Boren, and Ethan Scott;

Exhibit Team—Mitchell Madden, Amber Craig, Braiden Moore, Kyle Bromley, Landon Jones, and Tait Fullwood;

Presentation Team—Faith Boren, Brant Burnett, Brenon Moore, Eduardo Gallegos, Tito Arce, Mirian Solis, and Samantha Ortega.

The Plowbots extend a special thanks to their sponsors:  Ludlum Measurements, TSTC, Vickie’s Gifts, Feed Store & More, and Hagerman NAPA.  Their support is essential to the success of the program.

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PLOWGIRLS WIN TWO MORE, BEAT COAHOMA 28-26, ROBERT LEE 30-19

Stina Tomlin shoots a free throw against Robert Lee.

The Roscoe Plowgirls remained undefeated in basketball by winning against Coahoma 28-26 in Coahoma on Saturday afternoon and Robert Lee at home last night 30-19. 

The game against 2A Coahoma was a tough one with the lead going back and forth before the Plowgirls prevailed.  The Plowgirls were up at the end of the first quarter 11-7 and down at the half 14-11.  They retook the lead in the third quarter, and finally eked out the victory by two points 28-26.  High scorers for the Plowgirls were Faith Boren with 6 and Mirian Solis with 5.

Then, last night the Plowgirls had an easier time against the Lady Steers of Robert Lee.  Still, the game was close in the first half.  The Plowgirls led 6-5 at the end of the first quarter and 13-11 at the half.  But they pulled away in the third quarter, going up by a score of 21-13, and went on to win by a margin of 11, 30-19.  Carolina Perez led the Roscoe scoring with 11 points; Eva Aguayo had 5; and both Faith Boren and Stina Tomlin had 4.

The Plowgirls’ next game is on Friday evening against the Lady Blizzards in Winters.  Game time is 6:15pm.

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WEATHER REPORT: FREEZE

The area got its first full-fledged freeze early Monday morning when the temperature dropped to 32°F and stayed there for about four hours before rising again.  The first time we had 32° weather a couple of weeks ago, my garden wasn’t affected at all, but this time was different.  The freeze killed my tomatoes, okra, peppers, and eggplants, leaving only my herbs still green and growing.

Last weekend was warm, sunny, and windy with highs around 80° and lows in the 55°-60° range, but that all changed on Sunday when a cold front blew in from the northwest, dropping highs down into the fifties and lows into the thirties.  Yesterday's morning temperatures were predicted to fall into the twenties, but that never happened as the low was 35°.

The forecast is for steady warming over the next few days with sunny skies, highs in the sixties, lows in the forties, and 5-10 mph winds from the south. There is no rain in the forecast.

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† BOBBY HANEY

Bobby Neil Haney, 78, of Imperial, California, passed away on Thursday, November 8, of a cerebral hemorrhage.  Memorial services were held on Monday, November 12, at First United Methodist Church in Brawley. Burial with military honors will be tomorrow morning at 10:00 at Riverview Cemetery in Imperial.

Bobby was born in Roscoe, Texas, on December 9, 1933, to Dew V. and Iva Clayton Haney.  He graduated from Roscoe High School and earned a Bachelor of Arts from North Texas State University and a Master of Arts from Pepperdine University.

He was a teacher in Sweetwater and in Heber and Brawley, California, where he was also the principal at Ben Hulse Elementary for 18 years.  He proudly served in the United States Army and was stationed in South Korea during the Korean War.

He enjoyed playing golf, attending theatrical and musical events, and visiting with family and friends. He was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion and was an active member of the First United Methodist Church. He also was a member of the California Retired Teachers Association.

He is preceded in death by his parents; his son, Perry Neil Haney; and his sister, Gina V. McGill.  He is survived by his wife, Sue, of 55 years; daughters, Malin Williams, Cynthia (David) Gunther, and Marilyn (Vance) McAlister; seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. 

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Brawley First United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 1363, Brawley, CA 92227, or Imperial High School music scholarships.

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† BENNY HUNTER

Memorial services were held at 11:00am on October 15 in Aurora Chase Chapel, Aurora, Colorado, for Benny Dalton Hunter, 68, who died on October 8.

He was born on April 18, 1944, in Cisco to J. B. and Ida Lee Hunter.  He had two sisters, Linda Kay and Candace Diane, and one brother, Larry J.   He grew up in Roscoe, where he played baseball for the Boys Club and football and basketball for the Plowboys.  He graduated from Roscoe High in 1962 and went on to Tarleton State, where he was on the rodeo team as a bareback and bull rider. 

On June 7, 1963, he married Judy Reed, and together they had three children, Kevin Dalton, Kelly Renee, and Kyle Jeffrey.  He also had five grandchildren.  He had a successful sales career, primarily in the dental and medical fields, for over forty years.  He loved the outdoors and enjoyed camping, fishing, and “hunting” with his camera.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations in his name to the National Alzheimer’s Association, c/o Ben Hunter, 455 Sherman Street, Suite 500, Denver, CO 80203.

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Willman Re-Elected as County Commissioner

Voting was brisk at the Community Center.

In yesterday's General Election, Roscoe's Terry Willman was re-elected to his position as Nolan County Commissioner, Precinct 1, gaining 616 total votes (or 55%) to challenger Jerry Hulcy's 499 (49%).   

In Precinct 6, i.e., Roscoe's precinct, Willman got 401 votes (67%) to Hulcy's 201 (33%).

In the other races in yesterday's election, here's how voting went in Precinct 6, Roscoe's Precinct:

1.    President & Vice President of the United States:
       Mitt Romney & Paul Ryan (R)         447         (74%)
       Barack Obama & Joe Biden (D)        149         (25%)
       Gary Johnson & Jim Gray (Lib)          10           (2%)

2.    U. S. Senator from Texas: 

       Ted Cruz (R)                                          396         (69%)
       Paul Sadler (D)                                      167         (29%)
       John Myers (Libertarian)                   15            (3%)

3.    U. S. Representative for District 19:
       Randy Neugebauer (R)                      438         (81%)
       Chip Peterson (Libertarian)             101         (19%)

4.    State Railroad Commissioner:
       Christi Craddick  (R)                          374         (70%)
       Dale Henry (D)                                     163          (30%)

In the Nolan County Bond Election, all three propositions passed, with Precinct 6 and  countywide results as follows:

                                                         Precinct 6      Nolan County Total
 

1.    $4,020,000 for Courthouse repair and renovations
                             For:                    325   (62%)            2825    (69%)
                             Against:            199   (38%)            1242    (31%)
 

2.    $10,245,000 for construction of a new County Jail
                             For:                    284   (53%)            2236    (55%)
                             Against:            251   (47%)             1839    (45%)

3.    $1,425,000 for construction of new Sheriff’s Offices
                             For:                    247   (48%)            2043    (51%)
                             Against:            269   (52%)             1999    (49%)

A total of 612 voters (or 58.6% of the total eligible)  cast their ballots in Precinct 6 yesterday.

 
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HAMLIN ROLLS OVER PLOWBOYS 58-7

 

Luke Rovig carries the ball against the Pied Pipers

Hamlin took care of business at home Friday night by putting away the outmatched Plowboys 58-7, making the Pied Pipers 6-0 in district and setting the stage for their big game Friday night against the Albany Lions, also 6-0, for the district championship. 

The Pied Pipers came out smoking and got on the scoreboard first with a 16-yard TD run by Darius Lee, followed shortly thereafter by a 13-yard touchdown pass from Lambert to Hall to go up 14-0.

The Plowboys responded with a 4-yard Luke Rovig run and a Rafael Pantoja kick to cut the lead to 14-7. 

Unfortunately, that would end the night’s scoring for the Plowboys as Hamlin took command of the game and pulled away with a third touchdown in the first quarter and four more in the second.  The halftime score was 48-7. 

For the evening, Plowboy quarterback Luke Rovig did a good job as a replacement for Cutter Davila, who was out with a concussion suffered in the Gorman game.  Rovig completed 10 of 20 passes for 47 yards and one interception and was also the Plowboys’ leading rusher with 95 yards in 16 carries.  Zack Longoria had 56 yards in five rushing attempts, and Eduardo Gallegos had 35 yards in 15 attempts.

The Plowboys are now 2-4 in district play.  Their final game of the season will be Friday night at Plowboy Field against the Roby Lions, who have a 3-3 district record and are coming off a 45-25 home victory over Gorman.

Kickoff is at 7:30pm.

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PLOWGIRLS OPEN BASKETBALL SEASON WITH OVERTIME WIN OVER EULA 36-34 

Plowgirl Whitney Williams passes to Shelby Brown.

Last night, after the Plowgirls’ junior varsity team came from behind to win at the buzzer 34-32 over the Eula JV, no one could have expected the varsity game to be half as thrilling—but it was. 

In the first regular season game ever in the new gymnasium, the Roscoe Plowgirls won a thrilling overtime victory over the always dangerous Eula Lady Pirates 36-34.

With a little over six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the Lady Pirates were ahead 30-18 and cruising to what appeared to be a certain victory.  But the Plowgirls started taking advantage of their scoring opportunities on offense while shutting Eula down with a stifling defense—and  mounted an impressive 13-0 run to go ahead 31-30 with less than a minute to play in regulation. 

However, a Eula player made a free throw in the final seconds to tie the score 31-31, and the game went to overtime.
 

The Plowgirls jumped out to a 34-31 lead and then slowed the game down, but Eula fought back, and with Plowgirls ahead 35-33 and only eight seconds left to play, a Lady Pirate went to the free throw line to shoot two.  She made the first one, and her coach called a time out. 

When play resumed, she shot the second, missed it, and Plowgirl Stina Tomlin got the rebound and was fouled.  With only two and a half seconds left, she made one of two free throws to make the score 36-34.  The Lady Pirates then tried to get off a final shot but the buzzer sounded first, and the game was over. 

Carolina Perez led the scoring for the Plowgirls with 10 points, while Eva Aguayo had 8, Mirian Solis 7, Torrey Willman 5, Faith Boren 3, and Stina Tomlin 1.

The Plowgirls’ next game will be at 2:00 on Saturday afternoon at Coahoma.

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NEED ADVICE?  GET YOUR ANSWER HERE WITH A LETTER TO JULIETTE

Have you run into a personal problem that you don’t know how to handle? 

Starting with next week’s issue, you’ll have the opportunity to get excellent advice from a knowledgeable, savvy woman of the world who can set you straight on family issues, romantic relationships, etiquette, problems at work, and other quandaries of life.  Think of her as something like Ann Landers or Abigail Van Buren, only better. 

She’s a Roscoe resident and, although it’s not her real name, her nom de plume is Juliette.  Letters sent to her along with her responses will appear in the Hard Times the following week. 
 
For the time being, send your requests for advice to eduncan@towson.edu, and I will forward them to Juliette.

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ROSCOE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ELECT ROMNEY IN MOCK ELECTION

If the students at Roscoe Collegiate High School were the United States electorate, Mitt Romney would be the new President-elect.  In a mock election held at the school this week, students had to present valid ID’s to be eligible to vote, a requirement that kept several from casting their ballots. 

Here are the results of the high school’s mock election for President of the United States:
   
       Mitt Romney (Republican)          63    57%
       Barack Obama (Democratic)       42    38%
       Virgil Goode (Constitution)             1      1%
       Gary Johnson (Libertarian)             1      1%
       Jill Stein (Green)                                  1      1%
       Voided Ballots                                       3      3%
   
       Total Possible Voters                 157    100%   
       Total Voters                                    111       71%

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WEATHER REPORT

The only precipitation for the week was a brief, light rain at midnight Saturday night, but it barely got the sidewalk wet before stopping.  For the most part, the weather was absolutely gorgeous with sunny skies, cool mornings, and warm afternoons.  Highs were in the seventies with lows of around fifty. 

Today should be more of the same with highs moving into the lower eighties tomorrow and into the weekend.  On Sunday a cool front will lower the high down to about seventy and a low of forty, and Monday the high will be only sixty with a low that night in the thirties.  

There is a 20% chance of rain on Sunday.

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† KEVIN DAVID MUELLER

Kevin David Mueller, 23, died Thursday November 1, at his residence in Hiram, Georgia. Holy Mass of Christian Burial was held on Monday at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church, followed by interment in the Roscoe Cemetery.

Kevin was born March 7, 1989, in San Angelo and moved to Roscoe in 1996. He was a member of Holy Family Catholic Church in Sweetwater.

He was preceded in death by his mother, Anna Lee Mueller, on April 2, 2011; his uncle Steven Mueller; maternal grandfather, Roy Shiller; uncle Michael Shiller, and aunt Janice Shiller.

Survivors include his father, David Mueller of Roscoe; sister, Stefanie Howard, and husband Jake of Midland; brother, Todd Mueller of Lubbock; paternal grandparents, James and Rose Mueller of Ballinger; maternal grandmother, Judith Shiller of Miles; two nephews, Cody Howard and Nick Howard of Midland; numerous aunts, uncles and cousins; and his girlfriend, Nancy Hutanu of Hiram, Georgia.

Memorials may be made to Shades of Hope Treatment Center, P.O. Box 639, Buffalo Gap, Texas 79508. 

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