Leader0201a

Saturday, February 1, 2014 • Page 9A

Hogg, from P. 1A

tween our successful Heights neighborhood elementary schools and Hogg Middle School, enabling progression within our strong, unique community.” The feeder schools for Hogg are Crockett, Travis, Harvard, Browning, Sinclair, Love, Ketelson, Memorial and Field Elementary schools. Local parents, especially those from Harvard and Travis elementary, rallied behind the effort to promote Hogg to the immediate area. Two of them from Core Design Studio designed a logo and there’s also a professional looking brochure for the school and a Facebook page. The group doesn’t just talk the talk. One Learn Local board member has already moved his daughter from St. Stephen’s Episcopal School to Hogg and others are committed to sending their children to their neighborhood school. “We wanted people who were serious about jumping on board,” said Guyre. “Everything was very purposeful.” As part of the goal to break down perception and show

THE OBITUARIES. Lani Terisa Billingsley, 63, born June 8, died Jan. 21. She was a member at Lazybrook Baptist Church. Betty Anne Blackburn, 78, died Jan. 21. Blackburn retired from Exxon after 37 years of service. She is survived by her husband Guy, children Michelle Blackburn, Gilbert Blackburn, Kelly Blackburn and Reesa Guevara, brother Mike Reinecker, nine grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Jimmie R. Gaidry, 85, born Nov. 25, 1928, died Jan. 21 in The Woodlands. She is survived by her daughter Mary Callander, son James Gaidry, and six grandchildren. Doris Lorene Gray, 89, born July 27, 1924, died Jan. 21. John M. Linden, 73, born Sept. 12, 1940, died Oct. 10, 2013. Linden joined the U.S. Army and served on active duty in Vietnam. He served as an advisor to the South Vietnamese military under Gen. Westmoreland. John was decorated with both the Purple Heart and Bronze Star for Valor by the U.S. Army and the Silver Star of the South Vietnamese Army. He worked for ExxonMobil for 33 years, retiring in 2001. He was an active member of St. Luke’s Methodist Church. Memorial contributions may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project, 2200 Space Park Dr, Suite 100, Houston 77058 or online at www. WoundedWarriorProject.org or to

the Lone Star Veterans Association, 170 Heights Blvd., Houston 77007. Vernon Dennis Meyer, 91, died Jan. 20. He retired from Mrs. Baird’s Bakery after 40 years of employment. He is survived by daughters Linda Burling, Diana Lyons and Vicky Fessenden, five grandchildren, 18 great-grandchildren, and three great-great-grandchildren. Dolores Mendoza Rubio, 70, born Sept. 19, 1943, died Jan. 19. Rubio was retired from working several years at Texaco. She was an active member of the Co-Cathedral of Sacred Heart and participated in the Legion of Mary, as a member of the Holy Communion, lector and usher. She is survived by her sister Gloria Astran, and brothers Edward Moya and Freddy Cruz Jr. Mildred Schoeneman, 82, born April 24, 1931 in Warda, Texas, died Jan. 18 in Sugarland. She is survived by her son Vernon Schoeneman, daughters Kathryn Schoeneman and Janet Ferguson, five grandchildren, and four greatgrandchildren. Donald V. Thompson, 84, born Oct. 14, 1929 in Ardmore, Okla., died Jan. 9 in Katy. Thompson was a member and Deacon of White Oak Baptist Church. He is survived by his daughter Donna Prause, two grandchildren and five greatgrandchildren.

“We’re really excited about it,” Feldman said. “Game rooms are a problem, and we ﬁnally have an effective tool to restrict their operation and to shut them down. This is most effective tool that has come around for the regulation of these game rooms.” In the past, enforcement of game room operations has become a proverbial game of cat and mouse for law enforcement. The law states that gamblers can only win a single “win” that is worth $5 or 10 times the value of the bet, whichever is

less. But often times, the rules get broken, and it goes unnoticed. The new regulations would require game rooms to close at 10 p.m. Any new game rooms would

have to be located at least 1,500 feet from a church, school or hospital. Current game rooms would be grandfathered in, but every game room must re-apply for its permit.

��

Bane, from P. 1A winter months when warm water species are less active. There’s enough trout in the pond for two to three weeks. Fisherman at Bane Park must have a Texas fishing license, but otherwise, the fishing is free. There’s a limit of five trout per day that can be taken home. “It takes a couple of days for the fish to get used to the environment,” said North Houston resident Enrique Arreola. “You can catch them if you keep on trying.” Malcolm Armstrong makes the trip south from the Champions area to check out Bane Park’s trout season. “It’s relaxing – the lake has good accessibility,” Armstrong said. “I did OK yesterday, and I did OK another day. Today has been bad.” Bane Park is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

��

ﬁne jewelry

Full Service Jeweler Serving the Heights for over 25 years

��

�

Learn Local Much of the current momentum at Hogg is due to the work of a group called Learn Local, chaired by Heights resident Emily Guyre who has a third grader and a ﬁrst grader at Travis Elementary. Guyre met with Dr. Schnitta last spring and pitched her the idea for Learn Local, whose stated mission is “to establish a bridge for our children be-

Emily Guyre and Principal Mina Schnitta are both working to raise Hogg’s proﬁle.

people what Hogg has to offer, the group sponsored a Food Truck Fundraiser with the first Heights STEM Night at Hogg to benefit Hogg’s library. They also promoted Razorback Madness with the Hogg boys basketball team who did a special clinic with first and third graders. “This is our middle school,” said Guyre. “I want my kids to be right here for their middle school years and I believe that the school is ready. The faculty is fantastic and the community has a chance to make the school what we want it to be. It’s not often you get that opportunity.” She notes that for Harvard students who also have the IB programme, Hogg would be a natural progression for their learning. And Travis is a Vanguard school similar to the pre-AP course work at Hogg. The work of Learn Local is paying off. Membership in Hogg’s PTO has increased sevenfold for the current school year. Dr. Schnitta also sees another benefit of Learn Local. “Good schools can sometimes be competitive but this has brought the Travis and Harvard communities together,” she said. Of course, the true success of the school will rest with the students themselves. Kailya Elder is a seventh grader in her second year at Hogg who said she’s happy with the current climate. “There’s a lot of diversity here so there’s no discrimination. I just really like the people,” Elder said.

�

program, which both focus on Science, Math, Technology and Engineering. Students can also take PreAdvanced Placement courses in each grade level in four core subject areas: Math, Science, English Language Arts and Social Studies. The school offers Algebra, Concepts of Engineering – which is the eighth grade STEM magnet class – Spanish, Spanish AP, Art 1, and Journalism for high school credit. “Middle school is the time to try Pre-Advanced Placement classes,” said Dr. Schnitta. “They can try out the rigor and pace of these classes before they get to high school. It’s good for them to reach.” As for the building itself, the library – headed by Suzanne Webb who came from Episcopal High School – has gotten a major upgrade with $30,000 for new books as well as 16 computers. This summer, $9 million in bond money will pay for upgrades to the school’s mechanical and electrical systems, as well as new science labs and other infrastructure improvements.

Games, from P. 1A

��

��w�� IN MEMORIAM

Alvin Wernecke, 95, born Nov. 24, 1918, died Jan. 17. Ethel Mae Wolfe, 66, born June 9, 1947, died Jan. 20. Wolfe earned two master’s degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth. After Seminary, she moved to Houston to work as assistant director at the Fletcher Street Mission Center. She

later worked for the Food Stamp Office, Child Welfare and Child Protective Services, managed her husband’s CPA and law offices, worked as a youth counselor and capped her career as an 11th grade English teacher at Lamar High School, and as an elected trustee for Cy-Fair ISD. Wolfe is survived by her sons Michael and Jeffrey Wolfe.

IN MEMORIAM

LESTER RICHARDSON April 8, 1916 to January 26, 2014

L

ester Richardson, 97, joined his Heavenly Father on Jan. 26, 2014. He was born on April 8, 1916 in Lyric, Texas. He was preceeded in death by his wife of 72 years, Mary Richardson. He is survived by his devoted daughter, Bevilly Kallina; grandchildren, Paul Kallina, John Kallina and wife, Debbie; great-grandchildren, Cameron and Reagan and numerous nieces and nephews. In addition to being a devoted husband and father, he was a member of Garden Oaks Baptist Church, a veteran of the Army in WWII, and a resident of Oak Forest since 1950. Lester was a wonderful person who will be deeply missed by those who loved him. Funeral service is Friday, Jan. 31, at 10 a.m. at Oak Forest Baptist Church, located at 1700 W. 43rd. He will be laid to rest at Memorial Oaks Cemetery.

James Alan Christian October 26, 1949 to January 4, 2014

J

immy was born in Houston, the last of four children (John, Nancy, Steve, Jim) of Abbie and Millie Christian. He grew up in Garden Oaks and attended St. Rose of Lima and St. Thomas High School. He served in the U.S. Navy aboard the USS Constellation off the coast of Vietnam. Jim lived most of his adult life in the northwest area of Houston. Jimmy owned ProCoat, a construction company, and later worked for ten years on the catastrophe team of Traveler’s Insurance. Jim was an outspoken man and an excellent storyteller. He had many lifetime friends, but his thirteen-month-older brother, Steve, remained his best friend. Jim along with Steve and Linda, built retirement homes on Bolivar Peninsula. Steve happily retired to a life of fishing. Jim however continued to work part time, building homes for friends and investing in property on Bolivar. Jim’s last 6 years were filled with fishing, sunsets, motorcycles and beach. There are many good things to be said about Jimmy, but the most important is that he was an excellent father. He loved Patrick (his son with Marcelle Campbell) and Molly ( his daughter with Annie Osten). Jim worked hard his entire life to make sure his children were well taken care of. Jim was always there for them. Jimmy died at 64 from cancer on January 4th. He was asked by a niece about a bucket list. Jim laughed and said he had finished his list and perhaps that was part of the reason for his early departure. Jimmy didn’t want a funeral but he did want a celebration for his family and many friends. On an unseasonably beautiful day one week after Jimmy left us, close to 250 friends gathered at his home on the bay to remember Jimmy’s life. There was barbecue and stories and laughter and tears. The drinks were on Jim!

��

�

��

�

��

PHYLLIS A. OESER ATTORNEY AT LAW

��

WENDY L. PRATER ATTORNEY AT LAW

ß Probate ß Wills ß Powers of Attorney ß Divorce ß Family Law

1919 North Loop West, Suite 490 (Between T.C. Jester & Ella)

Call for an appointment today.

713-802-9171

praterlaw@sbcglobal.net | www.praterlaw.com

Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook