We need a hero

By Chris Campbell

There is a neat trend on Facebook right now where folks are changing their profile pictures to their favorite superhero in order to raise awareness for childhood cancer

Our society loves superheroes

They do stuff that is otherworldly They have powers that allow them to do things that no one else can do abilities that make them larger than life We ponder how awesome it would be to have those abilities Imagine the lives we would save or the evil we would destroy if we could fly, run like the wind, or leap tall buildings in a single bound.

I vividly remember my first “super” hero I was only three years old, but I remember so many details about him He didn’t wear a cape or a mask, he wasn’t from a different planet, and he didn’t have an intimidating name He wore a sanitation worker’s uniform, he grew up in Fort Worth, and his name was Oliver Honestly, I don’t think I ever knew the real name of that older, African American gentleman – I just always called him “Friend ”

Every Tuesday and Friday I would sit on the curb and wait for the familiar sound of the garbage truck rumbling down Lowell Lane. I would jump up and down and waive frantically yelling “Hi Friend!” at the top of my lungs as Oliver would pick up bags of trash, toss them in the back, hop up on the truck and ride to the next house. When he finally got to my house I would run over and hug the guy in the navy blue jumpsuit My mother would cringe (much like some of you mothers are doing right now) thinking about what those strong, calloused hands had touched that day.

He would pick me up and let me pull the handle that compacted the trash on the truck Then he’d put me down and off he would go about his day Every once in a while mom and I would have cookies and lemonade waiting for he and his co-workers

I wanted to be a garbage man!

When my mother would go shopping at a department store I would climb on the clothes rack and pretend I was riding the truck down the street Then I would hop down, walk over to an imaginary collection of garbage, toss it into my imaginary truck and pull the handle. My parents had bigger plans for my career…but I knew what I wanted to be when I grew up Because that’s what “Friend” was

We all have had men or women that have come through our lives and been larger than life to us. We all have heroes that we admired for the qualities they possessed and the way they inspired us to be the greatest we can be

In Kind Donors

Wal-Mart, 20 briskets

Bill Smith, Howe Mini Storage, $300

Metal Masters, $1,000

Great Days of Service, labor and supplies

Keep Howe Beautiful, labor and supplies

The Siding Man, Inc., $2,800

AAA Guardian Foundation Repair, $2,500

Brice Harvey, bbq cook

Dick Smithwick, bbq cook

Don Anderson, auctioneer

Howe Enterprise, advertising

Van Alstyne Leader, advertising

Herald Democrat, advertising

Loretta Anderson, Texas Farm Bureau, 125 cups

Darren Foster, Texas Farm Bureau, 125 cups

Donna Wormsbaker, beans for BBQ dinner

Bev Martin, bread for BBQ dinner

Mary Jo Wrenn, bread for BBQ dinner

Georgia Caraway, tea and coffee for BBQ dinner

Jean Norman, coleslaw for BBQ dinner

Mama Suzy’s Sweets and Eats, 8 doz sugar cookies for BBQ dinner

Mary Stonebarger, 8 doz. chocolate chip cookies for dinner

Sherry Folks, potato salad for BBQ dinner

Sunny Delight, 200 drinks

Grayson County Blood Bank, radio ads

Howe Fire Station, use of building for BBQ dinner

Ronnie Morris, labor on benches

FINANCIAL DONORS:

Collins Memorial, $24,350

Howe Historical Society, $14,500

Georgia Caraway, $2,880

Oscar Blankemeyer, $1,420

Nortex Field Services, $1,000

Jerry and Patsy Kelsoe, $600

Garage sales, $387

Advantage Business Machines, $200

Scott Frantz, $200

Anonymous, $200

Waldo Funeral Home, $100

Scoggins Funeral Home, $100

M.E. Curtis, $100

Monty Ulmer, $100

Anonymous, $50

City Drug of VA, $50

Carolyn Monroe, $40

Children and citizens of Howe, $205

Ray Selby, $20

James Pinckney Henderson may not have been one of the most famous of early Texas figures, but his actions were perhaps some of the most important. As a lawyer, diplomat, and the state’s first governor, he helped build strong foundations for the future of Texas

Henderson was born in North Carolina in 1808 By the age of 21, he had graduated from the University of North Carolina Law School and earned admission to the state bar He became known for his voracious study habits during his years in school, poring over law books up to eighteen hours per day

For Henderson, failure to give oneself entirely to a task was unacceptable. His dedication won him great admiration among his peers. Because of this, he rose quickly to the rank of colonel in the North Carolina militia. In 1835, he moved to central Mississippi where he opened a law practice However, news of the events unfolding in Texas