All Hallows' Day

I received photos this morning from GENE ROUTH that reminded me of the Halloweens I and my friends and family have celebrated through the years. Since most of those years were spent in Texas, I never had photographs like these that GENE sent of his yard and porch:

We are supposed to have thunderstorms tonight in the Hill Country to the dismay of the trick or treaters, but thank goodness, no snow and ice. I'm not quite ready for weather like that.

JERRY EOFF sent the following taken of some of our classmates:

Standing left to right: yours truly, IRENE PIEL BATTS, BARBARA BRADSHAW, BARBARA SHARPES BROOKS, PATI COCKRELL PRITCHARD. Seated: Marvel Ashton, June Harris Koch.

I'm dipping into a few of my family and friend favorites as well. (Click on it to enlarge):

These are two of my very favorites (Guess who?):

 

Yep! That's BOB BURTON and wife Ann!

I believe this photo was taken in 1960. We were all living in Midland, Texas.  BOB and I had a small get-together on Halloween. The guys were playing poker while JUNE HASH CURRY and I took our little boys out to trick or treat. They were the cutest two on the block I'm sure!

Tommy Curry and Craig Young

That's JUNE holding her daughter Martha. The next day, my daughter Carajean Burton was born!

When I was working at FEMA, there was a particularly harrowing Halloween when we all wore costumes to work at the teleregistration center. The phones were frantic as were the applicants. I wish I had more of the costumes everyone wore, but the only one so far to surface is this one. "It's a jungle in here!"  (P.S. I didn't take the BB gun to work!)

I have another story to tell about the very last time I went Trick or Treating. It's a little embarrassing, so it will have to wait for another time.

I'll close for now, but if I receive more photos, I will certainly post them.

Happy Halloween!
Marilyn

Loss of Loved One

Our condolences and deepest sympathy to PATSY BERRY BOMAR on the loss of her sister, Jo Redman. 

"Mamie “Jo” Redman, 91, of Ballinger passed away Friday, October 5, 2018. Jo was born September 15, 1927 to E.E. and Addie Berry in Ballinger, Texas. She married Milton Redman on June 15, 1946. She was a talented seamstress and made numerous wedding dresses and prom dresses. She also loved woodworking, crafts, and cooking. Jo was a saint, having more patience than anyone. She loved her family fiercely.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Milton and great-granddaughter, Jenna Mansell.

Jo is survived by her son, Dickie and wife, Trudy Redman; her daughter, Kay Mansell; sisters, Pat Bomar and Clara and husband, Bill Kurtz; grandchildren, Morty and wife Cathy Redman, Brian and wife Debbie Redman, Jeffrey and wife, Sherry Mansell, and Bridget and husband, Cody Scott; and nine great-grandchildren.

Visitation for family and friends will be held from 1:00 to 2:00 pm on Monday, October 8 at the First Presbyterian Church in Ballinger with Rev. Brenda Church officiating. The service will follow immediately after the visitation. Burial will be at Old Runnels Cemetery.

In Lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the First Presbyterian Church or a favorite charity."...Ballinger News

Peace and Love, 

Marilyn                              

Like me, I'll bet you all have enjoyed the last couple of posts relating JERRY EOFF's eulogy for GLENN SMITH.  As much as his kind words for GLENN, I enjoyed hearing about his and wife Shirley's new adventure on the Arkansas goat farm.

When JERRY referred to himself as a "goat herding cowboy", I emailed him and asked for a current photo - especially one with a so-called cowboy hat. We wrangled back and forth over my request. Consequently, I reviewed my pictures on file and managed to crop this one from the 2017 Class Reunion group photo. I told JERRY that he didn't look very happy to be there. (Not many others did either.) When I complimented him on his lack of wrinkles, he replied, "Too sunny to not squint (frown). Too fat to wrinkle." His good sense of humor always at the ready.

Not ready to let go of the goat phenomenon, I couldn't help but copy this from my Good News Network website: .."A research team from the Royal Society Open Science has found that goats can recognize human emotions in facial recognition tests – and they consistently prefer happy faces to sad ones." Smile, JERRY, and I'll bet you can get those goats to keep your yard cleared of tall grass and weeds on a regular basis.

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I saw this funny story on TV about a parrot cussing at a Firefighter who tried to rescue him. When I searched online, I ran across the whole story Potty-Mouth Parrot, and I thought about Ann Burton (BOB BURTON's wife) and her pet bird. I sent it to her and asked her about her African Gray, Boogie. She responded thus:
"My birds don't curse. But, my Grandfather John Jackson had a yellow-headed parrot that spoke just like him. His name was Shorty, and he was quite a bossy pet. He would call for 'John, John Jackson, you son of a Butch. Answer me!' We always slept on a pallet in front of the fireplace in the winter. Shorty would come and check us out and crawl in and out of the cover. He loved to sing to us, but all he sang were army songs. My granddad broke horses for the army. (One of my own grandfathers broke horses for the Forest Service in northern California!) After Granddad was killed, Shorty went to live with our Aunt Lois. He lived to be almost 60." 

Ann said she has had Boogie for 26 years! She's also taken in a cockatiel, but the two birds don't get along. Boogie would attack any other bird that dared to encroach on his territory. After all, he has seniority in that household! Therefore, it's only one bird at a time out of his cage.

I remember one time when I was visiting Ann in Flower Mound, we were sitting at a table talking. Boogie was out of his cage, and proceeded to sit on my shoulder. The next thing I felt was his beak pulling hair at my scalp! Ann stated that he loved brunette hair, and I guess he was "grooming" me. That definitely caused him to get a fast return to his cage.

Ann has been a member of our extended family for over 50-years now. She and my late sister Jean (also from BHS) were best friends most of those years, and we all shared many memories. Ann and I can still talk for hours when we finally visit after several years. Since daughter Carajean will be moving permanently to Austin in the next few months, we look forward to many more visits.

Ann and BOB were in Austin this past weekend. Our daughter, Carajean and her husband Branch celebrated their 29th wedding anniversary. (A side note - Ann  or "Two" - as the grandchildren call her, made Carrie's beautiful wedding gown.) They all came over to my place, and we had lively conversations and a wicked game of 5-count dominoes. It makes me grumpy to admit that BOB and Branch beat the socks off me and Carajean! I still allowed them to eat my "disappearing" chocolate chip cookies.

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I had a brief note from GENE ROUTH after I sent him a video of four mountain lions prowling around on someone's deck in Colorado. Those cats made themselves right at home. GENE said they haven't had any mountain lions on their property, but they have had a couple of bears! Oh, my.. The rabbits, squirrels, and occasional hawk in our area seem rather tame by comparison.  I am an extremely sound sleeper, so I haven't heard the coyotes howl at night like some of my neighbors have.. 

I've also heard from DOTTIE BISHOP ROGERS recently. She's been filling her house with her oil paintings. So much so that she resorted to selling them. I've asked her to please send me photos. 

Let me hear from more of you. I could chatter away on much more, but I would rather write about YOU! Let me hear the "good stuff" happening in your life.

Peace and Love,

Marilyn

LEONARD GLENN SMITH EULOGY - PART II

The continuation of JERRY EOFF's eulogy that he presented at GLENN's memorial service.

"Glenn was obviously an impressive scholar. A substitute teacher had to step in after the high school coach resigned. I was told by that teacher that Glenn was one of four boys in that Civics class that he really worried about. He guessed that he worried for nothing, because all four of them obtained doctor’s degrees in some field. 

"Did I mention that Glenn was hard headed? He was not good at taking an elder’s opinion that something might be dangerous. When he was in Abilene Christian College, he decided that he should be a cowboy and signed up to ride a bull in a collegiate rodeo. Considering that he had spent little time even on a horse, we won’t do more than speculate on how long the bull ride lasted. That took care of the cowboy life. (Editor: Glenn wrote about this experience in an early post on our Class blog: HE DIDN'T GET THE JOB)

(No, it's not Glenn. Wish I had the picture of his ride!)

"He learned a little better from his would be parachute jumping experience. While still in high school, he decided it would be cool to step out of a perfectly performing airplane at 8,000 feet. He went so far as to mail order a parachute. He carried that around a couple of airports trying to find someone to take him up to jump. Fortunately none of the men who were tough enough to have been flying combat ten or eleven years before, would even consider the idea. His change of heart about parachutes came shortly after having attended a jumping exhibition during which he witnessed a rather loud mishap. 

"Glenn was patriotic. He joined the National Guard along with several classmates, again while in high school. Later, while in ACC, he read about a U.S. Marine Platoon Leader School and decided that was for him.  Trying to be the gung-ho Marine he immediately set out to polish his insignia which was all yucky black when they gave it to him. Thinking it must have been part of the basic training he set out to get them shiny. We worked on those things for hours, with elbow grease and any other chemical we thought might work. All we could get was a scratchy reddish color. Then one of us looked it up and discovered that the Marines' insignia is supposed to be a black insignia. I’m not sure where he got an insignia to replace those items. He went to a couple of summer camps. His opinion of Marine Corps training? While in high school, we had made a trip to Philmont Scout Camp in New Mexico. This trek consisted of two weeks on the trail, learning to camp, cook, learn to handle and pack burros, and many other outdoor skills. We had several in our group who decided that we needed to set records. As a result there were several days that, after having hiked four or five miles over steep mountain trails, we would set off and hike four or five miles to the next camp – in the dark of night. Glenn’s reaction to Marine night hikes was,'Bah! These are nothing! I’ve been to Philmont!'

(Looks pretty rugged, doesn't it? Philmont BSA hikers.)

"When we reached ACC we both continued our previous direction of taking the math and science classes, but neither one of us were math scholars and one day he informed me that he had decided he should study something he enjoyed and would major in history. He went on to finish his degree in three and a half years and he went on to Trinity University. He taught in a Jr. High in San Antonio while he earned his Master’s degree. He then applied for a job at Oklahoma Christian College and became THE history department. He felt that he really shouldn’t be pressured to donate his salary back to the college, left at year’s end, and enrolled in the University of Oklahoma to complete his Doctor of Philosophy degree. After that, he moved off north of the Mason-Dixon Line and, being before the internet, we pretty much lost contact.

"In the email from a high school classmate informing me of his death, it was mentioned that Glenn had taken several hundred dollars out of his own pocket to have histories of the Graduates of Ballinger High School, Class of 1957, printed and bound, and specified that it not be known that he did so. This is typical of Glenn. I know of at least two youths that he paid a big portion, if not all, of their college education. I suspect that is only the tip of the iceberg of his generosity, extending in many directions. 

"I feel this sense of giving came from two things. One, he was a dedicated Christian during his developmental years, even having gone with Lemoine Lewis, an ACC history professor, on short missionary trips to Monterrey and Torreon, Coah., Mexico. The second, and equally important thing was a secular book. He commented to me several times about having read the Lloyd Douglas book titled MAGNIFICENT OBSESSION. Those who may have also read it will know that it deals with the death of a medical doctor who was killed by the carelessness of another man. The man responsible learned from the widow that the doctor had done many charitable acts in secret. He had wanted those gifts to not be known to anyone at any time. I feel that that concept made a deep impression on Glenn and affected his future actions. 

"I feel that Glenn paid well for the air he breathed here on earth and has gone on to see what’s to be learned just over that hill ahead."

Until we all meet again...

Rest in Peace, Glenn,
Marilyn

*GOATS AND SODA?

At the memorial service for our classmate GLENN SMITH, his long-time friend JERRY EOFF delivered his eulogy. NANCY told me it was a wonderful tribute to GLENN's life. I asked JERRY to please allow me to post it here, and he gave me his permission. I was told he came all the way from Arkansas to deliver it. Not knowing he and his wife Shirley had moved, I asked him about that as well. His response was so humorous I have to share it.  The eulogy is very lengthy, so I will post it in two parts. 

"I am currently practicing being a goat herding cowboy on a 280 acre farm (with no cultivation) 2 miles north of Lincoln, AR. Ideal location, on top of a ridge that would overlook part of a lake 200 ft. below, if it could be seen, (This country has a severe pest disease called "trees everywhere syndrome").

Editor: JERRY, you know, "goat yoga" is all the rage now. You could put those goats to good use. However, Shirley, as you have had back surgery, I believe you should abstain from this exercise!

"We are currently living in limbo. We did sell our house in Alpine. A nephew offered an empty farm house in NW Arkansas, 8 miles from OK state line, to us, rent free (with the option of opening gates for stock transfer every 3 days). We decided to try it for a year or so, then decide whether to stay there, or maybe buy a 'Patio Home' at Rio Concho Manor in San Angelo. Being Texians, we preserved our heritage by taking official residence in Ballinger for the time being, while on a long term visit with the nephew. So far, we learned we would trade our former dwelling which was tick free, chigger free, and nearly mosquito free, where I mowed the grass once or twice a summer to having an abundance of all three previously named pests as well as grass that should be mowed a time or two a week. By observation I have come to believe that the National Pastime of Arkansas is motorized lawn mower riding. I suspect that there must be an arena somewhere around for contests. As for this yard, the goats and cattle have been let in twice this summer to graze it down, while Shirley and I recuperate from her back surgery that was finally achieved in May.

"Here is a copy of the eulogy. It seems a bit long for the blog, but use it if you wish. I designed it primarily to give his adopted son (Jeff) some insight on how Glenn came to be Glenn.

  Leonard Glenn Smith - Part I

"For those who may not know or recognize me, my name is Jerry Eoff. It was requested that I give a eulogy for Glenn on this occasion.

"I have considered Glenn to have been my best friend for over 68 years, even though there was a period of thirty years during which there was almost no communication between us. Because of that time gap, I do not feel that I can do justice to his whole life, so I will use the period during which I knew him best to try to give some idea of what happened along the way to shape the man he became. Those of you who knew him at other times in his life may have known a different person, but this is the way I knew him. 

"I will apologize ahead of time for using the term 'we' frequently when I am supposed to be talking about him. Nearly all the things I mention, we did together. And 'we' just comes naturally. 

"First I will mention his integrity. I have to admit that there might have been just a hint of mischief along the way, but I never knew of Glenn doing a dishonest thing. He may have inherited his ideals from his father, Leonard Frank Smith. Mr. Smith was a farmer on Elm Creek north of Ballinger. When I read the book by Elmer Kelton entitled THE TIME IT NEVER RAINED, I immediately compared the principle character with Mr. Smith. We grew up during the height of THE DROUGHT, and no one of our generation has to ask 'which drought are you talking about?' For seven successive years, crops failed, there was no grass in the pastures, and very little hay to be bailed. Emergency government aid became available for the area agriculture industry and Frank Smith would not take it, even though most area farmers did so. He would have had to sign a statement that he just couldn’t get along without help. He felt that he would be signing to a lie to do so.

9th Street Church of Christ Today

"Even though we were both in the Ballinger High School Class of 1957, I did not know him until his family began attending services at the Eighth Street Church of Christ, which was located where the First Baptist Church building is located. 

"We hit it off pretty well and it became almost standard that I would go eat Sunday lunch with the Smiths and we would pursue whatever country entertainment suited our fancy at the moment. As we became mature enough to be trusted with rifles, it became standard that we would eat lunch and grab our .22s and head for the pasture to try to thin the population of jackrabbits. Every red-blooded Runnels County boy knew it was his duty to eliminate the jackrabbits that were destroying the already almost non-existent cotton crops. We had little effect on the rabbit population, but it gave us a head start on mastering firearms in preparation for the upcoming war with Russia and/or Red China that everyone knew was right around the corner. In the meantime we were taking every science and math course available to us.

Bruce Field

"In 1954, we each took the $6 required to pay for an hour in an airplane and went to Bruce Field. We each were able to fly with J. W. Longenette and take aerial photos of Ballinger and the Smith farm. Glenn was taken by the flying bug and began taking lessons. By this time Mr. Longenette had moved his operations to Mathis Field in San Angelo. Glenn availed on my mother to take him to Mathis when she was taking me to the orthodontist. This route was closed to him when my mother found out that his folks did not know he was taking lessons. He did go on and get his private license and owned several airplanes through the years. 

"Glenn got interested in photography about that time. Photos made by him can be found in the school annuals in that period. It led to some interesting nighttime shoots that will not be further discussed. Take a look at his Facebook page to see some striking photos of doors in Mexico. 

"Glenn became interested in the use of hypnosis from associating with my father, Dr. J. Dexter Eoff. Dr. Eoff and Dr. Lloyd Downing, then a medical doctor in general practice in Ballinger, took hypnosis courses in Abilene, to be used in their respective practices. Glenn became a certified hypnotist, and helped people even in distant places by using Skype to chat with them.

"Glenn wrote his first article for pay when he entered a contest sponsored by the local medical society using the subject of socialized medicine. I believe he won a $25 first prize." 

TO BE CONTINUED

Peace,

Marilyn

*Goats and Soda is the name of the NPR blog which tells stories of life in our changing world. Check it out: NPR Blog

Where have the years gone?

It is hard to believe we now have grandchildren grown enough to graduate from college.. and get married! Some of them have even made us great-grandparents. Ahh, but it is wonderful to brag on them. Here's the latest shared with us.

NANCY THOMPSON and Jake BAKER have more reasons to brag. Not only is their 61st wedding anniversary next week (August 31), but two of their grandchildren got significant promotions recently. Their daughter Melissa and husband Bryan Jones have two sons, Spencer and Kendall - both graduates of Ballinger High School.

Spencer has lived in Reno, Nevada for quite some time, and works for Grifols Plasma Donation Center. Recently, he received his Master's Degree in Business Administration, and was also promoted to "Continuous Process Improvement Manager" at Grifols' plasma collection office. He is engaged to be married next year. His fiancee, Nikki, has one year to go before finishing medical school at the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine.

Nikki and Spencer

Kelsey and Kendall 

Kendall is in the U.S. Air Force, stationed at Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson, Arizona. He was recently promoted to Staff Sergeant in the  United States Air Force Civil Engineer Squadron. Kendall's specialty is EOD (Explosive Ordinance disposal). NANCY's younger son, Rodger, was in the same field (EOD) until his retirement from the U.S. Navy in 2015. Kendall is pictured with his wife of two years, Kelsey.

(As a side note, when researching this AF base, I noted that it contains the "largest aircraft boneyard in the world". An interesting article about this, with pictures for all of you airplane buffs, is located here: AIRPLANE BONEYARDS.)

(by Amber Porter - 2015)

Let me hear from all of you grandparents out there so we can brag on your progeny as well. In the meantime...

Count the "good stuff" occurring in your lives!

Peace,
Marilyn

CELEBRATIONS

Some families really know how to celebrate life's big events. JUNE CURRY's family is a good example. This past month, the whole family pitched in and rented the beautiful "cabin" pictured below in Southeastern Oklahoma. The reason? "Baby" brother Chris just turned 50! Kevin and Michael even flew in from Portland, Oregon to honor this milestone in the family's life.

The "Cabin" where the Curry family stayed.

Chris Curry celebrates the big 5-0!

The family of JUNE and Grady CURRY - July 2018

Although the summer of 2018 appears to go down in history as the hottest summer ever on the planet, I feel certain many of you took vacations - or plan to soon. Many beaches in Florida have had to close due to the red tide (from higher water temperatures - Climate Change) that has dumped thousands of dead sea creatures on the beautiful sands, and the toxicity of the ocean water in those places prohibits anyone wishing to swim in it. Not to mention the damage to your health to do so - the poison it contains causes many health risks, and the deposits on shellfish can be fatal for humans to eat. There seems to be a hurricane headed for Hawaii, and the beautiful forests in California and Colorado are suffering so many fires that the cool mountain retreats are no longer a desirable destination. Europe, long a destination for vacationers, is suffering "extreme heat", and Sweden, of all places, is still under warning for high fire risks. "The Scandinavian country has over the past weeks had dozens of wildfires, mostly in central, western and northern Sweden, and foreign firefighters helped their Swedish colleagues." So much for climate change deniers!

So, tell me, where did you go? Photos?

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This summer has held and will hold celebrations in NANCY THOMPSON and Jake BAKER's family. A recent week she had several family members visit, including Jake's brother Randy (also a BHS grad). 

Her niece and husband visited from Kansas and NANCY took them on a tour of the old farmhouse she and Linda's dad grew up in - 16 miles in the country -- I spent many a night out there as well. NANCY used to drive her dad's old pickup across the pastures, peering out the side of the steering wheel as she was much too short to look over it! We chased jackrabbits, and even HUGE tarantulas on those dark nights! NAN was quite a shot with an old 22 rifle (I think). She could hit a tarantula from standing in the bed of the pickup. IRENE PIEL BATTS sometimes came for our sleepovers, but she was a big scaredy cat! One night we wanted to spread a quilt on the front yard and lie down to look at the moon and stars. No way! Maybe we knew she was so scared of the tarantulas that we would back down (to our relief) and sleep indoors.

Some of NANCY's grandchildren also visited. During all of this excitement, she got word that she was a proud great-grandmother for the eighth time (she thinks!).. I guess you might lose count with that many. Her daughter Melissa's son Spencer will get his Master's Degree at UT here in Austin on August 18th. He also has a wedding coming up next year in April. If I'm not mistaken (NAN will correct me I'm sure if I'm wrong), Spencer's bride-to-be will finish medical school before the wedding.

NANCY's birthday is this month, but more importantly, she and Jake will celebrate their 61st wedding anniversary August 31st! I had to be reminded of this, as I totally forgot last year. 60 years! I apologized, but had to tell her (I guess this comes from my own multiple marriages) that I never celebrate anniversaries in my family! I really am in awe of those wonderful folks who manage such long-lived marriages.

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PETS ALIVE!

One last item before I close. I really miss my little dog Fancy, who lived for nearly 20 years. Also, at one time when I lived in the Barn, we had so many cats - indoors and outdoors - that I worked part-time doing data entry for my vet so they would visit and vaccinate all the cats. There were at least 20 at one time. I took one of the females at a time to be spayed, but couldn't keep up with them! 

JUNE has two little rescue dogs, Tracie and Dori.  A Maltese and a Chihuahua/Terrier mix. So sweet.

TRUMAN CONNER rescued a stray kitten that he named Stanley. Unfortunately, Stanley scared him recently and ran up a formidable vet bill, I'm sure. Seems he has allergies. Now he is strictly an indoor cat - and demands a lot of attention! Stanley, what big, beautiful green eyes you have!

It's said that the "elderly" (did I just say that??) who have pets tend to be happier and healthier. They certainly can keep one from being lonely or too inactive! The pets as well as people thrive on love.

This reminds me of an old-time newspaper column that some little old lady wrote about all the comings and goings of neighbors in their small community. That was big news back then... hmm... and so it is! Thank goodness there are no "good-byes" in this one!

Love and Peace,

Marilyn

L. GLENN SMITH, PhD says "Good-bye"

Leonard Glenn Smith, 79, of Ballinger passed away Friday, June 22, 2018 in Fort Worth. Services will be held at 10:00 am on Friday, June 29 at Lange Funeral Home Chapel. A private burial will follow at Old Runnels Cemetery.

Go San Angelo Guestbook

(Ballinger Ledger photo)

Bored with retirement, and living back in Texas, GLENN started writing fiction in 2010. Amazon has many of his earlier nonfiction books that he co-authored with his former wife Joan on educational topics. After the above article was published in the Ballinger Ledger, he planned to finish his fourth novel, "Stolen Gold", with the locale of the story being Ballinger, Texas. The Ledger article contains a lot of GLENN'S personal history. Article on Glenn's Books He also wrote an autobiography in the 50th Class Reunion handbook. 

I'm not certain when GLENN shared this cover of a future book he planned called "Heading Home" or if he ever started writing it. I could find no listing for it or the book "Stolen Gold". I imagine he ceased to write, as he had increasing vision problems in recent years. I wonder if the "Heading Home" title was some kind of prophetic vision he had of his future.

As some of you know, GLENN was a talented photographer. One of my favorites was the one below he took, then photo-shopped with special effects of Main and Broadway in Ballinger.

GLENN and I shared some good stories and a few trips to surrounding areas to photograph the sites during the time I lived in Ballinger and was working on the class handbook. He helped not only financially with the handbook, but also with some of the photos. He offered to speed up the final editing process before taking it to the printers by "proofreading" the final text. I chewed him out royally when I discovered to my dismay that he had missed some pretty obvious mistakes! But then, he was an English prof and an author... someone else did the proofreading, didn't they? 

Here is a final picture of Glenn. He said it was his favorite. 

Glenn feeding the chickens!

Goodbye, our friend. Until we meet again..

Peace,

Marilyn

FLANAGANS - PART II

I found this online after I posted the first article that NANCY sent me. It contains a beautiful photo of their yard as well as a little more information about their careers. I now recall reading a while back that Mesquite trees deplete more groundwater than any other vegetation in West Texas.  Thus, RODNEY'S desire to remove even the roots of the trees.

Sorry for two in a row so similar.. Next time I will do "due diligence", and search.  I couldn't find this article on the newspaper's regular website.

Flanagans named Runnels County Friends of Conservation

Jerry Lackey, Special to San Angelo Standard-TimesPublished 10:43 a.m. CT June 10, 2018

HOMESTEAD

(Photo: contributed)

Although Rodney and Carolyn Flanagan retired from a lifetime career of teaching school, they continue to host grade school students at an outdoor classroom on their ranch west of Ballinger.

Shortly after retiring the couple turned their focus on the mesquite invasion of their pastures with a goal to preserving the natural resources. In turn, they were recently named Runnels Soil and Water Conservation District’s Friends of Conservation winners.

According to a news release, the Flanagans both have rural conservation backgrounds. Rodney was born on a small farm eight miles east of Ballinger, attended school in Ballinger and graduated from Texas A&M with a degree in Animal Science.

Carolyn grew up on a dairy farm in Coleman County. She graduated from Mozelle High School in Coleman County, received a degree from Texas State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Home Economics.

She retired from teaching after 36 years at the same time Rodney retired from a teaching career which included vocational agriculture, elementary school principal and superintendent.  

The Flanagan xeriscape yard features natural resources from the ranch. (Photo: contributed)

The Flanagans first converted 40 acres of cropland to grass with the help of an Environmental Quality Incentives Program and the staff of the Natural Resources Conservation Service. In addition, 82 acres of brush control and range reseeding and 3,000 feet of cross fencing for rotational grazing were done.

“Rodney has done all the grubbing and brush clearing with a skid steers with a rock rake,” said David Embry, Tom Green SWCD district technician. “He spent lots of hours getting all the mesquite roots and pushing the brush into piles.”

Carolyn has focused on improving their yard with xeriscape, using rocks Rodney cleared from a pit behind the house. She has planted flowers which constantly bloom and attracts butterflies, birds and other wildlife.

Rodney Flanagan speaks to students attending the annual outdoor classroom day event. (Photo: contributed)

The Flanagans have hosted the Natural Resource Day Outdoor Classroom for 14 years. They estimate more than 1,600 students and teachers have been impacted by xeriscape yard teaching the children to pass on her passion for gardening, plants, and much more, Embry said.

CONGRATULATIONS!