NETX Crossroads

C NETX

ROSSROADS MAGAZINE

Jim Richardson

Pittsburg man puts into words a life well lived page 12

50 Women Impact

making change in Shelby County page 16

Mid America Flight Museum

page 24

Walking his Field of Dreams

Bowie County’s Tyler Pickle now at ESPN page 38

... and more!

About the Cover

AUGUST 2018

A young visitor gets up close and personal with a plane at the Mid America Flight Museum.

Photo by TRACY FARR

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S D A O R S S RO

CONTENTS

NETX

E MAGAZIN

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rdsonto Jim sbRuricghma an puts in d

Pitt live life well page 12 words a

ImpaCocunt ty omenin Sh 50 Wch elby ge an ing mak 16 page

An act of love and kindness

rica Mid Ame um e s Flight Mu

page 24

his Walking eams r D Field ofunty’s Tyler Pickle Bowie Co PN page 38 now at ES

re! ... and mo

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Rustville Essentials

Brad Whatley

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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Tracy Farr Tim Emmons Christy Green Kenny Mitchell Miranda Oglesby Dillan Payne Heather Russell Wilson Lynda Stringer Susan Taft

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Tracy Farr Christy Green Ellis Knox Miranda Oglesby Dillan Payne Heather Russell Wilson Susan Taft

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Joni Guess

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Love & Kindness AN ACT OF

COURTESY PHOTOS

Julia and Caleb Norton man the lemonade stand at the garage sale. The lemonade stand saw people offering $100 donations for their .50 cent cups of refreshment.

I

By

KENNY MITCHELL

t is often said that it is not tragedy that makes us who we are, but how we respond to that tragedy. This past weekend, a local family responded to their own personal tragedy with an act of love and kindness that truly portrayed that love conquers all and that a family can overcome anything if they are united in spirit.

Paul Norton, his three children, and the rest of their family recently suffered the worst kind of loss when his wife, Holly, passed away after a seven - year battle with colon cancer.

In the midst of Holly’s battle, the family made several trips to MD Anderson, and while there, came to know about Kim’s Place.

Kim’s Place is a lounge for teens and young adults at MD Anderson that is named in honor of Kim Perrot, a guard for the four-time WNBA champion Houston Comets. Perrot died of lung cancer in 1999 at the age of 32.

It is a place to get away, relax, play games, watch a movie and just escape from the harsh reality of the cancer center for a little while.

The Nortons have three children. Emily 4

AUGUST 2018

is now 16, Julia is 12 and Caleb is 8. They went to Kim’s place a few times over the years while their mother was a patient.

Paul says, “About five years ago the girls did a lemonade stand fundraiser for Kim’s Place. They raised about $600. We bought gifts and took them to Kim’s Place in November of that year. At the time Kim’s Place gave Christmas presents to kids who were patients at MDA on Christmas morning.”

Around Spring Break time this year, the three decided they wanted to help Kim’s Place again, and the idea for the garage sale, with the lemonade stand was born.

The effort became a family affair with Holly’s mom, Linda Smith, becoming a huge part in pulling it off. Linda’s sister Rayna Bean helped a lot as well.

Norton’s parents, Andy and Rene Norton, along with his twin brother, Scott Norton, his wife Melody and kids, Ray and Alex, also joined the team effort, and together the sale became a huge success.

Paul states, “Several families donated goods to the sale when they found out what the kids wanted to do. It has truly been a blessing to see the outpouring of love from this community.”

The Norton family spent many days at Kim’s Place while Holly battled Stage 4 colon cancer. Now the family is devoted to giving back to the place that helped them through their hardest days. Pictured are, left to right, Emily, Caleb, Paul, Julia and Holly .

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In a truly extraordinary twist, Emily and Julia also decided for their birthdays in June to accept gifts and donations to be donated to Kim’s Place in lieu of receiving gifts for themselves.

The lemonade stand was also a huge part of the weekend with individuals showing up to pay as much as $100 for a cup of the fresh lemonade and many others doing far more than the advertised 50 cents a cup. If guests were lucky, as I was, they also were entertained by Julia doing her version of Anna Kendrick’s Cups, from the movie Pitch Perfect. Julia’s rendition would have made Kendrick proud.

The garage sale itself was also different, with nothing priced and instead offered for a donation of any amount.

“It was a true outpouring of love and support…a true winwin” Paul said.

To add the cherry on top, when the sale was done on Saturday, Paul, Caleb and Scott loaded up clothes, toys and some furniture and donated them to Randy Sam’s Shelter to help them.

Then, on July 18, the Norton’s made the trip to Houston and to Kim’s Place, where they presented a donation of $4,379.75 and had a special visit with Holly’s doctors and members of the team at Kim’s Place.

It was all an act of kindness. An act not asked for by Kim’s Place, not your ordinary garage sale, and not your everyday family gathering. But rather, a gift of love, in remembrance of love.

When love and memories are what you have, love is all you need.

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AUGUST 2018

5

Cass County Centenarian recounts

simpler times

PHOTO: CHRISTY GREEN

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By

CHRISTY GREEN

ot many people get to sit down with someone and listen to stories of what life was like more than 100 years ago, but one native East Texan has finally reached the age of becoming a centenarian.

On April 25, 2018, Dewey Wyninegar hit quite a milestone in his life, he turned 100 years old. His long, abundant life was honored with a much-deserved birthday celebration given to him by his family, who love him dearly.

Wyninegar said he has watched the world change right before his eyes, “from wagons to cars to rocket ships,” he exclaimed.

He was born at home in 1918 just south of Marietta, known as the Doss community, now known as Flat Creek, to Dan and Zora Wyninegar. According to Wyninegar, the Doss family must have been the first to settle there.

Wyninegar’s family were sharecroppers when not working at the local sawmill. In the 20s, his Grandpa owned one of the only stores in the community, Wyninegar’s Grocery, his was the only one that sold gasoline. The other stores were owned by Walter Stubbs, Jo Doss and Henry Bond.

He said not many people know it now, but there used to be a train depot there, which transported high-line poles to a creosote plant.

Growing up, Wyninegar said they didn’t have much of anything 6

AUGUST 2018

but the simple things in life.

“We had a bed to sleep in and we ate,” he said. “I remember us always having meat and sorghum syrup.”

He and his brothers, him being the middle child, would get apples and oranges for Christmas.

“They could be smelled throughout the house before Christmas, and we always knew when Santa was coming when we could smell those apples and oranges,” he said laughing. “That was about all you got. We never had a Christmas tree.”

While recounting more details of his childhood, Wyninegar remembered his journeys to and from school.

“We walked three miles to school and three miles back,” he said.

“On our way home from school, if it had been raining and the creek bottom was high, we would stay at my grandpa’s store until the water went down, and probably ate the whole time we were there.” he admitted.

There were no electronics or high-tech gadgets for entertainment in his day. Life was simple, hard at times, but in some ways simple.

It was playing baseball and basketball at school, and at home games of marbles, dominoes, tossing horseshoes, pitching washers, and of course the occasional country dance to attend. Wyninegar himself played a lot of baseball, including with a league in Texarkana.

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When not at school during the summer, he worked at a sawmill, walking five miles through the woods, working 10 hour shifts, and walking back home. He said before daylight when he had no light to see, he knew the trail by heart.

He said that the trip didn’t tire him a bit. He thinks he has passed his hyper, energy filled personality to his great-grandson.

Wyninegar was still a young boy when the Great Depression took its toll on the economy. The land and its resources was a must for survival.

“Everyone was affected,” he said. “I remember us having to wear the same clothes for a week. My grandpa and uncle had brand new cars that rusted because they couldn’t buy the gas to drive them.

Through the hard times, he said they had livestock which provided meat and milk. We had a grinder, which we ground our own corn to make bread.”

He remembers when he was about 12 years old, he said his dad was gone to find work, and he remembers going out to the field and picking the corn, bringing it home and using a tin can with a hole punched in it to scrape the corn from the cob to make the bread.

When he became a young man, he wanted something different, so in Barksdale, La., he joined the 15th United States Army Air Corp, which was the aerial warfare of the U.S. between 1926 and 1941, before later becoming the United States Air Force.

“All three of us boys joined the Army and went overseas, and all of came back,” he said.

He was in California when World War II broke out, there he went to parachute school and became a parachute inspector. The military led him to many places like Washington, New York, Mississippi, then overseas to North Africa, where he was an airplane mechanic, some of which were shot-down planes. He also went to Italy, and was even blessed by the Pope in Rome.

“One of my best friends was commander of a base in Rome, so five of us got a pass to go there,” he said.

While visiting Vatican City, they walked up some steps and through some large doors and there was the Pope, being carried by four men on his ceremonial throne. The Pope said a few words, which some of the guys Wyninegar was with were Catholic so they understood him. After he spoke, he was being carried out, and stopped and blessed all of us.

“I said then, ‘I bet I’m the only guy from Texas that’s ever been blessed by the Pope.’”

COURTESY PHOTO

Dewey Wyninegar saw much of the world during his time in the U.S. Army Air Corp. A ​ bove, he is repacking a parachute in Italy, one of his many duties during World War II.

Although all ended well in Italy, things got off to a shaky start.

Upon arrival, they set up a parachute shop, and he had a place where he sat to do his inspections.

“It was almost noon and we went to lunch. We weren’t gone but 15 minutes when we heard an explosion. When we returned, the area where I had been sitting inspecting parachutes had been blown to pieces by a land mine. In those 15 minutes, I wouldn’t be here.”

He recalled Italy being very beautiful, but the people there during that time were suffering.

“I’ve seen people starving,” said Wyninegar. The soldiers put their food scraps in a barrel, and I’ve seen people fight over them. When I was finished eating, I would go put what was leftover in someone’s plate.”

Through the sometimes intense moments in Italy, there were moments of humor for Wyninegar.

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One of those moments involves Wyninegar and three other guys calling for a taxi, or what they thought was a taxi. It pulled alongside them and they all jumped in. They came to the realization by the time they reached their destination, the vehicle they were riding in was a hearse.

After returning home from the Army, he got a job as a mechanic, working ten hours, six days a week, and he did that for seven years.

Then he decided he wanted to go into business for himself.

“I opened up a shop in the Naples community and did mechanic work and welding for three years,” he said. “Then one day I did some welding on a bucket for the Highway Department that was doing some work in the area. A man came up to me for me to sign a paper to get my money, and Wyninegar was offered a job.”

After that, they hired him to be a mechanic, where he retired as equipment supervisor. He has been retired now for 36 years.

“That’s more years than most people have worked,” he exclaimed.

Even though it’s not as easy to get around as it used to be, Wyninegar still has a drive and a passion to keep on going. He still enjoys gardening with the help of his daughter and son-in-law who live close by.

He said everyone had a garden when he was growing up, and after retirement, he always had at least an acre-sized garden and has always enjoyed fishing.

“It’s not what you like to do at this age, it’s what you can do,” he said. “I like to garden, but that’s turned out to be work, and I don’t want to do anything that is work anymore,” he laughed.

But his garden, which he tilled with his own tractor, is flourishing.

His daughter, Bobbie Gunn, giggled and said they would have gotten in trouble for not getting the rows straight, so they let him do the tilling himself.

When he was asked was there anything that he hasn’t done, he said he has tried to do just about everything.

“You know, 100 years is a long time,” he said. “People get 50 and 60 years of age and say they are old, but it takes a long time to get up in the 100s.”

When told he doesn’t act like he is 100 years old, Wyninegar just replies “Well sometimes I feel like it and sometimes I don’t.”

He said a year or two ago, he was in just as good of shape as anyone. His daughter nodded in agreement and said “he was running all over the place two years ago.”

“The doctor told me to ‘slow your pace down,’ and I told him ‘I don’t know what slowing your pace down means,’” he said.

“On level ground, I believe I could walk a mile right now. I don’t know how I’d be when I got to the end of it,” he said laughing.

“If I get stirred up real good and walk a mile, I’ll be alright.

That’s all I want to do is walk another mile,” he said, “And I will again one of these days.”

He might have had to slow down physically against his own personal wishes, but one thing is for sure, his mind is still sharp as a tack. He has his plans to walk that mile down to the foot.

The way he has it figured, a few trips from his driveway to his daughter’s mailbox will give him his mile. He also said he would still be driving, but it bothers his family, so he lets them do the driving.

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Wyninegar can recall memories of when he was only three years old, and cover every detail of his life in between, thanks to what he described as his photographic mind.

Wyninegar and his wife, Dollie, have four daughters, six grandchildren and one great-grandchild. “She has been my rock for 68 years, and I have to lean on her,” he said about his wife.”

“I also have four good sons-in-law from Georgia to Plano, Texas, that would come see about me if I called them, I have that much confidence in them,” he added.

It is hard to believe how much times have changed for someone who has lived more than 100 years. Imagine gas prices still being .03 to .05 cents a gallon or salaries at .50 cents to $1 a day, and that was working from sun up to sun down.

He shared that his grandpa bought a brand new 1925 Ford car for $500, and he said there were very few cars seen when he was young in the early 20s.

Also, imagine not ever seeing a movie, and then being in absolute amazement watching your first western at a local newspaper office, and wondering “how did they do that!”

There are things that have changed so much over the years, and that is a huge concern to Wyninegar. Although he does enjoy the modern conveniences of television and electricity, he thinks in so many ways, life should have stayed simple.

“Everybody was everybody’s neighbor,” Wyninegar said. “They all helped each other and were all friends. People were more united together.”

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9

] Tate Lester He loves his new home, family, and fighting fires

Tate Lester serves as a fire fighter with the Mount Pleasant Fire Department.

10

AUGUST 2018

Story & photos by

F

TRACY FARR

or 13-year-old Luo Wen Chun, every day in the Chinese orphanage was pretty much like every other.

He and the other children would get up at 7 a.m., eat breakfast, then take a short five-minute walk to school. After several classes, they would head back to the orphanage to eat lunch, take a nap, and sometimes participate in music class. They’d head back to school at 2:30, attend more classes, and then stick around to clean up the school after the last class was done.

Again, every day was pretty much just like the last one.

But all that changed on Sept. 20, 2010. That’s the day he met Kim Lester, the American who would soon become his mother.

Kim and Paul Lester were not really looking to adopt any more children. They had three grown kids of their own and had already adopted two other children from China – 22-month-old Max in 2007, and 4-year-old Vivi Jo in 2008 – “but the Lord had different plans,” recalled Kim, “and I’m so thankful He did.”

After more than a year of submitting paperwork, waiting for approval, filling out more paperwork, and more waiting – not only did the Lesters end up adopting Luo Wen Chun, but they adopted his friend, Luo Bao Bao, as well. And one of the first things the two boys wanted were American names.

Luo Bao Bao chose “Elliott,” and Luo Wen Chun chose “Tate.”

Today, more than seven years after he took his first step on American soil, Tate Olson Wen Chun Lester has made his dream come true by becoming a fire fighter with the Mount Pleasant Fire Department.

“In high school, you try to find different kinds of careers,” said Tate as we talked inside Mount Pleasant’s Station No. 2. He and the other firefighters had just gotten back from working an accident. “I sometimes looked at nursing, sometimes engineer – but every time I always fall back to fire fighters.”

Tate, and his brother, Elliott, first started going to school at Mt. Vernon Middle School in Mount Vernon, but during their senior year, they were homeschooled. Tate knew a couple of fire fighters, so during this time he started to talk to them about what it was like to be a fire fighter and visited a few stations.

“I enjoyed working with my hands,” said Tate “My dad works at a bank. I wanted to do something different, and I enjoy offering my help, as much as I can.”

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After graduating from high school and then fire academy soon afterwards, Tate began volunteering with local fire departments, which lead to him being hired full time with the Mount Pleasant Fire Department.

“I was only 19 and really didn’t want to go off too far; to go to a big city or live far away,” said Tate. “Our family has a strong, close relationship.”

When I asked him what was the hardest thing about getting used to living in America, he said it was learning the language and adapting to the new culture.

“We just tried to learn as much as we can,” he recalled. “Everybody was really friendly to us, only thing was the communications sometimes…it was hard sometimes. We kind of understand what you’re saying, but we cannot tell you what we want to tell you.”

Tate is now much more comfortable with speaking English, but he admitted he’s “still nervous a lot. A lot of times my sentences are not exactly correct. And also the words I don’t pronounce exactly right, so it kind of frustrates me.”

But what doesn’t frustrate Tate is his decision to become a fire fighter.

“I’m just kind of new to the fire service and try to learn as much as I can, and try to improve my self – learning, and just work hard,” he said.

“When people are in trouble, and you are there to throw your hands out to help them – at the end of the day you kind of look back and say, ‘I helped somebody, I helped somebody today.’”

“That makes me feel like I’m just here to serve the Lord,” he added.

“I’m a Christian, so I serve as much as I can. [Fire fighting] is a job, but at the same time I look at it as serving Him through the job.”

Tate Lester working an accident outside of Mount Pleasant.

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11

Jim Richardson Pittsburg man puts into words a life well lived

Pittsburg author Jim Richardson is hard at work on his next book.

“C

Story & photos by

leve dropped the hammer on a .50 round, and as it left the barrel it had death written all over it.”

Cleve is one of the main characters in Jim L. Richardson’s new book, Trail Justice, the Jess Logan Saga, scheduled for release Aug. 1.

Richardson has already published four books; however, this is his first western novel.

“The first four books are a collection of thoughts on the makings of a great dish, a better-than-average hunting dog, a perfect day afield or on the water, and a friend to ford the river and share a fire with. These books are stories from my heart,” he said. “The western was more difficult to write, but I wanted to show that I could write fiction as well. It is based on some historical

SUSAN TAFT research of the early days of Texas, the Arizona Territory and New Mexico Territory as two retired Arizona Rangers and a trick shot nephew pursue bandits and outlaws as they deliver trail justice in the old-fashioned way.”

Richardson has always been a history buff, and his admiration for the Native American tribes is shown in Trail Justice.

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“I’ve always had a special interest in the five civilized tribes,” he said.

“It is bothersome how they were dealt with, having to leave their homes and being forced to move to reservations.”

After Trail Justice was complete, Richardson wasted no time getting back to the style of writing he loves. Flowers Along My Way highlights some of the unique individuals

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he has crossed paths with over his life’s journey.

“The stories in this one will take you from the Kiamichi Mountains of Oklahoma to the pre-Civil war plantations of Georgia, from the beautiful big-bass lakes of Northeast Texas to Walleye on Beaver’s Bend and many other locations,” Richardson said. “I am almost through with this one and hope to have it published sometime in August.”

Writing came easy to Richardson once he sat down and got started. “All the books except the western are just experiences I’ve had; it was all inspired by thinking about what a man leaves behind after he is gone,” he said. “When I was about 30, I’d go away on the weekends and see new places and new landscapes. I started writing then, as I realized the beauty of these places. All the characters were people I was drawn to. Many of them I met on my weekend hunting trips, some I just met in a coffee shop or a store and they’d invite me to hunt with them and another character and friendship developed.

“I told my kids, Autumn and Trent, I wanted them to take my stories and do something with them, but I realized it didn’t mean near as much to them as

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it did to me. So, I started researching publishing and decided to write a book myself. I had enough stories for the first two books already. I just had to sit down and put it together.

“Through my writings, I am leaving part of me that no one ever really knew,” Richardson said. “My innermost thoughts and feelings are left behind for those that might care about them.”

Many of his stories are set in the Kiamichi Mountains of Southeast Oklahoma, a place he fell in love with as a young boy.

“I was about 10 or 11 when I spent a week at Dierks Boy Scout Camp on the Glover River. I found it very unique,” Richardson said. “When I was old enough to drive, I’d drive to Idabel and play golf. Later I made some friends on a hunting trip who were from that area.

Every time they’d have a get together they’d call me and say, ‘come on up.’

Those mountains just kept calling me back; they were like a magnet.”

A typical day for the author is rising early and working on his stories three or four hours. He tries to write between 6,000 and 8,000 words a day.

His first three books are full of recipes he’s collected for decades.

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“As a young man, I’d hunt in West Texas and South Texas, and I’d always eat with the people I stayed with on the ranches. I’ve always appreciated a good meal, and if I liked something, I’d ask for the recipes, whether we were sitting around a table at a ranch or just around a campfire. I didn’t really have a plan for the recipes at the time, but they fit right in when I started writing the stories. It fit together well because every one of the women had a story I could use with her recipe.”

Richardson’s recipes were such a hit that one dedicated reader said she was disappointed there were none in the fourth book.

“I have one reader, Carrie Reaves, who is always trying recipes from these books,” he said. “Every time she tries one she posts it on Facebook.

She says she’s going to try them all.”

Richardson, born and reared in Pittsburg, has worn many hats over the years. He was a vocational agriculture teacher at Pittsburg High School from 1975 through 1985. He and his family moved away for 15 years while he served as principal in Texarkana and Whitesboro. He was also the superintendent in Yantis before moving back home to take the principal’s job at PHS. He said his father, Loyd Richardson – his mother was Mattie Reynolds Richardson – and his ag teacher, Joe B. Winkle, were the biggest influences on his life. In fact, the example Mr. Winkle set was one of the reasons he wanted to be an ag teacher.

“I really enjoyed working with young people,” he said. “One reason I went into administration was I felt like I could position myself to help even more students than I could just in the classroom.”

It is one of Richardson’s students, James Winchester, who has designed his latest book covers. He does all of Richardson’s graphics, including those on his fifth wheel. The first cover was done by Pittsburg resident Ann McConnell, and three books were published under that cover.

Winchester is one of many students Richardson influenced in his years

COURTESY PHOTO

Local author Jim L. Richardson’s new book and first novel, “Trail Justice, the Jess Logan Saga,” is scheduled for release Aug. 1.

teaching agriculture.

“James told me recently that I took him on his first out-of-town trip when we went to a stock show in Fort Worth,” Richardson said.

In his first book, From a Duck Blind on Caddo, Richardson tells the story of a young man named Joey who came to his classroom as a freshman in Texarkana. He had never known his father, and after his mother died, Joey moved from Dallas to live with his grandmother. Joey grew closer to his ag teacher as the year progressed. He had expressed interest in becoming a welder. Richardson explained that welding was taught in the second year of agriculture, and

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he stressed it was hard work. As the end of first school year approached, he learned Joey was failing algebra. He had a heart to heart talk with Joey and got him to go to tutoring twice a day. He told the boy if he passed algebra that he would begin teaching him how to weld that summer. Joey passed, and they spent almost every day at the school shop. Joey was a quick study. In three years, Richardson helped him get into Texas State Technical Institute. Joey graduated from TSTI, majoring in industrial technology. It wasn’t long after that until the two of them were in Houston for Joey’s job interview with an offshore drilling company. Soon thereafter he was headed to the North Sea. Besides teaching and school administration, Richardson has spent time as a ranch hand and a professional fishing and hunting guide. These experiences served as the basis for his first books.

“I grew up on a ranch and was used to riding horses and working cattle,” he said. “When I’d go to these big ranches to hunt and fish, I’d help work the cattle there, especially at a place in the Hill Country and at a big spread in Southeast Oklahoma.

“I’ve always loved to hunt and fish. Curtis Evetts was one of my hunting buddies when we were young. We’d go to Throckmorton, Colorado City and clear up into the panhandle of Texas where we’d go pheasant hunting. Pheasant season starts on the first Saturday in December, and we always tried to be there for that.

“I’ve enjoyed hunting with hundreds of people over my lifetime, but there was old gentleman by the name of Sam Devereaux that I will never forget. He took me on my first fishing trip to Caddo Lake in 1961; Sam loved Caddo Lake.

We spent two days on the water, and he had a story for every spot we fished.

Sam showed me where the steamboats once traveled through Caddo on journeys from New Orleans and Jefferson, and he told me about the Steamboat Mittie Stephens,” Richardson said. “We fished out of a flat-bottom boat powered by a small outboard engine. It was old enough then to be considered an antique.

“We had dinner the first night with his Cousin Hessie. She served us a magnificent meal of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, skillet biscuits and the best sweet potato pie you can imagine. I’ve even got that recipe in From a Duck Blind on Caddo. Sam used this same recipe around the camp for years.

“I had peach brandy on that trip with Sam; that was one incident I didn’t relate to my father when I got home because I knew he’d end my fishing trips with Sam.” The two enjoyed many more trips over the years. Richardson said much of what he learned about the outdoors he learned from Sam. Richardson spent quite a bit of time on Lake Bob Sandlin with the country legend Ray Price.

“He was a unique man – as country as they come,” he said. “We’d go off fishing for three or four days, and he never picked up a phone.”

“Thinking about Sam, Ray and others I’ve spent time with over the years makes me nostalgic,” he said. “Wouldn’t it be neat if you could pull all those special people back together who had an influence on your life?”

Now that writing is in his blood, Richardson said he has no intentions of stopping.

“Everybody has a story; you just have to spend a little time with them to delve it out,” he said.

If you’re planning on attending a gun show soon, you might run into him there.

“My wife, Anita, even goes to some of the gun shows with me,” he said. “She’s the perfect match for me. She has never complained about me quenching my thirst for new adventures.”

For more information about Richardson and his books, visit him on facebook.com/fromaduckblindoncaddo or on the web at www.fromaduckblindoncaddo.com. You can also follow him on Twitter @jimrichardson27, or email jim_richardson2@aol.com or richardsonjim698@gmail.com. His books can also be ordered from Amazon.

“But if they’ll contact me, I’ll send them a signed copy,” he said.

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15

50

Women Impact making change in Shelby County

The 50 Women group has made a $10,100 donation to the Fannie Brown Booth Memorial Library to help fund its summer reading program and a new DVD repair machine.

Story & photos by

DILLAN PAYNE

There is new hope in Shelby County for local organizations which are struggling to make ends meet

“O

and help residents — the 50 Women Impact Group.

ur mission is to encourage involvement in philanthropy and make a significant difference in our county,” said chairwoman for the group, Alease Copelin. “One hundred percent of the funds raised are awarded to programs and organizations here in Shelby County that support education, family, health and wellness.”

The 50 Women is an organization in Shelby County of likeminded women who believe that helping local organizations is key and fundraising programs are not the answer.

They do this by having each of the group members make a monthly donation, which they pool together to make larger donations to organizations that can actually fund full programs.

“We want to make changes here in Shelby County,” said Le-

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anne Rafferty. “With our mission we are able to help groups here that truly need it, and when we do, we can donate large amounts that actually make a difference.”

To date the group has given out more than $29,500 to local organizations in need, including the Shelby County Child Welfare Fund, which was given $9,400; the Shelby County 4-H Texas Agrilife and FCS Committee $10,000; and the Fannie Brown Booth Memorial Library, which was given $10,100.

“When the 50 Women Impact group of Shelby County made us their very first recipient we could not have been more grateful,” said a representative from the Shelby County Child Welfare Fund.

“Just days before our annual fundraiser, it was cancelled due to a new policy at our local store. Were it not for the generosity NETX CROSSROADS MAGAZINE

of these women, we would not have been able to provide the services and items that we have always provided in the past.”

Group members meet to consider grant recipients and vote by secret ballot to see who is chosen. After deciding, the group gives out the funds to the local organization within two weeks.

“The generous funding from the 50 Women Impact group will be used to support projects which place emphasis on life skill learning and community service,” said Jheri-Lynn McSwain of the Shelby County 4-H. “These include food and nutrition projects, robotics, photography and clothing and textiles.”

Group members from all over the Shelby County area have joined, bringing the group to currently more than 100 women.

Organizers and members said they are excited to see the changes they are making in their area.

“I was honored to be asked to be a part of such a great organization. Being able to help others in the community has always been such a burden on my heart,” said group member, Kerri L. Wiggins.

“What better way to do this than to all come together and be able to be a larger impact for those needing help,” she said.

“There will be no limit on the impact we can make in the lives of others if we continue to work together.”

Currently the 50 Women Impact group is gearing up for future meetings, where they will meet to decide on other local organization to help.

Organizers said the legal paperwork to solidify the permanent name for the organization has been filed.

The 50 Women of Shelby County donated $9,400 dollars to the Shelby County Child Welfare Fund for their first donation.

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17

Born and Bred New Boston’s Andrea Barfield lives her life the Texas way p

“Always remember where you came from” is more than a motto for Barfield, it is a way of life. p

By

I

KENNY MITCHELL

n Texas, farming and ranching are king. They are a staple to our way of life just as much as chicken fried steak and sweet tea. Nowadays though, there is a whole new look to farming and ranching. This is not your great-grandpa’s farm where the men and the boys worked the cattle and ran the tractor back and forth down the rows and the women kept the little ones and rang the dinner bell.

No one says that better than New Boston’s Andrea Barfield. A 2000 graduate of New Boston High School, she says it was a little thing called algebra that kept her from earning a college degree.

Andrea works the family business every day. Barfield Enterprises is an area scrap metal processing and mill service company, but as most everybody around here knows, Andrea is kinda fond of her time spent tending to cattle. She also works at Mitchell Herefords handling the feeding and taking care of the cattle daily, and you don’t have to know her very well to know that the cattle she cares for are much more than just a side of beef. And when it comes to the cattle, or the family business, volunteering hundreds of hours for the local FFA and 4-H, or anything else Andrea might do, she is all in.

Andrea says that work ethic comes from an inner drive. An 18

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inner drive that she believes was passed down to her from her grandfather, James Barfield. She notes, “If I half ass something I have this nagging feeling until I make it right.”

She says of her grandfather, “My grandfather James Barfield was a huge inspiration to me as well until he passed away. He would always tell me ‘there ain’t no such word as can’t’ and ‘always remember where you came from’. He took care of all of us and now looking back I see how stressful that must have been, but he never let that show. I went to work at BEI at the age of 16 and he was my boss until I was 30, when he passed. He taught me more by actions alone than he would have ever known.”

Making her grandfather proud has always been important to Andrea, with her even saying, “If I could go back and do anything different, I would either have a body double or pay someone to complete college algebra for me because I know graduating college would have made my grandfather really proud.”

Being proud of being a Barfield goes back a long way in New Boston, as the family’s lineage takes them all the way back to being some of the first to settle the area, along with the Collums, but Andrea chimes, “But that’s a whole ‘nother story for my Aunt Melda to tell.”

NETX CROSSROADS MAGAZINE

Barfield also credits Lance Mitchell for being a huge inspiration, stating, “His work ethic, drive and love for his family is undeniable. I appreciate everything he has done with and for me since we met.”

As for other inspirations, Andrea is quick to point out that her cousin, Denise McDaniel, is one of the strongest people she knows. She says, “She handles multiple companies and makes it look easy, although every decision she makes is with much consideration and thought for all involved. There are more too, but she is the first that comes to mind, as she is like a second mother to me.”

Her good friend Samantha Morgan says, “Andrea is an exceptional woman. She is a positive role model in our community.

She teaches our younger generation, by example, how to be a successful, independent yet humble adult. This is so important, in our day and time, that children, especially young ladies, learn how to be hard workers and still have class. To know Andrea is to love her, and I am proud to say I do both.”

With so much going on, the future is sure to be full for Andrea and she hopes that the family business continues to grow and that all of those in farming and ranching are blessed with a better cattle market down the long, winding road of that is the way of life for those who live the life that is the backbone of our country.

It is a sure bet that she has a good possibility of making that happen, as she keeps her eyes on the one who makes it happen, by always thanking God for her successes, “because without Him, Barfield is no stranger to a farm tractor, as seen here with her brothers, Nick none of this would be possible.” and Tony Basso.

NETX CROSSROADS MAGAZINE

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19

TRAVEL

by all means

For Linden’s Tim Loizeaux, getting there is part of the adventure

F

rom working as a piano player and cook in a California mission to biking most of New Zealand, Tim Loizeaux is a man who has been a little bit of everywhere ... and by all modes of transportation.

“You can see a lot of country and a lot of things in a car,” Loizeaux said. “But you can see more on a motorcycle and even more on a bicycle.”

The cut line should read: This is one of Loizeaux’s favorite motorcycles, a vintage Triumph Trident. This motorcycle is unique due to it having three cylinders.

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Tim Loizeaux standing in front of his motorcycle repair shop named ‘Loizeaux’s Linden ReCycle.’

And even more hitchhiking?

“Yeah,” said the 57-year-old Linden resident with a broad smile.

In his younger years, Loizeaux traveled a great deal by shoe and thumb.

Asked if he considered himself an adventurer, Loizeaux laughed and said his early traveling methods were more about economics than anything else.

“I didn’t have money, and there was places I wanted to go,” he said. “I had to see things as cheaply as possible.”

Today, the retired UPS worker spends most of his time fixing up vintage motorcycles and other small-engine vehicles as well as making repairs for others at his Linden ReCycle shop in downtown Linden.

“I have them everywhere,” Loizeaux said of the motorcycles

and bicycles -- as well as a few vintage cars. “I have a bit of an addiction.”

Loizeaux was born in Baltimore and grew up in Rockville, Md. During his junior year, he moved to Long Island, N.Y., where he finished high school.

Hitchhiking and biking were his most common means of getting home to see his family. He said it was a great way to meet people.

“I once got picked up by a Japanese family that wanted to see things in Baltimore when I was on my way home to Rockville,” Loizeaux said. “I told them the places they didn’t want to go because they might be bad neighborhoods. They talked it over, and I ended up being their tour guide around Baltimore.

Then they bought me dinner and took me to Rockville.”

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It was when he moved to Pennsylvania for college that his passion for motorcycles took root.

“I found an old motorcycle in a barn and rebuilt it,” Loizeaux said. “It was nice to be able to know that you are going to get there at around a certain time.”

Loizeaux headed west, where for almost two years, he worked as a cook and piano player in a San Francisco mission -- all volunteer work.

“Sometimes you go to help other people and find that they have helped you out more,” Loizeaux said. “They help you see things in a different way.”

In 1981, Loizeaux moved to Longview, where he continued his education. “From all the colleges, I have about 156 credit hours and no degree,” Loizeaux said laughing. “My credits are all over the place.”

In the mid-80s, he moved to

Linden where he eventually married and settled down with his wife Carol and raised three children.

Settling down doesn’t mean his love of travel totally subsided. When he retired from UPS in 2012, he decided a month-and-half bicycle trip across New Zealand would be a great way to celebrate his retirement.

“I biked almost all of both islands, approximately 2,200 miles,” he said. “It was way better than I could have imagined.”

In addition to New Zealand and Costa Rica, Loizeaux has been to almost every state in the union and a great deal of Canada. He still wants to make a trip to Australia in the future.

“A lot of people don’t travel very far from where they are at,” Loizeaux said. “I guess I’ve just always like going places.”

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AUGUST 2018

21

Mid America Flight Museum Story & photos by

TRACY FARR

A T-28 Trojan taxis down the taxiway toward the museum.

T

Scott Glover talks to one of his many visitors at the Flight Museum.

he first time I ever met Scott Glover, I was looking into a Piper Cub airplane on display during an airshow at the old Mount Pleasant Airport. I was so amazed that it only took a stick, a few dials and some pedals to fly the thing.

Scott came up, introduced himself and explained everything inside the cockpit, but I had eyes on another plane way on the other side of the field. It was parked in what looked to me like “the back 40” – a place where old planes might go to live out their final days.

“You want to go see it?” Scott asked.

Not long afterward I was inside that plane. An old C-47 converted to a DC-3C; a dinosaur from the past; a plane, Scott told me, that had flown in support of Operation Overlord, D-Day, and was 24

AUGUST 2018

now sitting on a Mount Pleasant taxiway, just waiting for something. Or maybe someone.

Scott showed me around the dusty interior, from tail to cockpit, told me about the plane’s history, and told me something that seemed too fantastic to believe.

“One day, I’m going to completely refurbish this plane.”

And refurbish it, he did.

Today, you can find the C-47 “Sky King” and many other vintage aircraft resting at the Mid America Flight Museum at the Mount Pleasant Regional Airport (KOSA). Well, actually, the airplanes on display at this museum are far from resting. A great majority of them fly on a regular basis, as I found out one Saturday afternoon.

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There I was, standing in front of one of the museum’s open hangar doors marveling at the winged history inside, when a T-28 Trojan and P-51D Mustang taxied up to the hangar. I was so close to them I could smell their fuel exhaust. Their prop wash blew my baseball cap off my head.

Once the engines were shut down, the pilots stepped out of their planes as if it were just another Saturday walk around the park, out to stretch their legs, keeping a lookout for a good hamburger joint or a hot cup of coffee.

Visitors were everywhere. Three ladies were looking up at the Gruman HU-16 Albatross, a twin-radial amphibious plane used primarily as a search and rescue aircraft. They were dwarfed by its size.

A young man with a camera was making his way through the planes parked on the tarmac, trying to find the best angle for his photographs.

A woman stopped to take a photo of her husband standing in front of a P-40 Warhawk.

A teenager climbed up on the wing of the T-28 to get a closer look inside the cockpit.

I myself wandered among the museum, taking photos of aircraft that had only been used for training, others that actually saw combat. And looking into their cockpits, you could almost hear the voices of the pilots who flew them in days gone by, voicing their approval of the loving care that had been given to their planes.

The museum is located at 501 Mike Hall Parkway just off of HWY 271, and is free and open to the public on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Visitors look up at the Grumman HU-16 Albatross.

NETX CROSSROADS MAGAZINE

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25

Rustville Essentials Pittsburg woman shares peace, love and soap

Stay-at-home mom Shelby Rust turned her passion for essential oils and handcrafting into a bath and body business, opening her soap shop in 2016 in downtown Pittsburg.

PHOTOS: ELLIS KNOX

T

By

LYNDA STRINGER

ucked at the end of a quaint Northeast Texas street, you’ll find a hidden gem bursting with color and irresistible scents.

The chalkboard sign propped on the downtown sidewalk in front of Rustville Essentials Soap Shop beckons passersby to peruse the shelves of luxurious handmade soaps, lotions, body butters and bath bombs.

Shop owner and soap maker Shelby Rust opened her bath and body oasis on Pittsburg’s historic Main Street in October of 2016, cornering the regional market. It is the only one of its kind within a 100-mile radius of Pittsburg.

“The closest soap shop from me is in Hot Springs, Arkansas and Natchitoches, Louisiana. There is not a handmade soap shop in the DFW area. There are plenty of soap makers there because I followed

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them on Instagram, but not one of them has a brick-and-mortar where they make their soap in that vicinity and sell it,” Rust said.

Her mother-in-law, Shelia Clemons, owns the building. She used it for her massage therapy business in the 1990s before opening her gym, Dynamics Health & Fitness in Mount Pleasant. Since then, the shop has become a word-of-mouth, must-go destination for locals and travelers alike. Her all-natural, high-quality ingredients and the painstaking, real soapmaking process creates a bar that her customers are hooked on.

“Our customers are very loyal. I guarantee that once you try our handmade soap, you will never go back to store-bought soap,” Rust said. “Skin gets irritated, dry and itchy whenever you use a bar of XYZ soap. Your skin is parched because you are cleaning it with detergent,” she said.

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Rustville Essentials Soap Shop features handmade soaps, body butters, bath bombs and body lotions. It takes shop owner Shelby Rust 3-5 hours to make one batch of soap, which yields 33 bars.

She makes her soaps with lye, base oils like olive oil, coconut oil, palm oil, creating her recipes with clays for color and essential oils for a natural scent.

The lye soaping process takes a lot of patience, critical mathematical calculations, and skill to get the recipe right, she said, and that process took a lot of trial and error when she first delved into the craft. She’s self-taught, a student of Instagram influencers, Google and YouTube, but she spent months tweaking her recipes until she had the perfect bar of soap.

It all started when her kids were born. She worked for the City of Pittsburg for six years and then decided to quit to be a stay-athome mom and start working on a degree in psychology. Rust is originally from Irving; her family moved to Pittsburg when she was in high school. Her husband, Brandon Rust, is a Pittsburg native and they moved back home in 2009 to raise their family.

“I got into the essential oils world because of my first baby. I started looking at all the ingredients in the butt pastes and lotions, and it freaked me out, so I started doing my research and learned what each of the oils was for,” Rust said.

She juggled online classes through the University of Phoenix while taking care of a toddler and a newborn, and in full Supermom mode, found she still had “tons of time” on her hands, and her creative gene took over.

“I have to make something with my hands. I have always been that way, whether it’s drawing or painting, crafting, so I started making sugar scrubs with the essential oils, and then I started making body butters.”

With an entrepreneurial spirit, she packed her homemade concoctions in a cooler tote and started selling them around town.

“I would sell to the ladies at Region 8. I’d set up in their conference room, and they loved it. Then, I started making bath bombs, and this whole time I knew I was going to make soap,” she said.

But, she had no interest in making hobby soap. She wanted to learn the art of soaping from scratch.

NETX CROSSROADS MAGAZINE

“Hobby soap is melt and pour soap. You buy it in big blocks and melt it down, add in your essential oils and pour it into a mold. It’s just glycerin soap that has already gone through the lye process,” she said. “In the beginning, I was dreading the lye part because it is a caustic chemical and it’s dangerous if you mix it with water the wrong way,” she said.

With her husband’s help, she faced it head on. He videoed of her first attempt; she was covered from head to toe in his old railroad gear – long sleeves, goggles, gloves – and nothing blew up, but she said the batch turned out awful.

“It was crackly, and I ruined about $120 worth of ingredients that night, but I kept going and playing around with the soap and got it to where it looked good and felt good,” she said.

Today’s soap makers much more educated in the science of the craft than their grandmothers were back in the day.

“Lye soap got a bad reputation when Grandma would make it in her backyard. She would make her own lye through wood ash and use whatever fats and oils she had from last night’s dinner.

She never calculated how much lye was needed to turn it into soap, so her soap bars were really harsh,” Rust explained.

With her husband doing the lye calculations and her doublechecking with a lye calculator, Rust spent six months learning the art and another eight months perfecting her recipes. Today she has a line that is among the gentlest soap you can use. The magic happens in the workstation set up in the back of her shop, typically on Mondays when she’s closed. The process takes up to five hours to make one batch of 33 bars.

“I started soaping because of the essential oils. I got into Young Living and learned what each oil did, and ever since then, I like to create new recipes and create new looking soaps and themed soaps.”

She even has a men’s line of soap with “manly-man scents” like Sandalwood Vanilla and plans to create a beard oil for the guys.

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27

Rustville Essentials Soap Shop, housed in a historic downtown building in Pittsburg, is the only brick-and-mortar handmade soap shop within 100 miles of Pittsburg.

“I have about 6-7 different bars for them, and the men around town that have found the store buy the soaps, and now they refuse to buy any commercial brands,” she said.

For women, her most sought-after bar is Rose Quartz, which isn’t Rose-scented at all.

“I have women read the name, and turn their nose up, then actually smell it, and love it,” she said in a social media post announcing a restock.

She says it is not a floral scent. It is named after the pink Rose Quartz crystal.

“If a pink rock were to have a sweet scent, this would be it. This scent is light pink grapefruit, pineapple, a touch of vanilla, and smells absolutely divine,” she told her Facebook fans.

Rust stays true to her mommy-sense of making everything allnatural.

“I’m a firm believer in this crazy, wonderful, alternative, natural, and holistic way of living,” she tells her “villagers” on her website.

In fact, she’s has had a lot of requests to host soap-making classes, which she is planning to do soon, and she’s considering dabbling in YouTube videos to share her craft and her healthy living wisdom. While she uses social media – she’s on Instagram and Facebook - as her primary means of advertising, the Rustville Essentials brand born out of a one-woman shop in a small Northeast Texas town could go viral if she takes a Los Angelas marketing firm’s offer to get her goodies in the hands of celebrity influencers.

She was invited to set up at VIP Swag Bag events during the Emmy Awards and the American Music Awards, although the hefty investment on her part – with no guarantee of a celebrity social media endorsement - is a bit steep at this stage in her entrepreneurial journey. However, the company has since started a monthly program that would send products to one celeb who 28

AUGUST 2018

would post using the products and hashtag her brand.

“This is much more feasible for me,” she said. “It’s something that I am highly considering.”

Rust also recently turned in her last online assignment for her bachelor’s degree and is planning to start on her master’s.

“It was always my dream to become a marriage and family psychologist, a licensed professional counselor. When I started school, that was the mission. Then I got more involved with the handmade products, and Rustville took off,” she said. “There are certain paths that we know we should take and so I knew once I got in here and established the business that I could always go to school. Maybe I’ll be the soaping psychologist and have counseling sessions in the back,” she said with a delighted laugh.

When her customers read her recent post about it, they panicked a little, but she said she quickly reassured them their soap supply would be safe.

“I’m going to keep making soap. I will always make my soap,” Rust said.

HOW TO FIND IT:

Rustville Essentials Soap Shop Address: 120 Quitman St., Pittsburg Phone: 903-708-7519 Website: RustvilleEssentials.com Facebook: @RustvilleEssentials NETX CROSSROADS MAGAZINE

136 W. Marshall St. • Pittsburg

903-856-5765 PittsburgHotlink.com

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Mon, Tues, Wed: 8am - 6 pm Thurs, Fri, Sat: 8am - 9pm Open Sundays 11-3 pm for lunch

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Down on the farm... with a gentle twist Young rancher bringing the farm-to-table movement to Northeast Texas Story & photos by

A Sullivan says, “I hope to see the local farmer replace modern agriculture as it is now, with a more gentle, respectful approach to raising livestock.”

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HEATHER RUSSELL WILSON

nnemarie

Sullivan is not your typical 20-year-old. You won’t find her online, binge watching videos from the latest, hottest beauty blogger. You won’t find her with a gaggle of other 20-year-olds at the mall, or getting a pedicure while scrolling aimlessly through social media pages on her cell phone. Instead, you’ll find Annemarie moving or watering her pigs, milking cows, tending to her chickens - doing chores that typical 20-year-olds never dreamed of doing - much less because they wanted to.

Annemarie became interested in nutrition from an early age. An uncle that she

describes as a “foodie” introduced her to simple but delicious foods that made her realize - the difference in the quality she was tasting was all in how the animal she was consuming was raised. She began studying nutrition, butchery, and how to utilize the whole animal for human consumption. And while she was still in high school, Annmarie asked her parents if they could relocate from their home in Austin, Texas, to the family farm in Hooks, Texas, where she spent a lot of time as a child and had land available to begin what would become her passion as well as her career - raising livestock with a process she calls “regenerative agriculture.”

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“I’m interested in raising healthy animals that are going to benefit our health - us and the planet, and everything in between - and not actually destroy that through agriculture,” she says. So, she set off to do just that, and SulliFarms was born.

“My first goal, was just to feed my family,” says Annemarie. This is a feat that, with 8 siblings, is no small undertaking. And though she started small, with just a few goats and a Great Pyrenees livestock guardian dog, her operation soon grew to include pigs, sheep, chickens, rabbits, and cows and the goal of feeding her family had soon been met. She then took to the local Texarkana Farmers Market, where her customers immediately fell in love with her farm-raised cuts of meat from pigs raised on a natural diet of grass and acorns, chickens that roam free, and pasture-fed beef.

Local foodies and amateur chefs Gary and Nancy Gathright swear by the products they buy from SulliFarm. “You can absolutely taste the difference between the meat she produces and ‘store bought’.

There’s no worry as to what’s in it and the quality is outstanding,” says Gary, a food enthusiast who also serves as a guest chef at Texarkana’s Twisted Fork Restaurant.

His wife Nancy loves quality of the meat as well as the farming practices implemented at SulliFarm. “I love to support her regenerative farm knowing she raises her animals humanely and respects the life they give to us. Having an option other than factory farming is huge and will always be my only choice,” Nancy said.

Many others agree with the Gathrights. Texarkana Chef Jeff Loving uses SulliFarm products for his catering and cooking classes.

Annemarie says a big selling point for her products is the free farm tours offered at SulliFarm. “I feel like a lot of customers buy from us because they can actually see what we are doing and know our operation is up to their standards,” she says. And though the farm is a simple place, with a modest barn for the chickens and a couple of horses, and electric pens for the pigs that she pulls up and moves about the thirty acres behind her house - the results of her often tedious farm work is paying off.

Recently, she began having what she calls “Farm-to-Table” nights, where customers can purchase tickets for a home-cooked meal made from meats from her farm, and featuring produce and other consumable items, all locally sourced. These “Farm- to-Table” nights have been a huge success, selling out quickly to customers who get a tour of the farm, as well as the meal, prepared and served by Annemarie and her family.

At 20 years old, Annemarie has and continues to educate herself, learning from other farmers, attending conferences and workshops, and visiting other regenerative agricultural operations at every opportunity. She is encouraged by the support she receives locally, looks forward to a turn in ag production to the more natural and organic methods she uses on SulliFarm, and hopes to see more small operations like hers pop up in our area.

“I encourage competition,” Annemarie says. “I always love to see other local farmers having success with their farms. There are so few farms like mine in this area, but the need is there. And eventually, I hope to see the local farmer replace modern agriculture as it is now, with a more gentle, respectful approach to raising livestock.”

For more information on SulliFarm, or to purchase tickets for the next Farm-to-Table Night, go to www.sullifarm.com NETX CROSSROADS MAGAZINE

Annemarie Sullivan is working to bring a new way of farming to Northeast Texas at SulliFarms.

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AUGUST 2018

31

The Vicious Strike of the Bass Local fisherman Brad Whatley hopes to make “Superbowl of fishing”

Cass County pro bass fisherman Brad Whatle y displays his favorite lures attached to his Denali rods.

COURTESY PHOTO

T

By

TIM EMMONS

he vicious strike of the bass,” answers pro bass fisherman Brad Whatley when asked what appealed to him about bass fishing.

When bass fishing, the angler gets just as excited to hook a fish as the fish gets chasing that one-of-a-kind lure, and since a fish hasn’t told me then I’m inclined to believe the angler.

For Whatley it is a true lifestyle.

The avid fisherman from Bivins and 1998 Atlanta High School graduate practically grew up on a water source of some kind.

“I have been fishing since I was four and learned to clean a fish at five,” Whatley recalls. “I grew up on Caddo Lake with my dad where we had a cabin and if I wasn’t at Caddo fishing for crappie or catfish I was at the pond every day.”

Whatley was never coerced into fishing although both his father and grandfather were avid fishermen during his youth.

“Fishing just came natural to me; it wasn’t like anyone forced me into it,” Whatley said. “I was different than most kids because I spent every moment I could on the water with a fishing pole in my hand.”

Success even came early in life for Whatley.

“I remember fishing tournaments hosted at Mr. Kennedy’s pond, owner of Kennedy’s Western Wear in Atlanta back in those days and winning my first tournament at four years of age,” Whatley remarked.

“I was excited to win but more excited that I was able to catch a fish period.”

Memories are made on the water when it comes to fishing. From 32

AUGUST 2018

the first fish reeled in to the largest catch of your life; every angler has a favorite or special memory and Whatley is no different.

“I remember my dad was in town selecting All-Stars at the baseball field and I was fishing with my papaw. I was nine at the time and caught a 7 1/2-pound fish that was so heavy it stripped the gears in my rod and reel,” Whatley said. “I was so excited to show my dad that my papaw drove me to the ball park and I walked through crowds of people watching other games so that I could show my dad what I had caught.”

Whatley and his brother Blake began fishing ponds together as they got older, and the competitive edge came out.

“I am very competitive when it comes to sports and fishing is no different,” Whatley said. “If we sat down and played dominoes I’m looking to win not just play. That’s just how I am about competing with someone.”

Although Whatley played high school sports, he knew early on he wouldn’t be playing those sports in college or beyond.

“I have zero athletic ability but my heart is huge. I am passionate about fishing and I found out you don’t have to be the most athletic person to fish which made it all the better for me,” Whatley stated. “If you can pick up knowledge on how to fish, you can fish well into your golden years.”

After high school Whatley purchased a 17-foot Astro bass boat which he kept saturated with water from Caddo Lake.

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Not long after graduating from Texas State Technical College, Whatley earned enough from his job to buy a Ranger Boat and he began competing in local tournaments with a favorable liking towards Lake O’ The Pines.

Whatley and his brother Blake have pursed more than $200,000 at Lake O’ The Pines and it was success like that which got him to thinking he could fish professionally.

“I started winning a lot here in local tournaments so I thought why not try and give it a shot,” Whatley said. “There’s a lot of work, time and money wrapped up into pro fishing. It’s not just a fishing trip you would take with a friend or family member, you are fishing to compete and win.”

“I didn’t have technology at my fingertips or YouTube to go by,” Whatley added. “I loved fishing and competition but didn’t know about true, competitive fishing until my late teens. I didn’t think about going pro until my late 20’s.”

Whatley joined the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Central Open Series and has slowly gained momentum as an angler trying to make it to the Elite Series.

The Bassmaster Elite Series is the highest level of professional bass fishing tournaments.

Competitors must qualify for the series through the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens or the B.A.S.S. Nation, and anglers who are already on the Elite Series must re-qualify each year by maintaining enough points throughout the season.

The pro anglers compete all season for the opportunity to win points toward the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year award and to qualify for the Bassmaster Classic.

“My first year doing this I missed the Elites by two spots and actually

NETX CROSSROADS MAGAZINE

COURTESY PHOTO

Brad Whatley presents a couple of bass during weigh-in at one of the Bass Pro Shop tournaments this year. Whatley is looking to make the Elite Series and the Bassmaster Classic.

led the tournament at Fort Gibson, but finished fourth in 2016,” Whatley said. “If I could sum up what it’s like to make the Elite Series and Bassmaster Classic is to say the Elite is like making it into the NFL and the Classic is the Superbowl of fishing.”

AUGUST 2018

33

The 2018 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series includes nine tournaments on prime bass fishing waters, but the series format was changed from three divisions to two with each division fishing four tournaments each.

This will determine qualifiers for the 2019 Bassmaster Elite Series and for the GEICO Bassmaster Classic, presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.

The Opens Championship winner and the Top 5 in performance points from each division — determined by an angler’s finish in all four divisional tournaments and the Championship —will be invited to the Elites.

The winner of the Championship and the Top 3 anglers in points from each division following the Championship will be invited to the Classic.

The championship is tentatively scheduled to be held Oct. 18-20.

Whatley claimed third place in the first tournament on Mississippi’s Ross Barnett Reservoir, which was his best finish in the Central Opens since he began fishing them in 2015.

In his first year on the Central Opens Tour, Whatley nearly accomplished his goal of qualifying for the Bassmaster Elite Series by finishing 11th in the AOY standings.

The past two seasons have been hard on Whatley, but with one tournament left on this year’s Central Opens Tour, Whatley is up by 21 points.

Whatley, who is a supervisor at Cooper Tire & Rubber Company in Texarkana, has also started his own coaching business where he teaches aspiring anglers how to practice on a lake for a tournament.

“I began a coaching business. Kids can’t learn how to practice for tournaments from a guide,” Whatley remarked. “A guide will stay with them until they catch a fish then they wrap it up and move to another spot. I want them to know the basics of course but I also want them to know there is more to fishing than casting and baiting.”

“I go to whatever lake they want and treat the day just like I’m practicing for a tournament. We are not here to catch fish only but if your kid wants to fish tournaments I will show them how and where,” Whatley continued. “I will show them what to look for on maps and how to read sonar and structure scans on a graph. Coaching is great because you can tell the kids who are forced to go out by parents and the ones who are serious and want to improve their fishing skills. I verbalize everything I’m thinking to the kids. I believe this teaches them how to work to find the fish.”

To date Whatley’s largest bass weighed in at 11 pounds and was caught on his final cast.

“I have won a lot of money on my last cast,” Whatley said. “Some fishermen wrap it up as time to finish draws near but I’ll cast until the final second. Some of the largest bass are caught on the final cast.”

While growing up pond fishing Whatley’s go-to lures were Mepps spinners, Rooster Tail spinners, soft plastic lizards, Tiny Torpedoes and Smithwick Rogues, but when it is crunch time he has one special go-to lure.

“I like using the V&M skipping jig,” Whatley said. “It’s helped me catch a lot of big fish so it’s my go-to lure.”

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Whatley’s current sponsors are Quality Building, Phoenix Boats, Mercury Marine, V&M Baits, Amphibian Eyewear, Shipps Marine, Power-Pole, Plenum Medical and Denali Rods.

Of course none of his adventures and ventures would be possible without family support. “I am truly blessed to have my wife and kids’ support through this because I’m gone a lot with work, coaching and touring,” Whatley said. “Jennifer, my wife, has been 110 percent behind me and if she wasn’t then I wouldn’t be doing it. My wife is a nurse, is very independent and maintains taking care of our three daughters, Haley, 14; Tristyn, 7; and Lexi, 4.”

“Jennifer knows how much I love to fish, most of our dates were fishing trips,” Whatley added. “When I wasn’t sure how to handle work and touring she told me to go and do it. Without family support it would be impossible to fulfill.”

On a final note, Whatley had advice for aspiring anglers.

“If they have the ambition and hopes of going pro, they need to spend enough time on the water to get the feel for it. Videos and YouTube are okay to show you the basics, but to be a pro is knowing when to stay and when to leave,” Whatley remarked.

“You get a certain vibe when you are on the water as to where to set up shop and where to go next. The feel of a tug-of-war with a fish is more than you’ll get from a video. There are no shortcuts.

You have to put in work just like any other sport or profession.

You get out what you put in.”

With those words of wisdom from a local pro angler, it may not be long before you get to experience the vicious strike of the bass.

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35

Northeast Texas Community College

WORK SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM Giving students hope and a road for success

G

Story & photos by

MIRANDA OGLESBY

rowing up, students are encouraged to go to college, earn a degree, and make a comfortable living. To some, college is a no-brainer – it’s a definite plan, regardless of the cost.

To others, it may take more consideration. Unfortunately, some students cannot afford the classes, and racking up large loans during young adulthood isn’t always the best route. Sometimes, students get stuck between two choices – debt or no degree?

A student works at the NTCC college store.

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AUGUST 2018

Two students work to help each other man the phones. One answers the phone while the other researches to find the correct information for the caller.

Northeast Texas Community College wants to make that choice a little bit easier.

Work. Learn. Earn. The Work Scholarship program at Northeast Texas Community College has been teaching those values to their hardworking scholars since 2015. Funded by private donations, it began as a way to help high school students avoid loans, but still get the education they otherwise would not be able to afford.

“We can provide them an opportunity to work and help them save money, and they’re earning their education,” said Dr. Jonathan McCullough, Executive Vice President for Advancement.

The students selected for the program work during the summer months doing various tasks – some perform labor and yard work, while some help in the offices with clerical tasks. These students are doing meaningful work for the college, while earning money for their tuition and creating a work ethic that will last their entire lives and help lead them to success.

Prospective students go through a selection process. They must have completed their sophomore year in high school, write a one page essay about why they want to be in the program, and collect reference letters. Students can work through this program for two years.

Students spend the summer months working and earning $15 an hour. Half of that is given to the student to be used however they wish, and the other half is put away in an account for tuition.

They also take a class every week that covers manners, civics, and basic skills, like financial literacy, which they will need in their adult life.

The workers are evaluated every two weeks, as well as a final evaluation at the end of the summer.

“Every student should get a good evaluation,” said McCullough.

“If they’re not getting one, we meet with them and go over it so their next one is better.”

According to McCullough, the students give it their all, which in turn makes them take their classes more seriously, and get better grades.

“What we found is this,” said McCullough. “The average community college student’s GPA in the state of Texas is a 2.7, which NETX CROSSROADS MAGAZINE

is about the average of our college. The average [GPA for a] student in the program is about a 3.5, after they’ve been in the program.“ The students that work in this program will not only prove to themselves that they are hardworking individuals, but to others as well.

“We had a gentleman come to us,” said McCullough. “He said, ‘I have a question for you, do they really work?’ I said that they really work. They get their hands dirty, they learn how to work and then they work hard.”

That gentleman sponsored five students; he liked that the students worked hard, and he could see results.

The work scholarship works for all credit earned through NTCC, including dual credit.

“A student in high school can’t qualify for a Pell grant, you can only qualify for Pell once you graduate,” said McCullough. “So you’ve got all these kids who want to take dual credit, and some schools pay for dual credit, some don’t. If they’re in a school that doesn’t pay for dual credit and they don’t have the money to pay for it, they can’t get financial aid.”

According to McCullough, about two-thirds of the students in the work scholarship program are high school students and are using it for dual credit. After taking their dual credit classes, students normally have money left over in their fund afterward to use for college credit after they graduate, putting them a step ahead.

This program is another example of how NTCC is proving itself to truly care about its students and creating a future for generations and beyond.

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37

Walking His

Field of Dreams

Tyler Pickle spent last year honing his skills as the Lead Replay Operator for all 2017 Texas A&M Home Football Games.

Bowie County’s Tyler Pickle now at ESPN

B

By

KENNY MITCHELL

asketball legend Larry Bird once said, “A winner is someone who recognizes his God-given talents, works his tail off to develop them into skills, and uses these skills to accomplish his goals.”

Those words of wisdom and truth may have never been personified more than in the life of DeKalb graduate Tyler Pickle, who has taken the skills he learned at DeKalb High School and Texas A&M and turned them into his dream come true working for ESPN. Pickle, who has written in the past for The Tribune, graduated from DHS in 2015 as the valedictorian. He will graduate on August 10th from Texas A&M with a degree in Sport Management with minors in Journalism and Communications.

He will graduate from Aggieland on August 10th, turn 21 on the 15th, and finish his internship with ESPN on the 18th. Needless to say, August will be quite a month for him.

Pickle will spend his summer in Bristol, Connecticut interning for ESPN in their production department.

Every day will add to his list of learned skills as he works on highlight reels. Each night he is assigned a game, or games, and is tasked with picking out the key plays and putting together a highlight package to be used on ESPN shows such as Sports Center, First Take and Baseball Tonight. He will also have opportunity to shadow experts in other departments like ESPN The Magazine and ESPN Radio.

Landing the internship was no easy task, as Pickle was selected from among 1,000s of other applicants. He credits his work with 12th Man Productions and connections with the SEC Network, along with God’s grace and extreme prayers, for helping him land his new role, saying, “People in the ESPN family I had networked with went above and beyond and put in good words for me in Bristol.

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AUGUST 2018

Without the support I received from the SEC Network and Texas A&M, I never would have had this opportunity.”

Pickle learned of his selection while on vacation and received the phone call while eating lunch in Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World.

He states, “It was a very “magical” moment, as I got to accept a position with Disney and ESPN while at Disney World itself. It could not have been more perfect.”

So, what got Tyler to ESPN? What drove him?

Like most people on the road to living their dreams, there are people along the way that inspired and pushed him.

People like 12th Man Productions producer Justin Argo and Texas A&M Journalism professor Angelique Gammon were both huge influences Tyler says, as were people here in Bowie County.

Three people stick out in his mind... his late uncle Dennis Wormington, DHS teacher Lacey Mullins and his mom, Susan Pickle.

Pickle stands in the ESPN NFL Live studio as his dream begins to become a reality.

NETX CROSSROADS MAGAZINE

He says, “My uncle was very creative minded, running a t-shirt and photography business called Too Many Irons. When I was in middle school, he taught me how to use Adobe Photoshop, the basics of photography, and I really got hooked. Mrs. Mullins was the technology teacher, as well as the yearbook sponsor, during a majority of my time at DHS. She appointed me co-editor (along with Elizabeth Dorman) of the yearbook my junior year and editor my senior year. She also made me a producer of DHS’s weekly news cast The Growl my senior year. By putting me in these leadership positions, she really allowed me to flourish and come into my own as a creative and a leader. She encouraged every crazy idea I had, for better or for worse! (as evident by the terribly embarrassing videos still on YouTube) Meanwhile, my mom has been my number one supporter my entire life. She is my rock and embodied in everything I stand for. No matter what, my mom has always believed in me and has never thought any dream was too far fetched. She has always said “someone has to do it, why not you?”, and she truly believes that. Every ounce of confidence and strength in my body comes from that woman. She is my ultimate inspiration.”

Something else drove him to where he is today, and this is where Tyler proves that personal loss can be triumphed over with imagination, creativity and purpose.

Pickle explains, “There are two other things that really influenced me - the movie Field of Dreams and Sports Center. Since I was very young, the movie Field of Dreams has always reminded me of my late father.

Most of my time with my father was spent in the Iowa/Nebraska area, so the location along with the father/son aspect of the movie resonates with me very heavily. Any time I have missed him or felt like I was missing something without him, I watch the movie and immediately feel

NETX CROSSROADS MAGAZINE

closer to him. I have done this since I was old enough to understand, and still do it to this day. Likewise, following my mom’s incident in 2010, I would often get knots in my stomach anytime I tried to go to sleep. The only thing that could clear my mind and relieve the nerves was watching Sports Center. I could turn the TV on and flip to ESPN and everything would fade into the background. Sports television was, and still is, my escape. Neither the people who made Field of Dreams or the crew working on Sports Center had any idea who I was, yet they were such a big part of my life. That’s what drives me. I now get the opportunity every night to work on the same show that meant so much to me in my darkest moments.”

So what does the future hold for Tyler Pickle?

He says, “I want to be a producer. I am a story teller at heart, and that’s what I want to do for the rest of my life. However, I have no idea yet if I want that to be in live events, the studio, taped events, documentaries, or feature films. Every realm has unique challenges and benefits. Until I do figure it out, I am going to take every opportunity I get to further my craft and become a better story teller. At the end of the day, I just want to entertain people and help make their lives a little bit better. In the immediate future, I would love to stay on in Bristol as a part of the CAP (Content Associate Program) program.

“He is amazing,” says his mom Susan. “I know I’m his mom and of course I’m going to say that, but he is so humble about his talent. He is so gifted! I could not be more proud! All any parent wants is for their kids to live out their dreams! Now I would not be honest if I didn’t tell you I hope he wants to continue his career in Austin or Dallas or Houston instead of Bristol, CT-but as long as he has that priceless smile on his face it will be ok.”

AUGUST 2018

39

The establishment of the Atlanta Athletics

Hall of Fame

Jim Hunt

Foreword by

TIM EMMONS Most high schools across the great state of Texas have long and storied athletic traditions, but how many display the many successful athletes who sacrificed much of their time to better themselves for the sport for which they played?

That very thought came to a few individuals associated with Atlanta or Atlanta High School who desired to organize the Atlanta Athletics Hall of Fame.

The following article is written by one of Atlanta’s legendary coaches, record keeper and researcher, Gordon Pynes.

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Sarah Haydel

W

Bear Allday

By

Coach Rabb

Hub Northen

GORDON PYNES

hen speaking with fellow Texans and referring to Atlanta, Texas you often times get the response that “We didn’t know there was an Atlanta in Texas.”

You then reply with a description of just where Atlanta is located on the map of the Lone Star state.

However, in other instances their reaction is “oh yes, we know about those Rabbits, y’all have been really good in sports”.

The latter response is exactly why the Atlanta Athletics Hall of Fame has been established. Recognizing and carrying on a storied tradition over the last hundred plus years is our purpose.

A committee of seven Atlanta citizens made the selections based on their knowledge of Atlanta sports history and some careful research. The committee desired to go back in time as far as possible to determine those early great athletes.

This led us to our first major league baseball player, Hubbard Northen who made the “Bigs” in 1910. Then following World War I service, the Father of Atlanta football, Coach Ed Rabb in whose honor the Rabbits’ mascot came about.

Lewis “Bear” Allday was next as the first hometown football star who went on to national fame with Centenary College in the late 1920’s and then in baseball with

the Texas League.

A member of the New England Patriots Hall of Fame, Jimmie Lee “Earthquake” Hunt, originally starred during the mid-1950’s for Booker T. Washington High School. He played for Prairie View A&M and had a fabulous 12-year career in professional football as a defensive lineman.

Our female pick came from the more recent years.

Sarah Haydel Carter had a stellar cross country and track career with the Lady Rabbs in the late 1990’s.

As a young distance phenom she earned the runnerup spot in State cross country. Running at the State track meet in the old venue at Texas Memorial Stadium she twice swept the 1600 and 3200 meter distance runs to earn four gold medals.

Our criteria for induction has been simple: the student-athlete must have lettered in a high school sport, performed in an outstanding manner at whatever sports level, have been out of high school for 10 years and be an exemplary citizen.

We have an abundance of super athletes to pick from and entry will be very competitive. Our plan is to involve the public next year by seeking nominations.

Then each nominee will continue to be among nominees even if not selected on their first round.

Plaques highlighting each inductee’s accomplishments will be placed in the entrance hallway under the press

NETX CROSSROADS MAGAZINE

box at Rabbit Stadium. Lettering above the plaques will be Atlanta Athletics Hall of Fame.

An induction ceremony will take place on Friday, Sept. 14, at the Atlanta Rabbits – Pleasant Grove Hawks football game.

Hopefully this event will draw a good crowd as Pleasant Grove comes in as the defending 4A Div. II State Champs.

The Hall of Fame should carry on our most outstanding athletic traditions and be a motivator for young athletes coming up through the years. In the past 30 years Atlanta’s sports achievements have been numerous.

During these three decades football has produced a State finalist (1994) and State Champions (2003). Baseball earned a State crown in 1998 and track has added six State winners beginning in 1989.

Such athletic feats rank us among the best athletic programs in Texas.

A number of schools and towns with less to brag about have a Hall of Fame.

Now we have one as well.

The committee hopes the Atlanta public and every sports fan will help with their donation of funds which are tax exempt.

Checks made out and addressed to Atlanta Athletics HOF can be sent to P.O. Box 637 in Atlanta.

Please help us make this a first class endeavor as we honor the athletes who have achieved so much over more than a century of competition.

Atlanta Pride will certainly be embodied in our Hall of Fame.

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109 East Main St. Atlanta, TX 75551 430-562-7002

Tina Dickerson Michelle Spivey

2102 Wood St. Texarkana, TX 75501 903-793-5626

cashworkstexas.com NETX CROSSROADS MAGAZINE

AUGUST 2018

43

Commercial Truck Business Auto Garage • Truck Motorcycle • RV • Boat Timber Equipment

Hale Insurance Consultants, LLC Frankie Stanley, Ron Porter and Suzanne H. Herndon, Agents

509 W. Main St. 903-796-2929 Atlanta, TX 75551 800-256-7116 Fax 903-796-7389 Cell 903-650-3674 www.haleinsuranceLLC.com

Outstanding Dental Care Small Town Service

• Children’s Dentistry • Tooth Colored Fillings • Root Canal Therapy • Implant Dentistry • Dental Bridges

We Specialize in Same Day Crowns

• Tooth Extractions (including wisdom teeth) • Snap-in Dentures • Removable Partial & Complete Dentures

Michael l. Giesler, D.D.s. lanny J. Giesler, D.D.s. coDy l. Giesler, D.D.s 1 Bayou Drive atlanta, tX 75551 903-796-9051

105 church street linDen, tX 75563 903-756-7721

We protect it.

You live it.

Derrick McGary, Agent Insurance Lic#: 9995017 590 N Kings Highway Suite 6 Wake Village, TX 75501 Bus: 903-831-2000

I’m here to help life go right – so you can enjoy it, while I help protect it. Let’s talk about your life insurance options.

CALL ME TODAY. ™

State Farm Life Insurance Company (Not licensed in MA, NY or WI) State Farm Life and Accident Assurance Company (Licensed in NY and WI) 1601538 Bloomington, IL

44

AUGUST 2018

NETX CROSSROADS MAGAZINE

Have your cake‌ and catering, too.

Call or email for your appointment.

903.792.5725 | juliesdeli.com

Have your cake‌ and catering, too.

Call or email for your appointment.

903.792.5725 | juliesdeli.com