KAZ’S FEARLESS FOOTBALL FORECAST
ORANGE COUNTY
FISHING Capt. Dickie Colburn Page 5 Section B
See Section B
SPORTS
Commentary Kaz’s Korner Joe Kazmar Page 1 Section B
RELIGION & LOCAL CHURCH GUIDE Page 6B
County Record TheRecordLive.com
Vol. 58 No. 79
The Community Newspaper of Orange, Texas
Week of Wednesday, November 15, 2017
Orange County goes extra percent to shop local Dave Rogers
For The Record
Ida Schossow, President of the Greater Orange Area Chamber of Commerce, couldn’t have said it better. As the Orange County Commissioners’ Court was poised to accept the low bid for a new pickup truck to be purchased for the Road and Bridge department, Clark Slacum cut them off. “Before you take action,” the county engineer interjected. He pointed out that his insistence to solicit bids for the purchase instead of purchasing the truck through the state’s Buy Board cooperative would save the county
about 10 percent on the $30,000 vehicle. Then he asked the county judge and commisSlacum sioners to consider the second-lowest bidder. “It’s just $300 more – 1 percent – so I’d like to make a case for buying local,” Slacum said. “We can buy local and get it right here in town. It’s going to the salaries of people who work right here in town.” Doug Manning, assistant county attorney, agreed it
was permissible and the court members voted 5-0 to purchase the Ford F-250 from Orange’s Sabine River Ford.
Other bidders were Silsbee Ford, JK Chevrolet and Grapevine Dodge, Slacum later revealed. “Thank you so much for
considering shopping local,” Schossow said during the citizen comment portion of the meeting. Rusty Benoit of the Gulf
Coast Cajun Club stepped up to the podium next and thanked the county for its COUNTY BUSINESS Page 3A
Friends of Depot to host Christmas Tea
90 just a number for newlyweds
Newlyweds Media and Tom Brooks have known each other for than more than half their lives but married only three weeks ago, roughly four years after each’s first spouse passed away. RECORD PHOTO: Dave Rogers
Dave Rogers
For The Record
At 93, Tom Brooks is too busy “running the roads” to slow down. And for the last 20-odd days, the person riding shotgun on those trips is his newlywed wife, Media, 88. Since they road-tripped to see a judge in Jasper last month, they’ve been traveling as man and wife. “We started going places together and we liked it,” Tom said. “We’ve been running the roads for three years, going everywhere, doing everything. So we got married. “There’s no use in going through life miserable.” Both Tom and Media were married to their first spouses for more than 60 years. Media’s husband, Marvin Sanders, died in 2013, just after the couple’s 65th anniversary. Together, they raised four children, three sons and a daughter. Tom’s wife, Betty, died in 2014. The couple, married 64 years, raised two boys and a girl. But Tom and Media have known each other – and their families – “50 or 60 years,” Tom says. They were all members of the Second Baptist Church in Bridge City. “I knew his wife, too,” Media said. “We were friends.” Tom was in a high school graduating class of 11 at Evans, Louisiana, shortly before he was drafted into World War II in 1943. He was in the headquarters and supply company for
the 82nd Airborne Division and was hospitalized with pneumonia after suffering the freezing cold of the Battle of the Bulge for 57 days. But Brooks got back to his troops in time to witness the fall of the German army. “The day it was over, on a road like [FM] 1136, they were coming through all day to surrender, because they didn’t want to get taken prisoner by the Russians,” he said. “They passed through for 24 hours. There were stacks of their weapons piled as high as my house.” Brooks won five battle stars and returned from the war to take part in a victory parade down Fifth Avenue in New York. More than four million thankful Americans cheered the 13,000 returning soldiers. Then he found employment at Gulf Oil in Port Arthur. He worked at the refinery for 36 years, until 1983. “I would’ve starved to death in west Louisiana,” Brooks said. “There’s nothing to do, so I came down here and put in an application.” Media, a native of northern Louisiana, operated Media’s Beauty Salon for more than 40 years while her husband worked at B.F. Goodrich in Port Neches. “After my husband retired, we moved to Mauriceville,” Media said. Brooks and his wife moved from Bridge City to Mauriceville in 2009, after their home was demolished by NEWLYWEDS Page 3A
Friends of the Orange Depot is kicking off the Christmas season with a Christmas Tea held at the historic Orange Train Depot on Sunday, Dec. 3, 2 pm until 4 pm. Admission is a $25 donation. The first 30 minutes will be “Mingle and Jingle” with Tea, Mimosas, and delicious festive treats. The Friends of the Orange Depot will be featuring Designs by J Scotts Aflorist and Fashions from the YA YA Clothing Company. J Scott will designs four arrangements and all four will be given as a door prize. Angie McClelland, owner of YaYa clothing company will have table modeling and also give door prizes. Seating is limited. Door Prizes will be given away all through the Christmas Tea, please get your tickets from anyone in the photo above or call Diana Hill, Chairperson at (409) 313-1459. Pictured above are Friends of the Orange Depot members Alicia Booker, Gina Rebich, Carol Sims, Rose Tarver, Telisa Derosier, Lila Speck and Rose Simar.
Ten Republicans file for county offices Dave Rogers
For The Record
Seven incumbents were among the first double handful of candidates to file for the November 6, 2018 Orange County elections – all of them Republicans. No Democrats had filed for office as of Tuesday night.
Among those who signed up with the Republicans at a Monday gathering in Bridge City was County Treasurer Christy Khoury. A county employee since 2002, she was first elected Treasurer in 2010 and again in 2014, both times as a Democrat. Other incumbents who
filed for re-election this week with new County Republican Party Chairman David Covey include County Judge Stephen Brint Carlton; County Commissioner, Precinct 2, Barry Burton; County Clerk Brandy Robertson; and three of the four Justices of the Peace. Hershel Stagner, Jr., of Pre-
cinct 1; Joy Dubose-Simonton of Precinct 3; and Rodney Price of Precinct 4 are seeking to keep their spots on the bench. Chad Jenkins, Ag Science teacher at Orangefield, filed for the Precinct 2 bench being vacated by a retiring Derry Dunn. REPUBLICAN Page 3A
‘Moe’ Litton to marshal BC Christmas Parade Larry Johnson
For The Record
Moe Litton, athletic trainer and teacher at Bridge City High School from 19651988, will be Parade Marshal for Bridge City’s 9th Annual Christmas Light Parade. The Parade is Saturday, Dec. 2, themed “An Old Fashioned Christmas,” and begins at 6 p.m. The parade route will be on West Roundbunch Road, starting at the First Baptist Church and ending at Bridge City Elementary School. After serving four years in
Pictured are Mickey Litton Gisclar, Lucy Fields, Moe Litton, and Joy Litton.
CMYK
the Navy during World War II, Litton attended Stephen F. Austin State University, earning his bachelor’s degree in 1953 and his masters in 1956. He played football and was a letterman for SFA’s Lumberjacks. His first coaching job was for in Hemphill. From there, his coaching career included Jacksonville, Vidor, Orangefield, and finally Bridge City. He was part of the coaching staff for Bridge City’s 1966 state championship football team. LITTON Page 3A