In & Around Pittsburgh

IN &AROUND & AROUND Pittsburg, Texas

2018

MAGAZINE

Amy Kennington The First Lady of Pittsburg

by Debbie Knox

Koe Wetzel

by Debbie Knox

Pirates Den

Just across the street from Rock Gym

by Carolyn Anders

... and More!

Who would think?

Unique Shops • Winery • Lakes It’s all here in Pittsburg, Texas.

Fun for the entire family!

So many options and so many more to come!

Pittsburg Art & Wine Festival Memorial Day weekend, Main Street Market March 11, Pioneer Days (the third Saturday in September), Pittsburg Rodeo (the second weekend in May) and much, much more!

Visit Pittsburg!

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

by Debbie Knox

Here we are again.

The second annual In & Around Pittsburg…It’s a little bit smaller this year but hopefully when the public knows we plan to do it every year, we will get roaring applause and participation. I love, love to talk about Pittsburg so I’ll try to include some things I didn’t last year.

The first thing I would like to brag on is something I really don’t know much about - the Pittsburg Rodeo. It’s always the second weekend in May, the same weekend as Mother’s Day, and Pittsburg does the rodeo extremely well. In my early days, I covered it a lot and actually got out there in the freshly-plowed dirt in the arena getting pictures of the calf scramble with the kids. Another event of the Pittsburg Rodeo that is very touching is the handicapable rodeo. It draws a huge crowd, and you might even see Pittsburg’s Superintendent Judy Pollan riding a horse or a cow. To attend that event is one of those feel good moments in life where you know God is there, putting His mighty hands over those attending. The late James Marshall gets credit for starting that event. It is so moving it even gets an old cowpoke like Bubba Sample to tear up just talking about it. It should be on everyone’s bucket list to attend that event at least one time.

If you’ve never been in Pittsburg’s First United Methodist Church sanctuary, make a point to do so. The stained glass windows are unbelievable, and take it from a person who calls that church home, one can get a sermon from looking at the windows, even if they aren’t listening to the preacher. A church with windows that rivals those is First United Methodist Church in Marshall. I had the pleasure of attending that church starting in 1969, and Roy and I married there in 1975.

If you’re into history or what went on in Pittsburg through the years, a tour of the Northeast Texas Rural Heritage Museum is a must see. I always learn something new after visiting the museum, and Fanny and her gang over there make you feel right at home. Most folks don’t know it, but that museum is what draws the most tourists to Pittsburg.

Another suggestion is to check out the events at the Northeast Texas Community College Whatley Center. I hear a rumor that Tuna Christmas may be coming next year, and that is one funny show. Also, The Bellamy Brothers will be there in April and we all know their music is fabulous!

IN & AROUND Pittsburg, Texas

Publisher DEBBIE KNOX

Contributing Writers DEBBIE KNOX CAROLYN ANDERS ELLIS KNOX

Contributing Photographers ELLIS KNOX CHRIS POAGE

Graphic Designer JONI GUESS

Be kind to others because we never know when one of us is going to need our Pittsburg family!

Enjoy Pittsburg!

IN & AROUND PITTSBURG

© Copyright 2018

2018

1

CONTENTS

IN & AROUND Pittsburg, Texas

2018

MAGAZINE

Amy Kennington The First Lady of Pittsbu

rg

About the cover

Koe Wetzel

by Debbie Knox

The story on how Pittsburg’s Koe Wetzel is making a difference in Texas country music in 2018 as told by his parents, Dale and Julie, and sisters, Presleigh and Zoie Kate.

Photo by Khris Poage

by Debbie Knox

Pirates Den

Just across the street from Rock Gym by Carolyn Anders

... and More!

Pirates Den

6

Amy Kennington: The First Lady of Pittsburg

17

8

2

2018

Pittsburg ISD

IN & AROUND PITTSBURG IN&AROUNDPITTSBURG

116 These

were drafted in 1940 1.

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Henderson Moore Carroll L. Hackler David D. Marshall Bishop C. Honzell Raymond D. Russel Boyd E. Powers Carroll Shelton Edd Curlin Jr. William B. Braudaway Virice Brooks Thad Henderson Morris L. Whitlock Victor Fowler L.C. Graves R.E. Matherly George H. Brown John H. Rivers Johnnie Simons H. Kirkpatrick Eddie B. Stanberry John H. Turner Neal White Thomas B. York Patrick H. Turner H.H. Palmer John P. Bell R.H. Landers Jr. Jack Hill Preston Sayles Henry Hollins Claud Warren Robert E.L. Harris Grover E. Gillia Floyd N. Matthews Robert Y. Kerley Percy H. Williams Dallas H. Nicholson Gus Bolton Jr. Leo Bockmon

IN & AROUND PITTSBURG

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Clarence A. White David H. Harrod Wilmer L. Hestand Leonard Rogers Thurman H. Keeling Charles D. Henderson James L. Blasingame Kenneth Walton Hiram Wilson Homer L. Edwards Sammie L. Veasy Artie Bell William H.E. Kizer Rip H. Bell Jerry Wilkerson Rudin H. Johnson Henry C. Johnson Larry B. Holmes Esley L. Thompkins Willie L. Strickland O.C. Ross Grant Henry D. Dailey R.L Collins H.D. Reaves T.A. Eidson L.M. Callicoatte D.T. LeGrand Odell Aldredge C.O. Davis Elijah Moore Parvin Neal Richard T. Moseley Booker T. Rhymes J.B. Rudolph H.C. Garrett Homer L. Porter Burns King C.V. Puckett H.J. Robertson

On Nov. 1, 1940, the Selective Service Board for the county was working rapidly to issue order numbers for the draftees so they would know just when they could expect to enter training.

The following is an unofficial list of the first 116 order numbers assigned draftees in Camp County.

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C.C. Vaughn W.N. Cummings Tommie Sanders Loyd M. Marshall Billy Bob Ivory H.D. Sutton Harold Hull H.E. Robinson W.D. Richardson G.K. Pearson W.J. Spann Y.D. Henderson C.W. Presley R.S. Hanson Robert L. Hess R.F. Cook Jr. B.T. Hamilton R.L. Peel J.W. Deresaugh Paul P. Landers R.H. Henderson J.F. Williams Louie Strickland J.L. Richardson H.B. McGahee J.D. Turnage W.B. Bynum O.B. Bridges Roy A. Hoffman Doyle Hudnall T.L Garrett Johnny G. Boyd Albert Harrington G.C. McCasland Dewitte Mems B.W. Reece Vannie Burrell H.L. Reames

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2018

3

Building a legal legacy to last a

J

Lifetime

ames W. Wallace was born and raised in the Camp Coun- a historically conscious, fully restored office space to house ty area. He and his son, James (Jas) W. Wallace III, also businesses in the heart of Camp County in March 2015.

The law firm handles cases in the areas of probate, estate born and raised in Pittsburg have begun to put together a legal service practice to meet the needs of their friends and planning, bankruptcy, family law, real estate, personal injury, criminal law and commercial business law. neighbors here in the local and surrounding area.

The Wallace family has been in the area for eight generaThe elder Wallace has been practicing law since November 1989 in Pittsburg. Jas grew up in Pittsburg, graduated tions now, and has no plans of leaving. “This is our home and we want to see the area prosper and flourish. That is why we from Pittsburg High School and joined his father in the law decided to invest in the restoration of the old Firehouse. It firm in November 2015. outwardly expresses our sense of loyalty and pride that we After deciding to return to Pittsburg upon graduation feel about this area of Texas,” said James. from law school, Jas and his father decided that they needed Contact the firm at 903-856-1111, or visit: www. a larger space to work. James had practiced in the same location on Lafayette Street for 27 years. The old city hall/ wallacefirm.com. firehouse had been placed on the market for sale, so the Wallace’s purchased it and began a 10 month long renovation of the historic building.

The offices are located in the historic Firehouse Plaza at 132 Jefferson Street in Pittsburg. The building was built in 1927 on the same spot where the old Camp County courthouse had stood. It was the previous home to the Pittsburg City Hall, Pittsburg Fire Department, and the City of Pittsburg Police Department. The Wallace family decided the historic building deserved to be preserved and used for The old fire station, circa late 1920s where the James local commerce again. They began the journey to use it as Wallace Law Firm now sits.

Not only does James Wallace have knowledge of the law, but a love of Pittsburg’s downtown restoration.

James and Jas Wallace

The old Pittsburg Police and Fire Station built in 1927, restored in 2014

ACCOUNTING AND BOOKKEEPING SERVICES

Corina Wallace

132 Jefferson St. • Pittsburg, TX

903-856-1112

Wallace Law Firm Attorneys at Law 4

2018

903-856-1111 132 Jefferson St. • Pittsburg

www.WallaceFirm.com

Fax: 903-856-1113 corina@cwacctservices.com Hablo español! www.cwacctservices.com IN & AROUND PITTSBURG

Southern Wind Manor T

he Wallace family began plans to build an adult assisted living facility in Pittsburg in early January 2005 and a short time later, they opened the doors of a 42 private living suite community that features a spacious community dining room, private dining/multipurpose room, commercial grade kitchen facility, beauty and barber facility, private whirl-pool spa area, laundry facility, nurse/employee lounge, public lobby and restrooms, resident lounge areas, media and library nook, staff offices, activities area, and wellness center.

Each suite features private sleeping and sitting areas complete with cable for television, telephone, and emergency access pulls; full handicap bathrooms, kitchenettes, and closet/ storage space.

Southern Wind Manor welcomes all private pay, long term care insurance and community based alternative payment plans. The facility is licensed as what the state department regulates as a large Class “B” facility. This allows for not only those individuals who need minimal assistance, but also for residents that need more extensive assistance to also qualify to reside at Southern Wind Manor.

James Wallace, the owner, said “great care was taken to make certain that the facility would meet all the license and certification requirements for the various state and federal agencies.”

Matthew Wallace, executive director, adds: “the facility meets the approval and licenses of the Department of Aging and Disabilities for Assisted Living FacilitiesLarge Class B and that the facility meets all the requirements of the Community Based Alternative Program (CBA); Veteran’s Administration; private insurance providers and American Disabilities Act.” Southern Wind Manor maintains a staff of approximately 29 employees.

“The facility offers residents of this community and the surrounding areas an additional option when the time comes they can no longer sustain independent living on their own. Our motto and goal is to provide the highest

Looking after your loved ones since 2005

quality of health care available in the East Texas area at an affordable price,” said Matthew.

The facility has very qualified personnel to handle the needs of its residents.

Executive Director, Matthew Wallace, holds bachelor degree in finance and a Master Degree in Business Administration. He is also a certified assisted living director/administrator. Julie Swann, resident relations director, has been with the facility for nine years and is familiar with the daily needs that the residents require.

Amelia Mowery, licensed vocational nurse, brings a level of nursing expertise to the facility that helps achieve the goal of maintaining health care excellence.

The facility motto is “Let us change the way you look at health care.”

Mowery says, “our dedication to the residents’ needs and care will be second to no other facility of this kind.”

Registered Nurse Steve Corbell is another staff member who works part-time at the facility.

In addition to professional nursing care, other services include: fulltime personal-aid staff, three home-cooked meals a day, house-keeping and laundry services, activities and exercise, library and media services, postal service, transportation to and from doctor appointments, and shopping.

Southern Wind Manor-Assisted Living is locally owned and operated by the Wallace family, who are eight generations strong in Camp County. James and Pamela make their home in Pittsburg, along with two of their sons and their families: Matthew and wife, Sara, with children Noah, Abigail, Sierra, Olivia and Isabel; and Jas and his wife Corina, with children Rueben, Sophia and Jake. The Wallace’s other two children are Amanda and husband, Dr. Jason Moulton with children Gabriel, Rachel, Joseph, Aurora, Lucinda and Ivan; and Jonathan and wife, Kaitlin with their children, Savannah, Natalie, and Henry.

Give Matthew a call at 903-855-1555 any day of the week to arrange for a free tour and complimentary lunch.

Changing the way you look at health care.

Elegant dining area.

Tasteful appointed private rooms, with kitchenette and bath.

Individual postal boxes for each resident.

One of several common sitting areas in the facility.

Southern Wind Manor ASSISTED LIVING COMMUNITY

Family Owned & Operated

Elegant parties and activities.

IN & AROUND PITTSBURG

Come by or call 903-855-1555 for a tour of the facility.

618 Quitman Street • Pittsburg, TX

www.SouthernWindManor.com 2018

5

PIRATES DEN

Just across the street from the Rock Gym

O

by CAROLYN ANDERS

nce upon a time in the early 1950s, a fast food joint opened on Fulton Street in Pittsburg, Texas, across from the old rock gymnasium. Ethel Meeks had no idea when she opened the Pirates Den that memories lasting for generations would be made in this small café. For years, a steady stream of students from all ages would cram into approximately 600 square feet to buy burgers and snacks, and participate in other activities, that might have been seen by the square generation, as a den of iniquity.

At one time, Pittsburg Independent School District had much looser rules for lunch. A closed campus did not exist, and students

When patrons walked through the door, a thick cloud of cigarette smoke awaited them.

Smoking for minors was not against the law during these good old days, and several students would often risk reprimands from principals for patronizing the Pirates Den during times when it was ~ Ois Kennington off limits. Chuck Johns reminisced, “Some kids would go over there to smoke.

We called them the Winston Wildcats.” One of those teenage Winston Wildcats was Bo Harrel. Study hall was the best time for him and his buddies to leave the campus and sneak to the Pirates Den. Bo said, “I would raise my hand and ask to be excused to go to the restroom when I was a freshman. The teacher wouldn’t check on us, so we would go over and smoke. Sometimes I would even

Mrs. Meeks hid me behind the counter one day when Mr. Acker came over looking for anyone skipping class. I loved that woman!” from six to eighteen could leave the campus and eat anywhere they chose. The infamous Pirates Den was one of the best places to go for a quick lunch and to visit with classmates and a great place for skipping school and grabbing a quick smoke. The building was very small, and how all of the people crammed in there is beyond me. There were only three booths to squeeze into and a counter with bar stools at which to eat.

6 2018

Courtesy Photo

The Pirates Den and the students out front are iconic representations of the 1950s and 60s. The hairstyles of both the guys and girls, penny loafers and dresses are symbolic of that happy time and place.

The Pirates Den was the go-to place for students during lunch, after school and for some, during school.

get some wine and leave it my car that I had pushed behind the Pirates Den. I would take a sip of wine, and then go in and have a smoke.”

Skipping school to go to the Pirates Den was not just for smokers. Several guys and girls just needed to get away to catch up on the latest gossip and eat the fabulous food that was available and served daily. Dot Nolan, Lisa Crain, and Davey Miner could vouch for the delicious Frito chili pies.

Butch Hill said he remembered only paying a dime for the Frito pie. A small bag of Fritos was sliced open and filled to the brim with mouth-watering chili. The long johns were another treat famous at the Pirates Den. Long johns were sweet rolls filled with some type of jelly, so after eating a greasy chili pie or hamburger, Pittsburg students Lisa Crain, Cherry Gentry, Dot Nolan and Cindy Rolston Marshall would finish lunch off with Mrs. Meeks’ renowned long johns.

High school students weren’t the only ones to frequent the Pirates Den. Even IN &AROUND PITTSBURG

grade schoolers like Pat Anders and Billy Hood attempted to make a daily run for candy after school. Pat tells this story about him and Billy Hood running across the street between the buses to buy treats to eat on the bus. “Other students riding the bus wanted candy too, so we started making a list of who wanted what. Whatever they wanted, they had to buy us the same thing.

We had way more candy than we ever could eat. So instead of buying the candy, Billy and I just kept the money. We had a good business going until an announcement was made at the school

by Mrs. Garrison that students could no longer go to the Pirates Den after school. Now I have never been good at following orders, and we were making lots of money. We were like boy gangsters and decided it would be worth getting in trouble to continue the job. One of the teachers stationed by the rock gym caught us, and we had to go to the principal’s office the next morning. Mrs. Garrison warned us not to go back to that horrid, smoked-filled place again. But that didn’t deter us. We went back the next day and got caught again, so it was back to Mrs. Garrison’s office once more. This time she gave us a lick, which didn’t even faze us, so instead we decided we each would go every other day. That wasn’t working too well either, so being the smart guys that we were, we devised a plan of action. One of us would hide behind a bus, and the other would make like they were going to run to the Pirates Den. While the teacher on duty was watching him, the other would scurry across the street. However, all good things must come to an end, and our little scheme ended abruptly when Mr. Ray Womack was called in for backup. Mr. Womack whipped us so hard and for so long that we closed up our shop after that. That man could swing a paddle!”

I am quite sure that there are hundreds of stories to tell about the Pirates Den and Mrs. Meeks. Kids loved and respected Mrs. Meeks, and she evidently kept some students from getting into big trouble. Ois Kennington remembered, “Mrs. Meeks hid me behind the counter one day when Mr. Acker came over looking for anyone skipping class. I loved that woman!”

Dell Wilson shared a similar story about Mr. Acker. “When I was a senior, I asked Mr. Acker if I could to the Den early one morning, and he said, ‘O.K.’ When he started over there about fifteen minutes later, Mrs. Meeks told everybody there without permission to hide under the counter and all did but me. She said you get under here, and I told her that I wasn’t scared of him and kept sitting on a stool. He came in and got some coffee and talked to me. Mrs. Meeks was looking on and sweating. He said, ‘let’s go, Mr. Wilson,’ and stopped at the door, looked back and said, ‘That goes for the rest of you kids too.’ As we crossed the street he asked how many were under the counter. I said that there wasn’t any more room for me. We both snickered and chuckled all the way up the steps. He always knew everything.”

The Pirates Den was only a step away from all of the Pittsburg schools, but the memories are still there. The café opened in the early 1950s and closed in the early 70s after the new high school was built. An era ended and now there are only memories of the old brick Pittsburg High School, the Pirates Den, Frito pies, burger baskets, long johns and hot cinnamon toothpicks.

IN & AROUND PITTSBURG

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2018

7

PHOTO: ELLIS KNOX

Pittsburg ISD Superintendent Judy Pollan poses with the members of the Pittsburg School Board. Pictured left to right: Greg Miller, Jerral Walker, Christian Yantis, Mrs. Pollan, Board President Jack Arwine, Alan Brison, Ricky Parker, and Vernon Rowe.

Pittsburg ISD

A Cutting Edge School District Compiled from Gazette staff reports and data from the School Administration

In 2009, The Pittsburg Independent School District was featured in a progress. When researching from that time until now, it was time to spotlight the last nine years leading up to 2018.

Most of the credits of PISD’s accomplishments are not only from the teachers and staff, but the cooperation between the Pittsburg ISD School Board, led by Board President Jack Arwine, and board members, Alan Brison, Greg Miller, Ricky Parker, Vernon Rowe, Jerral Walker, and Christian Yantis and PISD Administration, led by Superintendent Judy Pollan and Deputy Superintendent Beth Anne Dunavant. The accomplishments speak well of everyone’s leadership.

Since 2009, Pittsburg has been an innovator of success.

Academically, the district has placed in the top five to 10 percent of every academic category. The Pittsburg Intermediate School was nationally recognized as a Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education in 2016. The Pittsburg High School was recognized as a Best High School and received a Bronze Medal in 2016-2017 by U.S. News and World Report.

As far as technology, PISD applied for and has been awarded technology funds through the E-Rate process. E-Rate is a federal funded grant to be spent on technology and allocated to school districts based on the percentage of students on free or reduced lunch. With these funds the district continuously updates the technology infrastructure to support online programs and learning. Online support is necessary for much more than just classrooms now. The district business office, all schools’ cafeterias, libraries, and the police, maintenance, and transportation departments all use online applications which are supported by our technology infrastruc-

10

JANUARY 2018

ture. The district also purchased instructional hardware, such as Chromebooks on re-chargeable carts, and instructional software every year to keep the classrooms equipped with the latest technology.

More improvements were made from 2010 until 2013 at each campus mainly with food service, cafeterias, and a new sports facility. The old sports building was torn down and the present field house built. There was a school bond that passed in 2013 which resulted in a new high school career and technical education building, which was opened in 2016.

The school bond enabled many improvements to all of the school properties.

In 2016, the administration and the members of the Pittsburg School Board met several times to discuss the remaining, “big job” necessities of each school compiled from suggestions from each school’s administration and teachers.

Then on Feb. 1, the board met to discuss the list that had been compiled with the engineering firm they had asked to evaluate the cost of the repairs and construction.

Charlie Price of Compass Builders had evaluated all the items and gave a report verifying the necessity of the repairs and an estimate of the total cost of the project which came to the about $11 million. One of the major items was removal of asbestos insulation from several of the buildings.

Before the vote was taken to have a bond election at the Monday, Feb. 15 meeting, Superintendent Judy Pollan introduced Doug Whitt of SAMCO Capital Markets, who advised the board that the financial climate of the market was extremely good for selling bonds. Especially Texas school bonds.

This is the list the School Board had approved to be included in the bond election: IN & AROUND PITTSBURG

FOR PRIMARY, ELEMENTARY AND INTERMEDIATE SCHOOLS • Build New Life Skills Building at the Pittsburg Elementary School • Remove and replace tile, base and subflooring in 30 Elementary classrooms • Replace floor covering in seven classrooms at the Intermediate School (asbestos abatement) • Improve drainage issues at the Elementary and Intermediate schools • Install gutters at the Pittsburg Primary School bus loading area • Construct new security walls at the Primary School • Renovate restrooms at the Intermediate School and the Junior High School • Air condition Rock Gym at Pittsburg Elementary School • Air condition Metal Gym at Pittsburg Intermediate School • Add a lean-to on side of Metal Gym at Intermediate School • Build new road behind Pittsburg Elementary School to Rusk Street • Replace windows and upgrade exterior at front of Intermediate School JUNIOR HIGH AND HIGH SCHOOLS • Renovate Piano Lab at the Junior High School • Install card readers on exterior doors at Junior High and High School • Replace eight electric drinking fountains at Junior High and High School • Replace tile flooring at Junior High including demolition, rubber base and asbestos abatement • Replace exterior doors at the High School

• Construct new restrooms at the High School Baseball Field • Refurbish the High School Auditorium including 650 seats, including lighting, sound system, paint, and acoustics • Construct new visitors’ dressing room/soccer dressing at Pirate Stadium • Renovate Pirate football stadium—new home side bleachers, press box, bleachers for band/auxiliary, restrooms, field lighting, and new sound system • Build new parking lot near concession stand which will serve as home parking • Upgrade stage at annex to a Theater Arts facility • Upgrade camera and security system at all campuses • Construct new competition Gymnasium at the High School with Girls’ weight room, dressing rooms, lobby and concessions

The vote was held on May 5, 2016 and passed. Some of the projects were started almost immediately and as of this date, all have been completed except the new gym. Construction is now underway and Mr. Price of Compass Builders says that the foundation work is near completion and the walls should be going up in the next few months. Once these two things happen, construction inside should move along a little faster. Estimates are the gym could be ready by the 2018-2019 basketball season.

On the academic side other schools’ administrators and teachers have been visiting Pittsburg School to study the methods of success. This school board and especially the leadership of Judy Pollan, superintendent, Beth Anne Dunavant, assistant superintendent, the principals, assistant principals, each schools administration, police, and especially the teachers and coaches have made Pittsburg ISD a cutting edge school of the present and of the future.

PITTSBURG ISD

Exemplary, national award winning school district

www.PittsburgISD.com IN & AROUND PITTSBURG

JANUARY 2018

9

Koe Wetzel

by DEBBIE KNOX

"Can you turn the music up?"

Koe Wetzel is climbing the country music charts

T

PHOTO: Khris Poage

10

2018

here’s a new heartthrob in Texas Country Music. It may say on his website that he’s from East Texas, but he’s very much from Pittsburg. Since his “February 28, 2016” song hit the charts, he’s climbing away with highspirited lyrics and toe-tapping original music about Pittsburg, Rocky Mound, Austin and any place in-between.

It doesn’t hurt that he has his mom and dad’s good looks and plenty of stage charisma.

IN & AROUND PITTSBURG

Koe Wetzel graduated from Pittsburg High School in 2011 and took off to Stephenville for college and to play football. He had to take a detour after a broken ankle. That detour, as it turns out, has put him in the hearts of young ladies all over the state of Texas and beyond. He’s even grabbed the attention of this 63-year-old with his honest, genuine lyrics about “Fussin and Fightin” and “Something to Talk About.” My personal favorite is “Tell it All Town” with “February 28, 2016” a close second.

I sat down with Koe’s mom, dad and sisters, Julie (Groce), Dale, Presleigh and Zoie Kate Wetzel, a couple of weeks ago, and they are all still a little hesitant about talking about his new-found success.

Julie admits she’s had a harder time accepting Koe’s fame more than Dale.

“I need to pinch myself every​few days,” she said.

“At first he was playing at bars at Stephenville with 20-30 people there. It was on Feb. 28, 2017 that I was in Austin for a workshop and Dale went to hear him play. It was on a Tuesday night, and my first question is always ‘is there anyone there?’”

“It’s packed Julie. You don’t understand; there’s 1,500 people here.

They have sold out,” Dale said. “They are just grabbing at him; they won’t leave him alone. It’s just insane; you won’t believe it.”

“No way,” she said. “I didn’t want to count my chickens before they were hatched. I want him to be big and everything, but it was all coming too soon.”

After he played to another sold-out crowd at Billy Bob’s in Fort Worth in late December 2017, his mother is catching on to the realization that Koe is quite the phenomenon, and she is going to have to share him with a lot of fans from now on.

The young women have even started throwing panties and bras on stage. That’s how he and his roommates decorated their Christmas tree last Christmas. Koe joked that he knew what his sisters were getting for Christmas. His younger sisters were a little appalled he considered that notion.

Dale said he knew 25-year-old Koe had hit the big time two years ago.

“I’m sitting there telling her (Julie) for a long time. This is crazy. You’re not understanding what’s going on here. Julie, he is the main act here.

That’s why there’s so many people,” Dale said.

But Julie was still hesitant to believe it all.

“The crowds are just wild. People are on each other’s shoulders. They’ve got their cameras out, and they are just snapping all the time. You would think you’re at some kind of Elvis concert. It really is exciting,” Julie said.

“All of the sudden there’s a line of girls and guys who want to take their picture with him. So, after the show, it’s just one picture after another.”

Koe’s mother and grandmother (Julie’s mother, Gloria Groce) took him to festivals all over northeast Texas at a very young age. He sang at Pittsburg High School’s production of Hee Haw for several years and then he performed at FFA talent shows before crowds of 15,000 at a time.

“Those FFA talent shows were a big deal,” Julie said.

Lately, Koe’s been sharing headlines on websites with the likes of Justin Timberlake, Chris Stapleton, George Strait and Willie Nelson on www. wideopencountry.com as one of the top “15 Rising Texas Country Artists to Watch in 2018.”

“No one busted onto the Texas Country circuit in 2017 quite like Koe Wetzel. His star power charm, DIY attitude and candid writing style have resonated with the spirited college bar crowds within the state. With the release of Noise Complaint in 2016, Wetzel and company took the state by storm with unapologetic songs about hometown gossip, young love (lust) and the pitfalls of small town Texas,” his critics wrote.

According to his mom, he has an undeniable charm and he just reflects “the good ole country boy; and like somebody said, even if you don’t know him, you feel like you do.”

IN & AROUND PITTSBURG

According to Dale, Koe lucked out being in the Battle of the Bands one year in Stephenville. Larry Joe Taylor was a judge, and come to find out Taylor had been hearing about Koe. So who’s Larry Joe Taylor?

Koe called his dad one day and said Larry Joe wanted to talk to him about being his manager.

“Hey, Larry Joe Taylor called me and wants to talk to me,” Koe told his dad.

Dale, who does his homework on folks in the Texas Country Music industry, told Koe there shouldn’t be much discussion.

“What’s there to talk about? Dale asked. “If Larry Joe called you – he’s the godfather of Texas Country Music - you should go ahead and sign because he’s a pioneer in Texas Country Music.”

Koe seems to have paid his dues. For awhile his mother talks about him

No one busted onto the Texas Country circuit in 2017 quite like Koe Wetzel. His star power charm, DIY attitude and candid writing style have resonated with the spirited college bar crowds within the state.” being a vagabond, going from place to place to spend the night and only having enough money to eat macaroni and cheese every day.

His sisters are proud of their brother’s success.

“It’s strange. I am in high school and you have all these younger kids who are obsessive - Koe this and Koe that. Some of them are in love with him and that’s just weird,” Presleigh said.

Julie said he sells out in every college town because the college kids really love him.

“They say his age range is from 16-28 years old, but I have a lot of my friends who can relate to his music. In my opinion it’s not just the 16-28year olds; he relates to all ages,” Dale said.

As moms do, Julie worries about the lack of sleep, long nights in clubs and getting on the road to drive six hours for a show the next night. She admits she likes to stand back in a corner and witness all the craziness.

She has even gone in the ladies’ room and asked the young women what they think of Koe. “’Oh, he’s so good looking,’ ‘I love his voice,’ are some of the response,” she said. At times she will tell them she’s his mother. She said most of the time they don’t believe her, and they leave chattering ‘do you think that’s his mom?’

Julie and Dale know that with his success, there will be times when he’s approached by some people who don’t have his best interest at heart.

“Koe thinks everybody is good,” Julie said. “One of my prayers at night is that he is surrounded by good and honest people and people that will encourage his career and make it better.”

For now, Koe has earned a spot to open for Josh Abbott, Randy Rogers and Aaron Watson and that’s pretty big.

You can catch Koe performing the next few months ​at various places across Texas. That is, if you’re lucky enough to snag a ticket.

2018

11

A step back in time.

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13

Looking to the Future After nearly seven decades of providing home furnishings for the Northeast Texas area, the future still looks bright for

Everybody’s Furniture!

I

n 1936, a little business by the name of Everybody’s Food Store located at 107 East Third Street in Mt. Pleasant was opened by E.S. Miller and his son, Walter Miller. Over the years, that store became more than just a place to buy groceries. They also sold feed and several hardware items including Georgia stocks, clevises, single trees, trace chains, and back and belly bands. Later, non-grocery items such as linoleum rugs, battery radios, and kerosene cook stoves were added.

When the owners envisioned the possibility of adding furniture, refrigerators, and home laundry to their business, a separate building located next door to the food store was obtained, thereby establishing Everbody’s Furniture Store in 1940. The business then moved in 1941 to 204 West Second Street and remained there for several years. In 1945, Walter Miller purchased his father’s interest in the business, and in 1957, Weldon, the son of Walter and his wife, Vera, entered the family business as a partner. In this same year, property was purchased

for future relocation to the present location at 1125 North Jefferson.

After several years, construction began in 1963 with a Grand Opening on February 5, 1964. This new building was then the largest clear span building in Mt. Pleasant with approximately 17,600 square feet of floor space. In that same year, Weldon purchased his father’s interest in the business and is still very active in the day-to-day operations.

Following an accident involving a vehicle crashing through the front of the store on April 4, 2017, plans were made to make necessary repairs. However, instead of merely restoring, preliminary drawings for a new store front that Weldon had commissioned in 2016 were pulled out, dusted off, and a total overhaul begun inside and outside.

Additionally, the old funeral home property on the north side of the store was purchased prior to the conclusion of the remodeling process, and the structures were demolished, which greatly improved visibility of the furniture store. Finally, after five long months of restoration and remodeling, a Grand Re-Opening was held on Saturday,

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2018

IN & AROUND PITTSBURG

September 16, 2017, with hundreds in attendance.

Over the years, all of Weldon’s family has been involved in one way or another with the business. His wife, Jo Ann, held down the fort at home as a stay-at-home mom when their four children were young. Later, she became a valuable part of the sales staff and assisted in merchandising and purchasing until she retired. Their youngest son, Kent Miller, worked in the delivery and installation department until he joined the Air Force, later moving to Lubbock and then to Wichita Falls where he is currently employed as a shift supervisor for the military contractor at Sheppard Air Force Base. Dana, their oldest daughter, worked for 14 years as the office manager until she and her family moved to Glen Rose, where she is currently employed as the secretary to the Superintendent of the Glen Rose School District. Wade Miller, their oldest son, was employed from 1979 to 2014 when he retired with medical disabilities. During his tenure, he served in the delivery and installation department until he became manager of Everybody’s Fan Gallery, a previous subsidiary of Everybody’s Furniture, and for the last several years served as manager of Everybody’s Furniture. Cindy Armstrong, their youngest daughter, and her family relocated to Mt. Pleasant from Fort Worth in 2007 to join the family business. She has served as store manager since that time.

From the beginning of Everybody’s Furniture until now, there have been challenges to overcome as well as opportunities to pursue. They are grateful for the successes that their customers have allowed them to enjoy, and, yes, they are even grateful for the failures they have experienced from time to time. These failures have allowed Everybody’s Furniture to remove the focus from itself and place the blessings that they have been given at the feet of a loving, kind, and righteous God to whom they owe all things.

IN & AROUND PITTSBURG

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2018

15

The First Lady of Pittsburg is

Amy Kennington

H

ave you ever wondered what the first lady of a small town does? Some virtually go unnoticed for years; some are very active in helping in the communities they serve; but one thing is for sure, Pittsburg’s first lady Amy Kennington is anything but unnoticed.

A small town girl turned heads during her high school years, and still does, as a mother of two. She chose to work at the local banks during her high school and college years instead of pursuing a college degree, a personal regret for her now. However, she did take some accounting courses and got a few of her basic courses before becoming a mother.

She captured the attention of a local young man who happens to be six days her junior. He couldn’t decide between a career in law enforcement or going to mortuary school. For those who know him, he went the route of mortuary school first and now holds the title of assistant constable of Camp County, along with managing Erman Smith Funeral Home.

Amy has been serving as first lady of our fair city since 2006. She accompanies her husband, Mayor Shawn Kennington, to various events, and you will usually see her in every parade, sporting their dog Branson, who is a miniature Schnauzer.

“Branson usually gets more attention than we do,” Amy said. “Branson has become so well known in the parades people will yell out his name before speaking to me or Shawn. That’s what’s great about our small town.”

For the last 12 years, Amy has taken her role as “first lady of Pittsburg” with grace and honor. She’s very much in tune with putting Pittsburg on the map and has a desire to see the community grow and prosper. But she had reservations in the beginning.

About the time Shawn contemplated taking on the title of mayor, Amy wasn’t too excited about the idea. He owned the funeral home and worked a lot of hours, almost always unexpected hours. Their children, Payton and Chloe, were 7 and 5 at the time. Daddy was in high demand, and the girls’ schedules were becoming more stringent every day.

However, Shawn followed a man, D. H. Abernathy, who held the office of Pittsburg’s mayor for 52 years. If anyone knows Shawn, and Amy sure does, she said he was determined to give as much as he could to the office for the people. Shawn felt like he could make a difference. So, Amy supported her husband in his new endeavor, and they’ve learned to balance their schedules for the past 12 years.

She will admit, it’s not often but there are a few perks to being the mayor’s wife in a small town. It meant she could attend governors’ inaugurations and balls. They have traveled on Pittsburg’s behalf to places around the state, and they do it on their own dime. And they are a very handsome couple representing our small town.

The Pittsburg limelight is not new for Amy. She grew up in Pittsburg and was well known for playing sports including softball, tennis, and gymnastics as well as being a Pirate majorette at PHS. Her vivacious personality and her inability to walk out the door without her hair done to perfection and makeup seem to have caught people’s attention through the years. She was known as Amy Peek back in the day, a tan young lady with long blonde hair, and a winning smile.

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2018

by DEBBIE KNOX But the beauty, who has been in the spotlight for years, struggled as a child after her daddy died suddenly of Meningococcal Meningitis. She was only 9 years old.

“I knew my dad had gone to the hospital in Tyler and initially was told he had a kidney infection. I knew he was very sick, but it all happened so fast. I was staying with Kelly McNutt and her mother Melinda (Jones).

Melinda just let us be little girls and we played and played. I was unaware of what was going on because Melinda didn’t tell me what was happening. When it came time to take me home, we started down the street in Kentwood (where I lived at the time) and I could see there were many cars parked at the curb, up and down the street, and on a vacant lot next to our house. I recognized some of the cars, and I became excited because I thought my daddy was home. I wanted to see everyone who was visiting, but when I entered the house, people were crying and hugging me.

My mother took me into another room, and she explained that my daddy had died,” Amy remembered and apologized with her eyes full of tears.

“You would think since it was forever ago, I wouldn’t be this emotional.

“Being a little kid it’s crazy the things you remember. I remember Evelyn Garrett had made this casserole that was so good, and it’s funny to this day how I remember that. I also didn’t understand why my sister Angie and I had to be almost quarantined in a separate room from everyone, but immediately after my daddy died, Pittsburg folks were worried because meningitis is so contagious,” she said. “There was such a scare in town that everyone rushed to get the medicine you are supposed to take if you had contact with him. By the time we were able to get to the drug store they were out of the medicine and the druggist had to reorder.

From the left, Mayor Shawn, Amy, and Chloe Kennington and Payton and Dillon Richardson.

COURTESY PHOTO IN & AROUND PITTSBURG

Thank goodness we had some good neighbors, Jim and Cynthia Wilson, who took care of us.”

The next few months were difficult as her mom desperately tried to hold it together.

“She was only 33, and we had a happy life before my daddy died,” Amy said. “Daddy had a good job and didn’t seem to want for anything.”

When it was time to move on, she said her mom started working and managing the restaurant their uncle owned and worked as a substitute teacher some.

“She always had a job where she could take off and travel with us,” Amy said. “She made a declaration after my daddy’s death. Mom decided life was too short, and we were going to live. She made sure we traveled, and we got to see and experience many things that some kids our age didn’t get to do. We went to Hawaii and on cruises to Caracas, Venezuela, St. Thomas, the Bahamas and Aruba. We would go to Hawaii or on a cruise every year.”

“Since my dad’s favorite place to go was Branson, it’s one of mine and Shawn’s favorite places as well,” she said. “I don’t need to go to some exotic place; I just like to go places.

Pretty much anytime the car is cranked I’m ready to go, even if it’s just an overnight trip to Dallas.”

Amy is quite the ambassador for promoting her beloved Pittsburg and perhaps that’s what her legacy will be. Whenever there is an event she does her best in bolstering information to the locals and folks from other places. And she’s good about attending them with or without her husband.

Before working for Edward Jones, where she has worked for last six years, she worked as advertising manager at The Pittsburg Gazette.

Now that her oldest daughter Payton is newly married, she is looking forward to grandchildren “after the plan of finishing college first.” Chloe will graduate in early May of this year.

Laverne Abernathy held the title of Pittsburg’s first lady for 52 years.

Only time will tell how long Amy will hold that honorary title, but one thing’s for sure, she won’t stop putting Pittsburg on the map.

IN & AROUND PITTSBURG

LUMINANT

Photo by ELLIS KNOX

Luminant’s skyline will soon be a memory

by DEBBIE KNOX

I

t only seems like a short time ago when the state’s largest power generator and coal-mining operator Luminant was proud to be an integral part of the evolution growth and progress of Pittsburg and East Texas. Luminant’s roots also go back some 125 years when the company’s predecessors brighten East Texas with its first electric lights in the early 1880s.

Few businesses have devoted more money, time and effort to the technological economic and environmental improvement of the region and its communities than Luminant.

And even though that history will never change the company’s commitment to lighting, it will bid farewell to the Monticello community, Mount Pleasant and Pittsburg.

At the time this original article was written, in February 2009, Luminant generated more than $1.5 billion annually through payrolls, purchases, contracts and taxes from its plants and mines. Much of that economic benefit is pumped into East Texas, where Luminant has large operations. Over 60 percent of its workforce – almost 2,600 employees, including 600 in Camp and Titus counties – live in East Texas communities. In 2007, the taxes alone from the Monticello complex of generating units and mines totaled over $18 million. And in a new era of progress, Luminant invested over $4 billion in East and Central Texas in new generating capacity and environmental improvements. The result was significant boost in

energy supply, cleaner air for Texas, and money and jobs benefiting local communities.

Luminant’s roots are deep in the East Texas soil.

Literally. Texas may be oil and gas country, but it is lignite coal country too. Luminant began using Texas lignite in the early 1970s when the company entered a bold program to diversify its generating resources from 100 percent reliance on natural gas.

Nine new lignite-fueled units and their associated mines, including those at Monticello, were the result. Although no federal or state strip-mining laws yet existed, Luminant knew it would reclaim the land. But the commitment went further than that. It embraced the soil, air and water too. The result is a nationally acclaimed, award-winning land reclamation program and leadership in environmental stewardship.

Thirty-five years after the first of its three units came online in 1974, Monticello’s plant and mines continue to work round-the-clock to power Texas.

The plant had a generating capacity of 1,880 megawatts and is part of a coal fleet that equals almost one-third of Luminant’s total generating capacity.

In October 2017, Luminant announced its plans to retire the Monticello plant saying the company would take the necessary steps to responsibly decommission the facility in accordance with all federal and state regulations.

There are two hundred employees affected by this closure, not to mention millions of tax dollars lost for this area.

2018

17

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Traditional education Christian perspective Emphasis on character building

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Bethel Christian Academy had me well-prepared for college. Through the high quality curriculum, I was able to score high enough on my entrance exams to receive scholarship offers and opt out of several freshman level classes. Even though the school is operated as a whole, teachers addressed us as individuals. I could ask a question of the teachers with the full assurance that my question would be explained until I could understand the concept. Critical thinking was welcomed. They challenged me to learn how to learn.

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2018

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IN & AROUND PITTSBURG

Pittsburg Hot Links A must when coming to town

T

If you come to Pittsburg, you have to go eat hot links, no ifs, ands or buts about it.

he hot link is a Pittsburg staple and has become a part of the rich history of Pittsburg. Pittsburg butcher Charlie Hasselbach first made them in 1897 as raw, take-home meats, then began cooking them for sale in 1918. Soon, word spread about the short, stubby link and people from all over were coming to get a taste.

Pittsburg Hot Links turns out about 12,000 pounds of the sausages each week. That’s 96,000 hot links, and most of them are consumed within about 100 miles of Pittsburg.

Gene Warrick 1972

Gene & Madeline Warrick

Unlike other sausages, hot links are all beef and the meat is coarsely ground with no filler or thickener added. The result is a “juicy” link of meat that can satisfy even the most painstaking hunger crave.

Pittsburg Hot Links also offers other menu items such as hamburgers, chicken strips, steak sandwiches, chili, and stew among others.

Pittsburg Hot Links is located in downtown Pittsburg on Marshall Street. Just look for the iconic “Pittsburg Hot Links” sign.

The Pittsburg Hot Link has been a mainstay for the Pittsburg community and surrounding areas since 1897. This small juicy link is available at Pittsburg Hot Link Restaurant which is owned and operated by the Gene Warrick Family.

Gene and Madeline Warrick began their link to service in 1959.

The restaurant also serves burgers and fries and a variety of plates and is located at 136 West Marshall Street, Pittsburg, Texas. Call in orders at 903856-5765. Please visit the website at pittsburghotlink.com for information and to place your mail order.

Madeline Warrick serving “Red” Jones, a loyal customer

PittsburgHotlink.com 136 W. Marshall St. • Pittsburg

Hot Links

903-856-5765

Mon, Tues, Wed: 8am - 6 pm Thurs, Fri and Sat: 8am - 9pm

We care

for the families of Pittsburg Your primary healthcare team

Susan Branham, RN, MSN, ANP-BC, PMHNP-BC

Maria Crompton, DO Family medicine

Steven Griffin, DO Family medicine

Family medicine

Julian Deese, MD Gastroenterology

Family medicine

Marcy Hall, RN, MSN, FNP

For specialized care, close to home

Scott Holland, MD Pediatrics

Blair MacBeath, MD

Trey J. Vanderburg, MD Gynecology

Physicians in these specialties also see patients at our clinic • Cardiology • Podiatry • Ear, nose and throat • Pulmonary • Orthopedics • Vascular • Pain management

Family medicine

Healthcare is easy for you at ETMC Pittsburg Krystal Miller, RN, MSN, FNP-BC Family medicine

Jason Moulton, DO Family medicine

Lara Rowe, RN, MSN, CPNP Pediatrics

• ETMC First Physicians clinics for primary and specialty care • Diagnostic tests and lab work usually available on the same day • Walk-ins and appointments welcome for primary care • Convenient parking • Appointments for specialty care ETMC First Physicians clinic in Pittsburg 2701 Hwy. 271 N.

Neil Schwartzman, MD, FACP Internal medicine

[

Sam Waddell, PA-C Family medicine

Tonya Youngblood, MD Family medicine

Extended hours, Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 7 p.m.

Saturday, 8 a.m. – noon Call 903-946-5442 for an appointment

ETMC First Physicians are in-network providers for Medicaid, Medicare and most insurance plans.