Community service binder1

ODESSA AMERICAN P.O. BOX 2952 SERVING ODESSA AND THE PERMIAN BASIN OF TEXAS ODESSA, TX 79760-2952

AIM MEDIA TEXAS NEWSPAPER

(432) 333-7714 1-800-375-4661 or 1-800-530-4554 FAX (432) 333-7742

APME Community Service Judges

Dear Judges,

Please consider our Permian Basin Honor Flight series as an entry in the Community Service category.

This year marked the first time that Permian Basin veterans were offered the chance to take an Honor Flight to

Washington, D.C., to see the war memorials.

The early part of our work was on the fund-raising efforts and how veterans could sign up. We met with leaders in

the effort and discovered that there were a number of veterans signed up to go who had never been featured in our

paper about their various war experiences. We decided to do a series and tell their stories in word, photo and video.

This entry is limited to 20 of the stories but others and the videos are located at

http://www.oaoa.com/texas_permian_basin_honor_flight/

This project quickly became one of our most enjoyable ventures in many years. We had such significant feedback

from readers about how much they enjoyed getting to know the stories of their fellow West Texans. I believe this is

true community service. It highlighted the sometimes heroic and sometimes humdrum adventures of mostly World

War II vets, who continue to die off by the hundreds each day nationally.

The series helped raise the funds for many of these men and women to take that Honor Flight and that is something

that we are all very proud of here.

Thank you for your consideration.

Laura Dennis

Editor

Bum Steer in Odessa

An Odessa incidentlanded on the first pageof Texas Monthly’sBum Steer awards inthe January issue witha brief titled “He won’ttouch the stuff nomow.”

The award comesafter a re-port in

which OliverJames Mc-

Cracken admitted toEctor County authori-ties that he had beensmoking “potpourri”shortly before he wasstopped after driving ariding lawnmowerthrough a busy inter-section. O N T H E N E T

>> tinyurl.com/pxlrjvh

Free tax helpThe Volunteer In-

come Tax Assistance(VITA) program isavailable to help localtaxpayers.

The VITA program,spearheaded by site co-ordinator Faye Ro-driguez, generallyoffers free tax help topeople who make$51,000 or less whoneed assistance inpreparing their own taxreturns.

They will offer helpto OdessaresidentsstartingFeb. 1from 10 a.m.

until 2 p.m. and Tues-days and Thursdaysfrom 6 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. at OdessaCollege.

The program willrun until April 10, Rodriguez said, and because of the largenumber of people ex-pected to apply, Rodriguez said theywould only be helpingthose who make ap-pointments.

Rodriguez said shehopes to keep the pro-gram within the com-munity for severalmore years. Cost is freebut call 208-6519 for anappointment.

[email protected]

Three Odessa men werearrested following a Mon-day night armed robbery inthe parking lot of FastEddie’s bar, according tothe Odessa Police Depart-ment.

An officer patrollingnear the bar in the 4000block of East 42nd Streetreported hearing gunshotsat about 10:01 p.m., accord-ing to a news release.

In the parking lot, offi-cers talked to five peoplewho said three men robbedthem of cash at gunpointand fired several shots be-fore driving away in anolder-model tan car, the re-lease stated.

Police did not disclosehow much money wastaken. No injuries were re-ported among the victims,who were all men rangingfrom ages 31 to 43.

“We are very fortunatethat nobody got killed,”said Cpl. Steve LeSueur,the police spokesman.

Minutes later, other offi-cers patrolling near YukonRoad and East Loop 338 re-ported spotting a tan Mer-cury Grand Marquis withthree men inside matchingwitness descriptions of thesuspects, the release stated.

Police pulled over theMercury and reportedfinding multiple handgunsinside. Officers also re-ported bringing witnesses

Super Bowl classicsCombine buffalo chicken

wings and nachos. >> FOOD

Kicking offECISD teams play District2-5A openers >> SPORTS

QUICK hits

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22, 2014 facebook.com/OdessaAmerican oaoa.com twitter.com/OdessaAmerican 75 CENTS

BY LINDSAY [email protected]

On a night when the schoolboard members were show-ered with fruit, house plants,baked goods and thank-you’sfrom the schools they repre-sent, they also received an-other gift: A 45-minute meeting.

The likely record-settingregular meeting of the Ector

County Independent SchoolDistrict board (though no offi-cial count is kept) was high-lighted mostly by all goodnews that ranged from recog-nizing Board AppreciationMonth in Texas to cheering onthe three football players whowere named All-State.

Though amid the happythoughts was a serious tone atone point taken on by new su-

perintendent Thomas Crowe,who was approved by theboard for his new job onChristmas Eve last year.

Crowe briefly went over the2012-13 Texas Academic Per-formance Report, which moreor less gives statistics of howthe district fared on theSTAAR test, its graduationrates and class-size informa-tion. No secret to the district,

the results aren’t all rosy forECISD.

“You’ve heard me say thisagain and again, I don’t look attest scores,” Crowe said abouthis past experience. “I’ve got toright now. Because we’ve got toget campuses off ImprovementRequired. Once we do that, wecan start shooting for the starsinstead of meeting mini-mums.”

Crowe spoke a few minuteson the topic in response toTrustee Doyle Woodall askingif he could point to any onething that’s to blame for thelow STAAR scores. Crowe said

New superintendent covers Texas AcademicPerformance Report at ECISD board meeting

Crowe emphasizes work left

BY NATHANIEL [email protected]

Odessans Marci Westand her husband John Weststill remember the eventsleading up to their son’sdeath on Aug. 30, 2010.

Matthew West, a staffseargent with the 71st Explosive Ordnance Dis-posal Group, died after his vehicle ran over an improvised explosive de-vice while serving inAfghanistan. Four othersoldiers died after the ex-plosion.

A Michigan native, JohnWest said his son — a 1992graduate of Gaylord High

School of Gaylord, Mich.,and a 1997 graduate ofNorthern Michigan Uni-versity — was inspired tojoin the military after theSept. 11, 2001, terrorist at-tacks.

“He knew that was a jobthat would save people’slives,” John West said abouthis son’s decision to jointhe EOD regiment.

Now Gold Star parents

A R E S U R FA C E D T R A C K

Organization plansto take three

‘Gold Star’ familiesto Washington, D.C.

BryanDillow, anAthleticMarkingCompanyemployee,paints lineson the newlyresurfacedtrack atRatliffStadium onTuesday. Thehigh inOdessa onTuesday was58 with a lowof 30. Theforecast forWednesdaycalls for ahigh if 63and a low of31 before theweatherchangesThursdaywith a highof 30 and alow of 28and a chanceof snow.

RYAN EVONODESSAAMERICAN

Honor flight groupneeds $240,000 for trip

PAGE 2A

6331

➤➤

WEATHERPartly cloudy.

Wind eastat 5 mph

to 10 mph.

C L O S I N G P R I C E S

Posted: $91.75

Futures: $94.99

Natural Gas: $4.431

STOCKS 4D

I N D E XBLOTTER 6A, 5BCLASSIFIED 1CCOMICS 6DDEATHS 3BFOOD 1BOPINION 4ASPORTS 1DTELEVISION 4BXWORD 5C, 5D

Nicole Aguilera, Hays

>> FROM STAFF REPORTS

>> See FLIGHT Page 5A

MARK STERKEL|ODESSA AMERICAN

Jack Barnes, director of the Texas Permian Basin Honor Flight,talks about plans for the September flight during a newsconference Tuesday at the Wagner Noël Performing Arts Center.The Honor Flights pay tribute to local World War II, Korean andVietnam War veterans by flying them to Washington, D.C., for athree-day, two-night trip to see all the sights and memorials.

OPD: 3 men arrested in armed robbery at

Odessa bar parking lot

Oil rises after China’s centralbank injects credit into the

financial system and expertsraise their forecast for demand.

THOMAS CROWEECISD

SUPERINTENDENT

>> See ECISD Page 5A

No injuries reportedamong victims in

incident at Fast Eddies

>> See ARREST Page 5A

MORE INSIDE>> Police investigate separate

robberies. | B

ldennis

Line

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22, 2014 L O C A L ODESSA AMERICAN 5A

— or parents of a soldierwho has died during serv-ice — the Wests will beone of three Gold Star fam-ilies from Odessa invitedduring the inaugural TexasPermian Basin HonorFlight out Midland sched-uled for September 2014.

The announcement wasmade during a Tuesdaymorning news conferenceat the Wagner Noël Per-forming Arts Center. Thepurpose of the event was toofficially kick-off thefundraising effort for thetrip.

Part of the scheduled tripwill include a stop at Ar-lington National Ceremony,where Matthew West isburied, for a wreath layingceremony.

“It’s going to be emo-tional seeing those veteranswho literally went throughhell and back honoringthem,” John West said.

U.S. Representative MikeConaway, who serves onthe Armed Services Com-mittee, said his staff inWashington, D.C., will helpwith the tour. He was visi-bly choked up, holding backtears at times, when talkingabout the organizationTuesday.

“I’ve attended funeralsthroughout the time I’vebeen in Congress … and I’vestood with families on theworst days of their liveswhen they’ve buried aloved one who sacrificedtheir lives,” Conaway said.“It’s just an emotional expe-rience.”

Also in attendance wereOdessa Mayor David

Turner, Midland CountyJudge Michael Bradfordand State Senator KelSeliger.

The Honor Flight, deriv-ing from the “CreatingAmerica Supports YouTexas” nonprofit, offersround-trip experiences toWorld War II, Korea andVietnam veterans at no costto them. Money is raisedthrough donations. JackBarnes, director of theHonor Flight, said the or-ganization needs to raise$240,000 to pay for the Per-mian Basin trip.

Turner, who has beenasked to be on the flight toWashington, D.C., said hewas honored to representthe Permian Basin on thetrip. Turner said he will payhis own way for the trip andthat the mayors of Odessaand Midland would try toalternate years on whowould make the trip.

Barnes said the organiza-tion will take 143 total vet-erans on a charter flight onSouthwest Airlines. The listof veterans will not be avail-able until August, after theorganization has gonethrough a screeningprocess, Barnes said. Theveterans selected for thisflight will all be from thecounties that make up thePermian Basin.

“Our sense of urgency is,we must do it now, to honorthese Greatest Generationveterans,” Barnes said. “Wecertainly need the public’shelp to make this trip possi-ble.”

The trip — a three-day,two-night stay in Washing-ton, D.C. — includes buses,hotels and other amenitiesfor the veterans on theflights, Barnes said. Usually,

a veteran can bring a caretaker or family memberwith them; however, theguests usually have to paytheir own way.

During the trip, the vet-erans will travel to all thewar memorials and lay awreath at the Tomb of theUnknown Solider in Arling-ton National Cemetery.

Dick Galloway, a Viet-nam veteran and currentlyserving on the board of di-rectors for the PermianBasin Honor flight, said itwas “wonderful” that theorganization was putting alocation in West Texas.

Honor Flight also hasflights located in Lubbock,San Antonio, Amarillo, FortWorth, Austin Houston,Abilene, and other loca-tions across the country.

Galloway’s father, JamesGalloway, was a World WarII veteran who died a fewyears ago and was unable togo on an Honor Flight trip.Galloway said he hopes toget the chance to send oth-ers out there to see the me-morials built in their honor.

“It’s important we getthem out there pretty darnquick,” Galloway said.

Turner agreed.“You think about the

young men and the youngwomen and all the citizensof America that were trulyfighting for our lifestyle …because if we would havelost that war, Americawouldn’t be the Americawe know today.” Turnersaid.

O N T H E N E T>> permianhonorflight.org

to the scene who identifiedthe men as the robbers.

The three men —21-year-old Adrian AllenAtchison, 26-year-oldTalvis Diamond Redic and23-year-old Brian JeromeWilliams — were taken tothe police department andinterviewed by detectives,who charged each of themwith five counts of aggra-vated robbery.

The manager of FastEddie’s declined to com-ment.

All three men werelisted Tuesday morning asbeing held in the EctorCounty Detention Center,but “Talvis DiamondRedic” was listed under the

name “Talvis Diamond Jef-ferson.” State criminalrecords for several nonvio-lent misdemeanor convic-tions show he has gone byboth names, and LeSueursaid Redic is what appearson his state identificationcard.

His bond was set at$375,000.

Before his Monday ar-rest, Atchison was alreadyfacing charges of engagingin organized criminal ac-tivity and evading arrest inconnection with a reportedrobbery of students out-side of Permian HighSchool with his brotherTrevor Terrell Atchison inDecember 2010. The broth-ers were indicted in May2011 and are awaiting trial.

Trevor Atchison is alsocharged with murder in the

unrelated shooting deathof 19-year-old Evan Fitts in2011 and remains in cus-tody at the jail.

Adrian Atchison, 303 E.48th St., is also facing mis-demeanor charges of fail-ure to identify as a fugitivefiled in March 2013 andevading arrest filed in July2013.

Jail records also show an indictment on a chargeof delivery of cocaine. Inthe past four years, he’salso pleaded guilty to ahandful of non-violent misdemeanors. His bondwas set at more than$540,000.

Williams also has a rapsheet that includes misde-meanor convictions forevading arrest and drugpossession. His bond wasset at $375,000.

it wasn’t caused by onething, but the biggest wasthe shift from the TAKS ac-countability system toSTAAR, which has a differ-ent way of rating schools.Currently, 21 schools inECISD did not meet thestandards of the new test,however the district didpass overall. If thoseschools do not im-prove on thisspring’s STAARtests, they could face suchserious repercussions asevery staff member wouldbe forced to re-interviewfor their jobs.

“It was a perfect stormand it caught us. But we’recertainly looking at everysingle thing,” Crowe said.

The Texas AcademicPerformance Report isavailable online on theTexas Education Agencywebsite and will also beposted on the ECISD web-site, Crowe said. Individualschool results will beposted to the coordinatingschools as well, he added.

The statistics look ateach grade level by sub-group (race, special educa-tion, English LanguageLearner, etc.) and by eachsubject area (reading,math, writing, science,etc.).

It also examines atten-dance rates, which atECISD in 2011-12 were 94.3percent compared to 95.9percent statewide. Some ofthe more alarming figuresare found in the dropoutrates.

For example, the Classof 2011 saw 79.3 percent ofits students graduate withjust 43 percent of EnglishLanguage Learners gradu-ating with their class; this

is compared with 85.9 per-cent graduating statewideoverall. The dropout ratefor ECISD’s English Lan-guage Learner students in2011 was 38.2 percent, ac-cording to the report.

During the same pres-entation, Crowe addressedan admittedly “softballquestion” from TrusteeDonna Smith. She askedhim to talk about the im-portance of the commu-

nity getting involvedin the schools andwith children.

Crowe said thatnowadays volunteering at aschool goes beyond mak-ing copies of papers orfundraising.

“We’ve got to go way be-yond that,” Crowe said. Heasked that if anyone in thecommunity (parent or oth-erwise) can connect with aschool’s parent teacher as-sociation or ECISD’s VIPsprogram to go into a schoolfor 20 minutes to read witha child or help with theirmath skills. It would makea tremendous difference,Crowe said. He also askedteachers to call their stu-dent’s parents and ask forhelp.

“It’s far more importantto sit down with a childand help them understandthat they can be successfulin a classroom even if theynever were before,” Crowesaid.

In other meeting news,the board unanimouslypassed the opportunity forECISD staff to negotiateand purchase propertynear Odessa High Schoolto use as parking as the$129.75 million bond proj-ect progresses.

The two properties —1111 West 12th St. and 1118West 12th St. — are west ofColeman Field at OHS andare good pieces of property

to pursue as they’re undermarket value too, ChiefOperations Officer DavidFinley said. The estimatedvalues weren’t available bypress time.

The board also approved 7-0, the creationof a capital improvementfund of $3.8 million to startfixing and building the sewer infrastructurefor schools on the westside, including the two yet-to-be-built elementaryschools, save for Murry FlyElementary.

Fly will have its sewersystem renovated in the fu-ture, as will all otherschools in ECISD.

M O R E F R O M T H E M E E T I N G

>> OHS football players C.J.Eddison and Edgar Contreraswere recognized for beingnamed 5A All-State from theTexas Associated Press SportsEditors. Permian’s Darren Gate-wood was also honored.

>> The World Class Leader inEducation award went to CherylSellars at Odessa High Schoolwho has taught English for 16years. She was nominated bythe Education Foundation formaximizing resources, morethan $69,000 in grants to use inher classroom.

>> The board was recognizedby the district for their “tremen-dous amount of work for atremendous amount of scrutiny,and they do not receive atremendous amount pay,” Direc-tor of Communications Mike Ad-kins said. San Jacinto’skindergarten students made avideo thanking the school boardand Adkins read the proclama-tion by the City of Odessa.

>> The consent agenda wasapproved in full with a vote of 7-0.

>> The board did not go intoclosed meeting as scheduled onthe agenda.

>> The meeting adjourned at6:40 p.m. with all board mem-bers present.

ECISD>> From Page 1A

Arrest>> From Page 1A

Flight>> From Page 1A

MORE INFORMATION>> Call 432-210-9338 or [email protected].

ldennis

Line

BY JARED [email protected]

For the past 26 years,veterans and members of

various communities acrossthe country make the 10-day ride from California toWashington, D.C., in honorof prisoners of war and

those missing in action. The tour began in Ran-

cho Cucamonga, Calif., asmotorcyclists gather to startthe route to the northeast tovisit the Vietnam Memorialin Washington, D.C. Riderspick up more membersalong their travels, which

EDITOR’S NOTE: This ispart of a continuing seriesthat will feature the stories of veterans who arescheduled to go on theTexas Permian BasinHonor Flight in September.

BY COREY [email protected]

Emil Beck remembers

the hotel in Linz, where hestayed with the infantry after a pushthough wintery Franceinto Austria, after victoryin Europe. There was apoor girl of about 10 who

came to clean their sheetsand clothes for chocolateand cigarettes and a littlebit of money.

Gustie was her name,and one day she said shewas hungry. So the menwent to the mess hall tofetch food for her and alittle friend. These hap-pier memories, Beck said,

Trip to ItalyWest Texas couple attends

canonization of popes. >> RELIGION

Game onSockers FC set to take field forseason opener. >> SPORTS

Rummage saleCome over to

Cumberland Presbyte-rian Church, 1415 N.Grandview Ave., for arummage sale to sup-port the MontessoriMiddle School.

The sale goes from 8 a.m. to noon today.O N T H E N E T

>> tinyurl.com/ksy979o

Weaver, OAreceive honorThrough the Texas

Association of SchoolBoards, the OdessaAmerican and reporterLindsay Weaver wererecognized on the 2014Media Honor Roll

thanks toa nomi-nation bythe EctorCountyInde-pendentSchoolDistrict.KOSAwas also

on the list, according toa news release.

Criteria for the dis-trict’s selection in-cludes the member ofthe media’s efforts to“get to know the super-intendent, board presi-dent, and the district’smission and goals; re-port school news in afair, accurate and bal-anced manner; give ahigh profile to positivenews about schools;visit the schools; andmaintain a policy of nosurprises by sharing in-formation with schoolofficials.”O N T H E N E T

>> ectorcountyisd.org

Jobless rate fallsOdessa is behind

Midland when it comesto unemployment ratesin the state, the TexasWorkforce Commis-sion reports.

Texas’ unemploy-ment rate fell to 5.2 percent in April,

downfrom 5.5 percentin March

and down from 6.4 per-cent a year ago, accord-ing to a release fromthe Texas WorkforceCommission.

The Midland Metro-politan Statistical Areahad the lowest Aprilunemployment rate inthe state at 2.3 percent.The Odessa MSA hadthe second lowest at 2.9 percent. See relatedstory on Page 3A.

QUICK hits

SATURDAY, MAY 17, 2014 facebook.com/OdessaAmerican oaoa.com twitter.com/OdessaAmerican 75 CENTS

BY AUDRIS [email protected]

Odessa Police DepartmentChief Tim Burton saidOdessa’s violent crime rate is“actually declining” comparedto last year at a Friday after-noon press conference.

The fourth fatal shooting inOdessa this year tookplace Tuesday afternoon. Sean

Michael Lamb, 22, was founddead with multiple gunshotwounds in a Ford Expeditionin a Country Club subdivisionalleyway. Liz Hernandez, 34,her son Brian Hernandez, 17,and Stacey Louise Castillo, 39,were arrested on charges ofcapital murder this week inconnection with the kidnap-ping and shooting death ofLamb. Two additional sus-

pects, Ruben James Hernan-dez, 33, and Noe Garcia Galan,34, are being sought by po-lice. OPD officials describedRuben Hernandez and Galanas potentially armed and dan-gerous and advised the publicnot to approach them.

“People need to be assuredthat the city of Odessa is a safeplace,” Burton said. “Thesecases are very high profile and

of course that garners a lot ofattention. However, that does-n’t mean the city of Odessa isnot a safe place. Many of theindividuals involved in theseincidents were engaged inother criminal activity, and it’sa byproduct of that criminalactivity that has resulted in thisviolence.”

Burton said the violent

Following fatal shooting, OPD chief says that crime rate down from 2013

PD: Odessa is a safe place

R E A D Y T O R O L L

Odessans greet group of about 500on 10-day trip to Washington, D.C.

PHOTOS BY EDYTA BLASZCZYK|ODESSA AMERICAN

Rob ‘Old School’ Reavis from Sacramento, Calif., is greeted ashe arrives at Bass Fishing and Rentals during a stop Friday inOdessa during the Run For The Wall cross country ride to theVietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Honored: Sgt. Emil Beck, 89

PAGE 2A

9160

➤➤

WEATHERMostly sunny.

Wind eastat 5 mphto 10 mph


Posted: $98.50

Futures: $102.02

Natural Gas: $4.413The price of oil rose on strongU.S. construction activity andincreased tensions in Ukraine.

STOCKS 8C

I N D E XCLASSIFIED 1CCOMICS 6CDEATHS 5BMOVIES 6BOPINION 4ARELIGION 1BSPORTS 1DTELEVISION 6BXWORD 5C, 7C


★★★ M I L I TA R Y R O L L O F H O N O R ★★★

WWII veteran remembers a cold march, Gustie from LinzON THE NET

>> Hear Emil Beck tell hisstory at tinyurl.com/preejkb

>> See BECK Page 7A

TIM BURTONODESSA POLICE

CHIEF

>> See SAFE Page 5A

LINDSAYWEAVER

Michael‘General’Jones fromKansas City,Mo., and his9-year-oldPapillonnamedGeneralarrive Fridayin Odessaduring a stopon theircrosscountrymotorcycleride with RunFor The Wall.The riderswereprovideddinner atBass Fishingand Rentals.Jones andGeneral havebeen makingthe ride forseven yearsto theVietnamVeteransMemorial inWashington,D.C.

Run for the Wall ridersrumble into Odessa

>> See WALL Page 7A

ldennis

Line

are the ones he remem-bers.

He did not see combatfirst-hand in his time as asoldier.

“I never got involved inthat,” is how Beck puts it.“And I’m satisfied.”

But as a radioman whomostly replaced batteries,he routinely saw the after-math of battle, the rubbleof cities and the dead.

One April morning in1945, some 40 Axis sol-diers approached Beck, byhimself on a morningstroll. Probably Czechs, heremembers now.

“They were not tryingto be enemies, they werejust trying to surrender,”Beck remembers. “...That’s my only claim tofame is putting 40 of themin a cell.”

The surrenders startedhappening more andmore, and he knew thewar, at least that Theater,was won. He had beenthere just a few hardmonths, arriving in Janu-ary of 1945 at Le Havre,France, where Beck andhis fellow soldiers builtCamp Lucky Strike in thesnow. It was not the AirCorps he had been train-ing for before the presi-dential orders to beef upthe 65th Infantry Divisionand send men to France.

But some of thewartime deployment wasfun, the veteran recalls ashis 90th birthday nears.Like the leave time spentin Nice on the Mediter-ranean and the skiing tripduring a posting in Eng-land.

He said he has forgot-ten the bad memories “asyou would normally do,”but some still linger. Hetalks about his final as-signment in the occupa-tion force before the triphome in 1946: roundingup the Russians who repa-triated to Germany in thewar’s run-up and puttingthem in train cars meant

for horses to be sent backeast.

They were hungry, hesaid, so he cut up a blockof cheese into 40 pieces,one for each of them. Oneof the doomed men gavehim a ring with the en-graving: 39, because itmatched the patch on hisshoulder.

“I didn’t like it, and Ididn’t think it was right,”Beck said, explaining thathe knew then what fateawaited the deportees.“All of them were killed.They went to Siberia.”

But then it was back toTexas. He had grown upin San Angelo, but wentoff to Lubbock for schoolat Texas Tech. With himwas the woman he wroteletters to during his de-ployment, Norma Dale,who became his wife.

He sent the Austriangirl packages for a time,three or four, but eventu-ally he stopped.

Those years of wargrew farther and fartherbehind him, and he pre-ferred it that way. Feelinghe’d served, he rejected anoffer to send him to Korea.Instead he pursued fi-nance, becoming presi-dent of First Savings andLoan in Odessa. He ranthe company until a bustin the 1980s scuttled itssale and delayed his re-tirement by a few years.

He and Norma Dale

built a family: four chil-dren and 11 grandchil-dren.

He stayed proud ofthose days as a cold 19-year-old in a country newto him, in a conflict biggerthan anything he couldhave known.

“I had some good daysand some bad days,” Becksaid. “And it never reallyaffected me as if I hadbeen wounded or some-thing. I was very fortunatethat I came out alive andhealthy.”

He joined a veteransgroup and traveled in2009 with them back toEurope. And he found her,Gustie. The veterans got akick out of that.

Beck had forgottenmost of his German, andher her English. Mostlythey talked about howthey looked different, howsurprised they were to seeeach other again, andabout some of the mo-ments they shared sevendecades ago.

“She couldn’t believe itwas me,” Beck said. Shestill doesn’t respond, butBeck still sends her pack-ages.

Today, Beck wears hisbolo tie of his 65th In-fantry Division. In Sep-tember, he will go on anhonor flight to Washing-ton, D.C. There he willjoin other survivors ofThe Greatest Generation,

SATURDAY, MAY 17, 2014 L O C A L ODESSA AMERICAN 7A

Beck>> From Page 1A

WHAT IS ARMED FORCES DAY?>> Today is Armed Forces Day. Many Americans celebrate

Armed Forces Day annually on the third Saturday of May. It is aday to pay tribute to men and women who serve the United

States’ armed forces. Armed Forces Day is also part of ArmedForces Week, which begins on the second Saturday of May.

On August 31, 1949, Louis Johnson, who was theUnited States’ secretary of defense, announcedthe creation of an Armed Forces Day to replace

separate Army, Navy and Air Force Days. The event stemmedfrom the armed forces’ unification under one department —the Department of Defense. The first Armed Forces Day was

celebrated on Saturday, May 20, 1950. The theme for that daywas “Teamed for Defense”, which expressed the unification of

all military forces under one government department.According to the U.S. Department of Defense, the day was

designed to expand public understanding of what type of jobwas performed and the role of the military in civilian life.

whose voices grow fewerand prompt an urgency togather their stories and letthem know that historyand its citizens remember.Does Beck consider it anhonor?

“Yes,” he says, and heleaves it at that.


WHAT IS THE HONOR FLIGHT?>> The inaugural Permian

Basin Honor Flight that will takeveterans and their guardi ans toWashington, D.C., to visit the me-morials in the nation’s capital.

The flight will leave around 6a.m. Sept. 17 and will return at ayet-to-be determined time onSept. 19. During the trip, the vet-erans and their guardians willvisit the World War II, Koreanand Vietnam memorials and Ar-lington National Cemetery andtour the U.S. House of Represen-tatives.

TO DONATE>> Send donations to P.O. Box

52890, Midland, TX, 79710-2890or call 432-210-9338.

also include Arizona, NewMexico, Texas, Louisiana,Mississippi, Tennessee andfinally Virginia. About 500riders have strapped up forthe 2014 ride and ReidChoat and riders from thestate of Texas make up thebulk of the group.

“I am actually from thePlano area, but they comefrom all over the state toride in this event and thisyear we will have about 75riders from Texas,” Choatsaid while resting from hisfirst leg of the tour.

Choat and the rest of thegroup rose early Fridaymorning in Las Cruces,N.M., to continue the trekeast and arrived in Odessafor the third stop of the tourat about 6:30 p.m. As thebikers arrived, communitymembers lined Interstate20 frontage road with flagsin their hands to celebratewith the group and wel-come people to the city, andChoat says it means a lot tothem to have everyonecome out to welcome them.

“It shows that there isstill a lot of patriotism inthis country,” Choat said asmore riders arrived at BassFishing and Rental. “Youdon’t hear much about it onTV, but we see it here andwhen we do this.”

Diann McKee of Odessawho started riding in 2003said she was inspire to getinvolved because of herfriends who served.

“I had a few friends whoserved in the Vietnam Warand so I’m riding in theirhonor and to commemo-rate their service,” McKeesaid. “It is a healing ride forthe veterans, but it is alsoabout spreading awarenessthat there are numerousP.O.W.’s and soldiers M.I.A.still missing so it is really adual-journey.”

Another rider who livesin Louisville, Ky., but startedthe trip in California saidthe mission is to make suresoldiers who are MIAs orPOWs are never forgotten.

“We want to make surethat we do not ever leaveanyone behind again in anyconflict or deployment thatwe may ever go into,” Lau-rie Clay said. “We want theyounger generation to un-derstand that we cannotleave anyone behind and ifwe don’t keep talking aboutit, it will be forgotten.”

This is Clay’s 19th rideand she said it is because ofcommunities like Odessathat they continue to makethe run for the wall eachand every year.

“The welcome we getfrom Bass (Fishing andRentals) and the commu-nity support we get is greatand we just want to saythank you,” Clay said. “It’scommunities like this thatkeep us going.”

To end the evening, rid-ers were treated to dinnerand will retire to their re-spective hotels to grabsome much needed rest.However, they will bemeeting up bright and earlySaturday around 5:45 a.m. atAmerican Legion Post 430for breakfast and then off toGrand Prairie. The nextstop in the tour will beGrand Prairie, followed byMonroe, L.a., MeridianMiss., Chattanooga Tenn.,Wytheville Va., LynchburgVa., and finally Ashland, Va.,where the tour will come toa close. Yet, year after year,Choat said the mission andheart of the ride will alwaysremain the same.

“It about the mission ofhonoring and rememberingthose who are or were heldcaptive or missing in actionduring their service,” Choatsaid.

O N T H E N E T>> rftw.org

Wall>> From Page 1A

R O P I N G D E M O N S T R AT I O N

EMIL BECK AT A GLANCE>> Age: 89 >> How long in Odessa: Since

July 12, 1950>> Occupation: Beck retired

in 1988 after a career in financethat included a time as presi-dent of First Savings and Loan.

>> Branch of military andrank: Sergeant, U.S. Army.

>> Years of service: May 29,1943 to April 15, 1946.

>> What theater: Europe>> Medals or commenda-

tions: Bronze Star. “I guess youcould say we won the war, andthat was one of them.”

>> Who will accompany youon the honor flight? TBD, butMike Barker from CBS-7 offered.

>> What does it mean to youto get to make this trip? It is anhonor, he says. “I’m going toenjoy it,” Beck said. “In the fourto six hours I was there lasttime, I didn’t get to see as muchas I wanted to see, and there’ssome I’d like to see again.”

Mike Lemons, right,agriculture science

department chairman atOdessa College, shows EctorJunior High student William

McGilvrey how to use a lassoto rope a steer during theTexas State Soil and Water

ConservationBoard Sandhills

District fieldday Friday atthe YT Ranch.

More than 100Advanced Academic Programninth-grade science students

from Ector Junior Highparticipated in the field day

that featured hands-onpresentations by

professionals in the fields ofgeology, agriculture,

ranching, ecology and soiland water conservation.

Lemons talked to studentsabout the history and uses of

the horse in ranching.


ldennis

Line

Soap box derbyRain doesn’t wash out fun forchildren, adults. >> LOCAL

Exchange studentMidland’s Nakajima adjusting to playing in the United States.

>> SPORTS

Monday closuresfor Memorial Day

Most governmentoffices will be closedMonday for MemorialDay, including all Cityof Odessa offices, Ector

County of-fices, allEctorCounty Inde-pendent

School Districtschools, Odessa Col-lege’s campus andthe University of

Texas of the PermianBasin. U.S. post officesin town are also closedto observe MemorialDay.

The walk-up officeat the Odessa PoliceDepartment is closedon Monday as well. O N T H E N E T

>> odessapd.com

Rain returns Odessa will be expe-

riencing rain through-out the Memorial DayWeekend, according toNational Weather Serv-ice officials.

A tornado watch wasin effect Saturday until10 p.m. and a flashflood watch is in effect

until 7 p.m.today,MelissaHuffman, ameteorolo-

gist with theNational Weather Serv-ice in Midland, said.

“It looks like thun-derstorm chances willstick around untilMonday evening andby Tuesday we returnto our dry patter thatwe’ve become accus-tomed to in WestTexas,” Huffman said.

Huffman adviseddrivers in the Odessaarea to check road con-ditions before headingout due flooding thatoccurs throughout thecity’s roads.

“If they do headacross a road that isflooded, don’t head to-ward it,” Huffman said.“It’s better to find an al-ternate way to get towhere they are going.”

QUICK hits

SUNDAY, MAY 25, 2014 facebook.com/OdessaAmerican oaoa.com twitter.com/OdessaAmerican $1.50


Leaders of Chevron, thethird-largest energy companyin the world, plan to have theirannual shareholder’s meetingWednesday in Midland at thePermian Basin Petroleum Mu-seum instead of at their corpo-rate headquarters.

Instead of detailing the sortof regional activity like offi-cials do in quarterly earningsreports, the shareholders

meetings deal with higher-level matters such as executivecompensation and give theman opportunity to vote on im-portant matters and ask ques-tions or air grievances face-toface with leadership.

Typically, the annual share-holders meetings are held atChevron’s headquarters in SanRamon, Calif.

Chevron officials plan anaggressive ramp-up of produc-tion in the Permian Basin andthey are building a $150 millioncampus in Midland, but thecompany is also one of the six“supermajors” in the worldwith assets around the globethat include downstream oper-ations such as refining andpower generation. The Per-

mian Basin is a relatively smallpiece.

“We selected Midland tohave it this year because it’s asignificant region for opera-tions of the company and wehave deep rooted involvementin the community,” said JustinHiggs, a spokesman forChevron in California.

Third-largest energy company building $150M office facility in Midland

ON THE NET >> Chevron

.com/documents/pdf/Chevron2014ProxyStatement

.pdf

Chevron plans Basin push

EDITOR’S NOTE: This ispart of a continuing seriesthat will feature the storiesof veterans who are sched-uled to go on the TexasPermian Basin HonorFlight in September.

BY JON [email protected]

On the days his com-manding officers scram-bled the planes and asked

the airmen to fly and seekout the Zeros, Robert Bellsaid he would sometimessee the sun.

Other times, even fly-ing couldn’t get him awayfrom the endless fog andclouds that shrouded theAleutian Islands in theearly 1940s as Bell and his

fellow airmen defendedthe chain from invasion byJapanese forces.

Becoming an airmanwho would go on to logmore than 7,000 hours inthe air was an unexpectedjourney for a Fairfield,Iowa, native. Only a cou-ple years before joiningthe U.S. Army Air Corps,the predecessor to the AirForce, Bell worked at


It opened in the ’50s andclosed in 2011, and notmuch changed at Gold-smith’s pool except the ad-

dition of a diving boardand lifeguard stand, butresidents of the city wantthe oasis that once was abustling summer destina-tion for county residentsreopened.

The Goldsmith pool, lo-cated on Avenue H next tothe park, used to have linesof people waiting outsideto jump into the cold water,Goldsmith utilities man-ager Bennie Cope said.

The pool had to close in2011 because there weren’tenough lifeguards, Copesaid, a problem representa-tive of the younger genera-tions growing up andmoving away. Goldsmithhas become an older town.

Cope grew up in Gold-smith, and he said he re-

members everything fromthe cold water on a hotsummer day to teenagersriding his bicycle into thepool, as bullies are knownto do.

Most recently, though,Cope said he remembershow many people from the

M A K I N G A S P L A S H

Goldsmith residents hope to reopen pool

PAGE 2A

8465

➤➤

WEATHERPartly cloudy,

T-storms.Wind

southeastat 10 mphto 20 mph.

I N D E XBRIDALS 6DCLASSIFIED 1ECROSSWORD 8DDEATHS 2-3BLIFE & TIMES 1DMOVIES 5BOPINION 4-5DSPORTS 1CTELEVISION 4B

Victoria Pinkerton, Hays


B U S I N E S ST O D AY

HOMEGROWN 9ADRILLING REPORT 10AU.S. RIG COUNT 10ADENNIS ELAM COLUMN 12ABUILDING PERMITS 12APERRYMAN COLUMN 13ABBB COLUMN 13AIT’S GEEK TO ME 14ARESTAURANT REPORT 4B


>> See CHEVRON Page 5A

Honored: Maj. Robert Bell, 92Veteran pilot recalls three wars from a bird’s-eye view

COURTESY PHOTO

Robert Bell served in the U.S.Army Air Corps during WorldWar II and later in the U.S. AirForce. He is seen here duringthe Vietnam War.


Robert Bell, 92, recentlyrecalls his service to thecountry through three wars. >> See BELL Page 7A

ON THE NET>> Hear him tell his story at tinyurl.com/k39ngrw.

As town grows, residents look for summer fun

>> See POOL Page 4A

BennieCope,utilitiesmanager forthe city ofGoldsmith,talks aboutthe history ofthe city poolthat closed in2011. Thepool hadbeen a des tinationin thesummer formany youngpeople inGoldsmith,Gardendaleand WestOdessa untilit closed.There hasbeen recentdiscussionabout what itwould take toreopen thepool.

MARK STERKELODESSAAMERICAN

Right now, Chevron employs more than 1,100 employ ees in the Permian Basin andthousands of contractors, according to figures provided by the company.

them, Bell said, the pilotsdid have to watch out forrifle fire.

No friendly targets heknows of were harmedduring strikes using theforward air controllers,Bell said.

After the Korean War,Bell said he helped refuelplanes during the ColdWar using an airbornetanker. Then he went into service during theVietnam War retrieving4,500-pound drones, pred-ecessors to the dronesused in modern times.

Bell said the drones hadto be picked up using heli-copters, and were oftendifficult to control at ini-tial pickup.

He retired from the AirForce in 1971 and came toOdessa, mainly becausethat’s where his wife wasfrom and he had severalstations in Texas. Bell saidhe kept going back, sim-ply, because he loved tofly, and never did so out-side of the military — hisonly flying experiencewas during war.

Bell said his health hasbeen declining, and hehopes he will get to seethe memorial built forthose who fought in allthree wars, as he did.


Caterpillar making 40cents an hour.

“It was my ambition,and I didn’t have a chancein hell of ever getting it,”Bell said. “But I guess Ilucked out.”

Bell was never engagedin active combat at Shemya, the island wherehe was stationed for ayear, but the danger wasstill very real.

Flying in the cloudswas taking your life intoyour hands, Bell said, andan engine dying meant al-most certain death — atwhich point the menwould hope their planecrashed on land, other-wise it would never befound.

“If your engine quit andyou went in the water, youwas done. We knew that,”Bell said. “I had (my en-gine) miss a beat a fewtimes and it wakes you upreal quick.”

His best friend in theservice, a man from Wis-consin, had an engine fail-ure but crashed on land.He was one of many. Bellsaid he went to the man’sfuneral.

Bell said the “Japs”were always nearby, asthey had even landed ontwo islands in the chain,but whenever the pilotswould see them and beginto pursue, the enemiesflew into the fog.

The pilots fought dif-ferent foes on the ground:the weather and boredom.

“You could never seethe sun and if you did, itwas only for a short time,”Bell said. “If the sun didcome out, they’d be outwith their shirts off, work-ing on the planes in thecold.”

It would normally defylogic to have windy andfoggy conditions, Bellsaid, but winds wouldoften be 50 mph or moreand the fog was so badoften the pilots couldn’tsee their hand in front ofthem.

Bell said the men oftengot into arguments; butbecause everyone had aknife to cut a parachute,they were stripped of theirknives before fighting.And Bell said he didn’t

lose many fights.Bell said as with any

time you have a number offighter pilots together,there was alcohol.

Bell said pilots wouldoccasionally fake enginetrouble, fly to a nearby is-land where the Navy wasstationed, and pick upsome “torpedo juice,”which he said they wouldneed to cut with anythingthey could find.

The cold and darknessgot to many of the men,though, even with thefighting and alcohol diver-sions.

“My own chief went offhis rocker and they had tosend him back to thestates,” Bell said. “Thathappened often.”

Serving on the AleutianIslands was only the be-ginning of Bell’s militarycareer that spanned fourdecades and three majorwars, plus the Cold War.

After leaving the ArmyAir Corps, he joined thenewly formed Air Force in1952 and was deployed toKorea during the KoreanWar.

Bell was supposed to bean instructor for theJapanese defense force, hesaid, but instead he be-came a forward air con-troller — a pilot that flewahead of an attack to marktargets.

Armed with onlysmoke rockets and a .45pistol, Bell said he and hisflying mates flew lowenough to the ground theycould see artillery insideof caves, often flyingabout tree-height. Whilesurface-to-air missileswere not being shot at

SUNDAY, MAY 25, 2014 L O C A L ODESSA AMERICAN 7A

Bell>> From Page 1A

COURTESY PHOTO

Robert Bell sits in one of the planes that he piloted during hisservice in World War II. After leaving the Army Air Corps, hejoined the newly formed Air Force in 1952 and was deployed toKorea during the Korean War.

WHAT IS THE HONOR FLIGHT?>> The inaugural Permian

Basin Honor Flight that willtake veterans and their

guardians to Washington, D.C.,to visit the memorials in the

nation’s capital.

The flight will leave around 6 a.m. Sept. 17 and will return

at a yet-to-be determinedtime on Sept. 19. During thetrip, the veterans and their

guardians will visit the WorldWar II, Korean and Vietnammemorials and Arlington

National Cemetery and tourthe U.S. House ofRepresentatives.

WANT TO DONATE?>> Send donations to P.O. Box52890, Midland, Texas, 79710-

2890 or call 432-210-9338.

ROBERT BELL AT A GLANCE>> Age: 92.>> How long in Odessa:43 years.>> Occupation: Retired from Air Force in 1971.>> Branch of military and rank: Flight Officer, Second Lieutenant,

First Lieutenant in Army Air Corps; First Lieutenant, Captain, Major inAir Force.

>> Years of service: 1942-1945, 1952-1971.>> Theaters: Aleutian Islands, Korea, Vietnam.>> Medals or commendations: Five or six flight mission medals,

inductee into the CAF American Combat Airman Hall of Fame.>> Who will accompany you on the honor flight? Either wife Lee

Bell or son Gregory Bell.>> What does it mean to you to get to make this trip?“It means a hell of a lot,” Bell said. “Supposedly it was built for

us, so I’d like to see all three of them.”

“Where The Accent Is On Quality”

432-563-8004 • 4309 SCR 1290 (Coors Rd.) Mon - Fri, 9am-5pm • Sat, 9am-12pm

ACCENTGRANITE & MARBLE

Teaching successPermian students nominate

teacher for prestigious award.>> PAGE 3A

Victory lapHunter-Reay captures checkered

flag at Indy 500. >> SPORTS

Sound it outIt’s 13-year-old Kara

Lehnert’s second tripto the big dance foryoung brainiacs: theScripps NationalSpelling Bee.

The Sweetwater stu-dent took top

honors atthe 36thAnnualSpellingBee spon-

sored bythe Odessa Americanearlier this year, whichset her up for the tripto Washington D.C.

Last year, Kara felljust short of the thirdround amid the fanfareof ESPN coveragewhere just 41 spellersgot to compete for thegrand prize.

Competition at theScripps Bee startsWednesday with thepreliminaries. Check inwith the OA to find outif Kara has the finalword. O N T H E N E T

>> www.spellingbee.com

Rapper WizKhalifa arrested

EL PASO Authoritiessay rapper Wiz Khalifahas been arrested inWest Texas for mari-juana possession.

The performer fromCannons-burg,Pennsyl-vania,wasstoppedat an in-spectioncheck-point atthe El

Paso airport. A state-ment from El Paso po-lice says becauseKhalifa traveled with-out identification, asearch was ordered andTransportation Secu-rity Administrationagents found a canisterwith marijuana. TSAalerted police, whothen arrested Khalifa.

He was charged withmisdemeanor posses-sion of marijuana andwas released after post-ing $300 bail.

Court records do notlist an attorney. A mes-sage left at Khalifa’sagency was not imme-diately returned.

Khalifa posted aphoto on Twitter insideof what appeared to bea holding cell.

Khalifa was a head-liner at an El Pasomusic festival Saturday.

QUICK hits

MONDAY, MAY 26, 2014 facebook.com/OdessaAmerican oaoa.com twitter.com/OdessaAmerican 75 CENTS


Overnight, the PermianBasin received more rain-fall than it had seen in thelast five months, accordingto the National WeatherService.

As measured at theMidland International Air-port, 1.83 inches of rainsoaked the area on Sunday,with 1 inch hitting theground between 5 a.m. and7 a.m. Sunday morning,NWS meteorologist RickHluchan said.

The thunder and light-ning storm erupted around5 a.m., and scattered thun-derstorms will continuethrough today; as Hluchansaid “there’s still one moreday of this.”

A continuing chance ofrain is possible this after-noon, he added.

A flash flood warningwent into effect Saturdaynight since the ground inOdessa and Midland is so

dry and hard, making theabsorption of water diffi-cult. That watch will con-tinue as long as there’s rainin the forecast.

“We wanted rain and wegot it,” Hluchan said.

The Odessa Police De-partment responded to ahigh volume of calls onSaturday and into Sunday,Lt. Eddie Reed said, thoughthere were no major acci-dents or severe damage

that police responded to.“Just a handful of stalled

vehicles, but no rescues,”Reed said.

The storm did slow thecleanup effort from the oilfire on Saturday afternoonin Midland off 1-20, withstate highway 349 plannedto open south of Midlandthough cleanup and repairwork is ongoing and maycause delays, according to

D U C K , D U C K , G O O S E

MollyShefchik, 4,and herbrother,Ethan, 2,wore theirboots tokeep theirfeet dry fromthe highwater whenthey wentwith theirparents tofeed theducks andgeeseSundaymorning atMemorialGarden Park.


Slow-moving system deliversalmost 2 inches of rain

Thunderstorms pound Permian Basin

PAGE 2A

8464

➤➤

WEATHERMostly

cloudy. 50%chance of

showers andthunder-storms.

I N D E XCLASSIFIED 4BCOMICS 8BDEATHS 6ALEVI STONE 5AOPINION 4ASCHOOLS 6ASPORTS 1BTELEVISION 7AXWORD 9A, 6B

Ariana Lozano, Blackshear

>> FROM STAFF, WIRE REPORTS




Though born a WestTexas boy, there was onepoint in time when

William “Bill” Bowlincould literally navigate thestreets of London in thedark.

As a member of the22nd ReconnaissanceSquadron and the 7th Pho-tographic Group, Bowlinwas tasked with taking pic-

tures from the air — usingLockheed P-38 Lightningaircrafts with three cam-eras — to different loca-tions around England fordevelopment.

Those pictures, he said,contained informationabout possible bombing locations and were some-times pictures of the after-math of an attack.

Of course, because the

Honored: Sgt. William Bowlin, 90During WWII, veteran traveled the streets of England in the dark

>> See BOWLIN Page 10A

>> See STORMS Page 2A

ON THE NET>> Hear Bowlin tell his story

at tinyurl.com/m5eo47m


William Bowlin is a veteranof World War II.

COURTESY PHOTO

William Bowlin in uniformduring World War II.

ECSO: Father killed toddler


An apparent murder-suicideclaimed the lives of a toddlerand the purported gunman, theyoung girl’s father, late Saturdaynight in south Ector County.

No names have been re-leased by the Ector CountySheriff’s Office, which sent anews release about the shoot-ing around 5 p.m. Sunday.

The sheriff’s office is report-ing that a man believed to be inhis 40s, and father to the tod-

dler girl, killed the toddler thenshot her mother before turningthe gun on himself. The call ofan “ambulance run/shootingvictims” came in at 11:57 p.m.Saturday night.

This apparently occurred ata residence in the 12000 block

of South Beryl Avenue in southEctor County, about six mileswest of south highway 385.

The woman remains in seri-ous condition at Medical Cen-ter Hospital. Autopsies arepending, according to the sher-iff’s office.

The family was living in ablue trailer a half-mile downSouth Beryl Avenue, accordingto neighbors who were outwalking and enjoying family

Young girl’s mother in serious condition atMCH after shooting; suspected gunman dead

>> See SHOOTING Page 10A

ON THE NET>> www

.ectorcountysheriff.us

WIZ KHALIFARAPPER

10A ODESSA AMERICAN L O C A L MONDAY, MAY 26, 2014

threat of air raids fromNazi Germany was still apossibility, Bowlin said alllights on buildings and ve-hicles were turned offduring the evening hours.Using only a small lightthat “didn’t show much,”Bowlin said he relied onthe British police officersto help him out.

“They’d say, ‘You goaround the roundabout andtake the seventh highway,and you can’t miss it,’ ” hesaid with a laugh. “I said,‘You really don’t knowme.’ ”

Born in Snyder in 1923and working on the familyfarm, Bowlin dropped outof high school when hewas 18 and moved to SanDiego to work in an air-craft factory. He was therein California when he gothis draft notice.

Spending six months inbasic training in field ar-tillery, Bowlin said he de-cided that he would ratherbe “in the air than downon the ground,” andjoined what was then theArmy Air Corps; the pre-cursor to the modern AirForce.

“I went to MiamiBeach, Fla., for OCS (Offi-cer Candidate School) …and I found out I didn’thave enough mathematicsto stay in the air,” he said,adding he was latershipped to Liverpool, Eng-land, to help with photoreconnaissance.

Though he never sawany combat action, Bowlinsaid his time in the serv-ice, from March 1942 untilDecember 1945, waspretty uneventful — savefor two important things.

The first involved a tripinto London whereBowlin was tasked withpicking up some drycleaning.

As he was loading thecleaning into his jeep, abuzz bomb — a pulse-jet-powered bomb that madea buzzing noise as theyflew — landed about twoblocks away from wherehe was. Uninjured, Bowlinwent over to the area tocheck out the damage.

“I later got a small alu-minum piece out of thatbuzz bomb and kept it foryears,” he said, adding thathe lost it over the years.

The second memoryinvolved meeting thewoman who would even-tually become his wife.

“While I was over thereat a July 4 dance, I met apretty young English galand we went together forprobably a year or so andwe got married,” Bowlinsaid.

Her name was Iris, andthe two were married andhad four children; PatriciaJean, Glenda Kay, Barie,and Pamela Sue.

After leaving the serv-ice, Bowlin came back toWest Texas, moving toAbilene where he workedat a Gulf Oil Service Sta-tion owned by his uncle.He also worked at a Tex-aco station before owninghis own Texaco station.Bowlin would later ownseveral other stations inWest Texas, New Mexicoand Colorado before fi-nally retiring in 1988.

“When I proposed to(Iris) and asked if she’dlike to be a Texas farmer’swife, she got over here …and asked ‘What hap-pened to the farm?’ ”Bowlin recalled.

Though they never gotback to farming, the fam-ily moved to Snyder andspent 55 years together be-fore Iris died in 2000.

In 2007, Bowlin’s sister,Mary, got sick and died,leaving him her apart-ment. He has been livingin Midland ever since.

Bowlin will be one ofmany veterans going onthe inaugural PermianBasin Honor Flight in Sep-tember, being accompa-nied by his daughterGlenda. As a person wholoves to travel, Bowlinsaid he was excited aboutthe trip, adding it wouldbe his first time to see thememorials.

“I’m very grateful thatpeople still honor us,”Bowlin said about the trip.“If it wasn’t for them, Iwouldn’t be able to go.

O N T H E N E T >> permianhonorflight.org

Bowlin>> From Page 1A

WHAT IS THE HONORFLIGHT?

>> The inaugural PermianBasin Honor Flight will take vet-erans and their guardians toWashington, D.C., to visit the me-morials in the nation’s capital.

>> The flight will leavearound 6 a.m. Sept. 17 and willreturn at a yet-to-be determinedtime on Sept. 19. During the trip,the veterans and theirguardians will visit the WorldWar II, Korean and Vietnam me-morials and Arlington NationalCemetery and tour the U.S.House of Representatives.

WANT TO DONATE?>> Send donations to P.O. Box

52890, Midland, Texas, 79710-2890 or call 432-210-9338.

>> There will also be atelethon today presented byCBS 7 News to raise money forthe Permian Basin Honor Flight.An honor celebration is alsoscheduled from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. today at Music CityMall next to the carousel stage.

time on Sunday evening.The blue trailer sits adja-cent to another and acamper on a dirt lot. Next-door, their neighbors’ twolarge dogs roamed aroundbarking at those who gottoo close to the yard.

Berenisa Galindo, 19,was having a cook-out lateSaturday when they heardsirens getting closer andcloser to the neighborhoodthat she describes as quiet.

“Nothing ever happensout here,” she said.

The blue trailer sitsabout 500 yards fromwhere Galindo lives withher husband and own babydaughter; and no one attheir home heard gunshotsthat night.

At least 10 law enforce-ment and emergency vehi-cles pulled into theneighborhood, begging thecuriosity of the entire blockwhich consists of twohouses and about eighttrailers in the country set-ting.

Galindo said the next-door neighbor of the familysaw body bags being car-ried out from the homearound 5 a.m. Sunday and

that police canines werescouring the area as well.

While she didn’t knowthe family — she had nevereven seen them in fact —the tragedy still shook upthe small community.

“It’s really sad. They hada 3-year-old. Crazy,”Galindo said.

No further details areexpected to be released atthis time, Sgt. Gary Dueslersaid in the release.

Shooting>> From Page 1A

WILLIAM BOWLIN AT A GLANCE>> Name: William “Bill” Bowlin.>> Age: 90.>> How long in Midland: Since 2007, originally from Snyder.>> Occupation: Bowlin retired in 1988 in after a career in own-

ing several gas stations in West Texas and New Mexico.>> Branch of military and rank: Sergeant, Army Air Corps

(now the U.S. Air Force).>> Years of Service: March 1942 to December 1945.>> Theater served: Europe. >> Medals or commendations: Bronze star.>> Who will accompany you on the Honor Flight: Glenda Kay,

daughter.>> What does it mean for you to get to make this trip: “I’m

very grateful people still honor us. If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’tbe able to go.”

Trailersoccupy the12000 blockof SouthBeryl Avenueon Sunday insouth EctorCounty.

LINDSAYWEAVERODESSAAMERICAN

To advertise call (432) 333-7602.

6105 E. HIGHWAY 191 • ODESSA, TX 79762432.362.1000 • CATERING: 432.260.5611

(NAPS)—While oftenportrayed as funny inmovies and on TV, in-toxication and alcoholabuse are no laughingmatter. In fact, it’s esti-mated that more than30 percent of the U.S.population misuses al-cohol.

An estimated 38 mil-lion adults in the U.S.drink too much alcohol.But how much is toomuch? For men, it’smore than four drinksper day or more than 14in a week. For women,it’s more than threedrinks in one day ormore than seven in aweek.

So if your doctor ornurse asks you abouthow much you drink,don’t be defensive. It’sjust one more way theyare working to help youstay healthy.

Many Consequences OfAbuse

Each year, there are85,000 deaths related toalcohol misuse. Alcoholmisuse plays a role inmany health problemsincluding liver disease,high blood pressure, cer-tain cancers, problemswith mental functioning,and depression.

It’s also been found to

contribute significantlyto injury and deaths fromfalls, drowning, fires,motor vehicle crashes,murders and suicides.Drinking alcohol whiletaking prescription med-ications can cause dan-gerous levels ofsleepiness and alsolessen the potential ben-efit of the medication.

And for expectantwomen, alcohol not onlyaffects the mother butthe development of theunborn child and couldcause fetal alcohol spec-trum disorder.

There arealso eco-nomic con-sequences.Alcohol mis-use is said toimpact theAmericaneconomy tothe tune of$223.5 bil-lion.

The U.S.PreventiveServicesTask Force(Task Force)recently rec-ommendedthat healthcare profes-sionals askadults abouttheir drink-ing habits

and provide counselingto those who drink at arisky or hazardous level.The Task Force is an in-dependent panel of ex-perts—including doctors,nurses, medical directorsand academics—that ex-amines the latest scien-tific evidence and makesrecommendations onpreventive ser vices andscreenings.

“When people misusealcohol, there can be se-rious consequences forthemselves, their fami-lies and their communi-

ties. Alcohol misuse isthe cause of tens of thou-sands of deaths each yearin the U.S.—deaths thatcould have been pre-vented,” says Task Forcemember Sue Curry, Ph.D.“The good news is thatprimary care profession-als can identify adultswho engage in risky orhazardous drinking and,through brief counseling,help them drink more re-sponsibly.”

Screening Can Be KeyAlcohol screenings in-

volve talking to patientsabout drinking habits,which typically starts byanswering a set of ques-tions related to howmuch and how often al-cohol is consumed.

Some of the interven-tions that may help withalcohol misuse includeaction plans, drinking di-aries, stress manage-ment, andproblem-solving tech-niques to address howand when alcohol is mis-used.The Task Force recom-mends that primary careprofessionals screen alladults over the age of 18about their drinkinghabits. For those identi-fied as possibly misusingalcohol, physicians

should offer counselingand discuss interven-tions that may help.

A Tireless Health Advo-cate

The work of the TaskForce is to evaluate andidentify critical preven-tive health services that aprimary care profes-sional can perform aswell as steps that peoplecan take.

Consumers may want

to consider makingchanges in their lifestyleand avoiding unhealthyactions—such as alcoholmisuse—that can have anegative impact on a per-son’s life.

For more information,visit www.uspreven-tiveservicestaskforce.org.

Your Next Doctor’s Visit May Include Questions About Alcohol Use

Thirty-eight million adults in the U.S.drink too much alcohol.

1304 W. Te xas AvenueMid land, Te xas 79701P hone: 432.262.2660

Fax: 432.262.2448

www.drkkozma.com

Board Certified Family PhysicianConcierge/Private PhysicianBotox

KRISTEN J. KOZMA, D.O.

Apartment fireBlaze displaces seven

families. >> PAGE 9A

Darvish dealsPitcher strikes out 12 in

Rangers’ win. >> SPORTS

Highway work inReeves County A 9-mile stretch of

Interstate 10 in ReevesCounty will be resur-faced during the nextfive months, Texas De-partment of Trans-portation officials said.

Jones Brothers Dirtand Paving ContractorsInc. will mill out theexisting pavement andreplace it during theproject. The resurfac-ing will include all fourlanes of I-10 betweenHighway 17 to about 6.4miles west of the PecosCounty line (milemarkers 12 to 21). Workwill start on the eastend of the project.After one westboundlane is done, work willmove to an eastboundlane. Then the secondwestbound lane will bedone with work on thesecond eastbound lanecompleting the project.

While the interstatewill be open to trafficthroughout the life ofthe project, lane clo-sures and intermittentramp closures will benecessary. The speedlimit will be reduced to65 mph in the workzone. Extra law en-forcement presencewill be requested attimes during the proj-ect. Traffic fines can bedoubled if workers arepresent when the legalinfraction occurs.

Odessa Districtawarded fundsThe Texas Trans-

portation Commissionhas awarded nearly $60million in federal andstate funds to enhance

rural andurban mo-bility pro-grams

across the state, accord-ing to the Texas Depart-ment of Transportation.

The programs pro-vide services to sen-iors, people withdisabilities and othertransit-dependent indi-viduals who need helpgetting to work, school,health care facilities,shopping and other im-portant destinations.

Each year, TxDOTadministers state andfederal public trans-portation grant pro-grams totalingapproximately $90 mil-lion. West Texas Op-portunities, All AboardAmerica and the citiesof Odessa and Midlandwere the recipients thatoperate in the 12-county Odessa District.

Among the awards:The City of Midlandand the City of Odessawere jointly awarded$429,693 to go towardthe EZ Rider bus sys-tem. The City of Odessareceived $123,204 tohelp support ADA para-transit services inOdessa and Midland.

QUICK hits

MONDAY, JUNE 2, 2014 facebook.com/OdessaAmerican oaoa.com twitter.com/OdessaAmerican 75 CENTS


Ector County has beenwithout two of its three exten-sion agents for about a year,leading to an even further di-minished 4-H presence andlack of education on the pro-grams offered by the TexasAgriLife Extension Service.

But this week county com-missioners made official thehiring of two new extensionagents in Ector County.

Travis Cooper, 22, andJacquelyn Warnock, 28, werehired as the agricultural andnatural resources agent andfamily and consumer sciencesagent, respectively, a year after

County gets new agents


With “New Tech Odessa” im-printed on their diplomas, theywill be the first — known in per-petuity — to graduate from the ex-perimental third high school inEctor County Independent SchoolDistrict.

Karla Jurado in particular willbe the first valedictorian ever tograduate from NTO and her coun-terpart Marisol Baeza the firstsalutatorian. Despite existingwithin the 77 person graduatingclass of the project-based learninghigh school, the girls didn’t crosspaths too often and they bothstarted at NTO three years agowhen it opened hoping to avoidthe giant campuses of Permian orOHS.

“I’ve enjoyed my experiencehere. You know your teachershere,” Marisol said. She never pre-ferred large schools similar toKarla, who moved to Odessa froma small town in Wyoming after herfather got a new job.

Without the storied traditionsof OHS or Permian to hang onto,NTO embarked on new territoryin Odessa when it opened in 2011.With a focus on technology (everystudent is given an Apple laptop touse) and working in groups, theschool has since gained acclaim as

an Apple Demonstration Schooland other awards.

“It’s been an experiment of whatwe’re doing. Like guinea pigs,”Karla said. “It worked. It was suc-cessful.”

Karla will graduate with a 5.46grade point average and plans toattend the University of Texas inAustin to study psychology on thepre-med path. She wants to be-come a cardiologist. Marisol alsowas accepted into UT, thoughshe’s still wavering on whether ornot to leave home and attend col-lege since her goal to become afilmmaker might lend itself to get-ting experience over time spent incollege classes, she said.

Whatever direction the NTOgraduates go, they can return totheir campus years from now tosee the Class of 2014 photo hang-ing on the walls of their almamater.

“It’s really exciting. It’s all kindof new territory. We get to startnew traditions,” Richard Lindnersaid, an NTO science teacher.“What we do this year it sets thetone from now on.”

The energy ahead of graduationis palatable other teachers said, buta mixture of feelings, math teacherElda Baeza added.

“We’re very close. Our culturemakes us very close. It feels like

C L A S S O F 2 0 1 4


Karla Jurado, left, is this year’s valedictorian of the 2014 graduating class atNew Tech Odessa High. Marisol Baeza is the salutatorian.

School’s first valedictorian,salutatorian set their sights on UT

New Tech’s nobility

PAGE 2A

10173

➤➤

WEATHERSunny. South

wind at 15 mph to 20 mph.

I N D E XCLASSIFIED 7BCOMICS 6BDEATHS 6AETC. 5BLEVI STONE 5AOPINION 4ASPORTS 1BTELEVISION 7AXWORD 5B, 9B




When James Cosper was17, it was 1944. World War IIwas full-blown.

“Well, everybody else

was doing it my age,”Cosper said, now 87 and infine health. He sat back inhis recliner in the home he’sshared with wife Beth since1966, when they moved toOdessa with their two sons.

“I picked the Navy. I did-n’t wanna walk all over Eu-rope,” Cosper said. Heserved as a petty officer, 3rdclass.

Cosper, a veteran ofWorld War II and the Ko-rean War, is working on a

friend to escort him to theinaugural Texas PermianBasin Honor Flight thattakes veterans to Washing-ton D.C. to visit war memo-rials, because the cut-off totravel alone is 85. Nonethe-less, Cosper is hopeful tosee the memorial — onethat he helped earn.

From that time in the late1920s, Cosper was broughtup a working boy. His fam-ily had a goat farm in

HONORED: James Cosper, 87★★★ M I L I TA R Y R O L L O F H O N O R ★★★

Navy veteran served in World War II and the Korean War

MARK STERKEL|ODESSA AMERICANCOURTESY PHOTO

>> See FIRST-EVER A

Texas AgriLifeExtension Serviceagents JacquelynWarnock, left, andTravis Cooper holda plank of woodwith the 4-H motto‘To make the bestbetter’ written onit Wednesdayoutside of theEctor CountyCommissioners’Court.

EDYTA BLASZCZYKODESSA AMERICAN>> See AGENTS Page 10A

>> See COSPER Page 9A

Commissioners hire twoAgriLife Extension officials

MONDAY, JUNE 2, 2014 L O C A L & S T A T E ODESSA AMERICAN 9A

Williamson County northof Austin for awhile beforethey moved around to anytown where there was anoilfield. Cosper’s fatherwas a driller.

Just after graduatinghigh school, he joined theUnited States Navy. Hewent to San Diego, Calif.,where the weather wasbeautiful and stable,Cosper remembered. Healso recalled the ease ofboot camp.

“I was raised on a horsewith a shotgun. It wasn’tany problem,” Cosper said.

A tinge of compassion— perhaps cynicism — re-vealed itself in Cosper.

“I felt sorry for a lot ofthose kids,” he said. “Theynever been exposed toanything like that.”

He was trained at theengineering school inGulfport, Miss., then sta-tioned on the USS Hal-ford, a Fletcher-classdestroyer. The assignmentfor the USS Halford was tomake repairs and escorttroop and supply shipsaround the Central Pacific.Cosper never did see anycombat. Spending most ofhis time in the boiler roomnixed that notion.

“That’s where it’s al-ways hot,” Cosper said.

He found some relief inan assignment in Alaskawhere they were sent tooccupy a big Japanesenaval base.

“It was sort of spookygetting in there. We wentin behind two minesweepers and encoun-tered many small Japanesefishing boats. They’d waveand grin at us,” Cospersaid. He waved his hand inimitation. “Man, they suredid have some big buckteeth.”

In the hallway of theCosper’s home are photosand mementos fromCosper’s time at sea andon land with the Navy. Alarge framed picture of theUSS Halford was the firstCosper pointed out. Thatdestroyer brought the 325or so men he servedalongside to Juneau,Alaska for Navy Day Cele-bration on Oct. 27, 1945. Itwas the first warship everinto Juneau, he said, wherethere wasn’t much goingon.

“Just a lot of cold beer.That’s really about it,” hesaid.

After 23 months duringthe war, Cosper attendedHardin Simmons Univer-sity on the GI Bill beforereturning to Navy duty in1950 on the USS Pine Is-land. On that ship, planesmaking water patrols nearthe coast of China wouldland for service, thoughthey moved in threemonth rotations nearJapan and the PescadoresIslands.

“I was in the boilerroom on that one too.Fourteen months totalthen,” Cosper said.

And from there hisservice in the Navy ended,much to Cosper’s satisfac-tion.

“It gives you the chanceto kind of decide out therest of my life,” he said,pausing a few beats. “Andit didn’t concern the U.S.Navy.”

Cosper went to work atTexas Pacific Coal and OilCompany in Sundown,where he caught up on hisduck hunting (for aboutseven years) before he fin-ished college and marriedhis wife of 61 years. Theywed in a Methodist churchin Ranger near Abilene.

“I ran into her at aparty,” he said after sometime was needed to thinkof where they first met. “Iput 40,000 miles on mytruck going back andforth.”

By 1966, the couple andtheir boys Jimbo and Larrymoved to Odessa to lead anice life.

His time serving hiscountry did teach him afew things, Cosper said.

“Try to do the best youcould in any job you had,”he said. “And patience … Inever have learned to dealwith patience yet.”

Cosper>> From Page 1A

BIOGRAPHY >> Name: James Cosper

>> Age: 87>> How long in Odessa: 48 years>> Occupation: Retired from Sun

Oil Company. >> Branch of military and rank:

Boiler Attender, Petty Officer 3rdClass, United States Navy.

>> Years of service: 1944-1946,1950-1951.

>> What theater: Aleutian Islands, Korea.

>> Medals or commendations:Campaign and service medals. >> Who will accompany you onthe honor flight? Still looking

for a guardian for the trip.>> What does it mean to you to

get to make this trip?“I’d think it mean that I’m get-

ting to see something I hadhelped earn,” James Cosper

said.

Shame can be the insidiousdestroyer of a happy life.Sometimes we carry our

shame throughout our lifespanwithout acknowledging it or re-solving it.

Shame, embarrassment, hu-miliation and guilt are different,though often the terms are usedinterchangeably. Guilt is due toan action such as, “I ate a dozencookies last night.” (This is pre-cisely why I do NOT makehomemade chocolate chip cook-ies). Embarrassment is usuallyfleeting, and eventually may befunny. Embarrassment is whenmy husband tells everyone at hiswork why he only brought 2dozen cookies to work. This usu-ally becomes a story that will behanded down through my familyand everyone will laugh and nodtheir heads knowingly.

Shame is when I say to myself,“I am such a pig. I am a terribleperson because I will eat any-thing and everything.” Shame at-tacks the very self.

Said often enough, I start tobelieve it. Shame usually in-volves both emotional and physi-cal responses such as waves ofnausea and the inability to seethe big picture. Most shamingexperiences are self-inflicted andare kept well hidden.

When we teach parentinghere at Centers for Children andFamilies, we emphasize to par-ents that they chastise their childfor what the child does, not forwhat the child is. We address theaction, not the self. At first itmight seem harder to come upwith, “It hurts others when youlie, or cheat, or steal” rather than“you’re a thief and liar.” It mighttake more thought before one

speaks, but the message to achild should be to stop doingwhatever he is doing, rather thanto stop existing.

Many of us may have grownup in such an environmentwhere we learned that we were:bad, worthless, losers, stupid, fat,ugly, etc. And that shameful be-ginning can follow us becausewe “bump up” against our past inour everyday lives. Molestationin childhood is often internalizedby a child as “I am dirty, I de-serve to be treated like this, or Imust be doing something to en-courage this.”

My child clients often tell methat the molestation was not asbad as the reaction by parents,law enforcement or the commu-nity. Several of my young clientsmourn not the abuse itself, butthe loss of a best friend or of ex-tended family. The continuedshunning by family and friendsreinforced the feeling of respon-sibility, shame and worthless-ness.

Feelings of shame can lead toself-destructive behaviors.

Hence we see depression, eat-ing disorders, addictions, risk-taking behaviors, etc.

Shame can be like a festeringwound.

We know that we have to dosomething to make it better.Going to counseling, completinga workbook, attending a supportgroup or even going to a confer-ence can provide the boostneeded to start addressing thewound. Talking about it is thefirst step.

For more in-depth informa-tion on the subject, read “IThought it Was Just Me (But ItIsn’t)” by Brené Brown.

Resolving the feeling of shame

CENTERS’PIECE

SALLYFLORES

>> Sallyworked forChildren’sProtective

Services for 11years, then inCenter’s Post

AdoptionProgram for 5

years. Shehas been acounselorsince 2010and enjoys

working withall types of

clients.

[email protected]

Odessa police were in-vestigating a vehiclechase turned shoot-ing on Sunday after-noon after thediscovery of anabandoned truckwith a shatteredrear window andtwo bullet holes in its tail-gate near Diamond Lanes.

A 9-1-1 caller at 4:22 p.m. Sunday had re-ported a driver chasingand firing at another driver

“on the west side,” said Lt.Wes Carta at the scene ofthe abandoned truck, a

gray Ford. Police at-tempted to find thevehicles before theabandoned truckwas reported ashort time later.

Carta said patrolofficers were can-

vassing the area near thetruck, which was left in the700 block of Express Waybeside the bowling alleyon Eighth Street. Wit-nesses reported people

running south from theabandoned truck.

The lieutenant said de-tectives and the mobilecrime lab would be calledto investigate. Police werealso investigating the pos-sibility that someone fromthe truck had been shot,after discovering a “smallamount” of what appearedto be blood inside the ve-hicle.

“It’s way too early forme to speculate on that,”Carta said. “We’re search-ing the area right now.”

Odessa police investigate chase, shooting


A kitchen fire early Sun-day morning spread anddestroyed an Arbor PointeApartment Homes build-ing, displacing seven fami-lies, according to OdessaFire and Rescue.

The fire was reported atabout 4:45 a.m. in building18 of the apartment com-plex at 3843 Penbrook St.,said Battalion Chief KavinTinney. None of the evacu-ated residents or any fire-fighters suffered seriousinjury, but one resident wastaken to a hospital by am-bulance in what Tinney de-scribed as a precautionarymeasure out of concern forsmoke inhalation.

Tinney said the firebegan in a kitchen of an up-stairs unit in the southwestcorner of the building,spread to the attic and fromthere, other apartments.Firefighters fought the two-alarm blaze until about 7:30 a.m. before finally ex-tinguishing it.

Midland firefighters as-sisted with a ladder truckunder an arrangement withOdessa Fire and Rescuewhile their ladder truck isbeing repaired. Tinney said“90 percent” of the fire-fighters’ efforts happenedfrom the outside the build-ing because he orderedthem not to enter, worriedthey may be struck byheavy air conditioning unitson top of the collapsingroof.

“We had so much fireand so much damage to theroof that those A/C units,one of them comes down

and hits you in the head, it’llkill you,” Tinney said. Butthe battalion chief did sendmen into the building’s onlyvacant unit to search forpeople after a passerby tolda policeman someone wasinside — a tip that provedfalse.

Tinney said Sunday af-ternoon that he did nothave a figure of how manyresidents those seven fami-lies included.

“Everyone is OK and ac-counted for,” Tinney said.

Omar Galindo, a fire in-spector with the OdessaFire Marshal’s Office, washeading the investigationinto the blaze on Sunday.He could not be reached forcomment about the cause.

But word had spreadamong residents at thescene and to firefightersabout what happened: Oneof the residents was fryingchicken nuggets and thegrease caught fire. The res-ident put out the fire but itsparked the blaze in theattic that would prove dev-astating, said Justin Hol-man, one of theconstruction workersboarding up the buildingSunday afternoon who

came to the scene earlier.Tinney said that account

was circulating earlier thatmorning too as the 33 fire-fighters who arrived werestill battling the fire.

Holman said there weregas lines to the building thatwere capped but still feed-ing to the structure.

“They kept thinking itwas out and then whoosh,”Holman said. He said oneresident lost thousands ofdollars in cash that was in-side her apartment.

Tinney said firefightersknew where the gas lineswere, and the greater chal-lenge came from just thevolume of flame.

The fire was so big bythe time firefighters ar-rived, within a few minutesof receiving a call, that Tin-ney said it seemed therewas a delay by witnesses inreporting the blaze.

“You see fires that big inthe county when our re-sponses are longer,” Tinneysaid. “You don’t see that inthe city.”

Several residents in adja-cent buildings were evacu-ated Sunday morning asfirefighters fought the blazebefore they were allowed to

return home. Among themwas Kevin Alvarenga, whosaid children were amongthose who escaped theburning building.

“It was ugly,” Alvarengasaid outside his apartmentSunday afternoon. “Theytook us out and everything.It was a big fire.”

All of the apartments areuninhabitable, Tinney said,with the upper four apart-ments sustaining intensefire damage and the lowerfour intense water damage.

Aid workers with theRed Cross were called tothe scene, but informationabout where the displacedfamilies were staying Sun-day was unavailable.

A building manager re-ferred questions to a Related Companiesspokesperson in New York,Joanna Rose, who saidapartment officials wereable to place residents atother Odessa properties thecompany owns. Rose saidshe did not have the num-ber of people who lived inthose seven units.

Apartment officials werestill assessing the fire dam-age to the building by Sun-day evening, Rose said.

Fire destroys apartment buildingArbor Pointe

Apartment blazedisplaces 7 families


Clean up has begun at the Arbor Pointe Apartments where a fire early Sunday morningdamaged all 8 units in building 18. Seven families were displaced by the fire and no seriousinjuries were reported.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

ALBUQUERQUE A 9-year-old Texas boy’s wish to seeAlbuquerque before hegoes blind has come true ina way he couldn’t haveimagined. Ben Pierce got tosee the city and its blueskies from inside a hot airballoon Saturday. Ben, wholives in Dallas, was bornfour months premature.

The boy’s parents hadhim start a “bucket list” ofplaces he would like to see.

Boy going blindsees top of city

Shameusually in-

volvesboth

emotionaland physi-

cal re-sponses.

In the line of dutyGunmen kill two police officers,civilian in Nevada. >> PAGE 5A

Pack your bagsTexas Tech baseball team

headed to Omaha. >> SPORTS

ECISD offerssummer lunches

The Ector CountyIndependent SchoolDistrict School Nutri-tion Department hasscheduled the summerfeeding program forany participating child

ages 1-18 togetfree

breakfast and lunchMonday through Fri-day, through June 25 atelementary schoolsand through July 11 atjunior high schools andhigh schools.

Meals will be pro-vided at the followingsites and times:

Milam Elementary,640 College Ave., 8 a.m. to 9 a.m., break-fast; 11 a.m. to noon,lunch.

Cavazos Elementary,9701 W. 16th St., 8 a.m.to 9 a.m., breakfast; 11 a.m. to noon, lunch.

All other elemen-tary sites, 8 a.m. to8:30 a.m., breakfast;11:30 a.m. to noon,lunch.

Ector Jr. High/Camp SIP, 809 W.Clements St., 7:30 a.m.to 8:30 a.m., breakfast;11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.,lunch.

Hood Jr. High, 600 E.38th St., 8 a.m. to 9 a.m.,breakfast; 11 a.m. tonoon, lunch.

Bonham Jr. High,2201 E. 21st St., 8 a.m.to 9 a.m., breakfast; 11 a.m. to noon, lunch.

Nimitz Jr. High,4900 Maple Ave., 8 a.m. to 9 a.m., break-fast; 11 a.m. to noon,lunch.

Bowie Jr. High, 500W. 21st St., 8 a.m. to 9 a.m., breakfast; 11 a.m.to noon, lunch.

Crockett Jr. High,2301 N. Conover Ave., 8 a.m. to 9 a.m., break-fast; 11 a.m. to noon,lunch.

Permian HighSchool, 1800 E. 42ndSt., 8 a.m. to 9 a.m.,breakfast; 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., lunch.

Odessa High School,1301 N. Dotsy Ave., 8 a.m. to 9 a.m., break-fast; 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.,lunch.

All ECISD campuseswill be closed the weekof June 30 through July4.O N T H E N E T

>> Ector County Inde-pendent School District:www.ector-county.k12.tx.us

QUICK hit



Drivers who drive past theintersection of JBS Parkwayand East University Boulevardmay have started seeing someweird shapes in the area — and

it has nothing to do with the in-creasing West Texas heat.

The four geometric figuresat the corners of the intersec-tion, which were installedabout a month ago, were origi-nally thought up by a City ofOdessa engineer. The engi-

neer, who wished to remainanonymous, answered ques-tions through email.

The engineer requestedanonymity because he did notwant to take away from thepieces.

Calling them “small archi-tectural forms,” the engineersaid he has been an engineer forabout 30 years and originallygot the idea for the sculpturesduring the time JBS Parkwaywas undergoing reconstruction.The engineer was not paid

extra for the design work.Using AutoCAD, Rhino 5,

and Google SketchUp to de-sign the four shapes, the engi-neer said he did the designs inhis spare time.

“Beautifying surroundingswas always my weakness,” theengineer said.

In total, the entire projecttook about six months and cost$55,000, Public InformationCoordinator Andrea Goodsonsaid.

Sculptures on JBS Parkway puttogether by local iron rod company

City engineer adds street art


The Salvation Army is call-ing on Odessans for assistanceto help fully staff the shelterand kitchen at the local head-quarters.

“I have been here for twoyears, and we have never had afull staff as long as I have beenhere,” Lt. Joe Contreras, the di-rector of the shelter said. “Try-ing to keep up with the oilboom going on has been tough,and we pay employees, but we

are a non-profit so it is hard tomatch the pay of other places.”

Currently the SalvationArmy is in dire need of cookingand cleaning staff, and Contr-eras says they will gladly acceptany help they can get from thecommunity of Odessa.

“We are here to help peoplewho need it in our community,and we really need staff mem-bers who have a heart for thatmission,” Contreras said.

His wife, Lt. Monica Contr-eras, agreed and said that themain area in which the Salva-tion Army needs help is in theshelter where many come infor help.

“The thrift store is doinggreat, it’s the shelter where wereally need the people to comeout,” Monica Contreras said.“We know the employment sit-uation (outside the oilfield) is

T O F E E D A N A R M YChrisCooper,SalvationArmy Lodgemanager,takes a breakfrompreparing forthe eveningmeal to talkabout theshortage ofhelp he hasat the lodge.He is theonlyemployeeand musthandleeveningcheck ins,cooking,morningwake up andmaintenance.Normally hehas a personor two toassist.


Population boom, understaffingput strain on workers, volunteers

Odessa’s Salvation Army needs you

PAGE 2A

8764

➤➤

WEATHERPartly cloudy.20% chanceof rain. Eastwind at 10 to15 mph, latershifting north.

I N D E XATB 6ACLASSIFIED 6BCOMICS 5BDEATHS 6AETC. 4BOPINION 4ASPORTS 1BTELEVISION 7AXWORD 4B, 9B

Ava Parras, Reagan

>> FROM STAFF REPORTS EDITOR’S NOTE: This ispart of a continuing seriesthat will feature the storiesof veterans who are sched-uled to go on the TexasPermian Basin HonorFlight in September.


John E. Crosby Jr. likedtaking photos as a kid:neighborhood friends,Boy Scout trips and once a

special assignment in aprogram run by Congress-man Lyndon Baines John-son. Just a hobby, but ithelped him develop a skillset that he says mighthave saved his life duringthe War.

Crosby enlisted as aTexas National Guards-man in 1937, when he wasa 17-year-old high schoolstudent, “because I justwanted something to do,”

HONORED: John ‘Jack’ E. Crosby Jr., 95★★★ M I L I TA R Y R O L L O F H O N O R ★★★

Veteran served stateside during WWII


John ‘Jack’ E. Crosby Jr.served during World War IIin the Texas National Guardand the Signal Corps. >> See CROSBY Page 10A

>> See VOLUNTEER Page 6A

>> See ART Page 10A

John ‘Jack’E. CrosbyJr. is photo -graphed withhis wife,Mary Louise,during WorldWar II.Crosby usedhis skills as aphotogra-pher to helptrain avia-tors in SanAngelo.

COURTESYPHOTO

ON THE NET>> Salvation

Army:salvationarmy.org

ON THE NET>> Rod Iron

Rod:www.rodiron

rod.com

to keep the imaginationgoing,” Jacobs said.

As for the city engineer,he said that he hopes peo-ple appreciate having thestructures at the intersec-tion.

“The intersection is oneof the biggest in Odessa,and nowadays, the trafficis heavy, which makes usto wait (two or three) traf-fic lights,” he said. “I hopethe sculptures will en-hance the monotone land-scape of the intersection.”

10A ODESSA AMERICAN L O C A L MONDAY, JUNE 9, 2014

The majority of theproject time — the engi-neer said it took him amonth to design the foursculptures — was spent onthe actual construction ofthe four pieces.

Rod Lambirth, owner ofRod Iron Rod, said the ma-jority of the constructionproject involved waitingon the pieces for the proj-ect, adding they were always “waiting on some-thing.”

Working hand-in-handwith the engineer, Lam-birth said each sculpturewas completed one at atime and had four of his 15employees working on it.

More accustom toworking on ornamentalfencing, doors and gates,Lambirth said the artpieces were a “new realm.”

In the end, both the en-gineer and Lambirth saidthey were pleased with theoutcome of the pieces.

“It was one of the top 5percent (in difficulty) be-cause everything had to beso precise,” Lambirth said.

The sculptures come ata time when city officials

and members of theOdessa Council for theArts and Humanities havebeen making a push formore public art pieces.

During the Odessa CityCouncil’s April 8 briefing,members of the arts andhumanities Public ArtsCommittee made a pres-entation pushing for morepublic art pieces inOdessa.

George Jacobs, execu-tive director of the EllenNoël Art Museum andmember of the committee,said the committee wascurrently looking at de-signing a master plan.

As for the current artwork at one of the city’smain intersections, he saidit was good for several rea-sons.

“I think they’re simpleenough so it has a broadappeal,” Jacobs said,adding the structures notbeing solid were good atnot obstructing traffic.

Jacobs also said thepieces were a good startfor getting more people in-formed on public art andsaying there are going tobe some people who likethem and those who hatethem.

“The important thing is

Art>> From Page 1A


Four new sculptures, designed by a City of Odessa engineer inhis spare time and built by Rod Iron Rod Company, adorn thefour corners of the intersection at East University Boulevardand JBS Parkway.

he remembers. At the time,few anticipated American in-volvement in a European war.

But by 1940 that waschanging, and his 36th Divi-sion was federally activatedand dispatched to build CampBowie in Brownwood, whichwould hold soldiers and later,German prisoners of war.

Crosby helped organizethe project through his workas a clerk.

A day would come in 1942when Crosby awoke to ordersthat he would attend OfficerCandidate School in New Jer-sey to become a warrant offi-cer in the Signal Corps.Meanwhile, the men of the36th were dispatched toNorth Africa to fight the Ger-mans.

“If I hadn’t been assignedto the Signal Corps and Offi-cer Candidate School, I wouldhave been sent with the divi-sion,” Crosby said. “Theywere nearly wiped out. Therewere a ton of them killed.Yeah, I lost a ton of friends.”

But at it happened, com-manders saw special utility inthe trained photographer — aSignal Corpsman assigned tobombardier school, rigging

cameras to aircraft and guid-ing other photographers soinstructors could tracktrainees accuracy and tech-nique. His posting was theSan Angelo Army Airfield,now the Mathis Field, or SanAngelo Regional Airport.

In those days, the quiettown had become a bustlinghub of air men.

“It was quite a differenttime,” said Shannon Sturm,archivist for Angelo StateUniversity. “There were a lotof military personnel, whichwas appropriate I suppose.” Itwas the home of historic FortConcho.

Through run after runafter run on West Texas tar-gets, Crosby’s work helpedbring the bombardiers’ on-target rate to 98 percent.Their flights would help winthe Theaters abroad.

“We bombed everything inWest Texas,” Crosby laughs.He went on unarmed practiceflights simulating bomb drop-pings on Chicago and LosAngeles. “It was a lot of fun.”

But when the war came toa close in 1945, Crosby re-jected a commission as a cap-tain. A key piece of hiswartime history happenedwhen he was still a guards-man in 1941 at a party inAustin. There, he met Mary

Louise Davis, a 17-year-oldUniversity of Texas student.She was dating his sergeant.

“The sergeant got drunk,so I squired her out andcalled her and asked her for adate,” Crosby said. His cleri-cal work permitted him tosign a superior’s mark onleave slips, so he fudged oneday and signed one for him-self, planning to hitchhike toAustin. “The next week I didthe same thing. I did the samething the next week, and I didthe same thing the next week.And then the next week wegot married.”

She returned with him toCamp Bowie. The sergeant,he said, “wasn’t happy withme. It was a mess. But we hada great life together.”

During the war, as menfought abroad and wrote let-ters home, Crosby said hehad the good fortune to builda family. She followed him toNew Jersey and then San An-gelo.

There, they had two chil-dren as the war raged, JohnIII and Susan. A third baby,Steve, would soon follow.

“I never regretted not hav-ing to go overseas,” Crosbysaid. And with an opportu-nity for discharge, he wantedmore mundane work.

First, he was a plumber inSan Angelo. Then he boughtand sold property. And thenback to photography, thetrade he loved since he was aboy.

“It’s a way of expression,”

Crosby said. “It’s a way ofshowing who you are andwho you were with.”

His company was South-western Company, Inc., an in-dustrial photographycompany that shot for utili-ties and other private groups.He moved to booming Mid-land for the company in 1957.

Eventually, in the early1970s, he bought it and ran itas his own until his retire-ment in 1989.

Once, as a younger man,he trekked into West Texasmountains and found bombfragments. There are proba-bly more, he says.

And he never involvedhimself in veteran’s groups ordwelt much on his wartimeservice.

But then about five yearsago, a fellow veteran buddyencouraged him to go on theHonor Flight. His wife wenttoo.

Mary Louise Davis Crosbydied in January. His health isdeteriorating, he said, and at95, he might not make it toSeptember. But he wants to.

“It was very interesting be-cause I had never been toWashington, and I enjoyed it,and I would like to go again, ifthat’s possible,” Crosby said,calling it an honor. “There’snot many of us left.”

Crosby>> From Page 1A

BIOGRAPHY>> Name: John ‘Jack’ E. Crosby Jr., senior warrant officer.

>> Age: 95.>> How long in Midland: Since 1957.

>> Occupation: Owner of Southwestern Company Inc., a photographicsupply house.

>> Branch: The Texas National Guard as an enlistee and then the ArmySignal Corps. after attending Officer Candidate School.>> Years of service: Summer 1937 to September 1945.

>> War theater: Stateside.>> Medals or commendations: “Not that I know of.”

>> Who will accompany him on the Honor Flight: His daughter SusanSmith or his son-in-law Walter Smith.

‘If I hadn’tbeen

assignedto the Signal

Corps andOfficer

CandidateSchool, I

wouldhave beensent with

the division.

They werenearly

wiped out.There

were a tonof themkilled.’JOHN

‘JACK’ E.CROSBY

JR.WWII veteran

To advertise call (432) 333-7602.

Men seem to be underthe impression thatgoing to the doctormakes them less manlywhen in actuality, goingto the doctor for yearlycheck-ups is themanliest thing he cando. Men are just asobligated to take chargeof their health aswomen. Preventativecare is the easiest andmost cost efficient wayto make sure youremain healthy for youand your family.

Levi Stone, ChiefNursing Officer atOdessa RegionalMedical Center, isurging men to beproactive about theirhealth and to takecontrol of their healthbefore it takes controlof them. Men tend toengage in riskybehaviors and pushthemselves to the limit.They go through lifewith a “There isn’tanything wrong withme; I feel fine” attitude.They won’t go to thedoctor until they startfeeling bad, and manytimes it’s too late.

It is understandablethat sometimes going tothe doctor can be

embarrassing. Levirecommends finding aprimary physician ornurse practitioner thatyou can relate to andwho understands you.You can develop arelationship that makesyou feel comfortablewhen you havequestions regardingyour health.

Men need to beginyearly check-ups intheir 20’s in order tostart a wellnessprogram that fits theirspecific health needs.Getting a check-up oncea year takes very littletime and will help in

detecting and/orpreventing diseasessuch as diabetes,hypertension and heartdisease. Your doctorcan find underlyingconditions you areunaware of, and canwork with you oncreating a plan for earlymanagement to protectyour body.

Men’s hormone levelsbegin to change in their30’s. Levi stresses that itis important tounderstand the risk aswell as the benefits ofhormone replacement.You can talk to yourdoctor about a plan to

regulate hormone levelsthat are normal for yourage.

A great service to takeadvantage of is healthscreenings. ORMC hasa Health ScreeningMobile Van where youcan get an Angio Screenfor heart and vascularhealth with animmediate colorprintout and digitalresults. They also haveCourtesy HealthScreening located in theMusic City Mall whereyou can get free labwork done once a year.Both of these will giveyou a springboard for

discussion with yourprimary physician onany health concernsand preventativemeasures.

Everyone can think ofat least one man weknow personally whowaited until it was toolate to take control ofhis health. We are allbusy with work andfamily, but it isimperative that men beproactive in takingcontrol of their health

now. It is much easierand cheaper for you toget yearly check-ups toensure you stay healthyfor you and your family.It doesn’t get anymanlier than that.

For more informationon men’s health, visitodessaregional.com.

Preventative Care For a Healthy Man

Men need to begin yearlly check-ups in their 20’s and need to continue to beproactive about their health as they get older.

By Stephanie [email protected]


Fax: 432.262.2448

www.drkkozma.com



BY DON [email protected]

Star Mahaney said herdaughter Carolyn strug-gled with math.

Carolyn, who will be en-tering sixth grade at Bar-bara Jordan ElementarySchool this fall, failed themath portion of the State ofTexas Assessments of Aca-demic Readiness exam butpassed on the second try.

Carolyn received mathlessons at Mathnasium thathelped her prepare forSTAAR, and the change forher has been “drastic,” Starsaid.

“They really, reallyworked with her,” Star saidabout Mathnasium.

And Carolyn now lovesmath.

Representatives from

An open bookA family’s loss of a son

inspires opening of readingrooms. >> PAGE 10A

Tough drawPortugal’s late goal leaves

U.S. stunned. >> SPORTS

Barbecuecontest

Lip-smackin’, drip-ping down your chin,need a cold drink to

wash it downkind of barbe-cue. It’s sum-mer and it’sbarbecue sea-son. If you orsomeone youknow is domi-

nating the backyardbarbecue scene, send inyour recipes for yourmarinade or rub andyou could win a giftbag. We welcome pho-tos of the food and itsmakers. Send [email protected] byTuesday. You can alsopost to our Facebook.com/odessaamericanpage.O N T H E N E T :

>> www.oaoa.com

New musical “Falsettos” continues

at 8 p.m. Thursday andcontin-uesthrough

Saturday at the BlackBox Theater, 2308Shakespeare Road.

Tickets are $15 and the show is a musi-cal performed by Mark10 Theatrical Produc-tions and is for matureaudiences. For more information, call432-853-5249. O N T H E N E T

>> mark10theatricals.com

Hope Chest baby shower Help to stock the

shelves for the HopeChest location insideHighland UMC to helpwomen get a good startwhen caring for theirchildren. Hope Chesteducates expectant par-ents about healthy pre-natal and infant carepractices and empowers

new andexpectingwomen tobe re-

sponsible mothers.From 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.Saturday, come by theWestminster Presbyte-rian Church, 4901 MapleAve., and bring youritems. Items needed:baby bottles, crib sheets,onesies, sleepers, receiv-ing blankets, washcloths,newborn mittens, new-born hats, thermome-ters, grooming kits,wipes and pacifiers. O N T H E N E T :

>> Email [email protected]

QUICK hits



Parents looking to intro-duce their children to golf, orchildren looking to learn thegame, will encounter a strokeof good luck as Ratliff RanchGolf Links will be offering ajunior league for children ages7to 14.

The inaugural Junior TeamGolf League will hold prac-tices twice a week — from 5:30 p.m. until 7 p.m. Wednes-day and 1:30 p.m. until 3 p.m.Sundays — starting Wednes-day, Chris McQuatters, general

manager and PGA head pro-fessional at Ratliff Ranch, said.

“The team golf format is afun, stress less way … to intro-

duce them to golf,” McQuat-ters said.

The team golf format willconsist of six players on each

team. Two players will be se-lected to represent theirteams, based on their age

Ratliff Ranch GolfLinks to hold JuniorTeam Golf League

Working on the short game

Mathnasiumhelps students

succeedin arithmetic

Making math make sense

PAGE 2A

9471

➤➤


Wind southeast at 10 mph to 15 mph.

I N D E XATB 6ACLASSIFIED 5BCOMICS 4BDEATHS 7ALEVI STONE 7AOPINION 4ASPORTS 1BTELEVISION 8AXWORD 9A,7B

Evan Garcia, Blackshear




It doesn’t fit him now,but Tharen “Ike” Eicherhas a brown leather jacketcovered in a variety of dif-ferent illustrations that tellhis entire service history.

On the back of hisjacket is the U.S. Army AirCorps logo and the grouphe was with — the 486Bomb Group as part of the

833rd BombardmentSquadron.

On the front over theright breast is a swastikaand a half-drawn swastika,the marks representing theone and a half enemy air-planes he was credited forshooting down during hisservice. Below that are 33bombs, each one repre-senting a mission Eichertook part in.

Leaving the service as a

staff sergeant after twoyears, Eicher was a ballturret gunner, sitting in aspherical ball underneatha B-17 while he and hiscrew flew over some ofthe most heavily-defendedparts of Europe, includingNazi-occupied Berlin.

“It was my job to shootthe shit out of those whowere shooting at me,”Eicher said.

HONORED: Tharen ‘Ike’ Eicher, 89A view of the war from the gunner’s seat

>> See EICHER Page 6AMARK STERKEL|ODESSA AMERICAN COURTESY PHOTO


Ratliff Ranch Golf Links pro and general manager Chris McQuatters works with youths during the recentJunior Golf Camp. Beginning Wednesday, Ratliff will host the inaugural Junior Team Golf League for youthsages 7 through 14.

‘The teamgolf for-mat is a

fun, stressless way… to in-troducethem togolf.’

CHRISMCQUAT-

TERS

>> See MATH Page 6A

>> See GOLF Page 7A

Andy West, the owner and center director of Mathnasium of Odessa, helps nine-year-old Vivianna Northcutt work through a mathproblem she was working on during a tutoring session

EDYTA BLASZCZYK|ODESSA AMERICAN

6A ODESSA AMERICAN L O C A L MONDAY, JUNE 23, 2014

Another mission Eicherrecalled happened duringone of the German’s mostoffensive campaigns —The Battle of the Bulge.

During their mission,Eicher said there was mis-communication whicheventually led to theirsquadron bombing Ameri-can troops.

“We bombed our owntroops because they hadn’tnotified us that (Gen.George S.) Patton had ad-vanced so fast at the Battleof the Bulge,” Eicher said.“I don’t know why in thehell they didn’t tell us … wehad communications andthey could have sent us toa secondary target. It wasjust awful.”

Originally from Burling-ton, Colo., Eicher gradu-ated from Burlington HighSchool and took a two-month deferment to workduring the harvest season,earning $12 a day, before fi-nally enlisting after theseason ended.

“Back then, my dadowned a business shopand dealership and his best mechanics made $40a week,” he said. “Now that was good pay, a mancould buy a home andraise a family and drive a

nice automobile.”Wanting to be a pilot,

Eicher said he was told hecould not fly because ofbeing slightly color-blind.But Eicher still got to go upin the air as a gunner, withhis squadron being sta-tioned near Colchester,England.

Once he was done withhis duty, Eicher was sta-tioned at Roswell, N.M.,where he worked as amember of the military po-lice. It was there that hemet, and later married, hiswife Thelma.

The way Eicher tells it,Thelma was a switch-board operator in the offi-cer’s club and the twowere introduced throughanother soldier stationedin Roswell with him.

In love at first sight,Eicher said it took sevendays for him to make hisbold announcement.

“I said, ‘I’m going tomarry you,’ and she re-sponded, ‘What took youso long?” he said.

The two were later mar-ried on Nov. 23, 1945 andhave five children together.

After being discharged,Eicher worked for a hard-ware store before gettingoffered a job in 1966 withFoundation InvestmentMortgage on East EighthStreet; a job he held for 11years.

Mathnasium in Odessa wantchildren to acquire confi-dence after they comethrough their doors. And ifthey love math, all the better.

When it comes to math, asubject that can intimidateand frustrate many a child,confidence can be a necessaryingredient to achieving suc-cess.

The Odessa branch ofMathnasium, located in theSanta Fe Square at 3952 E.42nd St., opened in April, oc-cupying the space formerlyoperated by United BloodServices. Midland also has aMathnasium location.

Mathnasium seeks to helpstudents in grades onethrough 12 with their mathskills. Mathnasium, part of anational chain based in LosAngeles, teaches the Mathna-sium Method, which seeks tohelp a child through a com-prehensive written and oralevaluation, a customized pro-gram for the child anddemonstration of results thatinclude a child’s report cardsand standardized assess-ments, according to its web-site.

Jan West, center directorand owner, and son AndyWest, lead instructor and

owner, discussed Mathna-sium’s offerings last week asseveral children received in-struction inside the learningcenter’s teaching area.

“It is an after-school pro-gram,” Jan West said. “Whatwe do when they first come inis we assess them to see whattheir strengths and weak-nesses are and we develop alearning program for them, sothat each are working on theirown level and try to fill ingaps that maybe they missed.We do have a quite a few stu-dents now that are excelling inmath and just love math.They’re coming just to getbetter.”

She said some students aredropping by to get instructionon college prep.

Mathnasium’s assessmentcan shed light on a child’s pro-ficiencies and struggles andshow parents where Mathna-sium representatives want tofocus on, Andy West said.Mathnasium does seek parentfeedback.

“During the school year, ifa child comes in with theirhomework, we work withthem with their homework,”Jan West said. “We recom-mend two (one-)hour ses-sions a week. We are drop-in,so we have flexible hours.They can come in wheneverthey want to, as long as it’s inour opening time, and they

can come as much as theywant.”

Some children come everyday, she said.

Jan West said Mathnasiumhelps children who have anx-iety and fills in areas wherethey may have missed an un-derstanding of the subject anddetermine what is causingthat fear.

“We want to address that,”Jan West said. “Confidence issomething that we really workon, helping them be moreconfident in their math skills.”

Mathnasium’s math in-struction generally extendsto algebra I, Jan West said.As far as students needinghelp in any other higherlevel math, such as trigonome-try and calculus, a privatetutor session could bearranged because those levelsof math are time-intensive.Mathnasium has three tutors,and as the center grows, it willadd tutors.

“We’re getting ready to addone soon because we aregrowing really quickly,” JanWest said.

Mathnasium actuallyteaches the subject of math, asinstructors are trained in theMathnasium Method and pro-vide guidance. Jan West said Mathnasium wants towork with schools and teach-ers, and the center’s goal is tohelp students become suc-

cessful in the classroom.“That is our main goal,” she

said, adding that Mathnasiumseeks to teach math in a waythat makes sense to kids, ex-plaining that instructorsmight change terminology ina manner that students willcomprehend better. (“Wemake math make sense” is onthe front of a companybrochure.)

Andy West, who worked atthe Mathnasium in Midland,said he used many of thestrategies that Mathnasium

employs when he wasgrowing up.

Jan West said Mathna-sium wants to make mathfun, including offering

games, and children are givenmotivation for acquiring suc-cess, such as getting prizes forcompleting pages in theirbooks.

Mathnasium has about 30students now, and some stu-dents will be taking a break inthe summer while new onesare attending sessions now,Jan West said. Students maycontinue with the Mathna-sium as long as they want, asthe program is tailored towardtheir needs.

Star Mahaney said she hasbeen happy with Mathnasiumand that he daughter enjoys the learning center’srewards system. Star is impressed with Mathansium’s

methods, praising Carolyn’stutor, Andy.

Jan West taught for 30years and is a retired teacher.She has a master’s degree ineducation. Andy West hastaught math for several years,and math and education werehis college majors while atAbilene Christian and Mid-land College, according toMathnasium’s Odessa loca-tion website.

The cost for the program:>> Elementary math is $229

a month.>> Middle school math is

$249 a month.>> High school math is $269

a month. The math assessment and

learning plan requires a one-time fee of $125.

Mathnasium in Odessa hasreceived positive feedbackthus far, Jan West said.

“We had one little girl callus to tell us she passed theSTAAR,” Jan West said.

The academy is open 1 p.m.to 5 p.m. Monday through Fri-day during the summer. Whenfall rolls around, the center isopen 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Mondaythrough Thursday and 10 a.m.to 2 p.m. Saturday.

“The summertime is agreat time for kids to work onmath skills to get ready fornext year,” Jan West said.

Mathnasium may bereached at 432-614-2296.

Math>> From Page 1A

Eventually, Eicher leftthat job and purchased aservice station at the inter-section of East 42nd Streetand North Dixie Boulevardand a mechanic shop onAndrews Highway called“Ike’s Car Care.” He hassince retired; but still ownsthe property where theservice station was.

Though he said he has“nothing but time now,”Eicher still enjoys travelingwhen he can and contin-ues to enjoy one of his pas-sions; cars. He can be seendriving a red Jaguararound town.

Eicher will be one ofmany Permian Basin veter-ans going on the inauguralhonor flight trip to Wash-ington D.C. and said heheard about the trip on tel-evision. He will be accom-

panied by his oldest sonMichael, a Vietnam vet-eran; and his youngest sonMonte.

Never having been tothe nation’s capital before,Eicher said he is excitedabout the upcoming trip.Even talking about his mil-itary service, Eicher saidhe did nothing special andjust did what he needed todo.

“I’ve had a good life,” he

said. “All I asked of thegovernment was to giveme that discharge andleave me alone.”

Eicher>> From Page 1A

BIOGRAPHY>> Name: Tharen “Ike” Eicher.

>> Age: 89.>> How long in West Texas:

Since 1966.>> Occupation: Retired,

former service station owner. >> Branch of military

and rank: staff sergeant, U.S. Army Air Corps.

>> Years of service: August1943 until September 1945.>> What theater: European. >> Medals or commenda-

tions: Five air medals. >> Who will accompany you

on the honor flight? His sonsMichael Eicher and Monte

Eicher.

‘I’ve had a good life. AllI asked of the govern-ment was to give methat discharge andleave me alone.’

THAREN ‘IKE’ EICHERWorld War II U.S. Army veteran

‘Confi-dence is

somethingthat wereally

work on,helpingthem be

more confidentin theirmath

skills.’JAN

WESTCenter director

and owner of Mathnasium’sOdessa location

ON THE NET>> Math -nasium —Odessa

location:www.

mathnasium.com/odessa

Here’s a glance at what’sgoing on around the Basin.

TodayK I D S C R A F T I N GP R O G R A M

>> What: Michaels in-storecrafting event, The GeorgiaAquarium – Perler Dolphin andJumping Dolphins Event.

>> When: 10 a.m. to noon.>> Where: Michaels, 3827 E.

42nd St., Odessa; Michaels, 3001W. Loop 250, Midland.

>> Age: Kids ages 5 and up.>> Cost: $2 per child.>> Call: 362-7590 (Odessa) or

522-5212 (Midland).

C L U B M E E T I N G>> What: The Permian Basin

Genealogical Society meeting.>> When: 7 p.m.>> Where: Lincoln Tower Ball-

room, 311 W. Fourth St.>> Open to the public.>> Call: 332-8221.

Continuing eventS U M M E R M E A L S

>> What: West Texas FoodBank Summer Food Service Pro-gram (free lunch for children).

>> When: Noon to 1:30 p.m.Monday through Friday, throughAug. 15.

>> Where: Third EditionApartments, 1201 N. WhitakerAve.; Wilkerson Boys and GirlsClub, 800 E. 13th St; WoodsonBoys and Girls Club, 1037 E. Mur-phy St.

A R O U N DT H E B A S I N

THERE’S A CAREER FOR EVERY PASSIONWhether it’s the outdoors, preserving nature, or something completely unique, you may besurprised at how many jobs are connected to the things you love. So bring you passion toBasinjobs.com/Monster and start searching. Who knows, you might find the perfect opportunity to put your passion to work. Monster. Find Better.TM

“Where The Accent Is On Quality”

432-563-8004 • 4309 SCR 1290 (Coors Rd.) Mon - Fri, 9am-5pm • Sat, 9am-12pm

ACCENTGRANITE & MARBLE


BAGHDAD As the Iraqi gov-ernment bolstered Baghdad’sdefenses Sunday, the Islamicmilitant group that capturedtwo major cities last weekposted graphic photos that ap-peared to show its fightersmassacring dozens of cap-

tured Iraqi soldiers.The pictures on a militant

website appear to showmasked fighters of the IslamicState of Iraq and the Levant, orISIL, loading the captives ontoflatbed trucks before forcingthem to lie face-down in a shal-low ditch with their arms tiedbehind their backs. The final

images show the bodies of thecaptives soaked in blood afterbeing shot.

The grisly images could fur-ther sharpen sectarian ten-sions as hundreds of Shiitesheed a call from their mostrevered spiritual leader to takeup arms against the Sunni mil-itants who have swept acrossthe north. ISIL has vowed totake the battle to Baghdad andcities further south housingrevered Shiite shrines.

While the city of seven mil-

lion is not in any immediatedanger of falling into the handsof the militants, Sunday’sbombings could raise tensions.Food prices in the city haverisen, twofold in some cases,because of disruption to trans-port on the main road headingnorth from the capital.

The government bolstereddefenses around Baghdad Sun-day, a day after hundreds ofShiite men paraded throughthe streets with arms in

Spurs beat the Heat 104-87to earn fifth NBA title. >> SPORTS

Juneteenthcelebration

The Black CulturalCouncil of Odessa hasannounced their 2014Juneteenth line up in-cluding events Thurs-day through June 22.

Thursday nightBCCO will kick off theJuneteenth Celebrationwith the welcome pro-gram and “The Souls ofBlack Folks: An Impres-

sioniis-ticCen-tennialReflec-

tion” presented bySheila Stevenson andAundrea Hudson Mc-Daniels.

>> The Black CulturalCouncil of Odessa will bringthree nights of soul music tothe Permian Basin at 10 p.m.Thursday through Saturdayat Woodson Park, 1020 EastMurphy St.

Thursday night will kickoff with Donnie Ray & Band,Friday will feature the Such &Such Band and “Bad Boy ofSouthern Soul” T.K. Soul willperform Saturday.

>> On Saturday the BlackCultural Council of Odessawill be at Woodson Park, 1020East Murphy St., for a day offamily events. The day willbegin with Youth in the Parkfrom 10 a.m. to noon, fol-lowed by the annual picnicfrom noon to 1:30 p.m.

The event will be spon-sored by Atmos Energy andthe first 100 kids at the parkwill receive a prize. For moreinformation call 349-1122.

>> Also on Saturday, the2014 Juneteenth Parade at 8p.m. starting at Dixie Blvd.and will finish at BarrattDrive. Entry for the parade isfree and the best floats willbe awarded cash prizes. Firstplace will receive $300, sec-ond will get $200 and thirdwill get $100.

For more informa-tion call 978-6167. O N T H E N E T

>> www.odessabcc.org

SummerMummers

Throw some pop-corn and watch the

hero andthe villainbattle it outat TheYucca

Theatre, 208 N. Col-orado Ave., Midland,during the 2014 Sum-mer Mummers melo-drama, “Desert of theDead or Mmmmm,Your Head LooksTasty” at 8 p.m. everyFriday and Saturday,through Aug. 30. Fortickets or for more info,call 432-570-4111.O N T H E N E T

>> Mctmidland.org.

QUICK hits


In a partnership be-tween Medical CenterHospital and the VeteransAdministration, a newclinic will open its doorstoday, offering expanded

services to veteransthroughout the PermianBasin.

The agreement betweenMCH and the VA has beenin the works for a few yearsand now is finally comingto fruition. Increased de-mand is the reason the new

clinic was needed, saidWest Texas VA Commu-nity Relations CoordinatorIva Jo Hanslik.

“Well we were outgrow-ing the facility where wewere, the veteran popula-tion is really growing in thePermian Basin,” Hanslik

said about the need for thenew facility. “So we createdour footprint of what wewanted and MCH staff isthe one who provided thebest bid for what weneeded. We are very ex-cited about the move.”

Today from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. visitors can see thefacility during an openhouse. The staff will begin

seeing patients Tuesday.Bill Webster, CEO of

Medical Center Hospital,said that MCH has leasedspace to the VA for the newclinic at their Health andWellness Center located onFaudree Road and High-way 191, and the agreementis a long time coming.

“We negotiated this

O N A M I S S I O N O F H E A L I N G

SonnyTaylor andothercarpenterswith theWest TexasVeteransAffairsHealth CareSystem workon putting upa bubble wallin thereceptionarea Fridayin the newVA clinic inOdessa.

EDYTABLASZCZYKODESSAAMERICA

Facility gives new options for veterans

VA Clininc opening at Mission Fitness

PAGE 2A

9673

➤➤

WEATHERMostly sunny,

isolatedshowers.

Winds southat 15 mph to

20 mph.

I N D E XATB 7ACLASSIFIED 5BCOMICS 4BDEATHS 7ALEVI STONE 3AOPINION 4ASPORTS 1BTELEVISION 8AXWORD 9A,7B

Brooke Moocha, Reagan

>> FROM STAFF REPORTSEDITOR’S NOTE: This is

part of a continuing seriesthat will feature the storiesof veterans who are sched-uled to go on the TexasPermian Basin HonorFlight in September.


Walking through thelush, dense jungle seemeda world away from backhome in Smackover, Ark.,

for Claude Firth.Firth was 15 years old

when World War II beganand he was anxious to en-list for service.

“I could hardly waituntil I was 17 to fight formy country. I wanted to bea hero, everybody did. It’s different now,” Firthsaid. “I was patriotic;everybody was patrioticback in them days, honey.It ain’t like it is today.Everybody loved the

country, everybody … andme too.”

Firth enlisted in the U.S.Navy April, 3, 1943, whenhe was 17 years old andheaded to boot camp inSan Diego for 10 weeks.Firth served in the Pacifictheater for the Navy onthe USS Guadalupe AO-32,which helped refuelAmerican warships oper-ating in and aroundGuadalcanal.

HONORED: Claude Firth, 88★★★ M I L I TA R Y R O L L O F H O N O R ★★★

World War II Navy veteran served on USS Guadalupe


>> See FIRTH Page 10A

BIOGRAPHY>> Name: Claude Firth>> Age: 88.>> How long in West

Texas: About 50 years .>> Occupation: Retired,

drywall finisher.>> Branch of military

and rank: U.S. Navy, MasterSergeant at Arms.

>> Years of service:1943 to 1945.

>> What theater: Pa-cific.

>> Medals or commen-dations: 10 battle stars.

>> Who will accompanyyou on the honor flight?His daughter ClaudetteWaddingham.

Claude Firth served in thenavy in the Pacific duringWorld War II.

ON THE NET>> Council on

ForeignRelations’

informationpage on ISIS:tinyurl.com/

oczmyjz

Militant group takes over key Iraq citiesas Shi’ites bolster defenses in Baghdad

ISIS posts images of killings

>> See IRAQ Page 6A


>> See CLINIC Page 10A

Super San Antonio

4519 N.Garfield Suite 8Midland, Texas 79705

432-682-2180

4011 JBS ParkwayOdessa, Texas 79762

432-332-0519

106 W. Marcy DriveBig Spring, Texas 79720

432-263-6181

We Accept Care

Credit

Is this you? If so come try Beltone’s Best Hearing Aids Ever! Finally, a hearing aid you will want to wear. Increase the clarity of voices and decrease the background noise. Introducing the Award Winning Beltone First.

BELTONE FIRST ORPROMISE HEARING

INSTRUMENTS

Call Today to Hear what a difference experience makes!!!

$800 OFF

TUNE-UP ON EXISTING HEARING

INSTRUMENT

DEMONSTRATIONOF NEW AWARD

WINNING BELTONETECHNOLOGY

FREE FREE

10A ODESSA AMERICAN L O C A L & S T A T E MONDAY, JUNE 16, 2014

agreement several yearsago to build this new clinicthat will open on Monday,”Webster said. “It is a long-term lease arrangementand we have designed thebuilding to their specifica-tions.”

Webster said the agree-ment is in place for the next20 years, and the new clinicwill provide veterans of thePermian Basin with thehealth care they need andkeep them close to home.

“They have had an olderclinic in Odessa for manyyears and we wanted tomaintain the VA presencehere,” Webster said aboutthe new clinic. “We felt that... building a new onewould sustain that pres-ence here for a long time,we are really excited aboutit.”

The clinic is just lessthan 10,000 square feet,and currently will bestaffed with two medicalteams. Each team will in-clude a doctor, a registerednurse, a licensed vocationalnurse and a clerk.

One of the problems thathas plagued the VA clinicfor years is finding doctorsand staff to help fill theneed.

Ector County Director ofVeteran Services Joe Rickeysaid the staffing shortagehas a lot to do with thehousing situation in theMidland-Odessa area.

“One of the main thingsis housing,” Rickey said.“Housing is not only aproblem for new staff com-ing into the clinics, you alsohave a problem housing theteachers in the area. But Iam just glad that this isgoing to be opened. It is along time coming, and Ikeep my fingers crossedthey will be able to staff itfully and provide care forthe two counties.”

Hanslik agreed, citinghousing as the main prob-lem with finding providersfor the new clinic.

“Primarily, it is the costof living, it has skyrocketedover the last few years,”Hanslik said.

In order to help solve theproblem, Hanslik said thatthe clinic is offering reten-tion and recruitmentbonuses to help keep upwith the demand for staff.

The new facility cost $11million for the expansion,which includes the VAclinic as well as physicianoffices, MCH spokes-

woman Tiffany Harstonsaid.

The new clinic is de-signed to be everything theVA currently has, with theadditional services for vet-erans becoming availableas demand requires.

The new services thatwill be available at theclinic include physicaltherapy, social work, audi-ology services, tele-healthservices and eye care oncethe staffing is available,Hanslik said.

The new facility will beLEED (Leadership in En-ergy and EnvironmentalDesign) certified, with agold star interior rating anda silver star exterior rating.Hanslik said that with theLEED design, everything inthe building will be recy-clable.

The new clinic will alsobe a convenient spot for allveterans in the PermianBasin, as it will serve as ahub for Midland andOdessa as well as veteransin surrounding communi-ties, Hanslik said.

“It will be a fairly con-venient location that willbe more accommodatingfor our Midland Countyveterans, and with the ex-tended services it will keepthem closer to home,”Hanslik said. “In additionfor our physical therapy pa-tients who can’t come overhere to the current facilitythis will be a real benefit tothose veterans.”

Hospitals and clinics ofthe VA have been underscrutiny by the federal gov-ernment due to long waittimes and reported coverups, which led to VA ChiefEric Shinseki steppingdown.

Federal data releasedthis week showed that VAfacilities in Texas havesome of the longest waittimes for veterans trying tosee a doctor for the firsttime. The FBI haslaunched an investigationinto the Veteran AffairsDepartment amid claimsof falsified records and in-appropriate schedulingpractices, the AssociatedPress reports.

On Thursday, officialswith the Texas VeteransCommission announcedthey are looking at settingup “state strike force teams”that would help with delaysin access to health care.These teams of counselorswould work with veteranson getting them quicker ac-cess to health care, accord-ing to the AP.

The U.S. Senate andHouse last week havepassed bills making it easierfor veterans who have en-countered delays gettinginitial visits to receive VA-paid treatment from localdoctors instead. Gov. RickPerry’s spokeswoman LucyNashed said Perry’s pro-posal to the Veteran AffairsDepartment builds on thosemeasures by identifyinghospitals “willing to stepup” and offering a solutionto slow reimbursements forproviders, according to re-ports from the AP.

Despite the issues withthe VA nationally and at thestate level, Webster saidthat the new clinic betweenMidland and Odessa will bea positive addition for theveterans in the area.

“I think that this is obvi-ously a difficult time for theVA, and in spite of that, weare happy that they areopening the clinic,” Web-ster said. “It will provide anew, efficient place for theveterans here in our area toreceive the medical treat-ment they need.”

Hanslik agreed, sayingthe VA issues should haveno effect on the new clinicas it becomes available toveterans in the PermianBasin.

“I really don’t think itwill affect the new facility,”Hanslik said “We are hereto take care of our veteransso I do not feel that the neg-ativism is going to impactthe veteran healthcare whatso ever or them cominginto the facility.”

O N T H E N E T>> www.bigspring.va.gov>> www.missionfitness

now.com

The ship, which had350 men on board, alsotook supplies, includingartillery, oil and gas to sea.

Because the fuel wasvital to the ships, enemydestroyers and planeswould try to target thetanker knowing the dam-age it would cause.

“Sometimes we wouldfuel in battle, with firingguns,” Firth said, addingthere were at least 10 inci-dents where theGuadalupe came underfire.

“They were a floatingbomb,” Firth’s daughterClaudette Waddinghamsaid. In one of the attacks,Firth and other Navymembers began shooting20 millimeters, and thebullets came close to hit-ting him. The men couldonly shoot for so long andthen someone else wouldgo up there to take over,Firth said. As soon as hewent off, he heard thesound of the bullets —ping, ping, ping, he said —hitting the location he hadbeen in moments before.

“I almost wasn’t born,”his daughter Waddinghamsaid.

If the Guadalupe wentdown, the whole fleetwould have stayed dead inthe water, Firth said.

“If they sunk that ship,they’d be sitting ducks forthe Japanese,” Firth said.

During his two years ofservice, Firth went to theFiji islands, Vietnam andthe Samoan Islands,where he helped trainpeople to do night fightingalong with 37 other sol-diers from his fleet.

“We were all over theSouth Pacific, honey,”Firth said.

The people trained atthe Fiji islands helped bygoing to parts of the islandwhere Firth and the rest ofthe crew weren’t able toreach.

Clinic>> From Page 1A

IF YOU GO>> What: VA

Clinic at the MCH Healthand Wellness Center Open

House.

>> When: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.today.

>> Where: 8050 E.Highway 191 (on Faudree

Road).

The jungle and the Fijiisland people left an im-pression on Firth, fromtheir appearance to theirtenacity.

“They were giants.They had about two tothree feet of hair thatstood upright from theirheads. I didn’t haveenough hair to stand upthat way,” Firth said with alaugh.

During his time at theFiji islands, Firth came toadmire the people of thatcountry and their hardwork to protect it.

“The Fiji island peoplewere the best people Iever met in my life,” Firthsaid. “We trained them fornight fighting and I don’tknow why but they werethe best fighters in theworld.”

Before he embarked tothe Pacific, Firth laughedas he remembered gettinga group of men together toget the tattoos, against thesupervisors’ rules, duringboot camp.

Though the anchor tat-too surrounded withdrawn ropes is now fadingon his left arm, ClaudeFirth vividly remembersthe night he got it with agroup of newly enlistedmen, and the scoldingthey received from a pettyofficer.

“He kept to his word,”Firth said about the pettyofficer, who after seeingthe tattoos made the menstand from midnight to 4 a.m. to “guard” theclothesline where the menpracticed making knots inthe daytime.

Firth was the sent toSan Pedro, Calif., at Ter-minal Island to board theGuadalupe, which he wasassigned from July 1943until March 1945.

Although Firth wasnever physically hurt inbattle, he did have 12 ofhis colleagues die infriendly fire, he said. TheGuadalupe looked like aJapanese destroyer, Firthsaid, which caused the at-tack from an Americanship that did not recog-nize the tanker.

During another particu-larly warm afternoon, sev-eral of the men decided torelax on the deck of theboat and suntan, but aJapanese fighter planeflew directly above them,he said. There were sev-eral times the ship cameunder fire from the Japan-ese, he said. For his serv-ice, Firth has beenhonored with 10 battlestars.

Following his service,Firth went to his last basein Seattle and then servedas master of arms inAlaska, where he met hisfuture wife, Elsie. Firthand Elsie moved to Texasand married in Big Springin 1947. The Texas heatwas too strong for Elsie,and the couple movedback to Alaska, but themarriage ended. Firthcame back to Texas in1948 and met Mary, themother of his two daugh-ters, in 1961 in Sweetwa-ter. Firth has twodaughters, a granddaugh-ter, three grandsons andwill soon have his firstgreat-grandson in July.

Firth is making hisHonor Flight to Washing-ton, D.C., this coming fallwith his daughter, accom-panying him.

“I’m hoping I see some-one from the Guadalupe,”Firth said. “I figure Imight run into a guy Iused to know. That’s thereason I’m going.”

Firth>> From Page 1A

‘I think that this is obviously a difficult

time for the VA, and inspite of that, we arehappy that they areopening the clinic.’

BILL WEBSTERCEO of Medical Center Hospital


LUBBOCK The FBI is in-vestigating claims of crimi-nal activity in Lubbock’sPower & Light company.

The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal reported Sundaythat according to emails itreceived through an open

records request, the FBI in-vestigation began in Maywhen the utility’s head of fi-nances Andy Burcham ap-proached the agency todiscuss suspected criminalactivity.

According to the emails,the investigation is relatedto work done by Colorado-

based E3 Consulting.Burcham said in an email

to Electric Utility BoardChairman Greg Taylor andCity Manager JamesLoomis that he met withFBI investigators on May 12to “discuss the past due in-voices and related informa-tion with E3 Consulting.”

FBI probes power company on bid rigging claim

(NAPS)—In this digitalage, the U.S. health caresystem has also becomedigital. Every day, mil-lions of people interactwith it. During these in-teractions, data is col-lected, processed andstored, creating a seem-ingly infinite amount ofinformation—yet eachsingle data point hasmeaning. The collectionof data for any given in-dividual offers valuableinsight into his or herhealth behavior pat-terns. This data can beused to support individ-uals in their efforts tolive healthier lives. Forexample, when a personparticipates in a healthscreening, the resultingtransaction can generatea response that rein-forces this positive activ-ity. The response can beprovided in the form ofgift cards, co-pay adjust-ments, even encouragingtext messages.

Data Can AccelerateHealthier Choices

“Data writes a richstory of healthy actionsand provides a road mapfor behavior change.Data transactions triggera cascade of events that,through technology andbehavioral science, can

help improve health atthe individual and popu-lation level. As a result,people are able to be-come engaged in theprocess of living health-ier,” says Dr. JoshKlapow, Chief BehavioralScientist atChipRewards.ChipRewards is a behav-ioral science–based tech-nology company thatuses its proprietary Web-enabled platform to as-sist health plans,employers, providers andother industry stakehold-

ers in developing and im-plementing large-scalehealth incentive and en-gagement solutions. Thecompany adheres to es-tablished privacy stan-dards, and usestechnology created byBMC Software to build asecure environment forits data where itprocesses millions oftransactions to rewardand encourage healthybehaviors.

For example, an agingsteelworker had an an-nual physical for which

he earned an insurancepremium reduction. Healso completed a bio-metric screening, mak-ing him eligible for adisease managementprogram. Because hewalked 8,000 steps in aday, he needs just 5,000more to get a bonus in-centive for the week. Healso receives a reminderthat after one more pre-scription refill his co-pay will be waived andthat he can earn $50 inhis health savings ac-count if his child is vac-cinated.

Then there’s a busysales executive who hasnot yet had an annual

mammogram. The sys-tem sends a reminder onher mobile device toschedule the appoint-ment. After the mam-mography, she gets areinforcing communica-tion and an incentive.Later, after an unhealthyglucose reading at a bio-metric screening at work,she is prompted to enrollin a diabetes manage-ment program and learnsshe can earn additionalincentives for each pro-gram session. Upon com-pletion of all sessions,she is sent a congratula-tory e-mail and a re-minder of the incentives

available in the nextquarter if her glucoselevels return to a healthyrange.

Delivering Incentives For both the steel-

worker and the sales ex-ecutive, the transactionstake on real meaning.The data drives a self-monitoring system capa-ble of deliveringcom munications and in-centives that support

them on a daily basis.Originating from thou-sands of data sources,millions of health andwellness transactions areprocessed every day—and every transactionhas the potential to im-prove the health of an in-dividual.

Learn more atwww.chiprewards.comand www.bmc.com

The Valuable Meaning Of Health Transactions

Consumers’ transactions with health care providers can gener-ate information that can be used to reward them with incentivesto live a healthier lifestyle.


Fax: 432.262.2448

www.drkkozma.com



Greenville, TX • 800-291-2036SouthWestBuickGMC.com

Response to ISIS Diplomats press for strategy to

combat militants. >> PAGE 10A

Makin’ movesMurray’s big game boostsCowboys . >> SPORTS

ConstitutionDay

The Daughters ofthe American Revolu-tion — Nathaniel DavisChapter are recogniz-ing Wednesday as the226th anniversary ofthe drafting and sign-ing of the U.S. Consti-tution.

Proclamations havebeen signed by Odessa

MayorDavidTurner,EctorCountyJudge

Susan Redfordand Gov. Rick Perrydeclaring the week ofSept. 17-23 as “Consti-tution Week.”

“Among the Consti-tution’s most criticalpassages is the TenthAmendment, the hingeon which our system ofgovernment swings,”Perry’s proclamationsstates. “Powers not del-egated to the UnitedStates by the Constitu-tion are reserved forthe states or to thepeople. Our FoundingFathers trusted that de-cisions impacting ourday-to-day lives arebest made, if not byourselves or our fami-lies, by the govern-ments closest to us.” O N T H E N E T :

>> www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_transcript.html

Veterans invited Odessa Downtown

Lions Club is offeringlocal U.S. veterans a

chance toserve thecommu-nity withthe “In-volve a

U.S. Veteran.” The nationwide ini-

tiative sponsored byLions Clubs Interna-tional offers qualifiedU.S. veterans an en-trance fee waiver of upto $30 when joining alocal Lions club. Thewaiver is available tothe first 5,000 U.S. vet-erans, and the programruns through June 30,2015.

Eligible veterans in-clude Army, Navy, AirForce, Marines andCoast Guard personnelwho are retired orwere honorably-dis-charged from theseservices.

To learn more aboutthe “Involve a U.S. Vet-eran” program or theOdessa DowntownLions Club contactJerry Stout, member-ship chair or KathyRhodes, club presi-dent. The OdessaDowntown Club meetsevery Thursday atnoon for lunch at 1101Whitaker Ave. O N T H E N E T :

>> odessadtlions.org/

QUICK hits

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2014 facebook.com/OdessaAmerican oaoa.com twitter.com/OdessaAmerican 75 CENTS

PAGE 2A

8465

➤➤

WEATHERMostly cloudy,

isolated T-storms.Southeast

winds at 10 mph.

I N D E XCLASSIFIED 5BCOMICS 8ADEATHS 7AHEALTH 7AOPINION 4ASCHOOLS 7ASPORTS 1BTELEVISION 9AXWORD 11A, 8B


T E X A S L E A G U E C H A M P I O N S

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the finalstory of a continuing series thatfeatured the stories of veteranswho are scheduled to go on theTexas Permian Basin HonorFlight Wednesday.


For about 10 months, FranciscoGonzales endured tough condi-tions, constant engagements withenemy combatants, and sadnessof little to no communicationwith his family while in thePhilippines at the end of WWII.

A Fort Stockton native, Gonza-les previously was a rancher whotried to join the Army in 1940 butwas told his services were moreneeded on the ranch, especiallybecause of the large number ofvolunteers who had already comeforward.

Gonzales was a Technician 5in the Army and was sent out to the Philippines island ofLuzon in 1945 where one of his

jobs was as a truck driver.He drove supplies and people

to and from the various compa-nies, Gonzales said, many ofwhich were far away from hisstarting point, and often encoun-tered trouble on the way.

Gonzales said he was always infear, as were all the soldiers; fearof running into Japanese soldiersthat hid throughout the jungle. Infact, Gonzales had many of thoseencounters.

“They tried to hold up a truckwe had with supplies,” Gonzalessaid. “We killed most of them be-cause we had an escort, back andfront of the convoy.”

Gonzales said they came fromthe side of the truck, shooting asthey came out of the jungle.Other times, it was a scout snipershooting at them.

“They could be anywhere, in-cluding on top of a coconut tree,”Gonzales said. “They could stayup there for days.”

Gonzales also faced battle on

World War IIveteran

FranciscoGonzales

poses for aportrait inhis Odessa

home.

EDYTABLASZCZYK

ODESSAAMERICAN

Jungle combat survivor of WWII,U.S. Army veteran

HONORED: Francisco Gonzales, 93★★★ M I L I TA R Y R O L L O F H O N O R ★★★

>> See GONZALES Page 3A

Life is full of choices and, re-gardless of how big or small,can leave a lasting impact

both now and in the future. Fromdeciding on what to wear in themorning to which route we takeon our commute to work, makingthe right decision is based onachieving the best possible out-come. For children, choices aremost often influenced by parentsand guardians based on what theyare taught, see, and hear. But arethese influences truly making themost positive impact for them

now and into adulthood? Withchildhood obesity rates continu-ing to climb, it appears we cancertainly improve.

According to the Centers forDisease Control and Prevention(CDC), Childhood obesity hasmore than doubled in childrenand quadrupled in adolescentsover the past 30 years. As of 2012,more than one third of all chil-dren and adolescents are classi-fied as obese. Two of the largestcontributors of this pandemic arepoor diet and a severe lack of

physical activity, both ofwhich are far too preva-lent in our society.Chances are, if adults arespending more time onthe couch and eating“quick and easy” food, sotoo are their children. It’swhat they know, it’s whatthey do, and it’s whatthey’ll continue to dounless changes in ourown lifestyles are made to positively reinforce and

Childhood obesity is all about choices >> Levi Stone is the chief nursingofficer at ORMC.

>> Contact him [email protected]

>> Want to know more?See the ORMC website at

www.odessaregionalmedicalcenter.com/

>> If you would like moreinformation on preconcep-tion or pregnancy health,please contact ORMC at 4

32-582- 8677 or the RegionalPerinatal Center at ORMC at

432-582-8757or 432-689-0210.>> See STONE Page 3A

Members ofthe Rock—houndsbaseballteamcelebrateafterdefeatingthe TulsaDrillers 5-0in the fifthgame of theTexas LeagueChampio -nship seriesSundayevening atSecurityBankBallpark inMidland.Read thestory onGame 5 andtheRockhound’sbig win onthe Sportspage.


>> Texas Permian

Basin HonorFlight:

www.permianhonorflight

.org


432-682-2180


432-332-0519


432-263-6181

We Accept Care

Credit



INSTRUMENTS


$800 OFF


INSTRUMENT



FREE FREE

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2014 L O C A L ODESSA AMERICAN 3A

reverse life-reducing obe-sity rates.

Bottom line, when achild consumes morecalories than they burn,the pounds begin to pileup. Being overweightsoon leads to obesity andobesity leads to morbidobesity. Falling deeperinto this cascade makes it harder to stay healthyand increases the risk ofdeveloping diabetes andcardiovascular diseaseearlier in life, whichspirals into prematuredisabilities and death. Asteady diet of sugarydrinks, such as sodas,sports drinks, and juicecocktails coupled withhighly refined, minimallynutritious foods likeprocessed snacks and fastfoods are the perfect catalyst toward pro-pelling a child into obe-sity.

With frosty soda and

candy in tow, it is far toocommon to see kids“playing” sports on gam-ing devices than they doin the real world. Withthis being said, there con-tinues to be a very dis-turbing trend of childrenjust not engaging inenough physical activityon a daily basis. Again, ismuch of their activity …or lack thereof a result ofseeing their own parentsdoing the same? It’s timewe begin to be more posi-tive role models for ourkids and take an inven-tory of our own personalactions to be the guidinginfluence they need anddeserve.

It starts by making acommitment to get upand move. As parents andguardians, look for waysto do this in front of yourchildren and even includethem in your activities.Easy activities to begininclude taking walks,doing chores, or evenheading to the park. Themore fun you make the

activities; the more likelyyour child will want to dothem with you. Startsmall if you have to witha game plan to increaseyour activity week overweek until it becomespart of a daily routine.Also consider visitingwith your doctor andyour child’s pediatricianfor guidance and ideas onincorporating physical ac-tivities and exercises bestsuited for you and yourfamily.

On a final note, it’stime we start sacrificing abit of convenience forcommon sense. While it’seasy to whip through adrive through and handyour family a sack of socalled food, it shouldnever be the norm anddefinitely not part ofone’s daily diet. Treatcalorie-dense, minimallynutritious food (such assodas, candy, fast food,and processed snacks) asspecial occasion splurges.These items are not badunless they are consumed

in excess and thereforethey should only be eatenon a very limited basis.Instead, cook your mealsand include your kids inthe process of preparingthem. Taking time toteach them about the in-gredients going into theirfoods can expand theirhorizons and introduce agreater variety of nutri-tious, whole foods into adiet once dominated bycandy bars and chickennuggets.

Children rely on us toguide them on proper de-cision making. In thesolid majority of child-hood obesity cases, itsimply boils down to thechoices we as parents andguardians make each daythat shape their lives.Childhood obesity willsimply not go away unlesswe become positive rolemodels and start makingchanges to our ownlifestyles. It is time we be-come the leaders our chil-dren need us to be, fortheir health and ours.

the front lines, his familymembers said. When he re-turned home, they said hehad post-traumatic stressdisorder, often reliving mo-ments when he would haveto pull wounded or killedfriends back into the trenchwhere he was after theyhad been shot.

Gonzales said he hadfired his weapon and killedin the war, and that it tookits toll on him.

“At first, it affected me alot,” Gonzales said. “Butwhen I found out that theykilled one of my friends, Ifelt like I needed to dosomething. I was told, ‘Killor be killed.’”

When given the chance,however, Gonzales saidyou always back away in-stead of shooting.

Gonzales said he lost alot of friends in those jun-gles, where rain wouldcome down for six monthsnonstop.

He hesitated slightlywhen talking about thosefriends, seemingly beingtransported back to thevery days that he lostthem, and said that waswhat he remembered mostabout the war — thefriends who died.

“We’d take care of eachother,” Gonzales said.“Sometimes we didn’t havetime to help anything.”

One man he served withwould often check the deadJapanese soldiers’ teeth,Gonzales said, and pull outthe ones that had preciousmetals on them or weremade of precious metals.

Gonzales said he andothers always told the sol-dier not to do that, but thesoldier didn’t listen. Thenone day, the soldier tried topull a tooth from a livingJapanese soldier, whoended up stabbing him todeath.

Gonzales said he also re-membered a bench at theedge of the camp where hestayed. The bench had avery specific purpose — for

soldiers to read their mailin peace, often with tears.

Sometimes the mailwouldn’t come for long pe-riods of time, and when itdid it was in duffel bagsthey would have to sort.

Gonzales said he didn’tget any correspondencefor three months from hisfamily because the mailwas so far behind sched-ule, turning a tough situa-tion into a lonely one.

Sensing it could be hislast chance to go to thememorials, Gonzales saidhe looks forward to thechance to see the friendshe lost in the war.

“I want to see some ofmy friends. I want to go tothe cemetery, see if theyhave some kind of record,”Gonzales said. “Some ofmy friends, I know they’llbe glad I visited them forthe last time.”

Gonzales>> From Page 1A

BIOGRAPHY>> Name: Francisco Gonzales.

>> Age: 93

>> How long in Odessa: 59years.

>> Occupation: Retired fromCity of Odessa in 1995.

>> Branch of military and rank:Technician 5 in Army.

>> Years of service: 1945-1946.

>> What theater: Pacific.

>> Medals or commendations:Asiatic-Pacific Campaign

Ribbon, PhilippineIndependence Ribbon,

Victory Ribbon, OverseasService Bar.

>> What does it mean to youto get to make this trip? “Iwant to see some of my

friends. I want to go to thecemetery, see if they have

some kind of record,”Gonzales said. “Some of my

friends, I know they’ll be gladI visited them for the last

time.”

WANT TO DONATE?>> Send donations to P.O. Box

52890, Midland, Texas, 79710-2890 or call 432-210-9338.

Stone>> From Page 1A

[email protected]

An Odessa man wastransported to the hospitalSunday morning after re-portedly being stabbed.

Cpl. Steve LeSueur,spokesman for the OdessaPolice Department, said thatat about 3:30 a.m. officerswere called to the 900 blockof East Monahans Street re-garding a stabbing victim.

When officers arrived atthe scene they found

32-year old Trayvon Crow-der who reported that hewas stabbed multiple timesby someone he did notknow, LeSueur said.

The suspect was de-scribed as a Hispanic manin his 30’s with a short thinbuild, LeSueur said.

Crowder was trans-ported to Medical CenterHospital with non-lifethreatening injuries andLeSueur said that the inves-tigation is ongoing.

Man hospitalized in reported stabbing

[email protected]

Police identified the victim and driverinvolved in a late Saturday car-pedestrianaccident in Odessa.

Cesar Deras-Mendez, 43, was in faircondition at Medical Center HospitalSunday after being struck by a car.

Cpl. Steve LeSueur, spokesman for theOdessa Police Department, said that offi-cers were called to the 3200 block of EastUniversity Boulevard Saturday night re-garding a car-pedestrian accident.

Officers on scene reported that a FordFocus, driven by 19-year old Devon Garcia, was headed east in the 3200 blockof East University Boulevard, LeSueursaid.

A pedestrian, identified as Deras-Mendez, failed to yield the right of way tothe Focus as he walked across the streetand was struck by the vehicle, LeSueursaid.

LeSueur said that the investigation isongoing.

Victim, driver identified in car-pedestrian accident

>> For morefrom the

Odessa PoliceDepartment:odessapd.com

BIG SPRING CLINIC106 W Marcy Dr.

Big Spring, TX 79720

(432) 263-6181Email - [email protected] • Web - www.beltone.com

MIDLAND CLINIC4519 N Garfield Ste. 8

Midland, TX 79705

(432) 682-2180

ODESSA CLINIC4011 JBS Parkway Odessa, TX 79762

(432) 332-0519

Is this you? If so come try Beltone’sBest Hearing Aids Ever! Finally, ahearing aid you will want to wear. Increase the clarity of voices and decrease the background noise, Introducing the Award Winning

Beltone First.

BELTONE HEARING CENTERS OF THE PERMIAN BASIN

BELTONE, THE MOSTTRUSTED NAME IN

HEARING HEALTH CARE.FAMILY OWNED AND

OPERATED THROUGHOUTALL OF WEST TEXAS.

September 22- October 3

IN-OFFICE TRIALOF THE WORLD’SFIRST HEARING

AID OF IT’S KIND, THE

BELTONE FIRST.

LIMITEDTIME

OFFER

I CAN HEARBUT I CAN’T

UNDERSTAND

FREE

We Accept Care

Credit

Immediate opening for a

LICENSED PLUMBER

Salary based on skill & experience401K with Company Contribution

Health Insurance & VacationApply at 311 W. 42nd • Odessa, TX • 432-366-2401

Saying goodbyeJoan Rivers honored in star-

studded funeral. >> PAGE 9A

Downed in DallasSeason opener forgettable from the start.

>> SPORTS

Farmers MarketMedical Center

Health System(MCHS) and West

TexasFoodBankhavesched-

uled the Odessa Farm-ers Market from 9 a.m. to noon Sept. 13at the MCH campus onthe corner of West Sec-ond Street and GolderAvenue.

The farmers marketis a combination ofproduce, cookingdemonstrations, crafts,activities for kids, livemusic, health informa-tion and more.

Food and craft ven-dors are welcome.

To apply for a booth,email [email protected]. O N T H E N E T

>> tinyurl.com/ofv89zp

Glimmer & GlamThe Junior League

of Odessa is holding itsannual Merry Market-place event with thisyear’s theme of “Glim-mer & Glam.” Theevent will take placeNov. 7-8 at the EctorCounty Coliseum. Apreview party will beheld from 6 p.m. to11:30 p.m. Nov. 6.

Junior League is anorganization of womencommitted to promot-ing voluntarism, devel-oping the potential ofwomen, and improvingcommunities throughthe effective action andleadership of trainedvolunteers. Its purposeis exclusively educa-tional and charitable

To learn more, email the JuniorLeague at [email protected], or call usat 432-332-0095.O N T H E N E T

>> www.jlodessa.org

Make historyThe Texas Historical

Commission is cur-rently accepting appli-cations for subjectmarkers, designatedHistoric Texas Ceme-teries, and RecordedTexas Historic Land-marks. Applicationsmust be submitted tothe appropriate countyhistorical commissionand the deadline forCHCs to forward appli-cations to the THC isNov. 15, via email, [email protected]. TheTHC will approve upto 180 new applica-tions, and up to 20 ad-ditional markers will beapproved through theUndertold Storiesmarker program.

There are more than15,000 THC markersthroughout the state.

QUICK hits



A 53-year-old New Yorkman was convicted of failingto register as a sex offender,but is far from the only transplanted sex offender new

to the Permian Basin.Mark Dewayne Roupp was

sentenced Aug. 26 to one yearand three months in federalprison for failing to register asa sex offender. He was initiallycharged with having sexualcontact with an 8-year-old girl

in 2003, an offense he was sen-tenced to seven years in a NewYork prison for.

Previously, he was also ar-rested for first-degree sexabuse charges in 1982 and 1987.

Ector County Sheriff MarkDonaldson said he’s seen asharp increase in the numberof sex offenders registering inthe county.

Donaldson said a few yearsago the county had a littlemore than 100 registered sexoffenders, and now there are

175. It’s up about 40 from lastyear.

“A lot of these new ones arepeople that are in RVs, they’refrom other cities and otherstates,” Donaldson said.“You’re looking at a whole lotmore that we’re having to keeptrack of. Every time somebodycomes in and registers, wehave to verify this and verifythat.”

For registered sex offenders,Donaldson said those with one

Population growth fuelsEctor County’s numbers

Sex offender registrations up


Group therapy is beingused to help hip and kneereplacement patients at

Medical Center Hospital aspart of a new program tosupport patients during theprocess.

The Center for DiseaseControl reports that total

joint replacement proce-dures are projected to risefrom about 550,000 to al-most two million by 2030.

The program, which wasimplemented July 7, begins

when patients come in withhip or knee problems andJim Granbery, joint care co-ordinator at MCH, said thatdoctors will give patientsoptions for the procedureto replace the hip or knee.

Those who choose to goahead with the replacement

are given packets of infor-mation that include every-thing they can expect fromstart to finish in the pro-gram.

Granbery said that theyinform the patients howlong the procedure will

O N E S T E P AT A T I M E

MCH program aids hip, knee replacement patients

Support key in medical success

PAGE 2A

8970

➤➤

WEATHERPartly cloudy,

warmer.South windat 10 mph to 15 mph.

I N D E XABBY 11ACLASSIFIED 4BCOMICS 9BDEATHS 6AHEALTH 6AOPINION 4ASPORTS 1BTELEVISION 9AXWORD 11A,7B


EDITOR’S NOTE: This is thefinal part in our series thatfeatures the stories of veter-ans who are scheduled togo on the Texas PermianBasin Honor Flight on Sept.17.


When he was growingup in Colorado City,

Joseph Johnson said oneof the most importantthings that a young mancould do at the time wasserve in the military dur-ing World War II.

But as the war raged onin Europe and in the Pacific, he grew up work-ing on a farm, wanting toget away and join the mil-itary.


HONORED: Pfc. Joseph Johnson, 88‘Police soldier’ took part

in securing post-war KoreaWorld War IIveteranJosephJohnson andhis unit weretasked withbeing whathe called‘policesoldiers.’

COURTNEYSACCOODESSAAMERICAN

>> For thecomplaintagainst

Roupp, go to:tinyurl.com/

kpmkbkk

>> See REGISTRY Page 8A

PhysicalTherapyAssistantChristalSpanglerassists GlynnNew as hewalks downthe hallwayThursdayfollowingkneereplacementsurgery atMedicalCenterHospital. Newis a patient ina newhip/jointprogram thatemphasizescoaching thepatient sothey knowwhat toexpect andwhat to dofollowingsurgery toexpedite theirrecovery.


>> See JOHNSON Page 8A

>> See PROGRAM Page 8A

retiring while living inLittlefield. He said hemoved to Odessa aboutfive years ago to be closerto his children.

While taking the tripto Washington D.C., aspart of the inaugural Per-mian Basin Honor Flight,Johnson will be accompa-nied by his daughter She-bra Johnson, who is oneof his nine children.

He said he feels like hedidn’t have a great educa-tion because of workingon a farm in his youth,but Johnson said he wasproud of the fact that allof his children, and hisgrandchildren had fin-ished college or were inthe process of finishing.

“I wanted them to goand encouraged them togo,” he said.

Johnson has neverbeen to Washington D.C.,but said he is excited togo and see “everything hecan.” The plane is sched-uled to leave around

6 a.m. Sept. 17.“I think it’s going to be

a very exciting trip,” hesaid.

8A ODESSA AMERICAN L O C A L MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2014

consideration is more pop-ulation in the area alsomeans more potential vic-tims for sex offenders whogo on to reoffend.

Cpl. Steve LeSueur withthe Odessa Police Depart-ment said in an email thatOPD has 178 sex offendersregistered in city limits.

“Most citizens don’t real-ize how many sex offendersthat are actually here butmore importantly, theyaren’t aware where theylive,” LeSueur said in theemail. “A lot of citizens havesex offenders as theirneighbors and don’t evenrealize it. It is every citizen’sright to know where all sexoffenders are living.”

Search tools for findingsex offenders can be foundat the Texas Department ofPublic Safety website, in-

cluding spe-cific-addresssearch andzip codesearches.

R i c h a rdMann, theadult proba-tion directorfor EctorCounty, saidhe’s seen anincrease insex offenderswho are onp ro b a t i o ncome intothe county,as well.

Mann saidthey have 46registeredsex offendersin the de-p a r t m e n t ,with 36 ofthem beingt r a n s f e r sfrom out oftown.

“Prior tothe oilfieldboom it wasprobably justthe oppo-

site,” Mann said. “Eightypercent of local cases andthe other 20 percent trans-fer ins. That’s the reasonsthe numbers are skewedthe way they are now.”

Mann said the spike intransferred cases is not en-tirely due to the oilfield, butit plays a large part.

Despite the rise in regis-tered sex offenders, otherofficials have said they can’tconfirm an increase incases filed for failure to reg-ister that matches the in-crease in number ofoffenders.

Brent Sheets, a deputywith the U.S. Marshals, saidthey have seen an increasein federal failure to registercases in the Midland dis-trict, but not a large in-crease.

In the past year or sothey have filed an averageof one case a month,whereas previously it wasone every other month orfewer.

Sheets said it’s tough tojudge because they getfewer of the cases than stateagencies, but confirmedthere is a slow increase.

Federal cases can only befiled when a sex offenderregisters with an out-of-state agency, crosses statelines, and then fails to reg-ister in the new state.

Otherwise, if the of-fender fails to registerwithin the same state, itgoes to state court.

Ector County DistrictAttorney Bobby Bland saidhis office doesn’t have sta-tistics on the charge and hecouldn’t say whether therehas been an increase.

Registry>> From Page 1A

However, farmerscould have employeesavoid joining the servicethrough an II-C defer-ment, which means theywere necessary for farmlabor.

Johnson said he did notthat let that stop his then-18-year-old self.

“I wanted to go out onmy own, I wanted to go tothe Army,” Johnson said,saying he was originallyturned down by the re-cruiter in Colorado Citybefore going to a secondrecruiter. “I didn’t changemy name, but I changedmy birthday and thenthey put me in (the serv-ice).”

Leaving Texas in 1944,Johnson then went to FortMcClellan, Ala., for basictraining, then to FortChaffee, Ark., and then toCalifornia. From there,Johnson and his unit weresent to Korea.

Johnson and his unitnever saw any combat be-cause the war had alreadybeen over after Japan sur-rendered in August of1945.

Instead, Johnson andthe troops were taskedwith being what he called“police soldiers,” basi-cally keeping the peaceafter the war.

Johnson described thetime as mainly unevent-ful, as the people werenice and did not causemuch trouble for theserviceman. But therewas one incident that hesaid made him laugh a lit-tle after he encountered asecond lieutenant whowas fresh out of OfficerCadet School.

“We called them 90day wonders, which is a

lieutenant who went toschool for 90 days andcame out as an officer,”Johnson said.

During a snowstorm,Johnson said he was walking around when hewas stopped by an officer, whom he said hedid not see, and was chas-tised for not saluting him.When Johnson said hedid not see him, the offi-cer then wanted him todrop and “give him 40”pushups.

“I (had) to get awayfrom that … so I just tookoff and left him standingthere,” Johnson said, say-ing he never saw the offi-cer again.

Leaving the service in1947, Johnson then cameback to Texas and wentback to work on a farmbefore leaving to go totailor school and then tocleaning and pressingschool where he said washow he went to “make(his) kid’s living.”

Johnson would also goon to become a barberand then worked for thepost office before finally

Johnson>> From Page 1A

take, expectations, how tomanage pain, the rehabprocess as well as how tocarry on when they headhome.

Yet this new program hasan added twist to it. The pa-tients who have the electiveprocedure go to group ther-apy sessions together andhave a coach to keep themgoing when they leave.

“The main thing is pre-op teaching,” Granberysaid. “We teach them howto manage their pain, whatto expect during the processand make sure they are pre-pared when they go home.The goal is to make sure theyknow how to take care ofthemselves when they leavethe hospital. We want to seethese patients succeed.”

In groups the patientsenter the joint care centerfor rehabilitation and a littlefriendly competition.

“They can see others inthe same predicament asthey are working,”Granbery said. “It gives

them more incentive towork harder. It’s a littlefriendly competition.”

For John Newman, whorecently had an anterior hipreplacement, the processwas a little frightening tothink about.

“It is pretty scary, I didn’twant to do it but it is just acrossroad that you hopeyou get across,” Newmansaid while doing his exer-cises. “But the group thingis great, I have done the oneon one therapy thing beforeand it was pretty dull.”

Glynn New, who had aknee replacement and wasin therapy with Newman,had a similar reaction whenhe learned that rehabstarted so quickly.

“At first I thought theywere crazy,” Glynn said.“But that’s a good thing.They have to push you a lit-

tle bit. It is challengingthough.”

Glynn News’s wife,Trudy has been enlisted asthe home coach and saidthat she realizes the re-sponsibility that’s in the fu-ture.

“You realize you are re-sponsible for his progress,but maybe one day he willbe able to be my coach,”Trudy New said. “This class

has been really great for usand I’m not sure how theygot people out of the hospi-tal without it.”

Before the new program,Gandbery said the processused to take five to sevendays. However, that hasnow been cut to three days,start to finish.

“Studies show that ashorter period of time (inthe hospital) patient out-

comes and satisfaction aremuch higher,” Granberysaid.

All in all Granbery said ittakes about six to 12 weeksto return to normal activitiesbut the key for patients andin the new program is tokeep them active in rehab.

“You can’t just stop exer-cising when you go home,”Granbery said. “You have tocontinue to exercise.”

PhysicalTherapyAssistantChristalSpanglerworks withJohnNewman ashe doesexercises inthe grouptherapyroomfollowing hipreplacementsurgery atMedicalCenterHospital.


Program>> From Page 1A

>> For more infor-mation on the

Joint Care Center:tinyurl.com/lppjft4

Now you can have instant access to activeand passive seekers on your database andMonster’s. And you can create a targetedemail campaign with faster, automated responses to recruit more efficiently. Tolearn more, contact your recruitment expert at Basinjobs.com/Monster.

2101 West Wadley, Suite 16Midland, TX 79705 • (432) 682-5369

www.juliangold.com

BIOGRAPHY >> Name: Joseph Johnson.

>> Age: 88.

>> Occupation: retiredpresser, barber, and

postman.

>> Branch of military andrank: Army, private first

class.

>> Years of service: 1944through 1947.


>> Medals orcommendations: None

because he said he did notparticipate in combat.

>> Who will accompany youon the honor flight:

Daughter, Shebra Johnson.

‘Most citi-zens don’t

realizehow many

sex of-fendersthat areactuallyhere butmore im-portantly,

theyaren’tawarewhere

they live.’CPL.

STEVELESUEUR

Odessa PoliceDepartmentspokesman

WHAT IS THE HONORFLIGHT:

>> The inaugural PermianBasin Honor Flight that will

take veterans and theirguardians to Washington,

D.C., to visit the memorials inthe nation’s capital.

>> The flight will leavearound 6 a.m. Sept. 17 andwill return at a yet-to-be

determined time on Sept. 19.During the trip, the veteransand their guardians will visitthe World War II, Korean and

Vietnam memorials andArlington National Cemeteryand tour the U.S. House of

Representatives.

TO DONATE: >> Send donations to P.O. Box

52890, Midland, Texas,79710-2890 or call 432-210-

9338.

Protests spreadRallies against police brutality

nationwide. >> PAGE 5A

Golden goalPermian grad scores

game-winner for Texas Tech. >> SPORTS

TxDOT project MIDLAND A 5.5-mile

segment of Interstate20 in Midland Countywill get a facelift begin-ning Tuesday whenwork will begin to

resurfaceall fourlanes ofInter-

state 20 between High-way 349 and the Loop250 interchange.

This project has sev-eral ramps involvedand has been phasedinto four sections tominimize impact ontraffic and maximizeaccess to frontageroads.

During constructionthe speed limit will bereduced to 60 miles perhour.

Reece Albert wonthe project with a bidof $8,342,435.13.O N T H E N E T

>> www.txdot.gov

Farmers MarketMedical Center

Health System(MCHS) and WestTexas Food Bank havescheduled the OdessaFarmers Market from 9 a.m. to noon Sept. 13 atthe MCH campus on thecorner of Second Streetand Golder Avenue.

The farmers marketis a combination of pro-

duce,cook-ing

demonstrations, crafts,activities for kids, livemusic, health informa-tion and more.

Food and craft ven-dors are welcome.

To apply for a booth,email [email protected]. O N T H E N E T :

>> tinyurl.com/ofv89zp

Bowl for BreathThe Cystic Fibrosis

Foundation has sched-uled “Bowl for Breath”on Sept. 13 at DiamondLanes, 2208 E. EighthSt. Registration willbegin at 1 p.m. andbowling will kick off at1:30 p.m.

It will be a threegame event. Team entry

fee is$200 fora fourpersonteam.

This will include threegames of bowling, shoerental, and a T-shirt foreach team member.

Trophies and cashprizes will be awardedfor first, second andthird place. Amount ofcash prize is deter-mined by the number ofentries.

For more informa-tion, call 664-1923 or664-1575 or [email protected] [email protected] N T H E N E T

>> www.cff.org

QUICK hits



BAGHDAD Iraqi security forcesand Shi’ite militiamen on Sun-day broke a six-week siege im-posed by the Islamic Stateextremist group on the north-

ern Shi’ite Turkmen town ofAmirli, as a suicide bombingkilled 14 people in Anbar west-ern province, officials said.

Army spokesman Lt. Gen.Qassim al-Moussawi said theoperation started at dawn Sun-

day and the forces entered thetown shortly after midday.

Speaking live on state TV, al-Moussawi said the forces suf-fered “some causalities,” butdid not give a specific number.He said fighting was “still on-going to clear the surroundingvillages.”

Breaking the siege was a “bigachievement and an importantvictory” he said, for all involved:the Iraqi army, elite troops, Kur-dish fighters and Shi’ite militias.

Turkmen lawmaker FawziAkram al-Tarzi said they en-tered the town from two direc-tions and were distributing aidto residents.

About 15,000 Shi’ite Turk-mens were stranded in thefarming community, some 105miles north of Baghdad. Insteadof fleeing in the face of the Is-lamic State group’s rampageacross northern Iraq in June,the Shi’ite Turkmens stayed

T H E S C I E N C E G U Y

PAGE 2A

10073

➤➤

WEATHERSunny.

South wind at 5 mph

to 15 mph.

I N D E XABBY 9BCLASSIFIED 5BCOMICS 4BDEATHS 6AGOOD NEWS 2AOPINION 4ASPORTS 1BTELEVISION 9AXWORD 7B, 9B


EDITOR’S NOTE: This ispart of a continuing seriesthat will feature the storiesof veterans who are sched-uled to go on the TexasPermian Basin HonorFlight this month.


No way the Navywould allow the Whiteboys to serve together, ifthey knew. But you would

never guess they werebrothers just by looking atthem.

Seventeen-year-old JoeWhite looked like beanpole compared to Otis,who at 19, had the build ofan adult. Nobody asked.They never volunteered it.And so the two wound upon Okinawa together forthe duration of thatbloody invasion.

The Whites joined the


HONORED: Petty Officer Joe White, 88A farm boy follows

his brother to Okinawa

Joe Whiteserved in theU.S. Navy asanAmphibianduring WorldWar II in thePacific.

MARK STERKELODESSAAMERICAN>> See WHITE Page 8A

>> See IRAQ Page 8A


James Bolton used towork in the forensic sciencefield. He is now in a field

where he can put thatknowledge and experienceto use in a classroom set-ting.

Bolton is the new sci-ence department chair at

Odessa College. He hailsfrom Chicago but is notnew to Texas, as he did hisundergraduate work atWiley College in Marshall,located in East Texas.

At OC, he will overseethe science department andis tasked with developingnew courses in his area ofspecialization: forensic sci-ence.

“After finishing my Ph.D.,I was hired by Cornell

>> Science andmath building’sopening at OC:

tinyurl.com/qzf6zxn

Forensic science background put to use

New OC chair a heavy hitter

>> See BOLTON Page 7A

JamesBolton is thenew ScienceDepartmentchairman atOdessaCollege. Hewill beteachingbiology andanatomy andphysiologycourses.


MORE INSIDE>> Militantstake over

Libyanembassy:Page 5A.

Islamic State militants losetown of Amirli to Shi’ites

Iraqi forces break siege


432-682-2180


432-332-0519


432-263-6181

We Accept Care

Credit



INSTRUMENTS


$800 OFF


INSTRUMENT



FREE FREE

8A ODESSA AMERICAN O A O A . C O M MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2014

Navy out of high school inAnson, a town of a fewthousand north of Abi-lene, where they lived ona farm. Inspiration camefrom uncles who servedas sailors during WorldWar I.

But it was the physi-cally weaker and bookishJoe White who the Navyfound more suited formanning a boat.

His eyes weren’t goodenough for the submarineposting that he wanted,but commanders saw fit todesignate him thecoxswain of a HigginsBoat, the landing craftsused to ferry troopsashore — in White’s case,Marines of the PacificTheater.

His brother’s dutieswere more logistical, un-loading and loading sup-plies. But they were bothassigned to the 531 com-pany as so-called Amphib-ians.

The Battle of Okinawaon April 1, 1945, was theirfirst true combat opera-tion, after training stints inSan Diego, then Hawaii,and once deployed, Guamand Saipan. The initial in-vasion was calmer thananyone anticipated, andJoe White circled backagain and again bringingmore troops to the beachwithout getting fired upon.

Instead, White’s focuswas to make sure to ridethe surf to get Marines inas close as possible, joinedby three fellow sailors:two deck-hands and amotor-mate.

It was after the landings

that Americans began torealize the JapaneseArmy’s elaborate cave sys-tem mitigated impact ofthe air raids that madeway for the invasion.

The White brotherswould remain at the battleafter the island was de-clared secure the follow-ing June, preparing for theinvasion of Japan pre-vented by Fat Man andLittle Boy.

“The Japanese just did-n’t want to surrender to usat all,” remembers White,88, who survives hisbrother by 12 years. “Iguess they thought we’dbe real ugly to them.”

White and his boatpool of about 500 menslept on the beach takenby Marines. There werefive to a tent, with anearby bomb shelter forprotection during thetwice nightly air raids.

The brothers, like mostof their comrades, con-tracted malaria from themosquitoes. Their visitswere seldom, even thoughthey were stationed per-haps within a few miles ofeach other.

Most of the time duringthe Battle of Okinawa,they were in charge ofbringing in the suppliesthat powered the war.

The Navy would sufferthe most battle deaths inthe invasion, the bloodiestoperation of the Pacificcampaign. Primarily thosedeaths were fromKamikaze attacks.

Joe White says he sur-vived one, when one dayhe was signing off on aload of supplies aboard aship. Shrapnel gored anearby officer to death,and a piece lodged in

White’s leg.But he managed to

scramble off the ship andback aboard his boat.

The invasion had cutoff the Japanese food sup-ply, so soldiers and some-times civilians tried tosneak into the camp atnight to steal food, or tokill them. The sailors rotated on guard duty,placed apart by 40 yardsor more.

“The dark nights iswhen it was bad, prettyhard on your nerves,”White said. “You had noone with you, no one totalk with.”

And there were noises,all sorts of jungle animals.Sounds that could havebeen a Japanese soldier ora civilian. White said he issure he killed during thesepatrols, because some-times the Japanese sol-diers would set off tripwires that activated lights.So some he could see.Others, he said he is un-sure of.

Another time, a groupof five sailors saw Japan-ese soldiers retreat intothe forest, and they fol-lowed with their carbines.White said he hoppedover a log and right over aprone enemy soldier,saved only by an Ameri-can to his rear.

But White’s biggest fearwas that he would neverfind a woman and have afamily, dying instead as ateenager.

“I prayed to God: If youlet me out of this, I’mgoing to find myself a girland get married,” Whitesaid.

And when he finallygot out, after the atombombs prevented his boat

pool from invading themain island of Japan andafter another year of occu-pation duty, White re-turned with his brother toAnson. They were bothpetty officers.

Surviving the war withhis brother left them withsomeone close to workthrough the mentaltrauma of it all, Whitesaid.

“You have to learn tolive with it,” White said.“That’s part of life. Someof your friends are goingto get killed. War is prettytough on you.”

It took a couple of yearsto recover from themalaria too. His firstFourth of July after return-ing, White passed out dur-ing a rodeo, again andagain.

But he made good onhis promise to marrywhen he found Doris AnnPittman, still in highschool. Together they hadthree children, 10 grand-kids and five great grand-kids.

White’s first job as acivilian was in a carpetshop until a car-dealingbusiness drew him toMidland in 1960 and thenOdessa two years later.

He would spend 30years running a Lincoln-Mercury dealership inOdessa before selling thecompany. But he nevercompletely retired, stillrunning a carpet bindingshop out of his home ineast Odessa.

White’s son David, apilot, will travel with hisfather to Washington D.C.in September. Joe Whitecalled it a “fun deal,” hisfirst trip to the Capitolsince the 1950s.

Otis died in 2002.The brothers both got

Bronze Stars for serviceon Okinawa, but not untila few years ago did theirfamily know the realitybehind the medals.

Instead they heard fun-nier stories, resemblingthe Steven Sondheim mu-sical even though theywere true. Like the oneabout how White and hisfellow sailors on Okinawasecured showers forthemselves after a year ofbathing in the grimyocean.

In short, they tradedbeer for them, after hoard-ing their two-beer a dayrations toward the end ofthe invasion to barter withofficers who had thepower to install gas-pow-ered showers overnight.

“They couldn’t turndown 500 cases of beer,”White said. “Who could,when it was just a day’swork?”

Then, so the story goes,some 1,700 fellow sailorsarrived from America toprepare for the invasion ofJapan and balked whenthe veterans refused to letthem use their hard-wonshowers. Argument gaveway to a full-blown rum-ble.

“I guess that was thelargest gang fight that everhappened in the history ofthe world!” White said.

A lieutenant mistaken

for an enlistee suffered abeating in the melee andwrote up White’s boatpool en masse. He saysthey responded with a pe-tition/threat against thelieutenant and sent it tothe commanding officer,who removed the lieu-tenant in lieu of a courtmartial against the sailors.

In the stories like thisthat White told his loved-ones, he skipped over thekillings during island pa-trols, the suffering frommalaria and the grief andfear he felt seeing fellowsailors die.

But a few years ago, hejust opened up and theWhites are thankful for it.

“I’m glad for our grand-children to have all ofthat,” Doris Ann said. “Be-cause it makes that warreal for them.”

White>> From Page 1A

BIOGRAPHY>> Name: Joe White.

>> Age: 88.

>> How long in Odessa:Since 1962.

>> Occupation: Owns acarpet binding business.

>> Branch of military andrank: Petty Officer, U.S.

Navy.

>> Years of service:Summer 1944 to winter

1946.


>> Medals orcommendations: Bronze

Star.

>> Who will accompanyyou on the honor flight:

Son, David White.

>> Previous storyon Joe White

Carpet Binding:tinyurl.com/p8twqyh

and fortified their townwith trenches and armedpositions.

Residents fended off theinitial attack in June, butAmirli has been sur-rounded by the militantssince mid-July. Many resi-

dents said the Iraqi mili-tary’s efforts to fly in food,water and other aid had notbeen enough, as they en-dured the oppressive Au-gust heat with virtually noelectricity or running water.

Nihad al-Bayati, who hadtaken up arms with fellowresidents to defend thetown, said some army unitshad already entered while

the Shi’ite militiamen werestationed in the outskirts.He said residents had firedinto the air to celebrate thearrival of the troops.

“We thank God for thisvictory over terrorists,” al-Bayati told The AssociatedPress by phone from theoutskirts of Amirli. “Thepeople of Amirli are veryhappy to see that their or-

deal is over and that the ter-rorists are being defeatedby Iraqi forces. It is a greatday in our life.”

State TV stopped regularprograms and started airingpatriotic songs followingthe victory announcement,praising the country’s secu-rity forces. They have beenfighting the militants forweeks without achieving

significant progress on theground.

On Saturday, the U.S.conducted airstrikes againstthe Sunni militants and air-dropped humanitarian aidto residents. Aircraft fromAustralia, France andBritain joined the U.S. in theaid drop, which came aftera request from the Iraqigovernment. The U.S. Cen-

tral Command said anotherairstrike on Sunday dam-aged a tank used by IslamicState fighters.

The Pentagon’s presssecretary, Rear Adm. JohnKirby, said military opera-tions would be limited inscope and duration asneeded to address thehumanitarian crisis inAmirli.

Iraq>> From Page 1A

James Garner diesTV legend, 86, known for rolein ‘Maverick.’ >> PAGE 8A

Never in doubtMcIlroy hoists coveted

Claret Jug. >> SPORTS

Gloriously funny!Catechism classes

are never as much fun— or as hilarious — aswhen they are led bySister in the interna-tional hit comedy “LateNite Catechism,” whichis coming to the WagnerNoël Performing ArtsCenter at 8 p.m. Aug. 1.

During the play, theirrepressible Sisterteaches an adult cate-chism class to a room-ful of “students” (theaudience). Over thecourse of the play, Sistergoes from benevolentinstructor, rewardingthe “students” for cor-rect answers with glow-in-the-dark rosaries andlaminated saint cards,to authoritative drillsergeant.

Tickets range from$25-$35 and are avail-able at the Wagner Noëlbox office from noon to5 p.m. Monday throughFriday. O N T H E N E T

>> latenitecatechism.info

Talent SearchThe Semi-Finals and

the Finals of the 6th An-nualWestTexas

Talent Search is sched-uled for Saturday inDeaderick Hall atOdessa College. Con-testants represent a di-verse range of age andbackgrounds. There are34 semifinalist fromnine West Texas coun-ties that make up the2014 class of perform-ers.

The semifinals beginat 2 p.m. with the popand rock vocal and spo-ken word semifinals.The country/soul vocaland dance semifinalsbegin at 4 p.m. At 8 p.m.the semifinalists willcompete for the topprice, $3,500 in cash andprizes and the chancefor two adult vocaliststo represent West Texasin the National TalenQuest Contest inLaughlin, Nev. Ticketsare $10 for adults. Formore information call432-978-7405. O N T H E N E T

>> WestTexasTalent.com

Mortuary ownercharged

FORT WORTH The co-owner of a Texas mor-tuary where eightdecaying bodies werefound has turned him-self into police.

The Fort Worth StarTelegram reports Sun-day that 39-year-oldDondre Johnson had jailset at $10,500 after hewas processed throughthe Tarrant County Jailearly Saturday.

Johnson’s wife, 35-year-old RachelHardy-Johnson, was ar-rested Friday at her Ar-lington home on sevenwarrants.

Both are accused oftreating in “an offensivemanner” the remains ofseven of the eight bod-ies found Tuesday in-side the Johnson FamilyMortuary.

Hardy-Johnson wasreleased later Fridayfrom jail after sheposted bail.

QUICK hits

PAGE 2A

9975

➤➤

Caleb Carroll, Reagan


Windssoutheast at 10 mph to 15 mph.

I N D E XCLASSIFIED 5BCOMICS 9ADEATHS 7AHEALTH 7ALEVI STONE 7AOPINION 4ASPORTS 1BTELEVISION 8AXWORD 11A,7B

C O M I N G T H U R S D AY

Back in timeFollow Midland writer BillModisett to the past in hiscolumn that highlights thecolorful places and people

that make West Texas what itis. See it on Page2Read.

>> FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS


Iva Hodges decided tochange careers and become ateacher.

A teacher certification pro-gram at the University of Texasof the Permian Basin allows her

to fast track her way into theclassroom.

Hodges, 34, of Odessa, astore manager at Lane Bryantclothing store in Midland, isworking on obtaining herteacher certification throughUTPB to teach English on thesecondary level.

After graduating from UTPBin 2002 with a degree in politi-cal science and a minor in soci-ology, Hodges worked in theretail world and did a stint atCoca Cola.

“I love to read and write andI enjoy helping people figureout how to accomplish differentthings,” said Hodges, an OdessaHigh School graduate.

Hodges enrolled in the sum-mer teacher certificationcourse at UTPB — from June toAugust — and hopes to have ajob this fall in a local school dis-

trict. While working at herteaching job with a probation-ary teaching certificate this fall,she would continue to climb to-ward getting a full teaching cer-tification, which she wouldobtain in the spring.

The fast track method of re-ceiving teacher certificationmeets state guidelines, she said.

A UTPB release stated thecurriculum of online classes en-ables students to enter the pro-gram at five intervals during theyear: late August, October,

UTPB offers alternativecertification program

Fast track to education


This is the case for pa-tients at Medical CenterHospital, who now have theability to look at their med-ical records online.

There are several itemsthat can be found on MyMCHRecords.com includ-

ing medication lists, recentprocedures, patients canalso contact doctorsthrough the new system,send them notes, requestand cancel appointments,request lab and test results,medication refills, as wellas request referrals.

The records system isavailable to every patient

who visits MCH and thesign up is free.

Junior Volunteers at thehospital walk them throughthe sign up process andwhat they can expect withthe new online system.

Shanidy Hough, directorof project management atMCH said that each ofthese items of informationgive the patient an edge intheir health care becausethey are more involved andmore knowledgeable whichis the goal of the entire sys-tem.

“I think that the patient’sbiggest advocate is them-selves,” Hough said aboutthe upside of the system.“The more they knowabout what’s going on withtheir health the more con-fident and educated thecan become about it.”

Hough said that the newsystem serves as a conven-ient and secure way for pa-tients to get their medicalinformation online and willinclude a vast amount of in-formation previously un-available to patients unless

they come to the hospital.MyMCHRecords began

in May of 2014 and Houghsaid there are already 800people signed up for thefree service and so far, pa-tients seem to like it.

“I think it is nice andconvenient for our patientsbecause now they don’thave to come up to the hos-pital just to get theirrecords,” Hough said.“They seem to really like itso far. It keeps all the infor-mation in one place and

S I G N I N G U P

MCH juniorvolunteerPamelaTerrazasFridayafternoonsigns uppatient PaulaRicoGutierrez to MyMCHRecords, an onlinerecordssystem.


Technology allows easieraccess to health care files

MCH pushes online records system

MONDAY, JULY 21, 2014 facebook.com/OdessaAmerican oaoa.com twitter.com/OdessaAmerican 75 CENTS



D.H. Livingston was apart of the invasion of Ok-inawa during World WarII, but his role was differ-ent than those serving onland.

Instead, as a member ofthe U.S. Navy, Livingstonwas a member of theU.S.S. Sangay, a ammuni-tions ship that was responsible for resupply-ing the rest of the shipsin battle when they ran

out of ammo. The ship’s name itself

was named after the San-gay volcano in Ecuador,tongue-in-check referenceof what would happen ifan ammunitions ship wasever hit by enemy fire.

That never happenedthough, as Livingston saidthey were usually accom-panied by two other shipsto protect them from anyharm.

“We weren’t closeenough to see the actualshelling,” Livingston said.

“We were a floating am-munition dump.”

While on the ship, Liv-ingston was tasked withworking in the engineroom, which he saidchanged from diesel-pow-ered engines to steam be-fore he left the service.

HONORED: D.H. Livingston, 87On a ship during the invasion of Okinawa

>> Honor Flight:permian

honorflight.org

>> See LIVINGSTON Page 12A


World War II Veteran D.H. Livingston sits Tuesday at hishome in Midland. Livingston will fly with other veterans in thePermian Basin Honor Flight to Washington D.C.

>> MyMCH-Records:

tinyurl.com/lers6wa

>> Fast Trackto Teaching

at UTPB: tinyurl.com/

o5ajg7p

>> See UTPB Page 6A

>> See MCH Page 12A

C O M I N G W E D N E S D AY

Kung pao porkAre looking for a crazy

delicious, weeknight-friendlyrecipe that is so easy that you

can have it on the table in 20 minutes? Check out this

recipe on the Food page.

How Livingston joinedthe service started rightbefore he graduated highschool.

Born in Roby, Texas, in1926, Livingston said hisname, D.H., came fromtwo men his father used toknow — Derwood andHampton — but does notfully spell out the twonames. Instead, his familydecided to just go with ini-tials.

“That name caused mea lot of problems in themilitary because in themilitary, you got a firstname and middle initialand when I signed myname, I had to write ‘I.O.,’which stood for ‘initialsonly,’ ” Livingston said.

When he was in secondgrade, Livingston said heand his family moved toMidland County, where hesaid his grandparents set-tled when the county wasfirst founded. He thenwent to school in Green-wood before graduatingfrom Midland HighSchool.

It was during his senioryear when Livingston saidhe decided to enlist in theNavy rather than bedrafted and end up some-where else. Once heturned 18 years old, Liv-ingston went to do basictraining in San Diego.

While serving in themilitary, Livingston pickedup many different jobs —and tattoos.

On his right arm is a listof all the islands in the Pa-cific he visited while in theNavy, and on his shoulder

is a pirate ship sailingunder the moon.

But the most importantthing he found wasPeggy, the womanwho married him in1950 after they metat church in Vallejo,Calif., after being in-troduced. Theywould go on to havethree sons, some-thing Peggy jokesshe “wouldn’t wishon anyone.”

After spendingseven years with the Navy,Livingston said he decidedit was time to move on,adding the six weeks awayand then four weeks homewas not a great way toraise a family.

So moving back to Mid-land in 1952, Livingston

worked as a farmer before moving to Odessato work for the Odessa Police Department as atraffic investigator.

“When I wasn’t investi-gating an accident, I waswatching traffic usingradar,” he said.

Then, in 1968, Liv-ingston and his family

moved back to Mid-land when he took ajob as a claims acci-dent investigator forFlorey Insurance. Atthe age of 62, Liv-ingston retired andworked as an inde-pendent claims acci-dent investigator.

Now, Livingstonspends most of histime taking walkswhere he records

how far he walks and howmuch change he haspicked up during the years.According to his records,Livingston has collectedmore than $500.

On the trip, Livingstonwill be accompanied by hisoldest son Russell, who

himself is a Navy veteran. When asked about his

time in the service, Liv-ingston said he did nothave any regrets about

the path he took. “If I had to go and do it

over again, I would havestayed in the Navy,” hesaid.

12A ODESSA AMERICAN L O C A L MONDAY, JULY 21, 2014

provides a convenient way to keeptrack of everything.”

This is exactly why Paula RicoGutierrez decided to sign herselfand her three children up for thenew service.

“I like it because now I cancheck my children’s records all atone time,” Gutierrez said. “I thinkthis is going to be a great programfor our family.”

Junior Volunteers Ashika An-girekula and Pamela Terrazas havesaid that this is a common reac-tion from the patients they haveexplained the program to andsigned up.

“The majority of the patientswe talk to seem nervous about itat first,” Terrazas said. “But whenyou explain it to them they are

more comfortable with it.”Angirekula said that younger

patients have responded andsigned up while the older patientshave been a little hesitant.

“A lot of the younger patientsseem really excited about it,” An-girekula said. “The older patientsaren’t always excited about itthough because of the computerlimitations they have.”

While age has made a differ-ence, Hough said that the onlineprogram was a natural next steptrending in the market of healthcare services.

“I think the marketplace isheading towards making thingsmore transparent, it is a trend weare seeing,” Hough said. “Thisgives them more access and keepsthem engaged in their own healthcare. It is all about education andempowering patients to see howthey can affect their own health.”

Livingston>> From Page 1A

MCH>> From Page 1A

BIOGRAPHY>> Name: D.H. Livingston.

>> Age: 87.

>> How long in West Texas:Moved to Midland County insecond-grade, came back

to Midland in 1952.

>> Occupation: Farmer,Odessa Police officer,

claims agent.

>> Branch of military andrank: Navy, petty officer.



>> Medals orcommendations: None that

he can remember.

>> Who will accompany youon the honor flight? Russell

Livingston, son.

D.H.Livingstonshows ahand-drawnportrait hehad made inMexico in1947 duringan interviewlast Tuesdayat his homein Midland.

EDYTABLASZCZYKODESSAAMERICAN

‘The olderpatientsaren’t always excitedabout itthough

because ofthe com-

puter limi-tations

they have.’ASHIKA

ANGIRE-KULA

Junior Volunteer

WHAT IS THE HONOR FLIGHT?

>> The inaugural PermianBasin Honor Flight willtake veterans and their

guardians to Washington,D.C., to visit the memorials

in the nation’s capital.

>> The flight will leavearound 6 a.m. Sept. 17 andwill return at a yet-to-bedetermined time on Sept.

19. During the trip, theveterans and their

guardians will visit theWorld War II, Korean andVietnam memorials and

Arlington NationalCemetery and tour the U.S.House of Representatives.

MOREINSIDE

>> Nation’soldest femaleveteran, fromSan Antonio,will also takeHonor Flight:

Page 10A

(NAPS)—Like manyAmericans, you mayspend hours at the gym,choose all the right foodsand think you’re in peakhealth—but you could bemissing a vital part of theequation.If you’re not sleepingseven to nine hours eachnight, you’re unlikely toachieve optimal health,according to the NationalHealthy Sleep AwarenessProject, a collaborationof the American Acad-emy of Sleep Medicine(AASM), Centers forDisease Control and Pre-vention (CDC) and SleepResearch Society (SRS).The group aims to pro-mote awareness of thedangers of chronic sleeploss and untreated sleepillness to encouragemeasurable behaviorchanges. “The urgency of ourmessage cannot be over-stated: Sleep is a neces-sity, not a luxury and thepursuit of healthy sleepshould be one of our toppriorities,” says Dr.Safwan Badr, nationalspokesperson for theHealthy Sleep project.“Sufficient sleep is oneof the three pillars of ahealthy life style—as im-portant as good nutritionand regular exercise.”

CDC data indicate that28 percent of U.S. adultssleep six hours or less ina 24-hour period. Poorsleep increases the riskof physical and mentalhealth problems, mortal-ity, accidents, injuriesand disability.“Poor sleep has a cumu-lative impact on nearlyevery key indicator ofpublic health, includingobesity, hypertensionand diabetes,” says JanetB. Croft, PhD, seniorchronic disease epidemi-ologist in CDC’s Divisionof Population Health.

“Healthy sleep is a vitalsign of good health.” How do you know ifyou’re getting enoughsleep? The Healthy Sleepproject recommendsthese tips:Quantity: Get seven tonine hours of sleep eachnight. Most adults needat least seven hours ofnightly sleep for optimalhealth and productivity.Set a regular bedtimethat is early enough foryou to get a full night ofsleep. A recent CDCstudy linked too littlesleep (six hours or less)

with chronic diseases—including coronary heartdisease, diabetes, anxietyand obesity. Quality: Ensure that thequality of your sleep isgood. Avoid anythingthat can lead to fitful, in-terrupted sleep.“It’s important to under-stand that both the qual-ity and quantity of sleepaffect your health,” saidSRS President JanetMullington, PhD. “Alco-hol, caffeine and somemedications can leaveyou tossing, turning andwaking up feeling unre-

freshed despite enoughtime in bed.”Timing: Follow a consis-tent schedule. Your bodysleeps best at night,when it’s dark, and func-tions best when you keepa regular bedtime. Try togo to bed at the sametime each night and wakeup at the same timeevery morning—even onweekends. Health: Seek help foryour sleep problems.Can’t stop snoring? Be-sides being a nuisance toyour bed partner, loudand frequent snoring canbe a warning sign for ob-structive sleep apnea(OSA). OSA is a danger-ous, potentially life-threatening diseasecharacterized byepisodes of complete orpartial airway ob struc-tion during sleep. Atleast 25 million adults in

the U.S. have OSA andtreatment could meanbetter sleep and im-proved health. “Millions of people havean untreated sleep illnessthat prevents them fromgetting the best sleep,”says Badr. “Treating asleep problem can belife-changing, helpingyou to be healthier andhappier.”If you have difficultyfalling or staying asleepor wake up feeling ex-hausted, speak with aboard-certified sleepmedicine physician, whohas the training and ex-pertise to diagnose andtreat sleep illness. For more information orto find a nearby sleepspecialist at an AASM-accredited sleep center,visit www.sleepeduca-tion.org/healthy sleep.

Getting Enough Sleep Is As Critical To Overall Health As Diet And Exercise

You’ll not only wake up feeling refreshed after a good night’s sleep,you may well be in better health.

Maintaining orderSix arrested in the death of

Palestinian teen. >> PAGE 7A

Big winnerDjokovic beats Federer for

Wimbledon title. >> SPORTS

Bond set inweekend death

Bond has been setfor a Gardendale manwho is accused ofkilling his wife overthe weekend.

Danny MarioMunguia, 4081Camelia Drive, was

being heldSunday atthe EctorCountyDetentionCenter ona $200,000

bond.Ector County Sher-

iff’s deputies went outto Munguia’s residencearound 10:20 a.m. Fri-day for an unattendeddeath and foundAlexandra AnnKennedy, 22, dead, anews release stated.Munguia, 29, made theinitial call to 9-1-1 andlater confessed to as-saulting Kennedy, therelease stated.

Munguia wascharged with murderand the investigation isstill ongoing.O N T H E N E T

>> tinyurl.com/pehk5u3

Bike MSfundraiser

The Bike MS: Cactus& Crude Ride 2014,presented by Apache,gets rolling July 19-20.The ride starts in Mid-land and travels to BigSpring for an overnight

cele-bra-tion attheSouth

West Collegiate Insti-tute for the Deaf. Onthe second day of theride, cyclists will headto Post to cross the fin-ish line.

Proceeds will sup-port multiple sclerosisresearch and programsand services that di-rectly impact individu-als and families livingwith the disease.

Registration is $25per person until July 19.Registered cyclists arerequired to commit to aminimum fundraisingpledge of $250. O N T H E N E T

>> tinyurl.com/lq2jgn7

Tuition slashedHOBBS, N.M. To help

working students whowant to take classes butcannot attend college

during theday, NewMexicoJunior Col-lege has re-ducedtuition for

evening courses to halfprice.

This special tuitionpricing is for coursesafter 5 p.m. beginningthis fall.

In addition, moreclasses will be offeredin the evening, includ-ing new businesscourses for studentswho want to improvebusiness knowledge.

For more informa-tion, email [email protected] or call 575-492-2781. O N T H E N E T

>> nmjc.edu

QUICK hits

PAGE 2A

9568

➤➤

Francisco Franco, Reagan

WEATHERSunny with

south wind at10 mph to 15 mph.

I N D E XCLASSIFIED 6BCOMICS 5ACROSSWORD11A,8BDEATHS 8AETC. 11AOPINION 4ASPORTS 1BSTONE 8ATELEVISION 9A


No leaves hereSkip the leafy greens with thisinteresting salad, which usesavocado, asparagus, green

beans and zucchini withmanchego cheese topping. For

more see the Food Page.

C O M I N G T H U R S D AY

Back in timeFollow Midland writer BillModisett to the past in hiscolumn that highlights thecolorful places and people that make West Texas what

it is on Page2Read.




While most of Odessa wasgetting their fireworks displaystogether, or grilling on the bar-beque, 10 men from First Bap-tist Church spent their day alittle differently.

Equipped with wood, shin-gles, tool belts, these men set out on a hot summer day to make the fourth of July just that much more special

for a woman in need.The story begins with the

Rev. Roy Chester Gentry. TheRev. Gentry grew up and wentto school in Odessa and be-came pastor of Bethel BaptistChurch in 1975.

The Rev. Gentry gave 38years of his life serving thecommunity until he had astroke and died on Feb.1, 2013.But because of the many liveshe reached out to during his

Church goers set out to assistfamily in need of new roof

Helping hands on July Fourth

K E E P I N G T H E S U P P L I E S C L E A N

LeadinstrumenttechnicianMikeRodriquezWednesdaydecontami-nates surgicalinstrumentsin the MedicalCenterHospital’ssterilizationprocessingroom.




Malcolm Manns said herecalls being ready to gooverseas to do whateverUncle Sam wanted duringWorld War II.

But Manns, who servedin the U.S. Navy as a sig-nalman second class,stayed stateside andworked in several capaci-ties. Manns’ experienceshows everyone in themilitary service during theGreat War had a role to

defeat the Axis powers,including those stationedon the homefront.

“Everybody was readyto go back in those days …I won’t say everybody, butmost of them,” he saidabout service people get-ting orders to go overseas.“I’ve seen grown men crybecause they were rated 4-F and they couldn’t go.Everybody who was of agewanted to go back then.”

S H I P P I N G O U TManns, 88, lives in

Odessa and is retired.Born in Strawn, he gradu-ated from Mineral WellsHigh School in 1943 andjoined the Navy in 1944.

“I finished high schoolin ’43 and went a half yearto John Tarleton (Agricul-tural) College and I quit

HONORED: Malcolm Manns, 88 Veteran recalls Truman dropping ‘big one’


Most people don’t knowit even exists, or they have agrand vision that all surgi-cal instruments are sentinto a giant dishwasher, for

lack of a better term, to becleaned and sent back outto doctors and surgeons.

But the sterilizationroom is very real and can bethe first and last line of de-fense when it comes to pa-tients being operated on.

Medical Center Hospitalhas made an upgrade in thisdepartment allowing themto provide better care forpeople coming in for surgi-cal procedures and check-ups.

With a number of newhigh-tech machines andmore room to operate, theunknown departmentwithin the hospital now hasthe opportunity to increase

output and provide a morethorough cleaning of surgi-cal instruments, which canpossibly save someone’s lifeaccording to DavidWilliams, director of sterileprocessing and surgerysupply.

“With this new, biggerspace, we are able toprocess a wide variety ofitems at one time,”Williams said. “It saves us

time to get more instru-ments sterilized, but it alsohelps us get these instru-ments back to the surgeonsand doctors and helps themsave lives. We are the heartof the hospital, the first andlast line of defense.”

Although you cannot seeit, sterile processing is avital part of the daily effi-ciency within a hospital,

The first and last line of defense

>> See HELP Page 9A

>> See MCH Page 10A


honorflight.org

>> CDCsterilizationGuidelines:tinyurl.com/

kqo5zmv

>> See VETERAN Page 10A

COURTNEY SACCO|AP

World War II veteran Malcolm Manns, who will be going onthe Permian Basin honor flight, discusses his experience in hisOdessa home recently.

COURTNEY SACCO|ODESSA AMERICAN

First Baptist Church member Ellis Fulton along with other memberswork to replace the roof of the widow of Rev. Roy Gentry.

MCH moves into new sterilization room

>> The Rev.Roy Gentry

remembered:tinyurl.com/

la4r848

and went to the Navy justbefore my birthday when Iwas 18,” Manns said.

He first went to CampWallace, near Houston,and spent nine weeks andfour days there for bootcamp.

From there, he went tosignalman’s school at theUnited States Naval Train-ing Station in New YorkState (what eventually be-came Sampson Air ForceBase), and then fromthere, he went to FortPierce, Fla., for amphibi-ous training.

“And that’s when goodol’ Harry Truman droppedthe big one, and we wereall thankful,” he said. “Ididn’t have a real excitingcareer, but I was there.”

After Fort Pierce, hewent to Tampa and Miamiand then he aboard theship U.S.S. Fowler. He wason board the ship for sevenmonths. He left the Navyin June 1946 and was in theservice for 25 months.

“I enjoyed it,” he saidabout his experience in theNavy. “At the time, Ithought, boy, I’ll be glad toget out here and do what Iwant, but it didn’t work outthat way.”

He said the lastingmemory from being in theNavy, from the last monthshe was in the service, waschipping paint off shipsand repainting them.

“They put them inmothballs, and the last Isaw there must have been100 ships down there inGreen Cove Springs, Fla.,”he said.

After the Navy, he wentback to Strawn and thenwent to Hardin College(now Midwestern StateUniversity) in WichitaFalls.

“And then I came outhere in 1949 — Nov. 13 —and went to work,” he said.

He didn’t finish his de-gree. He married in 1947and he and his wife, VelmaDean, had a child in 1948.He needed to go to work,so he didn’t finish college.

Upon arrival here, heworked for Forest Oil Cor-

poration, where he was anengineer technician.

“I started at the bottomand worked my way up,”he said.

Manns retired from thecompany in 1986. Hecalled Forest Oil a “greatcompany to work for.”After retirement, he play edtennis until he was 65 andnow he plays golf and has awoodworking shop.

He and wife VelmaDean had two daughters:

Nancye and Patricia.Velma Dean died in 1987.She was from WichitaFalls, and Malcolm met herin college.

“If it hadn’t been for me,she would have failedchemistry,” Malcolm joked.

Nancye, who lives inGrand Saline, turns 66 thisyear. Patricia died fromcancer several years ago.Manns has six grandchil-dren and six great-grand-children.

B O U N D F O R T H E N A T I O N ’ S C A P I T A L

“I am ready to go,”Manns said about theHonor Flight trip. “I justhope nothing happens be-tween now and then. Iwished it had been earlier.”

A friend, Ellis Norwoodof Odessa, will accompanyManns on the trip. Mannshas never been to Wash-ington, D.C.

Manns was in the hospi-tal in January and Nor-

wood visited Manns everyday after he got out of thehospital.

“He’s a good friend,”Manns said.

Norwood, 90, said he is“thrilled to death” to go toWashington, D.C., for theHonor Flight. He hasn’tbeen able to play golf withManns in two years be-cause of physical prob-lems but said he andManns still spend time to-gether.

“He’s just a great guy,”Norwood said.

Manns never went intobattle and said he doesn’tsee himself as a hero. Heappreciates the memorialthat has been done for theWorld War II veterans.

“I think it’s great, I thinkthey deserved it — espe-cially the ones who gotkilled,” Mann said aboutthe memorial.

“It’s a big thrill for me,”he said about seeing thememorial. “I’ve neverseen any of that stuff. I’veread a lot about it andseen it in films andmovies and things, butI’ve never been there.”

10A ODESSA AMERICAN L O C A L & S T A T E MONDAY, JULY 7, 2014

Williams said and thanks to the newsterilization room and equipment,that work is said to increase in thefuture.

“The hospital decided to do thisbecause of the demand we haveseen but there is also the expecta-tion,” Tiffany Harston, MCHspokeswoman said. So to keep up,MCH set out on a $2,500,000 reno-vation process to give the specialistsadded space to work.

The old sterile processing unit atMCH was about 2,276 square feet,and Williams said the new 3,374square feet room has given them theability to increase their work output.

“Turnover times were longer inthe old space but now, in this newroom, it is cut in half,” Williams said.“Space wise we have more room andwe can produce double the work.”

According to Williams, the newroom couldn’t have come at a bettertime as the number of instrumentsand demand has increased since hestarted at the hospital.

“When I started we were doingabout 5,000 trays of instruments amonth, but that has increased to6,000 per month and that is in justone month’s time plus it is still in-creasing,” Williams said.

James Campbell, a certified leadinstrument technician, has seen theincrease first hand and said that thenew space and equipment has theability to benefit a large number ofpeople.

“With the added space and newtechnology it enables us to runtwice as much, but we stay prettybusy around here,” Campbell said.“Since moving into this new de-partment it is so much better be-cause we can sterilize a highvolume of instruments at a timeand it is really beneficial to the en-tire community.”

Campbell also said that in thenew department things are cleanerand more efficient which can meanthe difference between saving a lifeor not.

“We have to be able to pullequipment and get it out of here assoon as the doctors and surgeonsneed it without even thinking aboutit,” Campbell said “So the fact thatthis new department allows us toget a higher volume (of instru-ments) out, the better care we canprovide patients and assist doctorsin procedures.”

Despite being what Williamscalls the ‘underdog’ of medical care,he still comes to work every day,takes a shower, uses a special bath,and then scrubs up before he canenter the department to ensure thatthese instruments are through thesterilization process and readywhen called upon.

“We work from behind thescenes and most people don’t knowwe are here but without this de-partment and these technicians thishospital cannot function, so wehave to be ready to provide what-ever is needed to ensure that pa-tients get the proper care at amoment’s notice,” Williams said.

MCH>> From Page 1A

Veteran>> From Page 1A

BIOGRAPHY>> Name: Malcolm Manns.

>> Age: 88.>> How long in Odessa:

Since 1949.>> Occupation: Retired engi-neer technician from Forest

Oil Corporation.>> Branch of military

and rank: Signalman SecondClass in U.S. Navy.

>> Years of service: 1944-1946.>> What theater: Did not getshipped out, because the war

ended.>> Who will accompany youon the honor flight? FellowHonor Flight veteran Ellis

Norwood.

SignalmanSecondClassMalcolmMannsworks theflags duringWorld War II.

COURTESYPHOTO


SAN ANTOINIO A San Anto-nio police report indicates apizza delivery man strug-

gled with someone trying tosteal his car before sufferinga fatal head injury afterbeing pinned between hiscar and a parked car. The

San Antonio Express-Newsreports that William JamesO’Neill was taken to a hospi-tal where he was pro-nounced dead Wednesday.

San Antonio pizza delivery man killed‘We haveto be able

to pullequipmentand get it

out ofhere assoon asthe doc-tors andsurgeonsneed itwithout

eventhinkingabout it.’

JAMESCAMP-BELL

Certified leadinstrumenttechnician

(NAPS)—There’s goodnews for women over 40:As of 2014, insurancecompanies are requiredby law to cover annualmammograms in full,with no co-pay. Unfortu-nately, 3D mammo-grams—an advancedtechnology that has beenshown to detect cancersearlier than a traditionalone—often are not cov-ered by insurance com-panies.

One of the newest waysto screen for cancer, 3Dmammography lets thedoctor see through layersof breast tissue muchmore clearly, for a moreaccurate exam and fewerfalse alarms.

The problem, as manywomen have discoveredto their disappointment,is that many insurancecompanies do not pro-vide payment for thislifesaving technology.The earlier breast canceris detected, the better thechance for successfultreatment. Consideringthat one in eight Ameri-can women can expect todevelop breast cancer atsome point in her life, ac-cess to the best screen-ing technology for earlydetection is critical.

How It WorksFor the patient, having

a 3D mammogram isnearly identical to havinga traditional mammo-gram.

The difference is inhow the images are cap-tured and dis- played togive doctors more accu-rate information. Read-ing a 3D mammogram isa little like reading abook. If you look down atthe cover, you cannot seeindividual pages. How-ever, when you open itup, you can go throughthe entire book page bypage to see everything in

between the covers.Using 3D mammography,doctors can look at dif-ferent layers of breasttissue, much like lookingat individual pages in abook. This helps themfind cancers that mightbe hidden behind normaltissue. Clinical studieshave shown that 3Dmammography can findcancers earlier, espe-cially invasive tumorsthat can be lethal. Whencancers are found whilethey are still small, theyare easier and less ex-pensive to treat. Anotherplus: There are fewer

false positives with 3Dmammography. Thatmeans thousands ofwomen will be sparedthe worry, anxiety andcost of being called backfor unnecessary tests. Forall these reasons, manywomen are checkingtheir health insurance tobe sure it pays for 3Dmammography. Many in-surance plans do not,meaning a lot of womenlack ac cess to this ad-vanced technology thatmany doctors considergame changing.You can be your best ad-vocate and ask your in-surance company to payfor the more accurate 3Dmammography exam.Since many doctors willonly be able to invest in3D mammography equip-ment when they knowthat their pa tients’ insur-ance will pay for it, youmay also want to askyour doctor about theavailability of this tech-nology in your area.

Are You Covered?You can take action to

be able to get a 3D mam-mogram at no cost toyou:• Ask your insurer to

pay for this test, if itis not already.

• Ask your doctor

about avail- ability ofthis technology inyour area.

• Ask your legislatorswhat they’re doingto ensure that 3D mammography isavailable to allwomen.

Learn MoreFor further facts on the

benefits of 3D mammog-raphy, talk to your doctorand visit

www.3Dmammogram.com for a list of 3Dmammography providersnearby. Many Americansare also contacting theirlegislators and insurancecompanies about making3D mammograms acces-sible. You can reach yourrepresentative about thisor any issue atwww.house.gov and yoursenators atwww.senate.gov

A New Dimension In Care Can Save Lives

Many women are checking their health insur-ance to see if it pays for 3D mammograms.


Fax: 432.262.2448

www.drkkozma.com



Quake rattles ChinaTremor kills 367 in Yunnan

province. >> PAGE 3A

Talkin’ footballTexas Tech hosts its annual

media day. >> SPORTS

Open house Medical Center Hos-

pital Center for Healthand Wellness at Mis-sion Fitness will play

host toan openhouseTuesday

at the facility locatedFaudree Road andHighway 191.

Guests can visit Mis-sion Fitness for freefrom 5:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Guests canvisit the “Ask theTrainer” booth, thehealthy recipe boothand participate in theGroup Exercise FitnessSampler, which will in-clude classes likeZumba, Yoga and TaiChi.

For more informa-tion, call 640-6400O N T H E N E T

>> www.missionfitnessnow.com/default.aspx

Golf tourney ANDREWS The 7th an-

nual Our Lady of Lour-des Charity GolfTournament will

be Sat-urday,Sept. 13,at theAn-drewsCountyGolfCourse

at 920 Golf CourseRoad in Andrews.

The tourney is a4-person scramble andtee off will begin at 8:30 a.m.

The entry fee is $70per person (includesrange balls, green fees).There will be one mul-ligan per person avail-able for $10. Prizes willbe awarded for firstthrough third places aswell as Most Honest,Longest Drive, Closestto the Pin.

The Knights ofColumbus 14412 willprovide lunch for theevent. For more infor-mation, call Our Ladyof Lourdes CatholicChurch at 432-523-4215.O N T H E N E T

>> www.ofcolors.com

Get energizedNew sponsors, reno-

vations and a top notchheadline act have come

togetherto re-en-ergizethe Per-mianBasin

Fair, renamed the FirstBasin Credit UnionPermian Basin Fair andExposition set for Sept.5-13 at on the groundsof the Ector CountyColiseum.

Multi-platinumrecording artist JoshTurner will performopening night (Friday)performing some of hishits like “Long, BlackTrain,” “Firecracker,”“Why Don’t We JustDance,” and “YourMan.”

Tickets to the showare $23 in advance andare available throughthe fair website. O N T H E N E T

>> www.pbfair.com/index.html

>> www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyRZTAmcW7c

QUICK hits

PAGE 2A

9271

➤➤

Maggie Ran, Reagan

WEATHERSunny. Winds

southeast at 10 mph to 15 mph.

I N D E XCLASSIFIED 4CCOMICS 9BCROSSWORD9A,6BDEATHS 6AETC. 9AGOOD NEWS 2AOPINION 4ASPORTS 1BTELEVISION 7A


An easy appetizerSometimes, a dish is best kept easy. Take grilled on-the-vine tomatoes and burrata

(or mozzarella if you can’t find burrata), serveon grilled toast, and you have an entertaining

side that can go with any summer meal. Check this week’s Food page for the recipe.


MONDAY, AUGUST 4, 2014 facebook.com/OdessaAmerican oaoa.com twitter.com/OdessaAmerican 75 CENTS


ATLANTA A second Americanmissionary stricken with Ebolais expected to fly Tuesday tothe U.S. for treatment, follow-ing a colleague who was admit-ted over the weekend to EmoryUniversity Hospital’s infectiousdisease unit.

A Liberian official con-firmed to the Associated Pressplans for Nancy Writebol to de-part with a medical evacuationteam. The official, InformationMinister Lewis Brown, said theevacuation flight was scheduledto leave West Africa between 1a.m. and 1.30 a.m. local timeTuesday.

Writebol is in good spiritsdespite her diagnosis, said thepastor of her hometown churchin Charlotte, North Carolina,who has spoken with her hus-band, David.

“She is holding her own,” theRev. John Munro said. Munro’sCalvary Church is a nonde-nominational evangelical con-gregation that sponsors theWritebols as missionaries inLiberia, one of the West Africannations grappling with theworst outbreak of Ebola everrecorded there.

Writebol’s mission teampartner, Dr. Kent Brantly, wasimproving Sunday after he wasadmitted to Emory’s quarantineunit a day earlier, according toa statement from his wife.

“Our family is rejoicing overKent’s safe arrival, and we areconfident that he is receivingthe very best care,” AmberBrantly said, adding that shewas able to see her husbandSunday.

Brantly and Nancy Writebolserved on the same mission

Condition of first American patientimproves while in Atlanta hospital

Second Ebola victim to fly to U.S.


Chad Dunavan, who hasbeen with Medical CenterHospital for the past 16years, has hit a home runand will be stepping into anew role as the chief nurs-ing officer at the hospital.While Dunavan has deeproots in the hospital and

oversees close to 600nurses, his story actuallybegins with baseball.

Dunavan was a center-fielder in the SeattleMariners farm system dur-ing the ’90s but was released in 1995. From there the centerfielder hadto figure out a new profes-sion, and with a bit of guid-ance from his family, he

decided on nursing. “When I was released

by the Mariners in 1995, Iwas thinking about what Iwould do for a career,”Dunavan said about lifeafter baseball. “So my momsuggested that I enter themedical field becausethere would always be jobsthere and I decided to go tonursing school.”

The former baseballplayer graduated fromOdessa College in 1996 asa licensed vocationalnurse, and went to workwith MCH the same year.But Dunavan knew hewanted more, and so hewent back to OC and be-came a registered nurse in1998.

Still wanting more,Dunavan moved onthrough the rotation grad-uating and receiving hisbachelor’s degree fromTexas Tech University in2000 and his master’s de-

gree from Walden Univer-sity in 2013.

“I knew that eventually Iwanted to get into manage-ment, so I went back toschool, got my degree andit has really worked outwell for me,” Dunavan said.

The first managementjob Dunavan had experi-enced was supervising thenurses in the intensive careunit at Odessa RegionalHospital, and said therewas some transitioningwithin the process.

“It is really a progressive

S T E P P I N G U P T O T H E P L AT E

MedicalCenterHospitalChief ofNursingChadDunavanstands at the centralnursingstationFriday insideof thehospital.


Former pro-baseball player Chad Dunavanhas worked at hospital for 16 years

MCH names new Chief of Nursing



Forest Mathews lost a comradebefore the Army Air Forces evershipped his class of pilots out tothe Pacific.

He was Billy Ray Dahl, flyingto Odessa from Abilene in hopesof showing off his plane to his fa-ther. Instead, Dahl crashed nearDixie Boulevard, then the out-skirts of town.

But Mathews was just 18. Atthat age, he still felt invincible.

He was among a group ofOdessa teenagers who signed upfor the air force just out of highschool the year after Pearl Har-bor.

HONORED: Forest MathewsA pilot remembers

Odessa’s island and thebrother who went missing


WWII veteran Forest Mathews smiles while inside his Odessa home.

>> A brief biography of ForestMathews’ brother William

Calvin Mathews:tinyurl.com/p6g5n2t

>> See MATHEWS Page 10A

>> See DUNAVAN Page 10A

>> ChadDunavan’sentry atBaseball-

reference.com:tinyurl.com/

map2ena

>> See EBOLA Page 6A

NANCYWRITEBOL

EBOLA PATIENT

The only time he shot agun for his country was intraining, making passes asa target and doing fairlywell, once hitting 38 bul-lets out of 50. But theydidn’t join the air force toavoid ground combat.

They expected Europe,where pilots were dyingfaster than infantry. Somany young men did thisthat the Army had to cre-ate a special rank of flightofficer, which Mathewswould remain through hisentire military career.

“We knew what thedeath rate was on thoseguys going over there,”Mathews said. “But at thetime we were invincible at18. You knew it wasn’tgoing to be you. It wasgoing to be the other guy.”

He began at Lae Air-field in Papa New Guinea.The Pacific, Mathewssaid, had “just a tremen-dous amount of water inthere, and there’s very lit-tle else in it.” It was hot.Bugs ate at the men so badthey slept under mosquitonets as they moved fromisland to island.

Among them were theBattles of Leyte Gulf, con-sidered by some thelargest naval battle in his-tory.

“Each island we wentinto in the South, we justshoved the Japanese backinto the jungle and we’dlive with them,” Mathewssaid. “And that wasn’thealthy because they’dsneak in at night and cutour throats.”

That happened on Laeto two sleeping pilots, 15-feet or so away fromwhere Mathews lay. Hehelped bury them and saw

them afterwards in hisdreams for decades.

And none of it countedas combat for Mathews,who flew C-46 supplyplanes to bring ammuni-tion and food to the menfighting on the ground,sometimes flying thewounded out.

“Sometimes they wouldtell us to land short be-cause they hadn’t takenthe other end of the run-way yet,” Mathews said.

In 1944, he found him-self at Ishima, supportingthe invasion of Okinawa.Friends Earl Rodman,Earle Craig and John Kellywere all stationed theretoo, “like the whole townof Odessa in Texas justmoved out there on thisone little island.”

Then he found out hisolder brother was there:Navy Lt. William CalvinMathews was based onanother part of the islandtoo for his missions as apatrol bomber pilot. For-est Mathews caught a Jeepone day to go visit and atfirst, noticed the strictnessof the Navy when an offi-cer pointed him to hisbrother’s tent. And thenhe went.

“They said ‘you arelooking for who?’, and so Isaid W.C. Mathews,” the91-year-old veteran said,choking up as he recalledtheir reply. “ ‘Well he’sbeen missing for twoweeks now. Did you cometo pick up his clothing?’

“It was quite a shock,”Mathews said. “Quite ashock.”

He lost other lovedones, such as his friendCarol Anthony, the son ofOdessa’s then City Man-ager who one day didn’tget his P-38 fighter planeoff of a carrier’s runwayduring a launch and died

in the burning wreckage.As older men, Mathews

and fellow retired airmenwould explain Anthony’sdeath to his little brother,another close friend. Andall these memories bringtears for Mathews.

But it’s the loss of hisbrother that felt the worst,dissolving Mathew’s senseof invincibility for the firsttime.

W.C. Mathews, the 25-year-old newspaperman,went missing in action onApril 11, 1945. They de-clared him dead a yearlater, and never recoveredhis body.

“We never did know,”Forest Mathew’s said.

The horror of thatlasted into his adulthood.For a time, he said hecoped with theories of theDragon’s Triangle, whichis akin to Bermuda Trian-gle, swallowing hisbrother’s 12-man crew and

he tried for a time to visitthe dead in R-E-M sleep.

But in the days andweeks after he heard thenews, there was not thetime to mourn. Com-manders told him hewould invade Japan. Hewas to fly low, at about1,200 feet, and so slow theplane would quiver as if itwere about to stall.

That would increasethe likelihood of the para-troopers and howitzerguns making it safely tothe ground. And, com-manders told Mathews, itmeant the plane would al-most surely get shotdown.

Mathews felt death ap-proaching, but of course itdidn’t work out that way.Fat Man and Little Boyended the war that Au-gust.

After the atom bombs,Mathews survived a ty-phoon that took out mostof their planes on a lesserisland of Japan.

But then he got as-signed to the occupyingforce. The reason was hedid not acquire enough ofthe points under the sys-

tem the Army used to de-termine who went home,considering factors likelength of deployment andcombat missions.

Even the ground whereJapanese soldiers killedMathews’ fellow pilots inthe night did not count asenemy territory. His jobwas to fly surviving high-ranking Japanese officersand dignitaries through-out the devastated coun-try so they could spreadword of their defeat.

Turned out, he warmedto military, but they wereoverloaded with pilots.

When he left the Armyin June of 1946, he re-turned to find Odessa aboomtown. He felt regretat first that he never flewas a fighter pilot. Butwiser years would lift that.

He loved to fly, and hekept doing it with hisfriends. But it never be-came a career, because thecommercial airlines wereoverloaded with applica-tions from pilots returningfrom war. So Mathewsspent a career as a gasplant supervisor at a facil-ity off of Highway 191.

He married MarianMontgomery, who he metat the University of Texas.They had two daughters,Julia Sorbers and CeliaRay, and spent a life to-gether before she died in2002.

Sorbers said she neverknew about her dad’s ex-periences in the war, thetrauma of all of it, until hestarted talking a few yearsago.

“I knew he had beenthrough a whole lot,” Sor-bers said. “I knew it wassomething terrible. Youknow when they won’ttalk about it.”

She lives with him tohelp out now, and togetherthey are proud (but latelyfrustrated) members ofthe Commemorative AirForce. This September,she will join him on theHonor Flight. It’s his sec-ond trip and he calls it anhonor.

The bad dreams stillcome to Mathews. He saidfor decades he saw the pi-lots with cut throats andimages of his missingbrother through hisnights. He also said he re-jected treatment a fewyears ago but later ac-cepted it. The nightmareshave been fewer in hislater years.

He says he enjoys timewith his fellow HonorFlight veterans and ithelps him.

As men with familiesand careers, Earle Craiginvited Mathews to a Mid-land lunch with Paul Tib-bets, the pilot whodropped Little Boy whowas by then a brigadiergeneral.

“At that time I saidthank you for saving mylife,” Mathews said, and hetears up again. “He saidyou weren’t the only one.”

10A ODESSA AMERICAN L O C A L MONDAY, AUGUST 4, 2014

ForestMathewsduring histime with theUnitedStates ArmyAir Force.

COURTESYPHOTO

BIOGRAPHY>> Name: Forest Mathews.

>>Age: 91.

>> How long in Odessa: Bornand raised.

>> Occupation: Retired gasplant supervisor.

>> Branch of military andrank: United States Army Air

Forces, flight officer.

>> Years of service: Jan. 1943through June 26, 1946.


>> Medals or commenda-tions: A good-conduct medal,and campaign accolades forthe Asiatic-Pacific, Okinawaand occupying Japan. Hiswife, Marian Montgomery

Mathews, bought lieutenant’sbars for a framed picture.

>> Who will accompany youon the honor flight: Hisdaughter, Julia Sorbers.

Mathews>> From Page 1A

growth,” Dunavan said. “Ilearned the clinical pieces;time management and re-ally just focusing on thebest care possible.”

When Odessa RegionalHospital bought AllianceHospital in 2007, Dunavanmade his way back toMCH in a managerial roleas the director of nurses in2008. But he would soonclimb the nursing ladder atan accelerated pace andwas eventually coveringfour floors, and the emer-gency department as a di-

visional director. Again there were some

learning curves in the tran-sitional period for Duna-van.

“As a director you are re-ally focused on one unitand there is a lot of workthat goes into that, andwhen you get into the divi-sional level, things change,”Dunavan said about hisnew position. “You haveless people reporting toyou, but of course you havemore responsibility on youto ensure that everythingflows from the top down.”

Shortly after, the nurseof many roles would againbe moving up in the med-

ical rotation as he appliedfor the chief nursing officerposition at MCH earlierthis year.

Rene Rodriguez, whohas worked with Dunavanfor 10 years, said he had al-ways known Dunavan hadthe leadership skills to suc-ceed in the position.

“Having worked withChad for 10 years, he hasalways had leader qualitiesand good advice through-out my experience. He is avery straightforward typeof leader and that’s what Ilike,” Rodriguez said.“There is no question onwhat the expectations are.”

So because of his deter-

mination, experience andsupport, Dunavan wasnamed the interim ChiefNursing Officer, but the in-terim title would later beremoved and the formerbaseball standout hadlanded a solid hold on theposition.

“I was excited aboutstepping into the role; Inever thought I would bein this role at this age,”Dunavan said about hisnew position at MCH. “Butthere are always things tolearn and things that arechanging, but this has re-ally helped me grow.”

Rodriguez was also ex-cited to learn that his col-

league had received thejob, and said he knows theexpectations will be setvery high.

“I expect him to set highstandards so we can expectthe same from our nursingstaffs,” said Rodriguez. “Ihave no doubt that he is ca-pable of that.”

Although he has risenthrough the ranks, Dunvansaid the bottom line re-mains the same and that itis all about caring for thepatients.

“Nursing is a tough job.It is something whereyou’re out there with peo-ple who are in the hospitaland don’t want to be, and

we have to be that supportperson for them,” Dunavansaid. “I just like beingaround the people; I thinkwe have a great workingteam here. We have thesame goals and want thesame outcomes. We wantto make sure that MCH isknown for providing thebest care in the area andthat’s what we talk aboutday in and day out.”

Dunavan>> From Page 1A

(NAPS)—There’s goodnews for those who get akick out of soccer andare trying out for a teamin the near future. Takinga few practical steps be-fore the tryout can helpthem stand out on thefield and make the mostof their opportunity.

To help, here are a fewtips.

Always be moving. From the very start of

tryouts, be known as theplayer who’s always hus-tling. Juggle or pass theball around before try-outs begin. Jog to andfrom the field in betweendrills or water breaks.Your team coach will no-tice your enthusiasm andeagerness to play, whichwill leave a lasting im-pression.

Be vocal.Tryouts can be nerve

racking, but make sureyou are communicatingwith your teammatesduring each play. Bybeing vocal, you willdemonstrate leadershipand confidence. Yourteammates will appreci-ate the direction and feelmore at ease workingwith you. As a result, theball will come your waymore often, giving you

prime opportunities todemonstrate your skills.Practice this skill evenwhen casually playingwith friends or familyand it will become sec-ond nature.

Demonstrate position-specific expertise.

Know what positionyou are trying out forand make sure to demon-strate the skills requiredof that position.

Coaches are looking forhow well a forward fin-ishes, a midfielder’s first-touch and short pass, andhow a keeper handlesstraightforward shots.Leading up to tryouts,focus on drills that rein-force those positions’fundamentals.

Brush up before tryouts.Don’t let tryouts be a

surprise happening.Memorize and practicein advance the drillsneeded to make youstand out. You can evensimulate a tryout on yourown. Ask your coachwhat drills will be per-formed that day or if it ispossible for him or her toshare the tryout planwith you.

Ask for help. The more practice and

feedback you can get be-fore tryouts, the betteryour chances will be forperforming at a highlevel under pressure.

Consider booking a fewsessions with a privatesoccer coach to reviewyour technique and con-sistency in the weeksleading up to any tryout.

A private coach canuse his or her experienceand specialty to help youmake improvements andthen show you where tomake the necessary ad-justments in your game.

The one-on-one train-ing environment helpsmany feel more comfort-able about asking ques-tions and practicing askill multiple times theright way, which willallow the skill to sink infaster and become sec-

ond nature.

Athletes who don’tknow a private soccercoach can find one on awebsite calledCoachUp.com. The siteconnects athletes withprivate sports coachesacross the country forone-on-one and small-group coaching sessions.

Tryouts do not have tobe a stressful time forathletes. With the help ofan expert coach andthese tryout tips, athletescan often elevate theirlevel of play in just a fewweeks and demonstratetheir true potential onthe field.

To learn more, visit thewebsite atwww.coachup.com/sports/us/soccer.

Helping Athletes Perform Up To Their Potential

A private coach can use his or her experience to help you make improve-ments in your game and show you where to make necessary adjustments.

Ferguson, Mo. protestDemonstrators say they seek

justice for slain teen. >> PAGE 3A

Good timesRangers rally in ninth to

beat Angels. >> SPORTS

Volunteershonored

Ninety-five juniorvolunteers were hon-ored Friday by MCHfor their contributionsover the summer. This

sum-mer,juniorvolun-

teers worked a total of10,474.63 hours, whichamounts to about$212,372.11 in labor forthe hospital.

The junior volun-teers work in all areasof the hospital doing avariety of jobs fromgreeting patients tohelping with mailingsto checking patients infor surgery.

The junior volun-teers continue theirwork throughout theyear during school hol-iday breaks and forweekend specialevents.

New applicationsare accepted annuallyJan. 1 to April 1. O N T H E N E T

>> www.mchodessa.com

Wagner NoëlPresents!

The Wagner NoëlPerforming Arts Cen-ter is proud to an-nounce the first fullseries presented by thevenue dedicated toproviding familyfriendly, fun and af-fordable entertain-ment.

>> The National Ac-robats of the People’sRepublic of China —Oct. 2.

>> An Irish Christ-mas — Nov. 20.

>> A ChristmasCarol — Dec. 16.

>> Vienna BoysChoir — Feb. 26.

>> 2 Cellos — Feb. 27, 2015.

Purchase three ormore shows and save$3 per ticket. Studenttickets will also beavailable at a dis-counted rate and canbe purchased with astudent ID at the venuebox office.

Ticket prices rangefrom $24-$46 and areon sale now at theWagner Noël box of-fice, or by calling ETIX1-800-514-3849. O N T H E N E T

>> www.wagnernoel.com

QUICK hits



Frank Eychaner lived exten-sively in the western UnitedStates growing up.

His love of the outdoorscould be construed as a natu-ral effect of his upbringing inthose states.

But his first love could beconstrued as music, which isloved universally, regardless ofgeography.

Eychaner just joined theUniversity of Texas of the Per-mian Basin as the director of

choral and vocal studies. Hecomes to UTPB after an eight-year stint at Colorado Chris-tian University in Lakewood,Colo., where he was director ofchoral studies and music edu-cation. Lakewood is a suburbof Denver.

Dan Keast, associate profes-sor of music and director ofbands at UTPB, said Eychanerwill bring a dynamic presenceto UTPB.

“Frank was a great candi-date for the committee fromhis initial application, phone

Professor endeavors to make differenceon campus and in community

UTPB appoints new choir head

G O T Y O U I N A S T R A N G L E H O L D , B A B Y

Ted NugentperformsSunday atthe WagnerNoëlPerformingArts Centerin Midland.

COURTNEYSACCO|ODESSAAMERICAN

PAGE 2A

9572

➤➤

WEATHERPartly cloudywith south-east wind at

10 mph to 15 mph.

I N D E XCLASSIFIED 4BCOMICS 9BDEATHS 6AETC. 9AMOVIES 7AOPINION 4ASPORTS 1BTELEVISION 7AXWORD 9A, 7B

Rhett Wilkerson, Reagan




Joe and Max Meek werecelebrating their 18thbirthday when they re-ceived a phone call sayingthe brothers would be sep-arated.

The voice on the otherend of the call told their fa-ther, William, the twinswere drafted to fight inWorld War II. Before thatcall, the brothers said

they’d never been apart.“He said, ‘Don’t worry

about it, I’ll write the sena-tor,” Joe Meek, 87, said hisfather told them.

At a time when it wascommonplace to seeUncle Sam posters point-ing at passerby, for theMeek twins, the call wasboth daunting and excit-ing. The twins werehalfway through their sen-ior year in high school atUvalde.

“I was excited about it. Iwas ready to go. There arethree things in my life I’mproud of: the day I gotmarried, the day I trustedChrist as my savior and theother was the day I joinedthe U.S. Navy and got in

my uniform,” Max Meek,87, said. “To me it was justsomething I had to do andI wanted to do — to servemy country.”

Their father kept hispromise to his sons andwrote to Sen. Mike Mon-roney of Oklahoma, tohelp keep them together.The family was originallyfrom Stillwater, Okla. Thesenator allowed the twinsto stay together as theywent off to fight in theSouth Pacific in January of1945.

The twins were sta-tioned aboard aircraft car-rier USS Cabot, whichreceived nine battle stars,including the PresidentialUnit Citation — the high-est award for a ship used inWorld War II.


HONORED: Joe W. and Max MeekWar separates twin sailors

>> See THE MEEKS Page 10A

Joe W. Meekand MaxMeek, both87, standtogether in arecent photo.

COURTESYPHOTO

Frank Eychaner is the new director of choral and vocal studies at theUniversity of Texas of the Permian Basin.


>> Interviewwith Frank Eychaner,

UTPB’s new ChoralDirector:

tinyurl.com/mjt6us4

>> See DIRECTOR Page 10A

>> Texas Permian

Basin HonorFlight:

www.permianhonorflight

.org

>> Ted Nugents website:www.ted

nugent.com/home


432-682-2180


432-332-0519


432-263-6181

We Accept Care

Credit



INSTRUMENTS


$800 OFF


INSTRUMENT



FREE FREE


interview, and campusvisit,” Keast said. “Hebrings an abundance of en-ergy, choral talent, con-ducting experience, en-thusiasm for growth andexpansion, and a winningpersonality. I think Dr. Ey-chaner will take the choralensembles to an entirelynew level of achievementat UTPB. His campus visitallowed the selection com-mittee to view his teachingability during a choir re-hearsal. He introduced anew piece and rehearsed apiece they were to performthe next week on a con-cert. Eychaner successfullyintroduced a quality selec-tion and made substantialprogress on it within min-utes, plus added to thechoir’s existing piece fortheir performance. Hiswarm-up activities werefun, engaging, and rein-forced fundamental vocaltone production. I believethe Permian Basin willhear amazing things fromhis choirs this fall.”

N E W K I D I N T O W N“I moved around a lot

when I was a kid,” Ey-

chaner said. “I guess I wentto eight or nine publicschools.”

Born in Spokane, helived in Montana,Wyoming, Colorado,Washington state and Vir-ginia. While he made a lotof moves with his family,one aspect of his life stayedconstant.

“I’ve always been inter-ested in music and knewfrom the time I was a veryyoung child that I wantedto something in the musicfield,” he said. “I was a bitof an anomaly in that therewere no singers in ourhome. Nobody sang, andthat was always my abidinginterest — singing. I wouldget in trouble in school forsinging during tests. Can’tdo that.”

Eychaner earned hisbachelor’s and master’s de-grees from Central Wash-ington University, wherehe studied music and cameto faith his early 20s.

“At that time, I felt con-victed to pursue educationas a vocation and haven’tever really looked back,” hesaid.

He has taught in boththe high school and collegesettings. He earned hisDoctor of Musical Artsfrom the University of

Kentucky and then beganteaching at ColoradoChristian University.

The program was smallwhen he started there,with 50 students in theprogram.

“After eight years, wehad 160 kids singing in thechoir,” he said, addingthere were five choirs, upfrom two when he startedthere. “So we grew thingsexponentially while wethere.”

He enjoyed his timethere but said there wereno plans for growth, and hewanted to move on to aninstitution that was on theupswing.

Eychaner found what hewas looking for at UTPB.

“There just seems to bea real appetite for excel-lence,” he said, during aninterview in his office inthe Wagner Noël Perform-ing Arts Center. “You needto look no further than thehigh school programswhere you have multipleteachers consistently ac-complishing the highestlevels of excellence insight-reading and per-formance. I believe thatthat appetite exists at theuniversity. If you need evidence, looks no furtherthan the facility that

we’re sitting in.”University and commu-

nity leaders are forward-thinking and wanted anexcellent music programhere, he said.

The UTPB music pro-gram has great potential,he said.

“There are a lot ofpieces here that make itpossible: this facility, ofcourse; strong music pro-grams led by great musicteachers in the area; a needfor home-grown music ed-ucators,” he said.

UTPB will fill the needfor producing music edu-cators in the future, he said.

“Just to fill the job mar-ket, we need to graduate adozen a year,” he said.

T H E V O C A L J A Z ZS I N G E R

Eychaner will teach avariety of classes at UTPB,including core classes inthe music curriculum andensembles. Among manyother tasks, he also willteach voice lessons andmight be called upon toteach classes for non-music majors.

“One of the fun thingsabout being at a smaller in-stitution is we get to wearmultiple hats, which is a lotof fun,” he said.

As a performer, his fa-vorite aspect of singing isvocal jazz. In a choral en-semble or as a featuredsoloist, he is a tenor. He en-joys composing and ar-ranging pieces for almostexclusively vocal andchoral ensembles.

His ambitions are to de-velop relationships witharea educators and to getinvolved with area com-munity groups that makemusic.

“I will be using my skills,my abilities, my experi-ences to make a differencehere,” he said. “When youdo that in a way that’s pos-itive, encouraging and cel-ebrates what other peopledo well, people get pluggedinto that and they’re like,‘Hey, I want to be a part ofthat,’ and pretty soon theycome, they have a great ex-perience, they grow andthey go out and make acontribution. And thenother people say, ‘Wow,that looks cool. Where didyou study, where did youdo your work?’ ”

Eychaner thinks it’s onlya matter of years before theschool has a large programmaking a difference in theBasin and beyond.

“The foundation has re-ally been built for them to

Famed war correspon-dent Ernie Pyle, a journal-ist with Scripps Howard,covered the lives of themen aboard the Cabot forseveral weeks when theMeek brothers were onboard. Pyle was the onewho famously referred tothe ship as “The IronWoman.” Pyle was shot todeath on the island of leShima west of Okinawa,Japan in April 1945.

“He mingled witheveryone on the ship,” MaxMeek said. “I thought hewas a terrific man.”

The brothers were onboard the ship for threemonths when the Cabotsailed to Pearl Harbor.When the crew arrived atthe island, the sailors wereasked to line up.

A high ranking officercame around and looked ateach sailor. When he cameto the twins, he stopped.“He said, “You guys look somuch alike you could bebrothers. In fact, you couldbe twins. Are you twins?Tell me the truth, now,” Joe

Meek said the officerasked. The twins con-firmed to the officer theywere related. After thesailors were dismissed, theMeeks learned that the of-ficers had assigned them todifferent stations.

“That was the first timethat I’d been without mybrother and it broke myheart,” Joe Meek said, whowas assigned to tug boatduty at Pearl Harbor. Hehelped guide the shipsback to shore and pullthem in with other sailors.Max Meek was told to stayon the ship and assigned asa gun loader.

It was about six monthsbefore the brothers wouldreunite.

“We were never sepa-rated our whole lives. Oneof the most terrible timesin my life was when he leftme. I never left the shipwithout finding him,” MaxMeek said. “But unfortu-nately, they took him off —that was a sad, sad time forme.”

On board the Cabot,Max Meek said he saw sev-eral of his fellow sailors dieas Japanese planes wouldfly by and fire at the ship.

“We dodged torpedoes,mines, kamikazes, but thescariest in my mind waswhen a plane crashed onthe flight deck,” Max Meeksaid.

An American plane wasshot and burst into flamesnear Okinawa, Max Meeksaid. When the planecrashed on the ship, a fire-fighter ran to get the pilotout.

“He told them to takehis 45 and shoot him. Hisface was really bad. Theysaid no,” Max Meek said. “Ifound out later he died.That seems to come to mymind a lot.”

After 16 months of serv-ice, the Meeks came backto the United States.

“Everything was differ-ent,” Joe Max said.

The twins said the tran-sition and life after warproved difficult at times.

There were six menwho were drafted from theMeeks’ senior class in highschool. The twins were theonly ones to come backhome.

“Sometimes it’s notphysical wounds, it’s othertypes of wounds that youhave,” Max Meek said. “But

I’m glad I served in theUnited States Navy.”

The Meeks moved toOklahoma City. Max Meekworked as a truck driverand Joe as an electronicsrepairman.

Max Meek met his fu-ture wife, Wynona, at anice rink, and they were to-gether for more than 60years before she died ofcancer in 2005.

Together they had twosons, Michael, 60, Greg, 50,and two daughters, TanyaBond, 50, and Sheila Butler,51. Max Meek has 10 grand-children and 23 great-grandchildren.

Joe Meek met his wife,Owida, in a blind date andthey were married for 60years before she died in2010.

Joe Meek and his wifehad three children together

— Cheryl, 63, Blake, 57, andPaula, 56. Joe Meek hasseven grandchildren andthree great-grandchildren.

In 1970 Joe Meek movedto Odessa and in 1989 Maxmoved to Gatesville. De-spite the distance, thebrothers continued to keepin touch.

“We’ve always been realclose to each other. We’reboth about the same,” MaxMeek said. “I call himevery day, he calls meevery day. We’re 350 miles

apart, but we’re both realclose.”

The brothers will bothgo to Washington, D.C., forthe first time in their livesfor their honor flights.

“It means a lot to me.I’m a charter member ofthe WWII memorial. Thatmemorial means a lot forme to see,” Max Meek said.

Joe Meek said he hopesto see the Lincoln Memo-rial during the trip. “I’m ex-cited. It’s kind of like adream,” Joe Meek said.

be a great music schoolhere, so it’s just a matter oftime,” he said.

Eychaner is married toKaren (“the best pianist Iknow”) and they havethree children: David, asenior at Bear Creek HighSchool in Lakewood;Melanie, who will be asophomore at PermianHigh School; and John,who will be an eighth-grader at Nimitz JuniorHigh School. All three ofhis children are percus-sionists.

Director>> From Page 1A

The Meeks>> From Page 1A

BIOGRAPHIES‘We were never separated our whole

lives. One of the mostterrible times in my lifewas when he left me.’

MAX MEEKWorld War II Navy veteran

M A X M E E K>> Age: 87.>> How long in Gatesville:

25 years.>> Occupation: Truck

driver, retired.>> Branch of military: U.S.

Navy.>> Years of service and

rank: 1945-1946, Seaman FirstClass.

>> What theater: Pacific.>> Medals or commenda-

tions: Patriotic Pacific ribbon,American Campaign medal,World War II victory medal,Asian Pacific medal.

>> Who will accompany youon the honor flight? Son,Michael Meek, of Forney.

J O E M E E K>> Age: 87.

>> How long in Odessa:44years.

>> Occupation: Electronicsrepairman, retired.

>> Branch of military: U.S.Navy.

>> Years of service andrank: 1945-1946, Seaman Sec-

ond Class.>> What theater: Pacific.>> Medals or commenda-

tions: None.>> Who will accompany you

on the honor flight? Daughter,Cheryl Richards of Odessa.

We usually hearabout breast cancerawareness in October,but in reality, it issomething women

need to be aware ofyear round. Breastcancer will affect 1 in8 women during theirlifetime, and manywomen will not get amammogram because

they do nothave themoney orinsurance tocover themedical bills.

This iswhere Pinkthe Basincomes in. Pinkthe Basin is anon-profitcorporationthat providesfunds forbreast care.According toPink theBasin, theirpurpose is “avoluntary,non-profitcorporationorganized incompliancewith the lawsof Texas forthe purpose ofpromotingWomen’shealththrough

awareness, education,and service initiativesin the Permian Basin.Their mission is toraise awareness ofwomen’s health

issues and fostereducational andservice initiativesthat positivelyembrace women’shealth.”

Pink the Basinknows how importantit is for women whofind a lump, have afamily history, or whoare high risk to have amammogram, andthey want everywoman to have theresources toaccomplish this. Evenif you can’t afford it,Pink the Basin willhelp with the cost ofmammograms ANDthe cost of careshould you havecancer.

ORMC is givingback to thecommunity withCups for a Cause 5Kand Kids Fun Runwith 100% of theproceeds benefittingPink the Basin! Thisis an outreach to raiseawareness forprevention becausebreast cancer affects

so many women andtheir families.

ORMC encourageseveryone to bringtheir entire family torun/walk in honor orin memory of a lovedone and to help raiseawareness for theentire community.There will beactivities and a funrun for the kids, andeveryone is requiredto have tons of fun.You can create teams,dress up, design t-shirts, decorate brasto wear on theoutside of your shirtsand celebrate Cupsfor a Cause!

If you would like tovolunteer for Cups

for a Cause, you cancontact TasaRichardson at ORMCat (432) 582-8399.There are also greatsponsorshipopportunities!

The 5K run/walkwill be Saturday,September 20, 2014 atCrossroadsFellowship. For moreinformation you cancall (432)582-8677 orvisit the website atcupsforacause5k.com.

Please come join usat Cups for a Causebenefitting Pink theBasin and make a realdifference in awoman’s life!

ORMC to Host Cups for a Cause Fun Run to Benefit Pink the Basin

By Stephanie [email protected]


As the song says, “herecomes the sun,” and ar-guably not many peoplewould know that betterthan those here in the Per-mian Basin.

West Texas is notori-ously hot during the sum-mer months, which meansone long, hot summer couldbe coming if you’re notcareful with the productsyou use and the tactics youtake.

Sarah Fuller is a regis-tered nurse at Medical Cen-ter Hospital, Health andWellness Center, and saidthat, while there are manythings that can help when itcomes to sun protection,there are really two key as-pects to remember.

“It is all about using sun-screen and similar productscorrectly and finding oneyou really like,” Fuller said.“If you find one you reallylike, you are much morelikely to stick with it.”

Fuller said that for a lotof people, Sun ProtectionFactor (SPF) can be confus-ing, because the indicatoronly measures how long ittakes the skin to burn anddoes not actually doublethe higher it goes, makingthe point that repetitive useof a product that the userenjoys is essential.

“SPF doesn’t doubleeach time, for example SPF15 to SPF 30, which is acommon misconception,”Fuller said. “SPF only meas-ures how long it takes yourskin to burn by UVB rays. Itis kind of misleading. The-oretically, the higher SPFwill be more effective, but if

Anybody home?Pacific island faces steady exodus of its population. >> PAGE 9A

Extra effortGermany wins World Cup.

>> SPORTS

MOSC eventsThe Midland-

Odessa Symphony andChorale has scheduledthe following EnsembleChamber concerts at 3 p.m. at the Wagner

NoëlPer-form-ing

Arts Center in theRhea-GreathouseRecital Hall, 1310 N.FM 1788 in Midland.

>> Oct. 26: “Back InTime” — West TexasWinds.

>> Nov. 23: “Death andthe Maiden” — Per-mian Basin StringQuartet.

>> Dec. 14: “A LoneStar Brass Christmas”— Lone Star Brass.

>> Feb. 8, 2015: “Sym-phony of Five” — WestTexas Winds.

>> Feb. 22, 2015:“Cross-Cultural Inspi-rations” — PermianBasin String Quartet.

>> March 22, 2015:“Under the Big Top” —Lone Star Brass.

>> April 19, 2015:“Wade in the Water: ACollection of AfricanAmerican Spirituals” —Voices of the PermianBasin. Under the direc-tion of Emily Baker, theVoices of the PermianBasin Youth Choir (for-merly Kids’ Choir) fea-tures 70 young singersbetween the ages of 8-14, who rehearseweekly and enjoy per-forming two concertsper season. The Voicesof the Permian Basin isaccompanied by pianistLuAnn Lane.

For tickets or infor-mation, call 563-0921. O N T H E N E T :

>> www.mosc.org.

Roller derby Tall City Roller Bet-

ties “Bombshells,”Odessa/Midland’s orig-inal flat track roller

derbyleague,havesched-

uled local events from7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Aug. 16,Sept. 13 and Oct. 10 atthe CAF Main Hangar,9600 Wright Dr., Mid-land. Doors open at 6 p.m. The Bombshellswill compete againstthe Femme FataleRollers of Killeen (Aug.16). Visitors are en-couraged to bring theirown chair.

Admission is $10.Children age 5 andunder get in free.O N T H E N E T :

>> tallcityrollerbetties.com

QUICK hits



Odessa and Permian highschools are in the midst of con-struction projects at theirbuildings.

A private school in Odessaalso will add a high schoolgrade — and building — to itscampus beginning this fall.

Montessori Middle Schoolof Odessa, located at 1415 N.Grandview Ave., has changedits name to Montessori Mas-

tery School of Odessa. Theschool will add ninth gradethis fall and will have a newpre-fab building for that classplaced in the parking lot at theschool, on the north side of thebuilding. The school offersgrades four through eight andoperates out of classroomshoused inside St. AndrewCumberland PresbyterianChurch.

The new high school build-ing is being constructed now

Montessori Middle School to add ninth grade this year

Growing minds and classes

RegisteredNurse SarahFullerapplies abalancinganti-oxidantserumcontainingvitamins C, E,aloe and ahyaluronicacid onMargieMcCrury’sfacefollowing amicromicrodermabrasionprocedureMonday atthe MedicalCenterHospitalLaser andWellness Center.


Protect yourskin duringthe summer

Here comes the sun

PAGE 2A

9873

➤➤

WEATHERMostly sunny.South winds

at about 10 mph.

I N D E XCLASSIFIED 6BCOMICS 5BDEATHS 8AETC. 11AHEALTH 8AOPINION 4ASPORTS 1BTELEVISION 9AXWORD 11A, 8B

Luke Lisenbee, Reagan



From left: Steve Hardy Montessori, high school teacher; RandyMcGuire, Montessori school Director; and Gloria McGuire standrecently in a room at Montessori Middle School.

>> Director ofthe schooldiscussesaddition ofninth gradetinyurl.com/

lle53ax



Jerry Morgan is a well-traveled veteran, whosestory began in Cordell,Okla. and ventured wellinto enemy territory duringWorld War II to ensureAmerica secured freedomfrom the German opposi-tion.

As a member of theheadquarters battery of the3rd battalion of the 189 field

artillery/645 Tank destroyerbattalion, Morgan was re-sponsible for defense. Andwhen you think of militarydefense, Morgan may beexactly what you wouldpicture, a tank operator.

When he was in histeenage years, Morgan wasfinishing up high schoolbut knew that he wouldhave to do his part to keephis family afloat, so hestarted working at the Pills-bury Flower Mill in Okla-

homa to make ends meet.Yet his boss, who under-stood Morgan’s situation,advised that he would earnmore if he joined the Na-tional Guard.

So begins the militarytale of Jerry Morgan in1938.

HONORED: Jerry Morgan, 95World War II veteran served in the

European theater in an artillery battalion


honorflight.org

>> See MORGAN Page 5A


World War II veteran Jerry Morgan poses for a photo in hisMidland home. Morgan will go to Washington, D.C., inSeptember on the Permian Basin Honor Flight.

>> How Stuff Works —‘How Sunburns

Work’:tinyurl.com/kwu29kp

>> See SKIN CARE Page 5A

TREATING SKIN BURNS>> Use Aloe Vera.

>> Use cold compresses.

>> Never pick at blistered sunburns. Let blisters heal

naturally (2 – 3 weeks).

>> Avoid ‘cloggy’ creams.

>> Keep the area moisturized.

>> See MONTESSORI Page 3A


432-682-2180


432-332-0519


432-263-6181

We Accept Care

Credit



INSTRUMENTS


$800 OFF


INSTRUMENT



FREE FREE

MONDAY, JULY 14, 2014 L O C A L ODESSA AMERICAN 5A

you’re not using it correctly,it doesn’t matter.”

The most dangerous re-sult to overexposure to thesun is the development of askin cancer known asmelanoma. According toNational Cancer Institute,the illness can happen toanyone, but is most com-mon in people who are ex-posed to a lot of sunlight.NCI is estimating that in2014, 76,100 new skin can-cer cases will be reported inthe United States.

This leads to anothermisconception Fuller said,regarding the difference be-tween Ultraviolet A and Ul-traviolet B rays. Fuller saidthat many don’t understandthe difference between ul-traviolet rays, which canmake a major differencewhen protecting yourselffrom overexposure, agingand skin cancer.

UVB (short-wave) raysare the primary cause ofskin redness and sunburns,although they do not pene-trate the skin as deep asUVA rays, Fuller said.

UVA (long-wave) raysaccount for 95 percent ofthe UV radiation thatreaches the earth’s surfaceand can penetrate deeperinto the skin, according tothe NCI. UVA rays are alsothe most common type ofray used in tanning salonsand can cause long termdamage to the skin.

“We definitely don’t recommended tanning,”Fuller said. “It causes pre-mature aging, burns andcan cause skin cancer, thereare really no ifs ands or butsabout that.”

Tanning is a very com-mon practice in societytoday, and while the warn-ings are coming out about

tanning beds, Fuller saidthere is still a safe way to getthe tan look that many de-sire.

“I know people like to betan, so the DHA (Dihydrox-yacetone) self tanners arethe best option,” Fuller said.“They (old spray-on tanmethods) used to actuallystain the skin but now they(The DHA self tanners) ac-tually react to dead skincells and cause them todarken by a metabolic reac-tion, and that’s why theylook better and they haveshown not to be harmful topeople. There is no excuseanymore. You can get thesame look and they aremuch safer.”

Although Fuller said thatskin cancer is unfortunatelycommon, it can always beprevented.

Fuller also said it is goodto know if you are goingsomewhere for any skintreatment whether thosewho are working with youactually know what theyare doing. One patient ofFuller’s has experiencedthat first-hand, and warnsthat it can be a big mistake.

“I have gone to otherplaces that have damagedmy skin,” Margie McCrury,an MCH patient said.“They didn’t know whatthey were doing and I hadquite a bit of scarring, soyou have to be really care-ful with your skin andwhere you go to have itlooked at because there canbe some serious damagecaused.”

McCrury also said thatwhile you need to be care-ful choosing who you go tofor skin treatments, youalso need to be checkingyourself often to make surethere are no irregularitieson all areas of the skin, notjust the most commonplaces like the arms, legs,neck or face.

If you do get sunburned,even when taking propercare of your skin, Fuller andMcCrury did have somesuggestions to help relievepain and swelling.

“Adults can use Ibupro-fen, 400 milligrams, every 6hours for the first 24 hours,”Fuller said. “It helps reducethe swelling and inflamma-tion in the skin and reallyreduces the pain.” McCruryand Fuller also said that thebest treatments can be AloeVera, cold compresses, andif the burn blisters to neverscratch or pick it them be-cause it can cause furtherdamage to the skin andhealing will take longer.

Even though there aremany remedies, preventionmethods and misconcep-tions in the world of skincare, Fuller maintained thatit still comes down to twokey facts.

“It doesn’t matter ifyou’re using SPF 15 or SPF50, if you aren’t using it cor-rectly and repetitively it’snot going to make a differ-ence,” Fuller said.

Skin care>> From Page 1A

Morgan rememberedthat November, shortlyafter joining the NationalGuard, he was shipped offwith other recruits to beginactive duty in 1940 for theUnited States Army.

After a short trainingstay in Fort Devens, Mass.,Morgan was sent to PineCamp, N.Y., in 1942 and re-called first seeing whatwould define his time inthe service.

“We were shipped outto Pine Camp, N.Y., wherewe received our first ship-ment of M10 tanks on a daythat was 40 degrees belowzero, and the tracks of thetanks almost immediatelyfroze. I remember that verywell,” Morgan said whilelaughing.

Morgan also remem-bered his first time operat-ing a tank while perfectinglandings in Virginia.

“We went off onto theVirginia Beach and thetanks skated up onto thebeach, but I remember all Icould see was the cannon,”Morgan said. “We had goneup on a sand bar and sunkinto it. All the guys wererescued, but the tank wasstill there and for all I knowthe tank is still there.”

From Virginia, Morganand his battalion wereshipped to North Africa.He remembered a feelingof uncertainty when firstentering the combat zone.

“One of our tanks hadbeen hit and burned and itwas shaky at that point be-cause we weren’t sure wecould secure the area, andthe first 24 hours was veryseriously in doubt,” Mor-gan said. “But I felt like Ihad to do something to domy part, so I went back tothe landing area and gotsome land mines andmined the river.”

From there Morgan wassent over to Italy, Naples tobe exact where he had thechance to meet Pope PiusXII and his company waspresented a rosary for theirservice.

On the way to theVolturno River, Morgan gotan unexpected letter fromthe U.S. ordinance depart-ment stating he owed theU.S. government $80,000for the tank that sank atVirginia Beach. Luckily, theletter was torn up by hiscommanding officer andMorgan wasn’t responsiblefor the accident.

From Italy, Morgan andhis battalion made their

way to southern France. Morgan recalled the

exact moment he won theSilver Star by defending acity that was being attackedby the German army.

“The commander saidthat we needed to get to acrossing and defend the cityfrom the Germans,” Morgansaid. “So the only way wecould get there was to gothrough the river and comefrom the back side. Whenthe Germans decided tocome over the crossing andinto the town we were ableto stop them successfullyand it was there that all ofthe crew was awarded theSilver Star.”

From there it was oninto Germany, into theheart of enemy territory.And it would be there thatMorgan recalled some ofthe horrors he saw duringhis military service.

Morgan remembersleaving his battalion in anarmored car, and after fol-lowing a train track he andhis driver found one of thetrue horrors of war.

Morgan recalls findingthree cars parked nearthree ovens as they headeddown the tracks. When hepeeked inside the cars hefound bodies which werebeing prepared to be incin-erated and nearby a con-centration camp.

“There were a lot ofthings that happened thattear your heart out,” Mor-gan said. “You have to re-member a lot of this was atthe age of 22 or 23 andthat’s a whole lot of respon-sibility for a kid and whenthose memories are em-bedded you like to forgetthem and hope it doesn’thappen again.”

But Morgan recalledhappier memories of hisexperiences, including an

unexpected discovery. While outside of Mu-

nich, Germany, when thewar was almost over, Mor-gan and his battalion foundsome horse stables. He re-called the sound under-neath as the horse begangalloping and the menfound out that it was in facta swimming pool that hadbeen covered by the Ger-mans.

As they looked inside,Morgan and his men foundnone other than a Mer-cedes sports car. “We liber-ated that,” Morgan jokinglysaid.

Then in one of the lastmemorable moments inGermany, Morgan recalledbeing told to get his menout of sight and station twotanks at the entrance oftheir headquarters, withspecific instructions of let-ting no one in with the ex-ception of a group of carsthat would be showing upsoon.

“We didn’t know whatwas going on at the time,”Morgan said. “But we laterfound out that this waswhen the southern Germanarmy surrendered.”

Soon after Morgan’sservice was complete in1946 and he returned home,earned his degree in ac-counting from the Univer-sity of Oklahoma, got a joband headed south with hiswife to Abilene.

Morgan’s father-in-lawoffered him a job at a feedmill. Yet Morgan wouldn’tstay at the mill long. Hesoon left the mill andjoined a life insurance com-pany and later was pre-sented a business ventureof starting his own insur-ance company, which ledhim to El Paso and then toMidland.

At first, Morgan said hewasn’t excited about tellinghis story, but the more hedid, the easier it became.

“For a lot of years, youhad no wish to discusswhat was happening; it wasunpleasant enough to gothrough it and all wewanted to do was forget it,”Morgan said.

But now, even though hehas seen the memorials be-fore with his wife, he is ex-cited to have the chance tovisit them again with themen who also served thiscountry.

“I have been there ex-cept this time I am lookingforward to associatingwith these guys that hadthe same experience that Ihad,” Morgan said aboutthe trip to WashingtonD.C.

Morgan>> From Page 1A

BIOGRAPHY>> Name: Jerry Morgan.

>> Age: 95.>> How long in Midland:

Six years, originally fromCordell, Okla.

>> Occupation: Executive Offi-cer of Life Insurance Company.

>> Branch of military and rank: U.S. Army, Major

>> Years of service: 1938–1946>> What theater: Europe.

>> Medals or commendations:Silver Star.

>> Who will accompany you onthe honor flight? Karen Mason,

daughter.>> What does it mean to you toget to make this trip? “I have

been there except this time I amlooking forward to associatingwith these guys that had thesame experience that I had.”

WARNING SIGNS>> Moles on skin that are

changing. (Growing, shapechanging, texture changes).

>> Darkening of the skin.

>> A spot or sore thatcontinuously burns, itches, or

hurts.

>> Open sores that do notheal within three weeks.

‘(Tanning) can causeskin cancer, there arereally no ifs ands or

buts about that.’SARAH FULLER

Registered nurse at Medical CenterHospital’s Health and Wellness Center

By Damian Wexler,Freelance Health Reporter

Recently, alternative medicine expert Bryce Wylde, a frequent

guest on the Dr. Oz show, revealed a simple secret that amazed millions who suffer with digestion nightmares. And people haven’t stopped talking about it since.

“I’d give anything to make it stop!”

That’s what most people will tell you when asked about their digestive problems. “It’s just horrible says Ralph Burns, a former digestion victim. I was tortured for years by my Acid-Reflux. Sometimes I’d almost pass out from the pain. My wife suffers with digestion problems too. If she eats one wrong thing, she spends hours stuck in the bathroom dealing with severe bouts of constipation or diarrhea.”

FDA Warns About Popular Antacids

A recent FDA warning explained that excessive use of antacids could lead to an increased risk of hip, wrist, and spine fractures. Especially in people over the age of 50.

So when alternative medicine expert Bryce Wylde discussed an alternative on National TV, you can imagine how thrilled people were to find out they could finally get relief without having to rely on Prevecid®, Nexium®, Prilosec® and other dangerous proton pump inhibitors. But now, according to Wylde, your stomach problems could be over by simply drinking a small amount of a tasty Aloe Vera extract. It’s as simple as that!

Finally There’s Hope...At first, the thought of drinking aloe vera

might make some people back away. But in fact, this delicious “digestion cocktail” is doing amazing things for people who suffer with stomach problems --- even if they’ve had them for years. Here’s how it works…

Stop Stomach AgonyYour stomach naturally produces acid

so strong, it can dissolve an aluminum spoon in just 30 minutes! And when excess acid escapes into your esophagus, throat and stomach lining, it unleashes the scorching pain of Acid-Reflux, heartburn, ulcers and more misery. Add the problems of stress, and “all heck breaks loose.”

Dr. Liza Leal, a well known expert on chronic pain management explains... “The AloeCure® can work genuine miracles. It buffers high acid levels with amazing speed. So your stomach feels completely at ease just moments after

drinking it.” In fact, it could wipe out stomach pain, discomfort, and frantic runs to the bathroom.

Until Now, Little Could Be Done...

But “AloeCure® can help virtually anyone. Even people with chronic stomach pain can feel better right away,” says Dr. Leal. And what’s really exciting is AloeCure® aids in keeping your digestive tract healthy, so intestinal distress stops coming back.

As Ralph Burns goes on to say, “I know AloeCure® never claimed to be a substitute for drug store products and is only meant to be a helpful supplement. Now though, AloeCure® is the only product I need for all my digestion issues”

Digestion Defender #1: Balances Stomach Acid

Your first line of defense is calcium malate. This natural acid buffer instantly sends stomach acid levels plunging. And holds acid levels down so they don’t return!

Digestion Defender #2: Instant, Soothing Relief

AloeCure® is brimming with polysac-charides, a “wonder” compound that gently coats the throat, esophagus and stomach, carrying instant relief to cells scorched by excess acid.

Here’s What Doctors Are Saying!

AloeCure® is backed by important scientific studies that confirm... aloe calms stomach acid and allows your body to heal itself.

Dr. Liza Leal, M.D & Chief Medical Officer at Meridian Medical. says, “That’s why I recommend it to patients who suffer from bouts of heartburn, Acid-Reflux, ulcers, and irritable bowel syndrome...”

Dr. Santiago Rodriguez agrees. “Just two ounces of AloeCure® reduces the acids in your stomach by ten times.”

Francisco DeWeever, a Certified Nutri-tional Microscopist, “My patients report their IBS, Crohn’s, Colitis, Constipation, Acid-Reflux and a host of other digestive problems have all but disappeared.”

After conducting an unpaid investigation about AloeCure® claims and success stories, Bryce Wylde commented that pure Aloe Vera extract like AloeCure®

may be the most important application ever discovered for digestive health. He stands wholeheartedly behind his study into natural and complementary health and to this day, he receives no compensation from the sale of AloeCure® or any other product.

Safe And Easy To UseWith no sugar, no stimulants, and zero

calories, AloeCure® is safe, all-natural and has absolutely no side effects. It’s tasty, drug-free, and simple to use. Just drink two ounces, once in the morning, and once at night, and start enjoying immediate life- changing relief!

The makers of AloeCure® have agreed to send you up to 6 FREE bottles PLUS 2 free bonus gifts with your order— they’re yours to keep no matter what. That’s enough AloeCure® for 30 days of powerful digestive relief, absolutely free!

To order simply call our toll free hotline: 1-888-414-4612. But hurry! This is a special introductory offer, reserved for our readers only. Call now, supplies are limited!

THESE STATEMENTS HAVE NOT BEEN EVALUATED BY THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION. THIS PRODUCT IS NOT INTENDED TO DIAGNOSE, TREAT, CURE, OR PREVENT ANY DISEASE. INDIVIDUAL RESULTS MAY VARY. *ALOECURE IS NOT A DRUG. IF YOU ARE CURRENTLY TAKING A PRESCRIPTION DRUG YOU SHOULD CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE USE. FOR THE FULL FDA PUB-LISHED WARNING PLEASE VISIT HTTP://WWW.FDA.GOV/DOWNLOADS/FORCONSUMERS/CONSUMERUPDATES/UCM213307

Washington, D.C. – All across the country, those suffering with digestion issues are ecstatic with the relief they’re getting from a new, natural remedy called AloeCure®. Everyone is thrilled… well, everyone except major drug companies, who apparently may threaten to take appropriate legal action.

“We hear the rumors, but we’re not going to be intimidated. We owe it to our satisfied customers to continue to produce a natural digestion solution that poses no possible side effects.”

“More than ever, I want to introduce digestion sufferers to our remarkable product, improve their health while saving them money, and provide long lasting relief."

-Doug Jewett, CEOAmerican Global Health Group

Major Drug Companies Are Threatened byNatural DigestionRemedy. Over 4 million bottles have been sold nation wide.…

Doctor recommended AloeCure® may be the most important application ever

discovered for digestive health!

Frequent Dr Oz Guest, Bryce Wylde explains his simple trick that will make almost any bout of

heartburn, acid-reflux, constipation, gas, bloating, diarrhea, and other stomach problems go away fast

“Try This Simple Trick to Defeat

Almost Any Digestion Problem Instantly”

Doctor Oz Show Guest Says:

PAID ADVERTISEMENT

New Islamic orderAl-Qaida splinter group

declares new state in Iraq,Syria. >> PAGE 5A

More dramaMexico, Greece bow out

of World Cup. >> SPORTS

Body foundHorseback riders

discovered a deadbody Sunday morningin a field west of 16th

Street andDamascusAvenue inWestOdessa,according

to an evening news re-lease from the EctorCounty Sheriff's Of-fice.

The release stateddeputies were tryingto determine how longthe body had been inthe field but that thesex of the corpse wasnot immediately iden-tifiable. Deputies weresending the body forautopsy in TarrantCounty.

The horseback rid-ers told investigatorsthey discovered thebody at about 10:30 a.m Sunday offDamascus Avenue,which is near WestKnox Avenue andThird Street. Furtherdetails remained un-clear Sunday night andthe Sheriff's officestopped short of say-ing whether foul playwas suspected.

The Sheriff's officeasks anyone with in-formation about thebody to call investiga-tors at 432-335-3050.

Celebrate the Fourth

What is more Amer-ican than a Fourth ofJuly parade?

Not much. Showyour patriotism andeven your red, whiteand blue duds duringthe Jacees Independ-ence Day Parade start-ing at 10 a.m. nearOdessa College.

The parade beginsat OC and finishes atECISD’s admin build-ing on Ninth Street.

Main StreetOdessa’s FirecrackerFandango orgainzierswill open the gates toOdessa’s celebration ofthe Fourth of July at 3 p.m. in downtownOdessa.

Events include liveentertainment, chil-dren’s activities, foodbooths, exhibits andmuch more.

Tickets are $13 inadvance and $18 theday of the event.O N T H E N E T

>> mainstreetodessa.org

QUICK hits



DALLAS Convicted of settingher uncle on fire, Sonia Cacyhas waited two decades to clearher name and challenge thecase against her, which restedon science the state now ac-

knowledges was wrong.She’ll get that chance today,

in the same far West Texas citywhere she remembers heryoung son tearfully chasingafter her when the jury foundher guilty of murder.

Fire investigation experts

have spent years trying tochange attitudes about arsoncases like Cacy’s, which theysay was based on guesswork,not science. But proving inno-cence has been difficult in thisrealm of science that’s less clearthan DNA testing or othermeans criminal-justice advo-cates use to free the wrongfullyconvicted.

Experts say that some oldcases rely on guesswork to de-

fine what a particular burn pat-tern or sign might say about thecause of a fire. Officials havealso tried to improve educationfor fire inspectors after decadesof cases in which undertrainedinvestigators drew the wrongconclusions.

That’s called some convic-tions to come into question —and there may be more thatneed to be examined.

Sonia Cacy previously pinned to fireydeath of uncle in Fort Stockton

Dr. GeraldFarberexaminesKarenHarrison’shand on afollow-upvisit afterher surgery.


PAGE 2A

10074

➤➤

WEATHERMostly sunny.South windat 15 mph to 25 mph.

I N D E XCLASSIFIED 6BCOMICS 4BDEATHS 7AETC. 5BHEALTH 7ALEVI STONE 7AOPINION 4ASPORTS 1BTELEVISION 6AXWORD 5B, 9B

Jacob Arredondo, Reagan




Trained in the art ofbombing from a B-17, EllisNorwood was realizing hischildhood ambitions of fly-ing airplanes in the sum-mer of 1944.

But when he was sentout by the Army AirCorps, it wasn’t to demol-ish cities or neutralizeground troops or even to

threaten the enemy with abombing raid. Norwoodwas in the saving business.

Norwood, a 90-year-oldOdessa man, was just 18years old and fresh out ofTarrant High School in Al-abama when he joined theArmy Air Corps. He saidhe was always interested inplanes from when he was achild building model air-planes.

He was finally called to

action in 1945, but not asthe bomber he was trainedto be — instead, Norwoodhelped feed the starvingand rescued the dying.

Stationed with the 358thBombardment Group atthe RAF Great AshfieldAirfield, Norwood hadcompleted two years ofArmy training and flyingtraining and was called tofly food to the Netherlands

B-17 bomber fed the hungry, rescued tortured

>> See NORWOOD Page 8A

Oilfield can be rough on hands

F I X I N G H A N D S


The boom may be goodfor the economy, but it canbe hard on the hands.

A recent Odessa trans-

plant, Dr. Gerald Farber,arrived in April and spe-cializes in a large array of orthopedic conditionsin the upper extremitiesincluding carpal tunnel re-lease, trigger finger re-

lease, wrist arthroscopicprocedures, wrist andelbow joint replacements,fracture fixation and bonegrafting, stiffness, contrac-tures and deformities, athletic injuries and

arthritic conditions. With the boom, Farber

said some of the most com-mon injuries he has seensince his time in Odessa aredirectly related to workersout in the highly activefield.

Ralph Lewis, an HSEspecialist with Distribution

Now, attributed the numberof hand injuries in the oil-field to lack of training,awareness and distractions.

“A lot of it comes frompeople who are not payingattention to what they aredoing,” Lewis said. “A lot ofthe mistakes in the field are

Dr. Farber welcomed in Odessa

‘Since weuse our

hands allof the

time, mygoal is totry and

get themback to

functionaluse.’DR.

GERALDFARBER

HONORED: Ellis Norwood, 90

>> See HANDS Page 8A

Ellis Norwood was a B-17 pilot during Word War II.


ON THE NET>> TexasTribune —Woman

Charged withMurder

Campaignsfor

Innocence:tinyurl.com/

pavytoq

Woman fights murder conviction

>> See APPEAL Page 9A

8A ODESSA AMERICAN L O C A L & S T A T E MONDAY, JUNE 30, 2014

just before the war ended.The Germans, Nor-

wood said, had just re-cently agreed to allow fooddrops to the starvingDutch people.

Norwood and his crew-mates didn’t initially knowhow bad the starvationwas, he said.

“We were just told totake that food to Holland.After that, we found outthe people were starvingto death,” Norwood said.“I’m sure it saved a lot oflives because they had nofood.”

As he flew down toabout 400 feet before mak-ing the drop over a“bombed-out” city or air-port, Norwood said hun-dreds flocked to the dropsite where the food wasgiven to the people.

“As soon as we droppedthe food out there, theyswarmed,” he said.

Coby Homer, a 78-year-old woman who lives inFort Worth, was just 10years old when the pilotsbegan dropping food pack-ages in the fields near herhome in Wassenaar, Hol-land, following the coun-try’s May 1945 liberation.

“I was five when thewar broke out and we wereoccupied for five years,”Homer said.

“When we were liber-ated, the planes came over

and dropped packages offood in fields,” Homer said.“I still see them in front ofme. We hadn’t seen decentfood in five years. We werein seventh heaven.”

Homer said the dropswere so important to herfamily and the residentsthere who had experi-enced the horror and star-vation associated with theoccupation by Germany.

“It was very, very im-portant because we werevery, very hungry,” shesaid. “I remember themflying over the field — I re-member the packages.”

“I remember how hun-gry I was — I was hungryall the time,” Homer re-called vividly. “It was warand Hitler was not a kindman.”

But Norwood wasn’tdone yet.

After three food drops,his next stop was Linz,Austria, where he flew topick up survivors fromGerman concentrationcamps. What he saw there,Norwood said he’d neverforget.

“They were walkingskeletons, some of them,”Norwood said. “They weremore or less skin andbones. They were toldFrance (was the destina-tion) and they justclapped.”

In the one trip, whereall the passengers weremen, Norwood said hepicked up about 25 to 30 ofthe former concentration

camp prisoners, but be-cause of their state hecouldn’t tell which oneswere 20 years old andwhich ones were 50 yearsold.

Still, Norwood said heand his crewmates werejust doing as they weretold.

“We never reallythought much about it,” hesaid.

While in the Army AirCorps, Norwood said heremembers hosted dancesoverseas where localswould come, playing pokerand dominoes, and prac-ticing shooting pistols.

“One guy had a silverdollar and put it up thereand I hit it,” Norwood said,laughing at the memory.“But that’s the only thing Ihit except the ground.”

Although Norwoodnever faced combat, hesaid many of his friendsdid, and many of them did-n’t make it back.

When he arrived backin the United States, that’swhen he realized howmany died in combat.

“You hear things and ofcourse after the war wasover you saw movies andnovels,” Norwood said.“You’re sort of in your ownlittle world over there.”

Despite knowing theterrors of combat and thathe had friends who died,Norwood said he stillwishes he could have beenable to fly some missions,and said after “a couple

years training and fly overthere to do your job to findout your job’s been donefor you” was not ideal forhim.

Upon his return, Nor-wood said he went toschool at Auburn and be-came an electrical engi-neer at Gulf Oil.

He was transferredfrom Biloxi, Miss., in 1961to Odessa, and has re-mained here ever since, re-tiring in 1985 and playinggolf with fellow HonorFlight veteran MalcolmManns.

>> City editor CelindaHawkins contributed tothis story.

new people coming into theoil field and haven’t beenaround this stuff andhaven’t had the correcttraining.”

Lewis said there are a lotof factors that can con-tribute to the injuries.

“A lot of it is the glovetype, they try to use anytype of glove that’s availablebut it is also that they don’tget enough sleep at nightand they’re not as aware,”Lewis said. “Most peopleare just careless regardinghand safety.”

The hands and wrists aresome of the most highlyused areas of the humanbody, Farber said, and whenthey occur, it can be a prob-lem.

The hand has 27 bonesand the wrist has eight, Far-ber said, and that is just oneof the reasons the two areascan be a complex place foran injury to occur and why

specialists are needed forpatients who have the in-jury.

”It is like working on theinner parts of a wrist watchopposed to a car engine,”Farber said. “Everything is alot smaller there and it’s afairly specialized area that alot of general physiciansdon’t feel comfortableworking on.”

In the past, patientswould be sent tosurrounding hos-pitals to havehand and wristprocedures, but now that heis in town, the idea for Far-ber is that patients will havesome of that stress allevi-ated because they have alocal doctor they can visit.

“I think we will start see-ing more patients in the fu-ture, but right now, I thinkpeople are just so used tosending them to other areaslike Lubbock, Dallas orHouston for treatment,”Farber said.

One patient in particularis excited that she doesn’t

have to drive across thestate to be seen, and said ithas made a big difference inher treatment and gettingback to her normal routine.

“It was exciting to knowthat Dr. Farber was here inOdessa,” said 67-year oldKaren Harrison, who suf-fered a break at the end ofher radius, one of the twobones of the forearm. “Wewere excited to know that

he was here andcould do my sur-gery; he has beenunderstanding

and helped us throughevery step of the process.”

Harrison’s injury oc-curred April 24, and whileFarber said it can take moretime to heal than other in-juries, Harrison said she hasalready seen a lot ofprogress and a steady de-cline in pain.

“The reason these typesof injuries take so long toheal is because we use thatarea of the body every sin-gle day,” Farber said. “Thereare just so many bones,

joints, and muscles in sucha small area that it takes alittle more time.”

But this hasn’t slowedHarrison down.

“I didn’t know how longit would take to heal, but Ihave been pleasantly sur-prised with the work Dr.Farber has done,” Harrisonsaid about her injury whilewaiting to go in for hercheck up. “When I firstcame in after my surgery,they looked at it and had medo some movements, andwhen I went to physicaltherapy they said I was 50percent ahead of others, sothat was a really pleasantsurprise.”

But the mission remainsthe same regardless if thepatient is an oilfield workeror someone with arthritis,as Farber said. “Since weuse our hands all of thetime, my goal is to try andget them back to functionaluse.”

O N T H E N E T>> mchodessa.com>> www.procareodessa.com

BIOGRAPHY>> Name: Ellis Norwood.

>> Age: 90.>> How long in Odessa:

53 years.>> Occupation: Retired

electrical engineer. >> Branch of military

and rank: Second Lieutenantin the Army Air Corps.

>> Years of service: 1942-1945.>> What theater: European. >> Who will accompany youon the honor flight? Fellow

Honor Flight veteran MalcolmManns.

>> What does it mean to youto get to make this trip?

“Thrilled to death,” Norwoodsaid. “I heard of people going

to it and really didn’t think thatI might have a chance to go.”

Norwood>> From Page 1A

Hands>> From Page 1A


DALLAS Texas Democratssay the solution for dealingwith the thousands of im-migrant children pouringinto the country is a softer,more measured policy re-sponse, while state Repub-licans emphasize clampingdown on the U.S.-Mexicoborder first and tacklingeverything else later.

Both sides agree a “hu-manitarian crisis” is unfold-ing, but the difference inhow to frame the approachunderscores deeper fissureson immigration, with eachparty declaring its view isthe key to wooing votersamong the state’s boomingHispanic population.

The U.S. Border Patrol inSouth Texas has been over-whelmed for months by aninflux of unaccompaniedchildren from CentralAmerica. So, what mightotherwise be political rhet-oric for the parties may beput to a real-world test in animportant election year.

Attorney General andRepublican gubernatorialnominee Greg Abbott saida surge in youngsters arriv-ing at the border was justthe latest facet of a morecomplex problem.

“The challenges thatwe’re dealing with today

long predated the currentcrisis of the last fewmonths, and these chal-lenges are not going toaway unless and until theborder is secure,” Abbottsaid in a phone interviewSunday. “Most people in thecountry agree that the firststep is to secure the borderbefore anything else can betalked about.”

At their state conventionin Dallas this weekend,however, Democrats ap-proved a party platformthat endorses an “attainablepath to citizenship” for peo-ple living in the U.S. ille-gally. They say doing so willhelp snap the Republicans’20-year winning streak instatewide elections.

Just two weeks earlier,the Texas GOP removedfrom its party platform aplank that had passed in2012 calling for a guest-worker program for immi-grants in the countryillegally and added lan-guage that prioritized se-curing the border.

Democratic Party Chair-man Gilberto Hinojosa,who was re-elected to hispost at the convention, saidhis party doesn’t “believe ina guest-worker program. ...Those kinds of programshave always led to exploita-tion.

Immigrant surgeunderscores political divide

(NAPS)—More than300,000 men die eachyear from heart diseasein the United States,making it the leadingcause of death for men.Unfortunately, half of themen who die suddenlyfrom this disease have noprevious symptoms.

High blood pressure isthe top contributor toheart disease and death.Research shows 25 per-cent of men have highblood pressure—manywithout knowing it.According to the Centersfor Disease Control andPrevention (CDC), men’srisk for heart disease in-creases with age and typ-ically begins at 45,although it can occur at ayounger age. In fact,African American mendevelop the conditionmore often and at an ear-lier age, compared totheir white and Hispanicpeers.

The good news is thatyou can take charge ofyour health by knowingyour risk and takingsteps to adopt a healthierlifestyle. The CDC rec-ommends the followingtips to help decrease therisk of heart disease: • Check your blood

pressure regularly.Your doctor canmeasure your bloodpressure or you can

check it yourself athome and manypharmacies. If you already have highblood pressure, yourdoctor may prescribemedications in addition to recommendinglifestyle changes.Take the medicationsas directed by yourdoctor.

• Eat more heart-healthy foods. Eatlots of fruits and

vegetables, whichprovide heartprotecting nutrientssuch as potassiumand fiber.

• Reduce your sodiumintake. More than75% of the sodiumwe eat is fromrestaurant andprocessed foods.The 2010 DietaryGuidelines forAmericans recommend peopleaged 2 and up

reduce sodium intake to less than2,300 mg per day.People 51 and olderand those of anyage who are AfricanAmericans or whohave high bloodpressure, diabetes,or chronic kidneydisease should further reduce intake to 1,500 mgper day.

• Maintain a healthyweight. If you areoverweight, losingweight can helplower your bloodpressure. Your doctor can help youdetermine your target weight andthe best way toachieve it.

• Exercise regularly.Physical activity canalso help lower yourblood pressure. CDCrecommends you engage in moderate-intensity exercise,like brisk walking ora muscle strengthening activity, for atleast 2 hours and 30minutes (150 minutes) everyweek.

• Limit alcohol use.Drinking too muchalcohol is associatedwith high blood pressure. If you drinkalcohol, do so in

moderation—no morethan two drinks perday for men or onedrink per day forwomen.

• Don’t smoke.Smoking damagesblood vessels andspeeds up the hardening of arteries.

If you don’t smoke,don’t start. If you dosmoke, quitting willlower your risk for heartdisease and stroke. Call atobacco quit line (1-800-QUITNOW) or visit

www.smokefree.gov.Keeping your heart in

good condition does re-quire work, but the last-ing health impact isworth the effort. Learnyour risk for heart dis-ease and adopt a heart-healthy lifestyle. Moreinformation on cardio-vascular disease andheart health is availableon CDC’s Division forHeart Disease and StrokePrevention website:www.cdc.gov/dhdsp/

Heart-Healthy Habits Every Man Should Adopt

After surviving a near fatal heart attack at age 42, Aaronconsiders himself to be in the “bonus round” of life. He’svigilant about getting his blood pressure checked, takinghis medications, and seeing his doctor regularly. Heurges others to take care for their bodies so they canspend more time with their loved ones too.


Fax: 432.262.2448

www.drkkozma.com




The Ector County Inde-pendent School Districthas about a month beforeclasses begin in the district.

District officials need allthe time they can get to fillthe open positions theyhave inside and outside theclassroom. The district has130 openings for teacherpositions.

Keith Garinger, chiefhuman resources officer forECISD, said the district isalways looking for workersin its maintenance, trans-portation and food servicedepartments. In the class-rooms, ECISD needs to fillopenings split nearlyevenly between elementaryand secondary levels.

Garinger said the 35 in-ternational teachers whowill fill jobs here were al-ready hired and are notpart of the 130 openings.(Garinger was not surehow many openings therewere in the maintenance,transportation and foodservice departments.)

The district also will try

to fill two elementary assis-tant positions and about 40paraprofessional positions,such as instructional aidesand support staff. Garingersaid ECISD representativeswill travel to job fairs toDallas and Houston thisweek to find teachers.

Starting salary withoutthe retention incentive forECISD teachers is $44,000,Garinger said. He ex-plained the incentive en-deavors to try to getteachers to stay with the

district for a longer periodof time. It is $3,000 and it’spaid in two $1,500 incre-ments, and teachers whosign on with the retentionincentive have a startingsalary of $47,000. A teacherwith a master’s degree andwith the retention has astarting salary of $49,575.

A D R I V E T O F I N D W O R K E R S

David Morris needs lotsof workers for his depart-ment.

Morris is the director oftransportation for ECISD,which continues to look forbus drivers to do the criticaljob of taking children to andfrom school.

The transportation de-partment has 38 bus driverpositions open. But Morrissaid his department needsmore than drivers, as the of-fice also has three me-chanic and three officepositions open.

Morris doesn’t holdmuch optimism about fill-

ing many of his bus driverpositions as the 2014-15school year beckons.

“We may be able to fillfive of them, I hope,” hesaid.

Because of the shortagesrecently during the schoolyear, his office has usedsubstitutes and then otheroffice personnel to take upthe slack.

“So everybody ends updriving almost every day,which basically leaves our

Ceramics camp today

Odessa College isofferingceramicscampstartingtoday for

students entering sev-enth through 12thgrades.

All bowls createdwill be donated to the“Empty Bowls Project”bene-fit-tingtheWestTexas Food Bank andour community. Thecamp is from 9 a.m. tonoon, today throughThursday, and tuition is$50. Professional ce-ramic artists will pro-vide hands-on learningfor the students as theycreate ceramic art. Noprevious art experienceis required, and schol-arships are available.

Call 335-6580 formore information. O N T H E N E T

>> www.odessa.edu

Jewelry making The Ellen Noël Art

Museum, 4909 E. Uni-versity Blvd., hasscheduled “JewelryMaking,” a RandomActs of Art class, foradults ages 18 andolder from 10 a.m. to4 p.m. Aug. 9.

The class fee is $80and includes all sup-plies.

Class size is limitedand advance registra-tion is required.

Hours for the EllenNoël Art Museum are10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sun-day.

Call 550-9696 formore information. O N T H E N E T

>> noelartmuseum.org

QUICK hits



GAZA CITY, GAZA STRIP Is-rael and Hamas launchednew attacks Sunday in theraging Gaza war, despitegoing back and forth overproposals for a temporaryhalt to nearly three weeksof fighting ahead of amajor Muslim holiday.

The failure to reach

even a brief humanitarianlull in the fighting illus-trated the difficulties in se-curing a more permanenttruce as the sides remainfar apart on their terms.

After initially rejectingan Israeli offer Saturdayfor a 24-hour truce, Hamassaid Sunday that it hadagreed to hold fire aheadof the Eid al-Fitr holiday

marking the end of theMuslim fasting month ofRamadan. But as Israel’sCabinet met to discuss theoffer and the ongoing war,rockets rained down onsouthern Israel and Israelistrikes could be heard inGaza.

Each side blamed theother for scuttling the ef-forts.

Hamas said that “due tothe lack of commitment”by Israel, it resumed itsfire. Israeli Prime Minister

Israel, Hamas fail to securehumanitarian lull in conflict

Gaza war rages despite truce

ECISD stillseeks teachers,

employees

Hoping for last-minute hires

PAGE 2A

9672

➤➤

WEATHERIncreasing

clouds. Windssoutheast at 10 mph to 20 mph.

I N D E XATB 6ACLASSIFIED 5BCOMICS 9ADEATHS 7AHEALTH 6AOPINION 4ASPORTS 1BTELEVISION 11AXWORD 6A, 7B

Amery Ruiz, Reagan


Gettingstarted

Dallas Cowboys closefirst

week oftraining

camp in California.>> SPORTS



LeRoy Stelzel loves music.Years ago, Stelzel played in his

father’s band, which included thefather’s brothers. At Christmastime now, he plays the accordionfor his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

“They enjoy it,” said Elaine, hiswife. “Those little kids get outthere and they dance!”

“They do the Chicken Dance,”LeRoy said.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Elaine said.He also was the choir director

at the church for more than 30years.

For the music-lover Pelzel, helooks forward to a trip in Septem-ber that should hit a high note.

Pelzel, 88, a retired farmer,lives in Miles, a small town just

HONORED: LeRoy Pelzel, 88A circuitous military tour


World War Two veteran Leroy Pelzel poses for a portrait in his Miles Texashome.

DannyMarrufo, amechanicwith theEctor CountyIndependentSchoolDistrictTransport -ationDepartment,works on abus Thursdayat thedepartment’sshop. Withthe schoolyear startingin a month,ECISD still hasnumerouspositions thatare vacant.


>> Honor Flight:permianhonorflight.org

>> See OPENINGS Page 10A

>> See PELZEL Page 10A


GAZA CITY, GAZA STRIP Is-rael and Hamas are hold-ing out for bigger gains inthe Gaza war, helping explain the failure of the world’s most influen-tial diplomats to brokereven a precursor to a

lasting cease-fire.Hamas wants to break

the seven-year blockadeof Gaza and believes theonly way to force seriousnegotiations on endingthe closure is to keepfighting. Israel wantsmore time to destroy

Israel, Hamas hold out for more gains in war

>> See GAINS Page 8A>> See WAR Page 8A


432-682-2180


432-332-0519


432-263-6181

We Accept Care

Credit



INSTRUMENTS


$800 OFF


INSTRUMENT



FREE FREE

10A ODESSA AMERICAN L O C A L MONDAY, JULY 28, 2014

offices empty while we’re runningour routes,” he said.

His office has been able to coverthe routes every, he said, “but justbarely.” If there are 38 openingsand eight to 10 people call in sick,“then you’re in trouble.”

To be qualified as a bus driver,one has to own a Class B Commer-cial Driver’s License with properendorsements: passenger andschool bus. People must have agood driving record and an accept-able criminal history check, Morrissaid, explaining that a person’s his-tory will be subject to review on acase-by-case basis and some mis-demeanors, especially long ago,will not be grounds for disqualifi-cation.

“We prefer people who don’thave any,” he said. (A felony con-viction will exclude an applicantfor employment.)

Prospective employees will un-dergo a pre-employment drugscreening and a Department ofTransportation physical. They willtake training classes and must ob-tain a Texas State Bus Driver’s Cer-tification.

Morris said the hourly pay rangefor bus drivers begins at $14.26 andgoes all the way to $19.51, depend-ing on experience. Bus drivers usu-ally work six hours a day and 30hours a week, but because of short-ages, many bus drivers may work40 hours a week.

Mechanics make $17.56 and up,depending on experience. Officestaff pay varies and depends on thejob.

The transportation departmentis not only department losing em-ployees to oilfield jobs, but somebus drivers are leaving to takeother jobs that pay more.

“A CDL is a very valuable thingto possess right now,” Morris said.

Working at the ECISD trans-portation is an excellent opportu-nity for people, especially retirees,who want to supplement their in-come and get holidays and sum-mers off, Morris said.

To apply, people may drop bythe transportation office at 2211 W.Tenth St., between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

C O O K I N G U P O P E N I N G SKaty Taylor, director of school

nutrition for ECISD, said her de-partment has 27 fulltime openingsand needs 35-40 substitutes towork every day, with substitutesnot necessarily going to the samecampus each day.

The nutrition office is lookingfor general helpers, lead cooks, as-sistant cooks and head cooks. Peo-ple are needed to do such work asbeing cashiers and line servers.Cashiers in elementary school mayrun registers but will help in foodprep before operating the registers,Taylor said.

General helpers make $8.82 anhour and pay goes up from there,depending on experience and whatjob they fill. Assistant cooks make$9.61 an hour and head cooks make$10.47 an hour.

One selling point of working infood service is that parents canwork at the same time their chil-dren are in school, Taylor said.

Hours for food service employ-ees can vary from four to sevenhours a day, depending on whatkitchen they’re assigned to andwhat is needed. Prospective em-ployees must submit to necessarydrug screens and backgroundchecks.

To apply, people may drop bythe nutrition office at 1120 W. TenthSt. from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondaythrough Friday.

outside San Angelo. Heserved in the U.S. Army inWorld War II and will beattending the Texas Per-mian Basin Honor Flightgroup when it tours theWorld War II Memorial inWashington, D.C., in Sep-tember.

A C I R C U I T O U S M I L I T A R Y T O U R

Pelzel was born inWestphalia, a farmingcommunity about 25 mileseast of Temple. He livedthere until he was about6 months old, and then hisfamily headed to WestCentral Texas.

His folks actually endedup settling aroundRowena, and he went toschool there. (Americangangster Bonnie Parkerwas born in Rowena.) Hejoined the Army in Octo-ber 1944 and went to FortSam Houston in San Anto-nio for induction sessions.After that, he was sent toCamp Wolters in MineralWells, which was an in-fantry camp.

“We did our basic overthere, and that after thebasic training, they gave usanother physical and forsome reason, we got trans-ferred to the Air Force, toSheppard in WichitaFalls,” he said. “There, wewent through another per-sonnel screening andeverything, and that’swhen they decided theones that got sent for in-fantry, (and) we’re sup-posed to go to airplanemechanic school.”

So his group was sent

from Wichita Falls toAmarillo.

“Time went on, andnothing ever happenedabout us getting ready tomechanic school,” he said.“We did a bunch of detailsin the meantime — pulledKP and do other jobs theyneeded to be done.”

So finally one day,Pelzel recalls, they weretold they weren’t going toschool in Amarillo. Theywould be going to schoolin Biloxi, Miss. The warended while he was inBiloxi.

From Biloxi, Pelzelwent to Dallas, where hedid five to six months ofdriving pilots back andforth to Love Field.

He then got his ordersto Brazil, in Belem, wherehe was an ambulancedriver and a clerk/typistfor the medics.

“I stayed with that untilthey decided to send usback home,” he said.

By that time, he had putin enough time in order tobe discharged, he said.Pelzel was discharged inSeptember 1946.

“Whatever rank I had Igot mostly there when Iwas with the medics,” hesaid. “I ended up being asergeant and if I wanted tostay, the major said I couldmost probably have madestaff (sergeant). But I wasready to come home anddo something different.”

He was ready to gowherever he was neededduring the war. But he hadno say-so.

“I guess I was one of themore fortunate ones to notget involved of being inharm’s way to where youcould have gotten hurt or

got killed or whatever,” hesaid.

“I was just a kid out ofhigh school when I wentinto the service, but at thesame time I was glad toget my time in and getback home because I knewI didn’t really want tomake it a career,” he said.

B A C K H O M EHe came back to

Rowena and his intentionswere to help his parentswith the farm. He actuallywent to work for a nearbyman, whose daughterPelzel ended up marrying.Labor was scarce backthen.

“Of course, my wife andI were kind of looking ateach other already,” hesaid, laughing.

“We were neighbors ac-tually — his parents andmy parents were neigh-bors,” said Elaine, his wifeof nearly 67 years.

A drought hit in the1950s and Pelzel worked intown for a carpenter.

“I did that for severalyears until the droughtkind of got close to break-ing,” he said.

Having grown tired ofthe carpentry work, he gota civil service job beingclerk/typist with the ArmyReserve, but it was a tem-porary job. He eventuallywent back to farming and“it worked out.” His lastcrop was in 1998, and hehad his second open heartsurgery that year.

“We had a pretty fairyear and I made a littlemoney at it, and I decidedit was a good time to quitand my cardiologist said itwould probably better if Ijust backed off,” he said.

He had his first openheart surgery in 1988, andsaid he is now trying tokeep his heart in workingshape. He goes to a healthclub twice a week andkeeps a healthy diet.

R E A D Y F O R W A S H I N G T O N

“I feel like it ought tobe an exciting trip andlooking forward to it andhope that it will be what Iam expecting it to be,” hesaid.

He has been to Wash-ington, D.C., twice before.

On the memorial:“I feel like it shows an

appreciation and honorfor those who did go toserve and everything,” hesaid. “I feel like even theveterans of today, we’renot really getting a fairshake for what all some ofthem have gone through. Iconsider myself one of themore fortunate ones fornot having to come out ofthere with a lot of prob-lems. But there’s a lot ofthem who are going toneed a lot of help, and I

feel like they’re due thehelp and they’ve earned it.Hopefully, somebody willsee to it that they do getthe attention that theyneed.”

Pelzel’s son, Pat Pelzelof St. Lawrence, will ac-company him on the trip.

“I’m looking forward toit, and it will be a realhonor to assist him andsee the memorial,” saidPat Pelzel, who lives in St.Lawrence, located inGlasscock County.

On his military service:“I felt like the experi-

ence that I got out of itwas well worth it andeverything, but at the timeI didn’t think I was goingto make it a career or any-thing, so I was ready tocome back home when wewere eligible to dis-charged,” LeRoy said.

Besides music, Pelzel’sother hobbies are keepinghis cars clean and lookingafter his yard. He is amember and former com-mander of the Veterans ofForeign Wars Post 9196 inRowena and he and Elaine

are members of St.Thomas Catholic Churchin Miles. He and Elaine arethe parents of five chil-dren — Janet Braden andPat Pelzel of St. Lawrence,Ruth Wilde of Wall andRichard Pelzel and CurtisPelzel of Miles — and 12grandchildren and 11great-grandchildren.

Pelzel>> From Page 1A

Openings>> From Page 1A

>> UTPB hasdevised afast-trackway to getteachers

in the classrooms:tinyurl.com/k447e3m

BIOGRAPHY>> Name: LeRoy Pelzel.

>> Age: 88.

>> How long in Miles: Moved67 years.

>> Occupation: Retiredfarmer.

>> Branch of military andrank: U.S. Army, Sergeant.


>> What theater: Did notserve in battle.

>> Who will accompany youon the honor flight? Pat

Pelzel, son.

‘... Every-body endsup driving

almostevery day,

which basically

leaves ourofficesemptywhilewe’re

runningour

routes.’DAVID

MORRISDirector

of transportationfor Ector County

IndependentSchool District

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2014 facebook.com/OdessaAmerican oaoa.com twitter.com/OdessaAmerican 75 CENTS


Posted: $88.75

Futures: $92.27

Natural Gas: $3.857The price of oil fell on concerns

that global demand is fallingwhile supplies remain ample.

STOCKS 8D


BY JARED WILSON [email protected]

For Walter Pierce, warwas a family affair. Beingthe youngest of nine sib-lings, Pierce was one offive brothers who weredrafted into the military

during World War II. Pat Pierce was a tank

commander, Ernest Piercewas in the infantry divi-sion, Bob Pierce enlistedin the Navy and JackPierce enlisted, much likeWalter Pierce, in the ArmyAir Corps.

Walter Pierce still re-members his first day inthe U.S. Army Air Corps.in 1945, before the cre-ation of the Air Force, atFort Bliss in El Paso. Hespent the night in his bar-racks with the rest of the

enlisted men and at 5 a.m.his service story began.

“We were woken up bya sergeant who lined us allup outside along thestreet. He called thenames of the men and ashe did they went to theother side of the street,”said Pierce recalling hisfirst assignment. “So thenhe got to me and he saidyou and the rest of thesemen will be going to B-29bomber school. And Iasked him, ‘where are

Empty BowlsThe Odessa College

Department of Contin-uing Education and theOC Art Departmentwill have a free EmptyBowls CommunityEvent Day today tobenefit the West TexasFood Bank’s Empty

Bowlsfundraisingcampaign.

The pub-lic is invited

to make a ceramic bowlor to attend a class tolearn how to make abowl from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. today in theparking lot between Sedate Hall and the OCSports Center of theOC campus. All bowlswill be donated to theWest Texas Food Bank“Empty Bowls Project.”

Odessa College artfaculty and profes-sional ceramic artistswill assist participantsin making their bowlsfor the fundraisingcampaign.

The event is freeand all materials areprovided by OdessaCollege. No previousexperience is required.O N T H E N E T

>> tinyurl.com/oehgene

Trans-Pecos FestThe Trans-Pecos

Festival of Music andLove will get underwaySept. 25-28 at El Cos-mico 802 S. HighlandAve. in Marfa.

The three-day eventwill feature a line up ofperformers includingthe Heartless Bastards,Ross Cashiola and Girlin a Coma.

There will also be avariety of activities in-cluding sandlot base-ball, workshops andcooking classes duringthe fest.

Ticket prices start at$140 for three nights ofmusic and vary to in-clude camping and din-ner options. O N T H E N E T

>> tinyurl.com/qjkfe9j

Golf tourneyThe Odessa High

School Showgirls havea Monday deadline forregistration for theirgolf tournament sched-uled for Oct. 3 at Sun-set Country Club, 9301Andrews Highway.

Sign-in is at 11 a.m.and lunch is

11:30 a.m. witha shotgunstart at 1 p.m.on Oct. 3.

Door prizes willbe awarded duringlunch. The golf tourna-ment raises money forthe Showgirls’ nationalcompetition in Hawaii.

For more informa-tion on the OHS Show-girls Golf Tournament,call the OHS ShowgirlsBooster Club at 432-208-6872.O N T H E N E T

>> tinyurl.com/kxkawnh

QUICK hits


Oilfield water usage shouldreach 540 million barrelsthrough 2014, according to a re-cent projection from PacWestConsulting Partners in Hous-ton, one of the few firms whotracks industry use of the in-creasingly competitive re-source.

The estimate represents anupward revision from the firm’sanalysts, who in February fore-cast 375 million barrels wouldbe used during the entire yearand an increase to 430 barrelsthrough 2015. The firm stillprojects increased usage as ac-tivity ramps up.

“The magnitude of activityhas just gone up massively fromwhat we forecast,” said Chris

Robart, a partner with PacWest.The Permian Basin added

about 100 rigs since the begin-ning of the year, reaching 566 inthe most recent count on Fri-day. Crude production in thattime increased by about300,000 barrels a day to a pro-jected 1.7 million barrels a daythis month, according to the in-tersection.

Most water usage in the oil

patch is for hydraulic fractur-ing, the well stimulationprocess wherein water, sandand chemicals are blasted intotight rock to crack it open andrelease crude. The process ac-counts for about 512 millionbarrels of PacWest’s 2014 pro-jection, while the rest repre-sents operations such asdrilling.

Analysts revise 2014 projections to 540 million barrelsOilfield water use increases


A 29-year-old man ex-ited an Odessa residencewith both arms raised andwas taken into custodyafter he reportedly stabbedhis father repeatedly Fridayafternoon.

The suspect, MichaelKildow Jr., 29, reportedlystabbed his father, MichaelKildow Sr., 52, multipletimes with a knife after adomestic dispute, accord-ing to Odessa Police De-partment officials.

The suspect was placedinto custody after a stand-off with police and taken tothe police departmentwhere he was interviewedby detectives, OPD officialssaid.

Kildow Jr. was arrestedand charged with aggra-vated assault with a deadlyweapon (family violence), afirst-degree felony, andtaken to the Ector CountyLaw Enforcement Center.

The father, Michael Kil-dow Sr., was stabbed “mul-tiple times” at the homelocated in the 2800 block ofEast 11th Street at about

4:25 p.m., according to po-lice officials and neighborsat the scene.

“All we heard was peo-ple across the street yellingand we ran outside,” a 42-year-old woman who livesnext door to the family whodeclined to be identified,said.

A 25-year-old neighborwho identified himself asJoe said the victim

“dropped on the ground” inhis front lawn. Joe said thevictim had stab wounds onthe back of his head, armand shoulders and an offi-cer at the scene told himthe man was stabbed aboutseven times by his son.

Joe took a video from hisfront window of Kildow Sr.bleeding and lying on theground with officers besidehim as they waited for the

ambulance to arrive.The victim was taken to

Medical Center Hospitalwith life-threatening in-juries, Odessa Police De-partment spokesman Cpl.Steve LeSueur said. Le -Sueur confirmed MichaelKildow Jr. stabbed his fa-ther “multiple times.”

The ambulance left thescene at about 4:53 p.m.

The incident started

after police radio traffic re-ported a man had sufferedmultiple stab wounds atabout 4:25 p.m.

Michael Kildow Jr., bar-ricaded himself in the resi-dence for about half an hour before finally turn-ing himself over to police. Odessa Fire/Rescueand 11 units with the Odessa Police Department,

OPD says son in custody;

victim stabbed‘multiple times’

Police: Suspect stabbed father>> See WATER Page 6A

>> Storyabout oil

companieslooking for

wateralternatives: tinyurl.com/

lwjrx2l


HONORED: Cpl. Walter Pierce, 87Being in military was a family affair for youngest of nine siblings

World War IIveteranWalter Pierceposes for aportrait inhis Odessahomerecently.


Amarillo Tascosa 17 | Odessa High 0

Permian 21 | El Paso Americas 14

Monahans 42 | Snyder 13

Andrews 26 | Levelland 15


Odessa police take stabbing suspect in to custody Friday afternoon after a standoff at the home in the 2800 block of 11th Street.

>> See POLICE Page 6A

HIGH SCHOOL

FOOTBALLSCOREBOARDmore scores >> SPORTS

>> See PIERCE Page 6A

Shallowater 33 | Greenwood 7

Seminole 40 | Kermit 13

Ozona 13 | Crane 6

Wink 34 | Plains 6

Corner Stone Shopping Center

4400 N. Midland Dr. STE 530

Midland,TX 79707 • 432-695-6922

S i g n a t u r e s t a g . c o m

those guys going?’ and hesaid, to California to be-come infinity soldiers.”

Needless to say Piercewas thrilled to not be apart of the group beingsent to the infantry divi-sion, but his first test andassignment would be anunexpected one to say theleast after being trans-ferred to Wichita Falls.

“I ran up the hill to thebarracks on my first day inWichita Falls and a ser-geant asked me to takesome blood, so I did. Thenhe had me inject a manwith morphine, so I did,”Walter Pierce said. “Afterthat we walked into an-other room and a man waslaying face down and thesergeant said, ‘you passedhe didn’t’ and that I will begoing to train as an engi-neer in B-29 bomberschool at Sheppard ArmyAir Field in Wichita Falls.My heart was as big as myhead I was so excited.”

Walter Pierce also re-called the very night theU.S. announced that theatomic bombs had beendropped and that theJapanese would be surren-dering, thus ending thewar in the Pacific. Pierceand a fellow soldier hadgone to play billiards whenan Army official came inand made the announce-ment. But for Walter

Pierce, his dream of goingto B-29 bomber school wasending because the basewas being shut down.

In limbo, Walter Pierceand the rest of the men inthe bomber school weren’tquite sure where theywould be headed next withthe war essentially over,but that question wasquickly answered for them.He was now bound forChanute field school inIllinois to become a mete-orologist.

“It was really a toughcourse, but I was deter-mined to get a good gradeso I studied a lot, and Ipassed and received mycorporal stripes,” said Walter Pierce.

After a 10-day leave toreturn home to Eastland tosee his family in 1946, Walter Pierce was sent toSouth Carolina to take up apost as a meteorologistand while it wasn’t pilotschool, he was going tomake the best of it.

Walter Pierce didn’t staythere long due to basesbeing shut down or down-sized, so about a week laterhe was sent to Tinker FieldAir Force Base in Okla-

homa to become a weatherobserver for the Army.

After a year in Okla-homa, Walter Pierce’s timein the Army Air Corps.was over. He rememberedhis commanding officerwalking down the hall topresent him with his dis-charge papers.

“He came walking downthe hallway in the weatherstation with an envelope inhis hand,” Walter Piercesaid. “They kept asking meto re-enlist and even of-fered to send me to pilotschool but I was done.”

So after turning downthe Army, Walter Piercewent home to begin civil-ian life, “He came huntingme,” Billie Pierce, Walter’swife of 65 years, said.Pierce traveled to Winkwhere his brothers werecoming home from thewar and as luck wouldhave it, he was offered ajob by Lion Oil two dayslater.

His path then led him toBillie Pierce who wasworking as a temporarysecretary at the RailwayExpress Agency, he knewshe was the one for him.

“I said, ‘who is that cute

6A ODESSA AMERICAN L O C A L SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2014

Another factor in the up-ward revision is the shift tohorizontal drilling, whichcreates longer well boresfracked in more stages.

In other words, theymean more water. Today,about 60 percent of the Per-mian Basin’s rigs drill hori-zontally.

At the same time, thePermian Basin’s municipal-ities, oil and gas companiesand other users such asranchers compete moreand more for water.

The same month Pac West analysts releasedtheir initial water usageprojection, another reportfrom the sustainable invest-ing consultancy and advo-cacy group Ceres foundthat 87 percent of the oilwells in the region were in“high or extremely highwater stress areas” formJanuary 2011 through May2013.

A result of this competi-tion is that oil companiesand municipalities look formore secure water supplies.In July, the City of Odessareached a minimum 10-year-long deal with PioneerNatural Resources to sellthe city’s treated waste-water to the company forup to $100 million thatOdessa administrators saythey plan to invest in waterinfrastructure.

The Colorado River Mu-

Water>> From Page 1A

Pierce>> From Page 1A

nicipal Water District isconsidering new projects inthe $135 million range thatcould add up to 30 milliongallons a day to the system.

Those include two pilotplants for brackish water,including an up to 5 milliongallon a day Big Springplant and an up to 10 mil-lion gallon a day plant inWard County, according toJohn Grant

And City ManagerRichard Morton said the Pi-oneer deal could help thecity pay for its share of thecosts without triggering arate increase.

The level of demand inthe oilfield suggested by thenew oilfield water usagemeans more and more oilcompanies will seek alter-native water strategies andmore water-sourcing com-panies will seek to providethem, Robart said.

Other notable projectsinclude the Midland-basedwater strategy companySTW Resources’ deal withFort Stockton to drill multi-

ple wells into the CapitanReef Brackish Water Aquif -er.

The project at an initialcost of $28 million will in-volve building a 189 milepipeline toward San Angeloand selling the water to oilcompanies and municipali-ties along the way, accord-ing to CEO Stanley Weiner.

Then there are a numberof water-focused compa-nies marketing oilfieldwater reuse services, suchas Rockwater Energy Solu-tions, a Houston-based pri-vate equity firm formed in2011 through a series of ac-quisitions including threeOdessa businesses operat-ing since the 1970s.

“It’ll continue to maturein the Permian Basin,” Ro-bart said. “There is a lot ofconsolidation that is hap-pening right now across allthe service companies andpure-plays, as far as watertransfer or water storage,who want to go to marketwith a competitive servicearound water.”

little trick there working atthe Railway Express’ assoon as I saw her I knewshe was the one I wanted,”Walter Pierce said. “Sowhen the job was over atthe Railway ExpressAgency she got a job at thelocal drug store where Iwent a lot. She tracked medown.”

After a short time ofwhat Billie called a “he waslooking back to see if I waslooking and I was lookingback to see if he was look-

ing,” the two were marriedon August third, 1949.

Soon after returningfrom vacation with hisnew bride, Walter Piercestarted looking into a newjob with Humble Oil, nowExxon Mobil, and his life athome started taking shape.

Walter Pierce spent thenext 35 years with Exxon,going from Wink to Hous-ton to several other areasof the country helping es-tablish new business andindustry before retiring in

1986, but it wasn’t all sun-shine and daises.

Walter and Billie Piercehad a scare in the form ofan illness and needed tomove close to their son,Rick Pierce who lives inMidland, so the couple set-tled down in Odessa in 2010.

Thankfully the illnesswas not as severe as ex-pected and the two remainin Odessa to this day. Wal-ter Pierce is now lookingforward to the trip up toWashington, D.C., onWednesday where he is excited to visit the monu-ments, specifically the IwoJima Monument.

“When I was there thefirst time, I went to the IwoJima Monument, and I hadto have time to think aboutthat,” Walter Pierce said.“That one meant a wholelot to me, but they wererushing me back onto thebus then, and I thoughtthey were going to leaveme there. So I am lookingforward to this trip. Thereis a lot to see.”


P AT R I O T I C S P I R I T

BIOGRAPHY>> Name: Walter Pierce

>> Age: 87>> How long in Odessa: Four

years, originally fromEastland.

>> Occupation: Humble Oil,retired 1986.

>> Branch of military andrank: Corporal, US Army Air

Corp.

>> Service years: 1945- 1947.

>> What theater:United States.

>> Who will accompany youon the honor flight? Neil

Renton.

>> What does it mean to youto get to make this trip?

‘I am really looking forwardto it. I went once before butthe trip was so rushed and

hectic so I am really lookingforward to the Honor flight.

There is so much to see.’

TO DONATE>> Send donations to P.O. Box52890, Midland, Texas, 79710-

2890 or call 432-210-9338.

WHAT IS THE HONOR FLIGHT?>> The inaugural Permian Basin Honor Flight that will take veter-

ans and their guardians to Washington, D.C., to visit the memorials inthe nation’s capital.

The flight will leave around 6 a.m. Wednesday and will return at ayet-to-be determined time on Friday. During the trip, the veteransand their guardians will visit the World War II, Korean and Vietnammemorials and Arlington National Cemetery and tour the U.S. Houseof Representatives.


Pre-K 4-year-old

students atOdessa

ChristianSchool waveflags as theysing ‘You’rea Grand OldFlag’ duringa tribute to

firstresponders

Fridaymorning inthe school

gym. This was the fourth year the school recognized the efforts of local firefighters, paramedics andpolice officers.

including Special Weaponsand Tactics, canine units,officers and detectives,were called to the scene.

The street was blockedoff by police, preventinganyone from coming nearthe residence while thesuspect was barricaded.

Officers surrounded thefront of the residence withguns drawn.

Michael Kildow Jr.kneeled at the ground aftercoming out of the resi-dence with both armsraised.

He was taken into cus-tody by Odessa police

without incident. LeSueursaid Michael Kildow Jr. wasnot armed.

Neighbors said the manidentified by police as the stabbing suspect wouldfrequently walk through-out the neighborhood at different times of theday.

“He’s not right in thehead. We don’t really talkto him,” Joe said of MichaelKildow Jr. “He would walkaround the neighborhoodscreaming or talking tohimself.”

The 42-year-old woman

living next door to the fam-ily said police knocked onher door Friday afternoonand told the family to evac-uate.

“They told us to staytwo houses down, it’scrazy. I just grabbed mygrandkids and took themout,” the 42-year-oldwoman said. “This freakedus out. We knew it wasbound to happen.”

The woman said sheand her family would su-pervise their childrenwhen they played outsidebecause they felt fearful ofMichael Kildow Jr.

“Sometimes he’d juststop there and look at thekids and it would just freakus out,” the woman said.

Police>> From Page 1A

Got Leaks?Got Hail?

- Metal Roofs- Shingle Roofs

- Flat Roofs- New Buildings

Email: [email protected] • www.basinroofing.com

“7663”

POLYURETHANE SPRAY FOAM SPECIALIST“INSURANCEAPPROVED”

Upgrade Your Existing BUR-Gravel Roof Today!

Immediate opening for a

LICENSED PLUMBER

Salary based on skill & experience401K with Company Contribution

Health Insurance & VacationApply at 311 W. 42nd • Odessa, TX • 432-366-2401

6105 E. HIGHWAY 191 • ODESSA, TX 79762432.362.1000 • CATERING: 432.260.5611



Lois Carol White sayswomen deserve recogni-

tion for their contribu-tions to the country dur-ing World War II and themilitary in general.

“I think they were veryimportant, ever thoughthey didn’t go into com-bat,” she said. “They havea place.”

Born in Boston, Whitegraduated from JamaicaPlain High School.

Win ticketsWant to see Texas

Tech wreck ‘em in Lub-bock? All season long,the Odessa American

will be givingaway free tick-ets to all of thehome Red

Raiders football games.Like the Odessa

Ameircan on Facebookand monitor our pagefor details and yourchance to win. O N T H E N E T

>> www.facebook.com/OdessaAmerican

DPS: Practice safe driving

As kids head back toschool, the Texas De-partment of Public

Safety re-minds allmotoriststo proceedwith cau-

tion as they drive in ac-tive school zones.

“With children head-ing back to school, driv-ers can help keep Texasstudents safe by obey-ing all speed limits —especially in postedschool zones — andstopping for schoolbuses,” DPS DirectorSteven McCraw statedin a news release. “Indi-viduals who illegallypass stopped schoolbuses endanger ourchildren, and DPS offi-cers will not toleratedrivers who break thelaw and put others inharm’s way.”

When a school busstops and activates ared, flashing light or astop sign, state law re-quires drivers to stopuntil the school bus re-sumes driving.

Drivers who pass upschool buses can facefines up to $1,250 for afirst offense, accordingto DPS. Tickets for ille-gally passing a schoolbus cannot be dis-missed through defen-sive driving, accordingto DPS. For motoristsconvicted more thanonce, law allows DPS tosuspend the driver’s li-cense for up to sixmonths.

Drivers do not needto stop for a school busif it is on a highway withroadways separated byan intervening space orphysical barrier. If thehighway is only dividedby a left-turn lane, theroadways are not con-sidered separated andmotorists must stop forthe school bus.O N T H E N E T

>> www.txdot.gov

QUICK hits


[email protected]

School begins today andmotorists need to be on thelookout for children and payattention to schools zones andschool buses.

As the new school yearopens, district officials expectrecord enrollment, with Super-intendent Tom Crowe tellingthe OA last week that the dis-

trict expects to have more than31,000 students after LaborDay, which falls on Sept. 1 thisyear. The district topped30,000 students last year.

Meanwhile, Ector CountyIndependent School Districtofficials continue to look forschool bus drivers for its busroutes.

The district is facing an “un-precedented shortage” of

school bus drivers, a districtrelease stated late last week.

The district is 48 driversshort and, “as it stands rightnow, some bus routes may oc-casionally have to be delayeduntil other routes are com-pleted. If that happens, routes

with a low number of studentriders may be delayed whileroutes with a high number ofstudents are completed first.

ECISD reports critical shortageHave buses, need drivers

M E E T M O M M A B E A R

PAGE 2A

9672

➤➤

WEATHERPartly cloudy.

WInd southeast at 10 mph to 15 mph.

I N D E XCLASSIFIED 4BCOMICS 9BDEATHS 6AETC. 9AHEALTH 6AOPINION 4ASPORTS 1BTELEVISION 7AXWORD 9A, 7B

Yazmine Mariscal, Reagan



HONORED: Sgt. Lois Carol White, 81Marines, Korean War

embraced her time in military

Lois CarolWhite posesfor a portraitin herOdessahome.

COURTNEYSACCO|ODESSAAMERICAN>> See WHITE Page 10A


The bond between par-ents and their newbornchild can be a very specialrelationship.

However, when compli-cations persist, that bond isinterrupted and othermeans must be used to cre-ate that parent-child bond.

So Medical Center Hos-pital sent in the bears. In a

new initiative started inJuly, MCH created “lovies,”which are blankets withbear heads and arms thatthey give to parents andchildren — who can’t beclose to one another be-

cause of various issues thatmay keep them apart — tostill develop that bond.

Abbi Lamphere, MCHtransport coordinator, saidthat “lovies” are a means ofconnecting the parents totheir child, which canmean a lot if the baby has

MCH’s covers meant to improve bond with mother, baby

These bear blankets give more than warmth

AbbiLamphere,transportcoordinatorfor theMedicalCenterHospitalNeonatalIntensiveCare Unit,displays oneof the‘Lovies,’ asoft bearblanket givento mothers tohold and toleave theirscent on thatare thengiven toinfants whohave beentransportedaway to theMedicalCenterHospitalNICU.


>> Watch a videoexplaining mother-

infant bonding:tinyurl.com/o4vvq8e>> See BEARS Page 10A

THOMAS CROWEECISD

SUPERINTENDENT

>> Previous story onECISD employee,

teacher shortage:tinyurl.com/qavcpp9

>> See DRIVERS Page 8A

Go-to guyOHS grad Bradley Marquez a key player for Texas Tech.

>> SPORTS

Quake hits CaliforniaBay Area records

strongest tremor in 25 years.>> PAGE 3A


432-682-2180


432-332-0519


432-263-6181

We Accept Care

Credit



INSTRUMENTS


$800 OFF


INSTRUMENT



FREE FREE


(Jamaica Plain is a neigh-borhood in Boston.) Afterhigh school, she workedfor AT&T for about a yearand then after a two-month trip to California,she joined the U.S. MarineCorps in January 1953, justas the Korean Conflict waswinding down. (The warended in July 1953.)

She lives at the OrchardPark of Odessa assisted liv-ing center and has been inOdessa since 1955, al-though she did live awayfrom Odessa for a shorttime before moving back.

M I L I T A R Y D A Y SWhite speaks fondly of

her time in the service, re-alizing times have changedfor the military.

“In those days, we’retalking a long time ago,and there weren’t thatmany women (in the mili-tary) in that time, either,”she said. “I went to CherryPoint, North Carolina, afterI got out of basic training.”

She worked in the tele-type office and met herhusband, Joe White Jr. ofOdessa, while she was inthe Corps. They worked inthe same office. They mar-ried March 5, 1955, in thebase chapel.

S T A Y I N G A S H O R ENo one from Lois Carol

White’s platoon was sent

to Korea, she said.“No, I didn’t want to go

to Korea — I wanted to goto Paris,” she said, laughingand adding that she didn’tget an opportunity to go toKorea.

After she and her hus-band were finished withtheir service, they movedto Odessa. Lois CarolWhite achieved the rank ofsergeant and served about2 1/2 years, from January1953 to June 1955.

“I had no idea what Iwas getting into,” she saidabout moving to Texas. “Icame from Boston, Massa-chusetts, for pity’s sakes.But it was really nice. Isaid, ‘Please, God, let themhave sidewalks.’ I didn’tknow. But this is myhome.”

Lots of family and ex-tended family membersserved in military, includ-ing her father, and she en-joyed her time in theservice and enjoys the peo-ple she has met at OrchardPark.

She can’t wait to go onthe trip. Her daughter,Carol Johnson, will accom-pany her on the trip.

“I think it will be prettyneat,” Carol said aboutgoing to D.C. “My brotherand I are very proud of herand my dad’s military serv-ice, so we’re excited aboutthat. I’ve been to Washing-ton, D.C., when I was a kid,but I haven’t been back, soit will be fun.”

Lois Carol White hasn’t

been to Washington, D.C.,in several decades.

“I hope we all sing onthe plane,” she said.

S E M P E R F I What is she looking for-

ward to seeing the most?“I want to see the

women’s memorial,” LoisCarol White said. “I havenot ever seen that.”

She also wants to theMarine Corps War Memo-rial, also known as the IwoJima Memorial.

“There’s a lot of thingsI’d like to see,” she said. “Itwill be very sad some-times, I’m sure.”

She shared her thoughtson two other military-re-lated matters:

The importance of theWorld War II generation’scontributions to the coun-try:

“They were (essential).Every house had some-body who had gone intothe service,” she said.

On the creation of theWorld War II Memorial:

“I think that’s wonder-ful. The one that reallyneeded (to be built) wasthe Vietnam War (Memor-ial) because we didn’t treat

them very nicely whenthey came back,” she said.

Her time in the MarineCorps:

“It was lovely. I met lotsof nice people. It was a funthing to do, and I was 19,20. What did I know?” shesaid.

Her favorite memory ofserving in the MarineCorps:

“Making friends fromall over the country,” shesaid. “We came fromNorth Dakota, New Jersey.Me from Massachusetts.And you made goodfriends in those days.”

F A M I L Y L I F EShe and Joe had two

children: Robert White,who lives in Carrolltonwith wife J.J., and CarolJohnson, who lives inOdessa with husbandMark. She has three grand-children: Brandon White,Matthew White and KatieLawton, all of whom areRobert’s children. Lois’other grandchild — CarolJohnson’s daughter, Kim-berly Turner — died in

2004. She was 16.Both Robert and Carol

graduated from Permian,in 1974 and 1979, respec-tively.

Both Joe White Jr. andLois Carol White workedfor ECISD, with Joe work-ing as a coach and servingas the principal at Permianat one time. He died in1994. She was the seniorregistrar at Permian.

to be transported to thehospital for treatment.

“A lot of times whenthere are complications,moms and dads barely getto see or hold their new-borns because we have toget them to the hospital,”Lamphere said. “So this is away to give both the childand parents some comfort.”

Lamphere said that thehospital transporters travelto various surroundingcounties that don’t have alevel three neo-natal inten-sive care units like MCH,and that is where theprocess really begins.

“When we go there, weusually take an ambulanceor fly and we will stabilizethe child and then transportthem back to the hospital,”Lamphere said. “At thattime we give them the bearblankets and tell the parentsto sleep with them and keep

them close so the blanketscan pick up their scent.”

According to Lamphere,the connection has to dowith the olfactory senses inthe nose of the baby, andwhen the blankets have themothers’ scent they can beplaced in the beds with thechildren. Lamphere said asthey get used to the scent, itcan help calm the babydown and give them a sensethat the mother or father iswith them.

“With this, she can actu-ally smell her mother and itcan calm them down sothey can rest,” Lampheresaid. “It mentally and phys-ically helps the babies andit just gives them that addedcomfort.”

Amanda Ingram knowsthe feeling of her having herchild rushed to the hospitalall too well as her daughterAmelia was born prema-ture at 32 1/2 weeks andhad to be taken to MCH.

“It’s always hard, butwith the bear blankets, it

makes you feel like there issome things we can do andthat someone is here withher,” Ingram said. “I thinkthat this is just a great wayof keeping that bond and itwill be a great mementowhen she gets older.”

Although it may seemlike the “lovies” are just forthe children, Lamphere saidit also helps the parents.

“The bond is crucial be-tween a mother and herchild,” said Lamphere.“Moms typically bond assoon as the babies are bornbut if they have to be trans-ported, there can be a dis-connect, so this just givesthem purpose and helpsthem know they are helpingtake care of their child.”

Ingram agreed and saidwhile it is still hard living inMidland and having totravel back and forth, theblankets give her a calmingfeeling.

“It’s always tough leavingespecially at night time,” In-gram said. “But this makes

Lois Carol White, left, speaks with two unidentified womenin this undated photo, taken during her service in the Marines.

COURTESY PHOTO

White>> From Page 1A

BIOGRAPHY>> Name: Lois Carol

White.>> Age: 81.>> How long in Odessa:

Since 1955.>> Occupation: Retired

from Ector County Independ-ent School District, specifi-cally Permian High School(1994), where she worked inthe registrar’s office (seniorregistrar).

>> Branch of military:U.S. Marine Corps.

>> Years of service andrank: 1953-1955. 2 1/2 years.Sergeant.

>> Stationed: Workedstateside in North Carolina.

>> Medals or commenda-tions: Good Conduct Medal.

>> Who will accompanyyou on the honor flight?Carol Johnson, daughter.

>> Texas Permian BasinHonor Flight:www.permian

honorflight.org

me feel like we aren’t justleaving her all alone. It keepsus with her at all times.”

The bear blankets notjust for premature infants.Lamphere said that anybaby with cardiac, bloodsugar, breathing or otherproblems will get their veryown “lovie.”

While the “lovie” is justa piece of cloth with a bear,Lamphere said it is the littlethings that create that cru-cial bond between parentsand their newborn.

“This is just one of thosesimple things that reallyhelp when a child is in theNICU,” Lamphere said. “Itis a fun way to help createthat bond and it is mean-ingful for the parents andthe child.”

Bears>> From Page 1A [email protected]

The Odessa CollegeBoard of Trustees will dis-cuss and recommend thetax rate for the 2014 tax yearat its meeting at 6:30 p.m.Tuesday.

The board meets in theJoe Zant Jr. CommunityRoom in the SaulsburyCampus Center.

The board additionallyplans to look at schedulingpublic tax hearings.

The board also will havea conformation of the 2013-14 budget as compared tothe actual expenditures atthe end of the year.

The board will also:

>> consider an annual reviewand adoption of Odessa CollegeInvestment Policy.

>> consider approval of list ofauthorized investment businessorganizations.

>> hear a report on themonthly financial statementsand budget amendments.

>> hear a report on studenthousing updates and needs.

>> hear an Institutional Effec-tiveness Report.

During the president’s report,new deans and associate deanswill be introduced and trusteeswill get information on campussignage, among other items.

The board also will receive areport on the award of the CISCOHardware Maintenance Agree-ment.

OC board to look at tax rate

(NAPS)—For many can-cer patients, getting thecare they require canmean the financial hard-ship of traveling to atreatment facility farfrom home for weeks ormonths at a time. Fortu-

nately, that’s where Ex-tended Stay America’s“Keys to Hope” programsteps in. Extended StayAmerica, the largestowner-operated hotelchain in the U.S., re-cently made an unprece-

dented dona-tion to theAmerican Can-cer Society,providing40,000 freeand deeply dis-counted hotelstays to pa-tients whohave to travelto receive can-cer treatment.

The programis alreadychanging lives,like the Gradyfamily, whose31-year-old-sonMike was diag-nosed withStage 2 testic-ular cancer.“You neverthink cancerwill touch yourfamily,” saidJan Grady,Mike’s mother.“When it does,it’s like the rugis pulled outfrom underyou.” Mike’streatment at afacility in

Boulder, Colo., about anhour away from hishome, included five-hourchemo therapy sessionsevery day for the firstweek of three, three-week cycles.

“Knowing he couldn’tdrive back and forthevery day, I called theAmerican Cancer Soci-ety for help and was toldabout the Extended StayAmerica program,” Jansaid. For the first week ofdaily treatments, Mike’sfather, Peter, traveledfrom North Carolina tobe with him and the twostayed at the ExtendedStay America hotel nearthe treatment center.“Without this, it wouldhave been a tremendousfinancial hardship. Thisprogram lessened ourburden by thousands ofdollars.” Since complet-ing his treatment, Jan re-ports, “Mike is doingwonderfully! He has anew job and has gradu-ally resumed his trainingfor trail running races.”

Patients and caregiverscan take advantage of thedonation at all the hotelchain’s 632 locationsacross 44 states, includ-ing hotels convenientlylocated near U.S. Newsand World Report top-ranked cancer hospitalssuch as University ofTexas M.D. Anderson,Memorial Sloan Ketter-ing, Johns Hopkins Hos-pital and many more.

“The American CancerSociety is dedicated to

removing the barriersthat cancer patients facewhen seeking treatment,”said Kristen Solt, vicepresident, Hope LodgeNetwork, American Can-cer Society. “Travelingfor treatment puts an ad-ditional burden on peo-ple who are alreadyexperiencing emotionaland financial stress.

“We’re thrilled to havethe Extended Stay Amer-ica donation as everyroom we provide makesa huge impact. In Hous-ton, for example, the de-mand for lodging wellexceeds our resources,and now with ExtendedStay America’s rooms,we are able to meetmany more patients’needs for lodging whilein Houston.”

To request a room, pa-tients and their care-givers should contact the

American Cancer Soci-ety at 1-800-227-2345. Tojoin in the fight againstcancer, visit www.Ex-tendedStayAmerica.comor call 1-800-804-3724.For information aboutAmerican Cancer Soci-ety programs and serv-ices, visitwww.cancer.org or call 1-800-227-2345.

Program Offers Cancer Patients Free Lodging

A new program gives cancer patients and caregivers a sig-nificantly reduced rate on hotel rooms located near thesite of treatment facilities.

MedicallySpeakingpublishes

every Monday.To advertise,

call432-333-7602

BY LAURA [email protected]

As 164 Permian Basin residents pre-pare to leave at sunrise Wednesday theyboard a plane carrying precious cargo.

That cargo includes 89 veterans for atrip to Washington, D.C., to visit theWorld War II, Korean and Vietnam memorials, Arlington National Cemeteryand a U.S. House of Representatives tour.

The Permian Basin Honor Flight, deriving from the “Creating AmericaSupports You Texas” nonprofit, offers around-trip experience to WWII, Koreaand Vietnam vets at no cost to them. JackBarnes, director of the Honor Flight, saidsupport from the Permian Basin has

been overwhelming and donations haveentirely paid for the veterans.

“I have never seen, in any community,a support like this,” Barnes said.

He added that two honor flights willbe scheduled during 2015 stressing theurgency of getting WWII vets to Wash-ington, D.C.

During the past few months, the OAhas featured the stories of some of theveterans.

Some told details of their service forthe first time. One, Robert Bell, died Aug. 9 before being able to make the flight. Bell was a pilot during World War II and learned to fly most everyplane.

LIFE & TIMESPETS | 3D

OPINION | 4-5DBRIDAL Q&A | 6D

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2014 OAOA.COM SECTION D

>> CHECK IT OUTVaquero Breakfast at 7:30 a.m.

Monday at McKinney Park in Odessa at 625 W. Pool Road.


Honor Flight veterans ready for takeoff

Above: D.H.Livingston

Above: Forest Matthews

Above: Emil Beck

Above: Ellis Norwood

Above: William Bowlin

Above: Malcolm Manns

Above: Jerry Morgan

Above: Francisco Gonzales

Above: Max Meek, left, and Joe Meek

Above: Tom Lewis

Above: Jack Crosby Jr.

Above: James Cosper

Above: Leroy PelzelAbove: Tharen ‘Ike’ Eicher

Above: Walter Pierce

Above: Claude Firth

Above: Joseph Johnson

Above: Joe White

Above: Lois Carol White

>> Read allthe Honor

Flight stories:tinyurl.com/

k7c6gve

‘The broad-based

support of thePermian Basin

has beentremendousand not only

financially butjust everything

... I am veryappreciative

of all thevolunteers.’

JACK R.BARNES

164 Permian Basin residents set to make trip to Washington, D.C.

Robert Bell died Aug. 9. He was a veteran ofWWII, Korea and Vietnam. >> See FLIGHT Page 2D

2D ODESSA AMERICAN L I F E & T I M E S SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2014

E V E N T S>> Dust Bowl Animal Res-

cue, a 501c3 nonprofit organiza-tion, has scheduled a petadoption event from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. today at the Odessa PetS-mart, 2202 E. 42nd St.

Several puppy and dogbreeds and sizes will be avail-able. In addition, cats and kit-tens will be at the in-store catadoption center on an ongoingbasis.

Donors, fosters and volun-teers are always needed.

Call 352-8245, email [email protected] visit www.dustbowlanimalrescue.com.

>> The annual vaquerobreakfast to kick off HispanicHeritage Month has been sched-uled Monday at McKinney Park,625 W. Pool Road.

Serving will begin at 7:30a.m. and the program will beginat 8 a.m.

>> MARFA “Talk At Ten” hasscheduled broadcast interviewshows at 10 a.m. and at 6:30 p.m.Monday through Friday on 93.5 FM.

Memberships are available athttp://tinyurl.com/oz6jm2y.

Call 432-729-4578 or visitwww.marfapublicradio.org/programs/talk-at-ten.

>> The Odessa FamilyYMCA and PetSmart havescheduled Healthy Paws Walk at7 p.m. on the third Thursday ofeach month starting at theOdessa family YMCA, Mike Nee-ley Park, 3001 E. University Ave.

Dog owners are encouragedto come and engage in 30 min-utes of exercise with their dogs.Following the walk, PetSmarttrainer Amy Schwartz willdemonstrate fun dog trainingtechniques.

Bring water and doggy wastebags.

Call Wendy Hilliard 362-4301.>> Medical Center Health

System (MCHS) and WestTexas Food Bank have sched-uled the Odessa Farmers Marketfrom 9 a.m. to noon the secondSaturday of each month at theMCH campus on the corner ofSecond St. and Golder Ave.

The farmers market will be acombination of produce, cook-ing demonstrations, crafts, ac-tivities for kids, live music,health information and more.

Food and craft vendors arewelcomed.

To apply, [email protected] or visithttp://www.medicalcenter-healthsystem.com/OTFM/Pages/default.aspx.

>> The Ellen Noël Art Mu-seum, 4909 E. University Blvd.,has scheduled Community ArtDay: World of Art from 10 a.m. to2 p.m. Saturday.

A gallery walk of Spirit of theMask with collection owner andprofessional story teller, CarlaHanson, has been scheduledfrom 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.

Other activities include artdemonstrations, storytelling

and art activities in the class-rooms and garden.

The event is free and open tothe public.

Call 550-9696 or visitwww.noelartmuseum.org.

>> Old Town Shopping Cen-ter has scheduled a “Me Time”event from noon to 2 p.m. Satur-day at the center, 1541 JBS Park-way Blvd.

The event will include doorprizes, live music, refreshments,a fashion show, a dance demon-stration and more.

>> The United Way ofOdessa has scheduled its an-nual fundraising campaignthrough Nov. 20.

Coming up on Sept. 18 is H-E-B Golf Outing, Nueva VistaGolf Course.

This year the United Way willbe raffling off a painting bylocal artist Joe Beene. The saleof tickets will continue throughOct. 7, with the drawing beingconducted at the Annual PillarsParty.

>> CLA Estate Services hasscheduled two estate planningworkshops for seniors.

Sept. 23: 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., MCM Elegante Hotel,5200 E. University Blvd., Odessa.

Sept. 24: 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Ranchland Hills Coun-try Club, 1600 E. Wadley Ave.,Midland.

The workshop provides valu-able information for seniors onsecuring one’s estate and retire-ment planning. Topics includethe pros and cons of wills andtrusts, how to avoid probate,long-term health care concernsand tax reduction planning.

Participants will receive aworkbook

Admission is free. Seating islimited.

To RSVP, call 1-866-252-8721.>> The Buffalo Battle Mud

Run, 5K obstacle race hasbeen scheduled Sept. 27 atMountain Bike Park near High-way 191 and Billy Hext Road.

Gates open at 8 a.m. There will be live music and

awards given for the wildestcostume (top overall male andtop overall female competitor)after the competition ends. Allcompetitors will be awarded afinishers medal.

Entry fees for individuals are$55 in advance or $60 on raceday. Teams of three can com-pete for $60 in advance or $65on race day.

Early registration is availableonline at active.com.

For more information, callChris Hallmark at 368-3548.

>> The Permian Basin Po-etry Society has scheduled100,000 Poets and Others forPositive Change event from 2p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Sept. 27 at NoelPlaza Park, 320 W. Fifth St.

Event activities include aslam set, TJ Rabbit’s band(Robert Cobos), folk music “Sis-ter in the Rain,” Native AmericanChief Tijerina, Poet LaureateLarry D. Thomas and

Poetry/Spoken Word artistDaniel Carlo Ramos and manymore.

Call 806-317-7059.>> The West Texas Food

Bank has been selected as a fi-nalist to receive a special dona-tion this year from Alon Brands,the Dallas-based supplier andmarketer of ALON fuels. Odessaand Midland residents can helpthe Food Bank win up to $30,000for facility improvements andfood to help battle childhoodhunger in West Texas by down-loading the new ALON Load-the-Code mobile application (app)and voting daily.

In addition to voting everyday through Sept. 30, app userscan enter to win free gas andother prizes, including a 2014Ford F-150, by scanning a quickresponse (QR) code at any par-ticipating ALON location. Badgescan also be earned for achievingkey participation milestones.

For more information aboutthe Load-the-Code app, visitwww.MyAlon.com/LoadTheCode.

Call 580-6333 or visitwww.wtxfoodbank.org for moreinformation about West TexasFood Bank.

>> The fourth annual BasinBBQ Blowout, hosted by theOdessa Chamber of Commerce,has been scheduled at 5 p.m.Oct. 8-9 behind the Ector The-ater, 500 N. Texas Ave.

The two-day event featureslocal businesses and cookingteams competing for the title ofthe best BBQ in the PermianBasin.

Tickets can be purchased atodessachamber.com.

>> MIDLAND The 51st an-nual CAF AIRSHO 2014 hasbeen scheduled Oct. 11-12 at theMidland International Airport.

Gates open each day at 8:30 a.m.

The event will include theWest Texas debut of KyleFranklin’s new air show act“Dracula, The Rise of Vacul.”Complementing the high-flyingaction will be the CAF Red TailSquadron RISE ABOVE travelingexhibit. The exhibit, housed in acustom-designed semi-trailer in-cludes a 160-degree panoramicscreen in a 30-seat tempera-ture-controlled movie theater.The “Rise Above” movie high-lights the courage and determi-nation of the Tuskegee Airmen,who overcame obstacles to trainand fight as U.S. Army Air Corpspilots.

“The Best Warbird Show inAmerica” will feature many rareand historic aircraft from theCAF flying fleet, including theWorld’s Only Flying B-29 FIFI, twoB-17 Flying Fortresses, TexasRaiders and Sentimental Jour-ney, the Red Tail P-51 MustangTuskegee Airmen and reenact-ment performer TORA! TORA!TORA!

Advanced tickets are $20 foradults and $5 for children ages6-12.

Advanced tickets can be pur-

chased online at http://www.airsho.org.

Tickets purchased at thegate will be $25 for adults and$5 for children. Children age 5and under enter for free.

Parking is an additional $5,with partial proceeds benefitingthe Boy Scouts of America.

Private chalets, sponsorshipopportunities and exhibit spaceat the event’s TradeSho are alsoavailable. For more information,visit http://www.airsho.org, orcall 888-945-3008.

For more information aboutCAF, call 563-1000 or visithttp://www.commemorativeairforce.org.

>> MIDLAND The Sibley Nature Center, 1307 E. WadleyAve., Midland, has scheduled thefollowing films as part of theBasin PBS film series.

Oct. 13: Noon, Fractals.Dec. 15: Noon, The Voyage of

Discovery. Call 684-6827 or visit sibley-

naturecenter.org.>> TERLINGUA The 48th

annual Original Terlingua In-ternational Frank X. Tolbert-Wick Fowler ChampionshipChili Cook-off has been sched-uled Oct. 30 through Nov. 1 inTerlingua.

The following activities havebeen scheduled.

Oct. 30: The Last ChanceCook-off will permit the topthree finishers to enter theChampionship on Saturday. Theonly other way to enter the Sat-urday Championship is to haveearned points cooking in sanc-tioned cook-offs throughout theyear. Live entertainment will beprovided by Pat Waters and theChainlink Band.

Oct. 31: BBQ Cook-off, Salsacontest, Margarita Mix-off, theblack eyed P.E.A. off and theB.E.A.N. off. Live entertainmentwill be provided by Los PincheGringos and the Thomas MichaelRiley Band.

Nov. 1: Chili Championshipand the Show Team Champi-onship, which featurescamps/groups putting on enter-tainment in competition witheach other. Live music will beprovided by the Alex WhitmoreBand followed by Gary P. Nunn.

Spectator entrance fee forthe weekend is $25. Saturdayonly tickets are $15.

The cook-off is a non-profitorganization, raising money forcharity, primarily helping tofund the cure for ALS.

For more details regardingthe cook-off, other events andthe area, visitwww.abowlofred.com.

Call Kathleen Tolbert Ryan at817-653-0988 or [email protected].

C L U B S / O U T R E A C HG R O U P S

>> The Odessa RetiredTeacher/School Personnel Association has scheduled thefollowing meetings for the 2014-2015 year at 1:30 p.m. at the

Northside Senior Center DiningRoom, 1225 N. Adams Ave.

Monday: Monique Mercerwill present a program on CASAadvocates.

Oct. 20: Donna Graves willpresent a program on activitiesat the senior citizen centers.

Nov. 17: District PresidentWayne Smith will give state anddistrict updates.

Dec. 5: Vocalist Joe Acuffwill present a program, “EnjoyChristmas.”

Jan. 12: Art in Progress withCathy Creel, Peggy Hockmanand Barbara Mendoza.

Feb. 9: Mayor David Turnerwill discuss plans for Odessa.

March 16: Traffic engineerHal Feldman will discuss trafficimprovement plans.

April 20: Representativeswill give TRTA Convention re-ports, legislation news andmore.

>> The Odessa Forum hasscheduled a meeting at 11:30a.m. Friday at Westminster Pres-byterian Church, 4901 Maple Ave.

Registration will begin at 11a.m. and lunch will be served at11:30 a.m.

Peggy Hockman and BarbaraMendoza will present a programon art participation.

The cost to attend is $10.Odessa clubs may join for a

fee of $10 per year. Clubs maypay dues at the meeting.

For reservations, call 3664881.

>> The Permian Basin Ge-nealogical Society has sched-uled its annual genealogyworkshop from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.Saturday at First UnitedMethodist Church, 217 W. FifthSt., in Fay Rodman Hall

Certified Genealogist Craig R.Scott will present four lectures:Researching Your WWI Ancestor,Quaker Records and Migration,Finding Females and Epidemicsand Pandemics.

The cost is $25.Call Barbara Wilson at 366-

4678 or visitwww.permiangen.com.

>> The Monday SeniorBridge Club meets from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. each Mon-day at the Northside Senior Cen-ter, 13th St. and Adams Ave.

Call 337-5281. >> MIDLAND Overeaters

Anonymous Meetings, 206 N.Midkiff, Suite 1-D, Midland, hasscheduled a 12-step programmeeting at the following times.

Tuesdays: 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Sundays: 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Call 553-1031 or visitwww.oa.org.

>> The Odessa Chapter No.447 Order of the Eastern Starmeets at 7:30 p.m. on the firstand third Monday of each monthat the Odessa Masonic Lodge,1701 W. Ninth St.

Call 432-550-6313 or [email protected].

>> The Ector County Republican Women has sched-

uled a general meeting at noonon the third Monday of eachmonth in the banquet room atOdessa Regional Medical Center,520 E. Sixth St.

Lunch is provided for $12.Call 366-4881 or email bnor-

[email protected].>> MIDLAND Permian Basin

Poetry Society meets for awriter’s round table at 2 p.m. onthe last Saturday of each monthat The Ground Floor CoffeeShop, 203 W. Wall St., No. 104,Midland.

Writers of all genres are wel-come. Admission is free.

Call 349-5042, email [email protected] or visitPoetrysocietyoftexas.org.

>> MIDLAND The MidlandPalette Club, 907 W. WadleyAve., Midland, meets at 9 a.m. tonoon each Tuesday except onmonthly meeting days. Localand area artists are welcomedto bring supplies and paint. Clubdues are $35 a year and are duein October and welcomes artistsof all levels.

Call 699-3209 or 687-6854 orvisitwww.paletteclubmidland.com.

>> Permian Basin Depres-sion Glass Club meets at 7 p.m.every third Tuesday of eachmonth at St. Luke’s UnitedMethodist Church, 1601 E. 42ndSt.

Call 580-5800. >> The Odessa Optimist

Club meets for lunch at noonFridays in the community roomon the second floor of OdessaCollege’s Student Union Build-ing.

Visitors are welcome. Call 362-1964. >> Area Rotary Clubs meet

at the following times: The Odessa Rotary Club

meets at noon each Wednesdayat the Odessa College, Joe ZantCommunity Room. Call 335-6684.

The Odessa East RotaryClub meets at noon each Thurs-day at Harrigan’s Restaurant,2701 JBS Parkway.

Call 559-0976. The Greater Odessa Rotary

Club meets for breakfast at 7 a.m. each Tuesday at the Holi-day Inn Express Hotel, 5321 JBSParkway. Call 559-9489.

>> Toastmasters Interna-tional Club of District 23, Areas63 meets at the following timeand place.

Odessa Toastmasters ClubNo. 7072 meets from noon to 1p.m. Wednesdays at Citibank, 618N. Texas Ave, in the conferenceroom on the second floor. Call638-1299.

Visit www.toastmasters.org. >> Area Lions Clubs meet at

the following times and places: The Odessa Westside Lions

Club meets at 11:30 a.m. everyWednesday at Westwood BaptistChurch, 2600 E. Eighth St.

>> See CALENDAR Page 3D

C O M M U N I T Y C A L E N D A R

Flowering bulbs generallyevokes images of tulips,daffodils and hyacinths, but

there’s a world of other bulbsthat bloom at other times of theyear. Like right now you cansee Spider lilies and SchoolHouse Lilies strutting theirstuff.

Both of these late summerblooming bulbs are very welladapted to our area. They aredependable, like dry, hot sum-mers and are perennial. Theseheritage bulbs increase overtime, so they can be dug anddivide every few years for bigsplashes of repeated, late sea-son color.

Red Spider lily AKA RedMagic Lily (Lycoris radiata) isan elegant bloomer that magi-cally appears in late Augustand early September as a stoutgreen stalk rises to a 1-2 footand open into a delightfulumbel of graceful red flowers.

The flower petals are slenderand dramatically curve back-ward. The stamens look likegiant red eyelashes that swooppast the petals by a couple ofinches. Leaves will begin to ap-pear in a week or two afterblooming begins and will re-main until late spring when itdisappears.

The School House Lily oralso known as Oxblood Lily(Rhodophiala bifida) is anotherlate summer/fall bloomer. Justas with the Spider lily, stoutgreen flower stems rise fromseemingly nowhere to a onefoot height and then open intoa red amaryllis-like blooms.This vintage bulb was broughtto Texas by German settlerswhere they were planted andhave naturalized producinglots of bulbs that were in turnshared with friends and neigh-bors.

They are hard to find, but

there are a few mail order com-panies, one here in Texas, thatwill have them. This plant is astough as the Spider lily and willreward you with lots of flow-ers. The leaves will soon ap-pear and remain throughspring.

Both the Spider and School-house lilies will grow in partshade or full sun. Both can willthrive in ordinary soil withgood drainage. These bulbs areso tough they can tolerate dig-ging and dividing most any-time of the year, during theirdormant season, summer, isthe best time.

Plant them in any landscapesetting but for a great pop ofcolor, plant them with a backdrop of greenery.

The Red Spider Lily andSchool House Lily don’t require much of anything fromyou, other than admiration,which is a nice Re-Leaf.

R E - L E A F

GARDENING

DEBORAHFROST

>> Frost is alocal

horticul turistspecializingin regionallyappropriatehorticulture.

[email protected]

Late summer blooming bulbs are well adapted to area

COURTESY PHOTO

Oxblood Lily (Rhodophiala bifida) is a work horse in thegarden, delivering lots of dark red color for a few weeks in latesummer and fall. It readily naturalizes so you’ve got manymore bulbs in a just a few short years.

Sharing the stories ofthese veterans has been anhonor. The stories, bothwritten and on video, areat oaoa.com under Per-mian Basin Honor Flight.

Bell’s story was remark-able as were the stories ofall the veterans who serv edboth at home and abroad.

For example, the Meektwins (Joe and Max) hadnever been apart prior toWWII. Both experiencedthe war apart but were theonly ones from their sen-ior class who made it backalive.

There were funny sto-

ries of dances and footballgames as well as tales ofdespair. Ellis Norwood hasnever forgotten the hungerduring the war and howthe people of the Nether-lands were starving andgrateful for the help of theAmericans.

This week, photojour-nalist Courtney Sacco willjoin the veterans on theirjourney to wrap up thestories of these men andwomen who served theircountry. Sacco and Mid-land Reporter-Telegramreporter Rachel Gleasonwill both report fromWashington, D.C.

See Thursday, Fridayand Sept. 21’s OA and ouronline edition for more.

Flight>> From Page 1D THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

LOS ANGELES Any animalcan end up at a public shel-ter, but most of them won’tstay long. There, millionsof dogs and cats face eu-thanasia, driving one film-maker to turn his camerainto a lifesaver.

Workers at several ofthe shelters, where no ani-mal is turned away, saypets have a champion inSteven Latham, who di-rects and produces a PBSseries called “Shelter Me,”featuring animals that arerunning out of time. Seeingthe urgency, he took his ef-

forts a step further, startinga website, helping set upadoption events and coor-dinating flights full ofpooches to cities able toget them adopted.

“The pets at open ad-mission shelters need ourhelp the most,” saidLatham, who has madeother documentary filmsand series for PBS and Net-flix.

With thousands of pub-lic shelters nationwide andjust as many no-kill rescuesand other animal welfaregroups, finding lovinghomes for pets has becomea battleground. Latham be-

lieves pets at public shel-ters should get priority, un-derscoring the intensecompetition that exists be-tween the no-kill move-ment and shelters thateuthanize.

Latham’s “Shelter Me”series, presented by EllenDeGeneres’ natural petfood company — Halo,Purely for Pets — hasfilmed several shelter ani-mals that became service,therapy and search-and-rescue dogs, or just goodpets. Each documentaryepisode tells two or threestories.

Episode 4, “Shelter Me:

New Beginnings,” is sched-uled to premiere in LosAngeles on Oct. 8 and fea-tures volunteers in Idahowelcoming a plane packedwith shelter dogs fromSouthern California. It alsoshows a trainer teachingshelters how to hold playgroups for pooches. Thenext episode is tentativelyset for February 2015 andwill highlight how EastCoast police departmentsturn shelter dogs into K-9s.

Before the first episodeof the series aired in March2012, Latham spent a yearvisiting shelters around thecountry.

PBS’ ‘Shelter Me’ puts at-risk pets in limelight

Community service binder1

Documents

Transcript of Community service binder1