tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52928781256409521652024-03-13T18:28:05.102-05:00Jon Mark Beilue's BlogAGN Staffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374895974120599010noreply@blogger.comBlogger508125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5292878125640952165.post-67073010025278898962010-09-15T08:48:00.002-05:002010-09-15T08:48:30.690-05:00This blog has moved! -- Being redirectedPlease update your bookmark!<br />
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<a href="http://amarillo.com/interact/blog/jon-mark-beilues-blog">Jon Mark Beilue's Blog</a>AGN Staffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374895974120599010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5292878125640952165.post-87623515400413993572010-08-31T09:04:00.003-05:002010-08-31T09:23:38.773-05:00Heisman vote redux<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwoIFOQ19AAC4_oMFz-enhx1fPJ5BAwsuGNQwfQ-lPqR4V4ovGsQqIPEkfC_Wxk83G8vp4xXN1p1SH0C7KvH2UW6ysuasDG8pLqqJiyfLy2ibA0u33TFOih-8K1XASXtVULNv9mCgwOtWq/s1600/Vince+Young.bmp"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 294px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwoIFOQ19AAC4_oMFz-enhx1fPJ5BAwsuGNQwfQ-lPqR4V4ovGsQqIPEkfC_Wxk83G8vp4xXN1p1SH0C7KvH2UW6ysuasDG8pLqqJiyfLy2ibA0u33TFOih-8K1XASXtVULNv9mCgwOtWq/s400/Vince+Young.bmp" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511579501767545682" /></a><br />Mack Brown, if other voters like me would not have let two late-season games sway us, your point on the Dan Patrick Show on Monday would have never come up.<br /><br />Brown, head football coach at the University of Texas, told the nationally syndicated sports radio talk show host that his quarterback, Vince Young, deserves the 2005 Heisman Trophy won by the now-disgraced Reggie Bush.<br /><br />Bush was the center point on NCAA sanctions against USC in June. It was announced he received many "improper benefits" including hotel stays and rent-free home for his family, and a free use of a limo and a new suit at, of all things, the 2005 Heisman Trophy presentation weekend in New York.<br /><br />It was also revealed the NCAA found Bush ineligible by December 2004, seven months prior to the start of his Heisman-winning season.<br /><br /> "I think you have to go back and really give that choice to the Heisman Trust," Brown told Patrick. "If they take it away, I think Vince should be awarded the trophy . . . Vince was second in the voting, so even if they re-voted I would like to see Vince get it. At this point it's irrelevant because the Heisman Trust has not decided to take it away."<br /><br />Young should have won it anyway. I blew it that year and others did too. At the end of the season, Bush had one of those remarkable games that sway voters with a five-touchdown game against mediocre Fresno State. It didn't help that Young had a so-so game against Texas A&M in the last game before the voting deadline.<br /><br />Bush, the object of a love-fest from ESPN, was already in a slight lead. Those two games only cemented it. I wrote that I voted for Bush over Young, but didn't feel good about it.<br /><br />I really didn't in the Rose Bowl when Young staged one of the most phenomenal games ever by a college player in the national spotlight, running and passing for more than 200 yards each in leading the Longhorns to the national crown over USC. Bush was a non-factor.<br /><br />What is the right thing to do? Take the Heisman back from a known cheater. And give it to Young, or just vacate it entirely.Jon Mark Beiluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09315375094861728420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5292878125640952165.post-45294961076490733082010-08-30T10:31:00.006-05:002010-08-30T10:48:53.583-05:00Moises, one year later<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlAXA4NSp_k0b7Q3oA2d7nBOMw6ZXZlvmkPf8xcFh77yVJ_CjX7setszzxJxBGI1IVOrW8lDataFA7dkETF_BaOOIq7Io_jMpfcVor5z1Vd8frMXRF8apRcOfNgzzJvdf-_D38mfv7ZWN-/s1600/Moises+one+year+later.bmp"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 307px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlAXA4NSp_k0b7Q3oA2d7nBOMw6ZXZlvmkPf8xcFh77yVJ_CjX7setszzxJxBGI1IVOrW8lDataFA7dkETF_BaOOIq7Io_jMpfcVor5z1Vd8frMXRF8apRcOfNgzzJvdf-_D38mfv7ZWN-/s400/Moises+one+year+later.bmp" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511230148169752962" /></a><br />It's been just more than one year since Moises Salazar, the young boy from Belize, was released to go home after a life-saving surgery in Amarillo. He had been run over by a truck in an accident in his home country and the medical facilities and know-how was not advanced enough in Belize to save his life.<br /><br />I had written <a href="http://www.amarillo.com/stories/040509/new_13070933.shtml">this column </a>and <a href="http://www.amarillo.com/stories/082109/fea_14289903.shtml">this column </a>on him last year and the unselfish work of those in Amarillo, from surgeons to teachers, from nurses to strangers. Few did as much as Tim Tam, a local minister who heads up the Word at Work, a mission outreach in Belize and the one responsible for getting Moises to Amarillo.<br /><br />Tam reports in an e-mail the continued remarkable progress of Moises:<br /><br />"August 20, 2010 was the one year anniversary of Moises' return to Belize. During the first week of August I paid him a visit at his home. When we got to their house no one was home but soon we saw them coming down the road. All the children were running at top speed, and Moises was way out in front, a picture of health."<br /><br />Moises also wrote a letter that he updated all on his current physical status:<br /><br /><em>Dear Friends, <br /><br />I am Lazarus converted to Moises. That Moises which God took out from the tomb and which he gave life again. Because of God, I saw the light of the day. I came back to breathe the air. I saw the trees. Thanks to my god I saw the day and thanks to Him I knew all those great persons and all those friends.<br /><br />Thanks to God I got to know all those nurses that treated me in the best way. I give thanks to God for putting Mr. Tim Tam and Lisa that came from far away to help me when I was dying in the hospital. When all those persons close the doors, God sent them. God sent them so I could receive a new hope of life so they could carry me to the United States so I could live and so I could make new friends.<br /><br /> I ask God that one day I could return to the United States so I could hug Lisa who was like my mother, Mary Barlow who was like my aunty, and Mr. Tim Tam who was like my father. I remember when Mr. Tim and I used to play games in the hospital now that God gave me the gift to live again. I wish that Mr. Tim and Mary Barlow were here so I could hug them. Now that I am courageous I ask God for an opportunity to return to Amarillo, Texas, so I could eat all those delicious foods that they gave me and I could hug all my friends that were there in my help and so I could go fishing. I miss you all. <br /><br />Love, <br /><br />Moises Salazar <br /><br /> </em>Jon Mark Beiluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09315375094861728420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5292878125640952165.post-30483335412225805642010-08-27T08:56:00.004-05:002010-08-27T09:35:08.865-05:00This will fire you upToday is Christmas in August, the official first day of high school football. I could write about the importance of this tradition to players and communities, coaches and parents.<br /><br />I could write about how this is a rite of passage, how fast it's here and then it's gone. How the memories stay with those on the field for years and years.<br /><br />Or I could just have you click on this <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlXDo5WhQXI">Kenny Chesney video.</a> After watching this, I'm ready to put on the pads.Jon Mark Beiluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09315375094861728420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5292878125640952165.post-74539523531567822552010-08-27T08:00:00.000-05:002010-08-27T08:00:01.930-05:00Big bond happening to the southThere's always been a bit of competition between sister cities Amarillo and Lubbock when it comes to the public sector. Sorta of what one does, the other will attempt to follow.<br /><br />Red light cameras, of course, being an exception.<br /><br />But the Lubobck ISD could be getting a big face-lift if voters in November approve a $198 million bond issue. The Lubbock school board accepted the recommendation of a citizens committee this week to call for an election that trustees say will improve every school in that district without raising taxes, the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal has reported.<br /><br />One of the biggest items among the recommendations — and certain to be the most emotional for voters — is $34 million to build two new elementary schools that each would consolidate two existing schools.<br /><br />The new schools are part of the school and academic improvements part of the bond package, which totals $106 million and makes up about 53 percent of the bond package. The rest of the improvements include general capital improvements and school expansions and renovations.<br /><br />Another part of the bond package that is likely to be controversial is expansion of high school cafeterias to accommodate the students who now go off-campus to have lunch. High school lunch periods would be closed, and students would stay on campus to eat.<br /><br />The arts and athletics part of the package includes new elementary school playgrounds, renovations to middle school and high school athletic facilities, renovations to Lowrey Field (let's hope that includes a new press box in place of the decaying one) and making the stadium compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and renovations to all four high school auditoriums.<br /><br />The final part of the bond package is instructional technology.<br /><br />The aggressive manner the school district has paid down bond indebtedness in recent years is the reason the new bonds can be issued without raising taxes, school board president James Arnold said.Jon Mark Beiluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09315375094861728420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5292878125640952165.post-11381499473758404762010-08-26T08:43:00.002-05:002010-08-26T08:45:08.309-05:00Andthe former nerd is...Ryan Seacrest. That was the dorky kid whose picture was posted Wednesday. Several of you got it. A few cheated and got it. But like they say, if you're not cheating, you're not trying.Jon Mark Beiluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09315375094861728420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5292878125640952165.post-31586564868720126592010-08-26T07:30:00.001-05:002010-08-26T08:29:15.466-05:00OK, so I wasn't short-changedHas this ever happened to you?<br /><br />I went through the drive-thru Tuesday morning at the Hardback Coffee at Hasting's on Georgia. I ordered a coffee with cream -- $1.84 with tax. Being the obscenely rich person that I am, I paid with a $20. As I was checking my change while leaving, I noticed only $13 or so. I had been shorted a $5.<br /><br />An honest mistake, and so I pulled back into the parking lot and went inside with my change and receipt. No problem, they said. They apologized and gave me a $5. Well, that was easy.<br /><br />Then when I got in my car, I saw an extra $5 that had fallen between the passenger seat and the console. They didn't short-change me after all. Hey, a walk on the wild side.<br /><br />Now this is the point in the movie when the little deveil sits on one shoulder, and the little angel sits on the other. Who to listen to? What to do? Actually, I was governed by only one credo: Do the right thing.<br /><br />So Wednesday morning, I walked in and ordered a coffee before work. I give the manager the extra $5 and explain what happened Tuesday when I thought I was short-changed. And you know what he did.<br /><br />HE TOOK THE MONEY!! Let me repeat: HE TOOK THE MONEY.<br /><br />Can you believe it? In the back of my naive mind, I'm thinking he would have said, "Oh, Mr. Beilue, it's so gratifying to still find a honest person in this world. You keep the $5. As a matter of fact, the coffee is on us, and here's another $5 for being so honest."<br /><br />But he just flat took the money, and thanked me and said that happens sometimes.<br /><br />Actually, I had a mini-speech prepared if he refused the money or didn't remember the incident. But it wasn't necessary.Jon Mark Beiluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09315375094861728420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5292878125640952165.post-86352447984424864212010-08-25T08:55:00.004-05:002010-08-25T08:57:56.318-05:00Who is this celebrity nerd?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyId7zbRR4oZINRV2I8yJPDDalK9akkU_j1g4RxwHEb7AzpdvQRFdhdbZPIyIy8LUvPP2ymEFJU3Vw191rjLgk8kR2KmRwTHsd6Jmio7GqGYcIzGNA_fltm-0t_expkB4mOvv8dCQ1IX98/s1600/Ryan+Seacrest.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 358px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyId7zbRR4oZINRV2I8yJPDDalK9akkU_j1g4RxwHEb7AzpdvQRFdhdbZPIyIy8LUvPP2ymEFJU3Vw191rjLgk8kR2KmRwTHsd6Jmio7GqGYcIzGNA_fltm-0t_expkB4mOvv8dCQ1IX98/s400/Ryan+Seacrest.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509346293650093986" /></a><br />I will give you the rest of the day. No, I will give you the rest of the year. No, wait, I will give you until 2015 to guess what current celebrity this is. You'll never get it without a hint. So I will throw one your way. A big hint.<br /><br />American Idol.Jon Mark Beiluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09315375094861728420noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5292878125640952165.post-54912637931066745622010-08-24T08:54:00.003-05:002010-08-24T09:31:29.829-05:00Not a no-hitter feel<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-rTtcvxqMBPPYIJKb-nC5tIdeZsWFhhZhFAn5V0Nw5bGwsl4zxGCa6za-_c3lZhwSphOmtOa5BGhPsh6tg_TISErUFeql1v6H9O_pljfFGq7tUJyfJBo-0sSIIxzzHKCWySSK7GcNa9Na/s1600/Rich+Harden.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 273px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-rTtcvxqMBPPYIJKb-nC5tIdeZsWFhhZhFAn5V0Nw5bGwsl4zxGCa6za-_c3lZhwSphOmtOa5BGhPsh6tg_TISErUFeql1v6H9O_pljfFGq7tUJyfJBo-0sSIIxzzHKCWySSK7GcNa9Na/s400/Rich+Harden.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508983918509697778" /></a><br />I came back from a "Meet the Rebels" function at Tascosa Monday night around 8 p.m. and turned on the Rangers-Twins game. It was the fourth inning and the Rangers led, 2-0. That's good.<br /><br />With disappointing Rich Harden making another start off the DL, you take what you can get. An inning later, the end-of-the-inning graphic showed something that caught my eye. He hadn't given up a hit.<br /><br />But he had been sloppy good. It had taken him 35 pitches to get through the first four hitters, though none had gotten a hit. He had already walked three and his pitch count was getting up, way up, which is not unusual for Harden. There was no way he was going the distance, no-hitter or not.<br /><br />In other words, an effective, but not dominant performance against one of the hottest teams in the American League. If Harden had given up a hit in the first inning, I would have been thinking this is a pretty good performance from a guy the Rangers could really use.<br /><br />But as far as no-hit drama, it just wasn't there.<br /><br />After he issued his fifth walk with two outs in the seventh and his pitch count was at 111, Ron Washington did about the only thing he could do -- take him out. Some clueless fans booed taking Harden out, but they weren't going to risk Harden's arm.<br /><br />So Matt Harrison and Darren O'Day got four outs in order and the Rangers to the ninth with a 4-0 lead. The ball went to closer Neftali Feliz. It was weird. The last multi-pitcher no-hitter in the Major Leagues was in 2003.<br /><br />If Feliz doesn't give up a hit, do the Rangers go into a no-hitter celebration? Who do they jump up and down on? Feliz? He's the pitcher on the mound. Harden? He did the bulk of the no-hit work, but he's in the dugout.<br /><br />All-star catcher Joe Mauer made it a moot point, though. He lined an 0-2 pitch up the middle for a hit with one out in the ninth. <br /><br />Owner Nolan Ryan was in the park. The man has thrown seven of them, most in history, and been close on about eight others. He could relate to the near-miss, but when Nolan came close, he was on the mound.Jon Mark Beiluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09315375094861728420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5292878125640952165.post-42441345419028380212010-08-23T09:32:00.000-05:002010-08-23T09:33:28.835-05:00First day of last day of schoolTwelve years ago, his mother and I did what millions of parents were doing that morning. It was a big day, a huge day. It was the first day of kindergarten.<br /><br />Chad was scrubbed down and ready to go. Our neighbors' little girl was also starting kindergarten. We went outside and took pictures of the two of them on a warm August morning. Hannah and Chad stood at attention with goofy grins.<br /><br />We drove him to school, met the teacher again, and waved bye. There were no tears, unless they were from his momma. First day of school. A rite of passage.<br /><br />Let's go from 1998 to 2010. Chad got up at 7:10 a.m., on his own, no less. He asked his mother if she had an extra paper folder. She did. He asked his dad if he had $2 to round out enough money for lunch. He did.<br /><br />His mom had already headed to school. He showered and poured himself some Cheerios. He watched "Fresh Prince of Bel Air" on TBS and then went to warm up his pick-up.<br /><br />"See ya," he said as I came in from feeding the dog.<br /><br />"See ya. Have a good --"<br /><br />But he had already closed the door.<br /><br />No pictures. No Spider Man backpack. No dropping him off to his class.<br /><br />No doubt about it, the first day of being a senior is not quite the same.Jon Mark Beiluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09315375094861728420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5292878125640952165.post-80124039207872062632010-08-20T09:34:00.006-05:002010-08-20T10:08:33.092-05:00The many friends of Fogelberg<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlTZlyfHrr2NlnZm2DsxLX8rDAlAUi5-B1a0qPIy2ZXKvPNwPQG0b7wErfkoWff70ojDov_qXE_Zh6VoE178a9IkOR_aSOtj9jefMHNb5VDIwVzVd_scAPYc5SoR97HwcmurTXPtUGMLPT/s1600/Fogelberg.bmp"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlTZlyfHrr2NlnZm2DsxLX8rDAlAUi5-B1a0qPIy2ZXKvPNwPQG0b7wErfkoWff70ojDov_qXE_Zh6VoE178a9IkOR_aSOtj9jefMHNb5VDIwVzVd_scAPYc5SoR97HwcmurTXPtUGMLPT/s400/Fogelberg.bmp" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507507616728959282" /></a><br />In whatever way anyone would like to measure it, Thursday night's "Friends of Fogelberg" concert to benefit local prostate cancer education and testing was a success beyond what most could measure.<br /><br />The crowd? The Globe-News Center was virtually full.<br /><br />The music? I should stop being amazed at the talent of local musicians community. There were the veterans groups like Anderson, Flesher and Key and Insufficient Funds. But those like Mike Fuller, Bob Hopkins, Kim Loe, James Davis and Magggie Scales-Peacock on violin got deserving standing ovations as they played Fogelberg music.<br /><br />A jam session featuring all local performers toward the end of intermission would rival anything you could hear anywhere.<br /><br />What about the cause? Prostate cancer is the breast cancer of men. About 32,000 die in the U.S. annually from this disease. This is the second such concert featuring Fogelberg music, the folk rocker who died from prostate cancer in 2007. And, best of all, the money raised from the first concert went to the Prostate Cancer Foundation in California. All of last night's proceeds stayed right here in Amarillo.<br /><br />The concert was in memory of Jim Holston, who hosted the first concert but died last June of prostate cancer. There was laughter, a few tears and a whole lot of good music.<br /><br />None of this would have been possible without the dogged effort of Joe Ed Coffman. A huge Fogelberg fan, he is the relentless drive behind this.<br /><br />And there's more to come. On Oct. 8, there's the Great Palo Duro Prostate Putting Relay, where a golf ball will be putted from the Palo Duro Canyon entrance to the Comanche Trail golf course. Now THAT should be interesting.<br /><br />The folloing day, Comanche will hosts a four-man Friends of Fogelberg scramble that will benefit the Harrington Cancer Center.<br /><br />If you got any more ideas or you just want to say thanks, Joe Ed wouldn't mind a call at all. He loves to talk. It's 806-290-9868.Jon Mark Beiluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09315375094861728420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5292878125640952165.post-26387612941830935622010-08-19T17:29:00.003-05:002010-08-19T17:39:47.918-05:00Three in 40 years<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi74K8F2I79OphsQ8n9Vr3AmqMxOhGIOa17VD6dB80vEnUtEXI1kvmMsk5Mpf4oVPwj6klk5ssa2kk03XQDJY-IEPbLAhVBj_OQuzIGGcTJ_kGaq61ytpmDO4wPV21BN0FggAHND2zTCWj8/s1600/jones-stadium.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 282px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi74K8F2I79OphsQ8n9Vr3AmqMxOhGIOa17VD6dB80vEnUtEXI1kvmMsk5Mpf4oVPwj6klk5ssa2kk03XQDJY-IEPbLAhVBj_OQuzIGGcTJ_kGaq61ytpmDO4wPV21BN0FggAHND2zTCWj8/s400/jones-stadium.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507254144431233138" /></a><br />I rode down to Lubbock on Thursday with Ken Pirtle, who retired in 2008 as chairman of the visual arts department at Amarillo College. Ken, a 1970 Texas Tech graduate, had been at AC for 33 years.<br /><br />Ken was making the final of eight deliveries of his football mosaics, which will adorn the east concourse of Jones AT&T Stadium. Ken won the bid for the project in late May.<br /><br />There were a ton of interesting things Ken told me, like it takes 300 hours per mosaic to complete, and that 416,000 tiles comprise the eight mosaics.<br /><br />But the one that got to me was he has missed only three home Tech football games since the late 1960s. In other words, three in just more than four decades. And it's not like he lives in the same city. There's a bit of an effort to get there. He said he's watched the Red Raiders in snow, heat and with a 102-degree temperature.<br /><br />His season tickets are in Section 3 on the west side.<br /><br />One game he missed was his grandfather's funeral in Arizona. The other two involved soem kind of city championship game that his son, Jeff, was involved in.<br /><br />"I've seen some great wins," he said, "and tough losses."Jon Mark Beiluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09315375094861728420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5292878125640952165.post-62904749032180504552010-08-18T11:17:00.004-05:002010-08-18T11:21:30.285-05:00Communicating, the 1920s way<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4IpOqhNG2sNccItWGXJeMu7ROyDTvvWfQnimMpLJg9vicNbEfWgObNvVw3AhGhlKTvglQage0PpN-VZMfsyUlh-0As9XP2gufxw5bFatyhXoxHDolQ58ksPy5r1F_tTuCBqKUT31i7Zmb/s1600/photo.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4IpOqhNG2sNccItWGXJeMu7ROyDTvvWfQnimMpLJg9vicNbEfWgObNvVw3AhGhlKTvglQage0PpN-VZMfsyUlh-0As9XP2gufxw5bFatyhXoxHDolQ58ksPy5r1F_tTuCBqKUT31i7Zmb/s400/photo.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506785684174887170" /></a><br />My good buddy Walter Riggs -- and I do have a few of those -- passed this along not long ago. It's in Amarillo and he took with his cell phone.<br /><br />A cell phone (or a phone, twitter account, facebook page, smoke signals, etc.) is apparently something the guy who needed to reach David didn't have.<br /><br />I sure hope David and this guy connected.Jon Mark Beiluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09315375094861728420noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5292878125640952165.post-51506507638501326262010-08-18T09:07:00.004-05:002010-08-18T09:42:32.624-05:00Talk about ups and downs<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU0K65zvo4_c4ywwgfucSECGvyBJAsok0QXuUNDJ-cZfOHQLckegMFRliB7PID_g8sjPPL8wzSwY3Mz6PdhG5_RIUYsn7JXsLEejI0aHo43Lyw7JKgQbcorFY_7dvaMxlHFwBH3T7L8fCE/s1600/roller+coaster+man.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU0K65zvo4_c4ywwgfucSECGvyBJAsok0QXuUNDJ-cZfOHQLckegMFRliB7PID_g8sjPPL8wzSwY3Mz6PdhG5_RIUYsn7JXsLEejI0aHo43Lyw7JKgQbcorFY_7dvaMxlHFwBH3T7L8fCE/s400/roller+coaster+man.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506760251771851842" /></a><br />When it comes to rides at amusement parks, I'm not much into things that go round and round. Rides like the Himalaya and others than spin riders like a top have me wondering how embarrassing it would be to throw up in public. Shoot, Merry Go Rounds iwth a young nephew can have me about ready to dive off.<br /><br />But I like a good roller coaster -- some better than others. I love the twists and turns, and that clickety-clack climb in anticipation of the first big drop. I like everything but that sudden lurch to a stop at the end and then staggering out. To paraphrase Will Rogers, I've seldom met a roller coaster I didn't like.<br /><br />But I'm no Vic Kleman. But then, who is?<br /><br />The Pennsylvania man is 78 years old. He took his 4,000th roller coaster trip on an old-time ride on Sunday. And it took all day to get there.<br /><br />In celebrating the 90th anniversary of the Jack Rabbit (let's hope it's been refurbished since 1920)at a Pennsylvania amusement park, Kleman took 90 rides on the thing on Sunday. He said he usually rides that roller coaster about 20 times a visit.<br /><br />I guess that's a nice number -- 90 rides for 90 years. <br /><br />Kleman, according to the Associated Press, started riding the Jack Rabbit in 1959 when he was 27. Doesn't sound like he's slowed down much since.<br /><br />Kleman says he never got bored on his record setting journey, which took about five hours to complete the 90 rides to get him from 3,910 to 4,000. By the way, who keeps track of such things?<br /><br />Kennywood, the amusement park where the Jack Rabbit resides, presented Kleman with a certificate to verify his 4,000 trips on board the roller coaster, which has an 85-foot double dip drop.<br /><br />Not surprisingly, Kleman had some advice on how to best enjoy the ride.<br /><br />"Just let a little air out like, 'Ahhhh...'" he says, "you know, that helps you, and then keep your feet flat on the ground. You get more air time on the double dip."<br /><br />Kleman has one very simple reason for doing what he did.<br /><br />"It's fun. I'm not trying to break any records or anything," he said. "It's just fun."<br /><br />Atta boy, Vic. Numbers sometimes don't matter -- if you're 78 years old or if you're riding a roller coaster 90 times in one day to reach 4,000.Jon Mark Beiluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09315375094861728420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5292878125640952165.post-51411477173108645082010-08-16T08:59:00.006-05:002010-08-16T09:18:26.465-05:00A pain in the grass<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPj1DTAF6Lqx9jNZyHfka3DGF5TfohdHa8YZsZRLAfGQF0yaZTi36Pvdt-6Z00bu1JIzxIhbMqMRrXV_cV5WeXNE5JL6DxjxZnqIGMu2r_LOJn2TdtBKdmMKKsrvD8YjgxPIWiNUujOxWy/s1600/lawnmower.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPj1DTAF6Lqx9jNZyHfka3DGF5TfohdHa8YZsZRLAfGQF0yaZTi36Pvdt-6Z00bu1JIzxIhbMqMRrXV_cV5WeXNE5JL6DxjxZnqIGMu2r_LOJn2TdtBKdmMKKsrvD8YjgxPIWiNUujOxWy/s400/lawnmower.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506011152560181586" /></a><br />The good news from Sunday, other than the Rangers 7-3 win over the Red Sox: I didn't have to mow the grass in sweltering heat.<br /><br />The bad news: That's because I busted up our lawnmover.<br /><br />Here I was in the afternoon, about to knock the backyard out and be done with it. I was mowing in the alley -- even in a Good Samaritan way mowing the alley of our neighbors.<br /><br />Later, TWHACK! Hidden in some tall grass in the corner of the backyard was a pretty good-sized rock. I hit it so hard that it shut off the mower. Not good. I started the engine again and it sounded OK. Then it sounded really weird, then OK again. So I did what anyone else would do who wanted to get the grass cut before it got real hot -- I kept going.<br /><br />Nrmally I can run right over the top of the one of these exposed tree roots. Not this time. THWACK! Engine dead. So now I looked under the mower and one end of the blade was almost pointed downward in a 90-degree angle. That's not good.<br /><br />Even worse, oil was powering out of the engine. Really not good. And this mower is like two years old. Most of my underwear is older than that.<br /><br />I figure I could spent some money to get it fixed and with parts, plus labor, well, who knows. Or I could go mower shopping.<br /><br />I went mower shopping, back to good ol' Sears where I got this one. I don't need a self-propelled mower. I just need something functional that will start easily and get the job done. Like what I have -- or had.<br /><br />At any rate, I bought on sale a Sears Craftsman 6.75 horsepower plantinum motor with a 22-inch cut. It's even got a little thingamajig where you can put a water hose into it with the motor running and it will clean the blade area. Plus there was an additional 10 percent off.<br /><br />We take the love of our lawn life home tonight, and I vow not to run over any more rocks. Even those that spill out of my head.<br /><br />And I'm also taking volunteers to test drive it over my yard the rest of the summer. Volunteers?Jon Mark Beiluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09315375094861728420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5292878125640952165.post-44825540069004376752010-08-13T09:29:00.002-05:002010-08-13T09:37:01.955-05:00An I-40 eyesoreProbably back in the 1970s, if memory serves, there was no finer hotel in the city than the new Hilton that opened at I-40 and Lakeside. It was expansive, had a nice atrium, and new for the time, rooms opened into the interior of the hotel.<br /><br />In many ways, it was what the Ambassador Hotel is now. But in the ensuing decades, it's gone through different names. At one time, I believe it was a Radisson. It seemed to go gradually down hill, then in the last few years, quickly down hill.<br /><br />The latest name, before the hotel closed, was Amarillo Airport Plaza Hotel. A friend of mine called it the Bates Motel.<br /><br />It looks like a rat trap now. I pass by it once a week going to a prison ministry class. A once-proud hotel is in complete disarray. Now it appears that mattresses and other room furnishings are being pulled out of there.<br /><br />Makes you wonder if the building will eventually be torn down. But it seems like its days as a hotel are over.Jon Mark Beiluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09315375094861728420noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5292878125640952165.post-89526250211039621712010-08-10T14:16:00.005-05:002010-08-10T14:35:05.718-05:00'Cankles' didn't make the cut<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9CudPs1HtwgXgjrA_wR6EH4at7wbdlqNQz6YrjunKvJyB2vB4yei8FibcS9dMAmY-V3PsRHzUqIElblJtX7_qU5iZoRJ8cwU2ivEJ830UTASLLJiQbcfrVdw5eGBm9pvRZuB4b3xte_ta/s1600/cankles.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 361px; height: 360px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9CudPs1HtwgXgjrA_wR6EH4at7wbdlqNQz6YrjunKvJyB2vB4yei8FibcS9dMAmY-V3PsRHzUqIElblJtX7_qU5iZoRJ8cwU2ivEJ830UTASLLJiQbcfrVdw5eGBm9pvRZuB4b3xte_ta/s400/cankles.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503866973726212786" /></a><br />Just not any ol' word can make the Oxford English Dictionary.<br /><br />From the you-learn-something-new-every-day department, there are thousands of words that are denied a place in the snobby dictionary, which describes itself as the definite record of the English language.<br /><br />They didn't get it because, to the editors, they are too odd or haven't gained enough usage in common language.<br /><br />"Tanorexia" didn't make it. Neither did "flashpacking." Never heard of either one of them. But "tanorexia" is the obsession of getting tan. I probably would have eventually figured that one out. "Flashpacking" is luxurious backpacking.<br /><br />But "cankles" didn't make it. I thought everyone knew what a cankle was. It's the combination of the calf and the ankle where it's hard to tell the difference where one stops and the other begins. In other words, thick ankles.<br /><br />As in, "Good night, check out the cankles on that gal."<br /><br />Here's some other words still waiting to be chosen:<br /><br />Burqini: a swimsuit intended to comply with Islamic standards of modesty. (think opposite of bikini).<br /><br />Chimping: the practice of immediately reviewing each shot taken using a digital camera. (It is not the practice of a male monkey owning and getting a cut of money from monkey prostitutes).<br /><br />Chin-strap: a type of beard along the jawline (not what a football player wears unless he has a beard along the jawline).<br /><br />Clickjacking: the use of hidden buttons on a website designed to perform actions they do not intend to do, like revealing personal information. (no kin to carjacking).<br /><br />Faboosh: fabulous (I've made that sound while sneezing).<br /><br />Glamping: glamorous camping. (How is that different from flashpacking?)<br /><br />Twetiquette: Twitter etiquette (in 140 characters or less, do course.).Jon Mark Beiluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09315375094861728420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5292878125640952165.post-60046185465471013952010-08-09T15:49:00.006-05:002010-08-09T16:13:17.099-05:00The last one<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5PNu4KBvj6tWOTMQ-rP0-7-nFXPbteDGnJSoF0pdWqPbf_rq92kRn2SrWkMvisrMsMem2fHo8vGQiip5w37jEngQ8Ph-K3kTdkvt_8URlnEo_dCgJ_q81lpv4pG-vSLZReJzBsb1-5cUG/s1600/patricia+neal.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5PNu4KBvj6tWOTMQ-rP0-7-nFXPbteDGnJSoF0pdWqPbf_rq92kRn2SrWkMvisrMsMem2fHo8vGQiip5w37jEngQ8Ph-K3kTdkvt_8URlnEo_dCgJ_q81lpv4pG-vSLZReJzBsb1-5cUG/s400/patricia+neal.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503521189103789378" /></a><br />And now Alma is gone.<br /><br />The last surviving member of the main cast of six in the iconic movie "Hud," which was filmed in Claude in 1963, has died.<br /><br />Patricia Neal, who won an Oscar for Best Actress by playing Alma, the housekeeper of the Bannon family, died Monday from lung cancer at age 84.<br /><br />Neal was great in that movie. She was sexy without trying to be, teasing, sarcastic, funny. She gave as much as she took from the Bannon family, and in particular, Paul Newman's selfish and cocky Hud Bannon.<br /><br />"Hud" was nominated for seven Academy Awards, and won three. Melvyn Douglas won Best Supporting Actor as Hud's father. Newman, who died in 2008, was nominated for Best Actor, but did not win. Many local Claude folks were used as extras.<br /><br />When I think of movies filmed in Texas, three great ones come to mind: "Hud," "The Last Picture Show," and "No Country For Old Men."<br /><br />Neal, a native of Kentucky, had an extremely difficult life not long after "Hud." She had three strokes that left her paralyzed and unable to speak or remember. The first stroke occurred in 1964.<br /><br />Her infant son’s brain was damaged when his stroller was struck by a New York City taxicab and a daughter died as a result of the measles.<br /><br />Neal did recover from her strokes to continue some acting thanks to husband Roald Dahl, but then lost him to another woman whom she had accepted as a friend.<br /><br />Neal also had a love affair with actor Gary Cooper.Jon Mark Beiluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09315375094861728420noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5292878125640952165.post-82521082547213804322010-08-05T14:10:00.003-05:002010-08-05T14:40:11.064-05:00Good news for Ranger fans<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO-E76stw4BzROowBi5AQg3RlXDTaU2342I_5BIQIlxCaR9D8GV1fJA0VexfFywBH8nu7s85O5DJUnYGee65madA-OXoK5mEuIVuX0GhoOAlpXq1UcROMIP50ZfKiHeHvRFRsEVnxUQX8H/s1600/ryan_ventura.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 323px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO-E76stw4BzROowBi5AQg3RlXDTaU2342I_5BIQIlxCaR9D8GV1fJA0VexfFywBH8nu7s85O5DJUnYGee65madA-OXoK5mEuIVuX0GhoOAlpXq1UcROMIP50ZfKiHeHvRFRsEVnxUQX8H/s400/ryan_ventura.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502012839773041746" /></a><br />Maybe this is the Rangers year after all.<br /><br />Not only do they have an 8-game lead in the American League West as of today, but around 1 a.m. this morning, the long protracted ugly sale of the Rangers was over. And Nolan Ryan emerged the winner.<br /><br />Can we get an amem from the Ballpark in Arlington?<br /><br />Pittsburgh attorney Chuck Greenberg and Ryan, the current Rangers president, emerged as the winner in bidding for the bankrupt franchise from beleagured former owner Tom Hicks. Greenberg and Ryan's bid of $593 million topped the $581.2 million bid of Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and Houston businessman Jim Crane in a 10-hour marathon.<br /><br />The announcement in a Fort Worth federal courthouse that Greenberg/Ryan had emerged the winner prompted cheers and a standing ovation despite the late hour.<br /><br />"It was an emotional roller-coaster," said Ryan. "You go to court one day and it didn't go your way, but you go back another day and it would. It's a relief."<br /><br />It's a relief for Ranger fans. Why?<br /><br />First, it's what just about everyone wanted, from current front office staff of the Rangers, to players to fans. It guarantees smooth continuity.<br /><br />Greenberg is fan-friendly, is committed to stadium upgrades, and vows to be very competitive in the free-agent market, including trying to keep current pitching stud Cliff Lee.<br /><br />Not that Cuban wouldn't have been all of these, but the key here is Ryan. It was his group that won and he will stay on as president and part-owner for a long time. Not that Cuban wouldn't have made a play to keep Ryan, but I doubt he would have the same enthusiasm and length of stay -- if at all.<br /><br />Ryan is Texas and Ryan is the Rangers. There's something comfortable about seeing Big Tex in his seat, arms folded, watching the game. He had credibilty and authority, not to mention 5,714 strikeouts, seven no-hitters and a Hall of Fame plaque.<br /><br />"Ever since Nolan's been part of our franchise, we've gone nowhere but up," outfielder David Murphy told the Associated Press in Seattle. "He's very very respected and admired in the state of Texas and nationally. Of course, we wanted a guy like that as our owner. How could you not want a group with Nolan Ryan in it?"<br /><br />Rangers front office presented Ryan with an expensive bottle of Dom Perignon Thursday afternoon.<br /><br />Final approval of the Rangers sales rests with Major League Baseball, which is expected to easily approve the deal next week.<br /><br />Maybe Aug. 4 is just a day you don't mess with Ryan. In 1993, in his last year as a Rangers pitcher, he gave Robin Ventura what-for when he charged the mound after Ryan plunked him. Seventeen years later, he and Greenberg win a marathon auction in court.<br /><br />Hey, all Ranger fans are winners.Jon Mark Beiluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09315375094861728420noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5292878125640952165.post-52641679179502448772010-08-04T16:28:00.003-05:002010-08-04T16:53:07.652-05:00Sad and senselessRight now there are more questions than answers in the sad and senseless tragedy Tuesday night at the Love's Travel Shop west of Amarillo. This is one of the most disturbing incidents that I can recall locally in many years.<br /><br />This much I know: Sharrel Blankenbaker, 63, of Felt, Okla., died a senseless but very heroic death in protecting her grandchildren from Gary Don Carner. She had apparently picked up her granddaughters at the Amarillo airport and was on the way back to Oklahoma.<br /><br />They stopped at Love's, presumably to get something for the road. That's when Carner tried to take her 12-year-old granddaughter from California. Mrs. Blankenbaker stepped in front of her grandchildren to protect them when she was shot and died on the way to the hospital.<br /><br />Sharrel Blankenbaker, uncommon last name, uncommon courage.<br /><br />I also know Potter County Sheriff's Office should be commended for their pursuit of Carner, who was later shot and killed by a deputy. Deputies acted quickly and decisively.<br /><br />What is hardest to comprehend is Carner, 58. I saw his picture on Facebook, where he had 110 friends. He looked like a typical cowboy in his black felt hat. He had a family. But his actions of Tuesday night were of someone on a hell-bent rampage.<br /><br />According to authorities, he first tried to abduct a woman at 8:55 p.m. at a convenience store at 34th and Soncy. She was airing a tire when Carner approached her, first to ask if she needed a tire gauge, and then pulled a gun on her. She got away, ran into the store and the clerk locked the door. The police were called.<br /><br />Before Carner could be located, and just 10 minutes later, he was at the Love's where the tragedy unfolded. Carner escaped, and less than 20 minutes later, abducted another girl, this one 11 years old. After deputies spotted Carner, the girl escaped before gunfire was exchanged.<br /><br />My God, how many lives and familes did Carner wreck in a night of madness? We live in a very fallen world.Jon Mark Beiluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09315375094861728420noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5292878125640952165.post-26863719329059892872010-08-03T15:18:00.003-05:002010-08-03T15:30:00.522-05:00Frying the proverbial egg on the sidewalk<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW8gKxilaPGktXdiFgCkKyWAgpWqFO71rzCxkg9ojvLjvks0GpkxXaupiseStzHjJwO9V9N9xsEuoDoWC3Kbz7basyVko5n57vb5K5djUgKq-56p1nRUjkSIH59xD4UXQasE_Dpr-gQRno/s1600/fried+egg.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 153px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW8gKxilaPGktXdiFgCkKyWAgpWqFO71rzCxkg9ojvLjvks0GpkxXaupiseStzHjJwO9V9N9xsEuoDoWC3Kbz7basyVko5n57vb5K5djUgKq-56p1nRUjkSIH59xD4UXQasE_Dpr-gQRno/s400/fried+egg.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501283528867530482" /></a><br />This is why they're called the dog days. It's only supposed to be a chilly 98 degrees here in Amarillo, but it's going to be at least 104 in Canadian, 103 in Perryton, 103 in Childress and 102 in Pampa.<br /><br />And it's always about this time of the year some enterprising person with too much time on their hands wonders if it's hot enough to fry an egg on a sidewalk. Nope, not yet. And not bacon either.<br /><br />According to my investigation, a sidewalk needs to be between 144 and 158 degrees for an egg yolk to go from a liquid to a solid. So we got a ways to go yet. A light-colored sidewalk needs to be at least 158 degrees for that to happen. It doesn't have to be quite as hot on asphalt, although you may get grit and pebbles in your egg.<br /><br />The problem, experts say, is a constant heat source is needed to fry the thing.<br /><br />Now as far as making a grilled cheese sandwich in your car, you could probably do that right now.Jon Mark Beiluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09315375094861728420noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5292878125640952165.post-15138308604791733352010-08-02T09:02:00.003-05:002010-08-02T09:38:29.794-05:00Clint Formby<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4tzkV0qyGTK0YF6qo_GLo-iBiCoI0tDee07G3Oxd8JfVr9F2UbvV7CC3HxdnHH8QOfu-nQNgaayDobhKHk4X3jckOiehQSh0h2VavxVh53w10CRbqBOF8FPeTZBDSgwrdP9HT-jIE3LXe/s1600/Formby%252001e.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 201px; height: 167px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4tzkV0qyGTK0YF6qo_GLo-iBiCoI0tDee07G3Oxd8JfVr9F2UbvV7CC3HxdnHH8QOfu-nQNgaayDobhKHk4X3jckOiehQSh0h2VavxVh53w10CRbqBOF8FPeTZBDSgwrdP9HT-jIE3LXe/s400/Formby%252001e.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500821803373981986" /></a><br />Clint Formby was a big man in a small town. He made his mark in Hereford, but his impact was felt far beyond his hometown.<br /><br />Formby, 86, died Saturday after a bout with cancer. One of the stations he owned was KPAN in Hereford. In 1955, he began daily commentary as the "Day-by-Day Philosopher." And that became an institution in Hereford. He hosted more than 16,000 episodes of the six-day-a-week program without missing a day.<br /><br />He was featured on NBC's "Today" show in 2007 for the streak, which eventually reached 17,000. According to KPAN, "it was the longest-running consecutive radio broadcast by an individual in the United States."<br /><br />I was honored just a few months ago when Mr. Formby called to ask what five living people I would invite to a fantasy dinner party. He was calling several in the area to get their ideas. In the few times our paths crossed, he could not have been nicer.<br /><br />He's the former president of the Texas Association of Broadcasters and the Associated Press Broadcasters. If there was a radio organization, it seemed like Mr. Formby was on it. He traveled all over the country on behalf of various organizations, including six years on the board of the Associated Press.<br /><br />But he was much more than a radio personality. Much more. When I first heard of him was back at Texas Tech when he was a member and then later chairman of the board of regents. It was at Tech he received his bachelor's degree.<br /><br />The former Army veteran in World War II was extremely active in community affairs, honored at one time as Panhandle Citizen of the Year by the Amarillo Chamber of Commerce.<br /><br />In explaining his affinity for Hereford and small towns in general, he told the "Today Show": "I was born in a small town. You can relate and interrelate with people in a small town. To my way of thinking, they're the salt of the earth."<br /><br />None more so than Clint Formby.Jon Mark Beiluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09315375094861728420noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5292878125640952165.post-60766584184895179102010-07-30T11:58:00.002-05:002010-07-30T12:07:48.572-05:00Coming to his rescueIt was an early 7 a.m. meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous on Sunday, July 18. One of the attendees had ridden his bicycle to the meeting and chained it with a fairly worn lock.<br /><br />Even at that hour, there were two kids milling around suspiciously.<br /><br />"We were about to start the meeting, and someone said, 'Does anybody know who those kids are?'" said Larry (not his real name). "They were sitting next to my bike. I look out a little bit later and it's gone."<br /><br />The lock was cut, and the bike was nowhwere to be found. While Larry later talked to police outside, other members passed the hat and collected $159. The result was Larry got a new bike and a better lock.<br /><br />"I didn't ask them to do it, obviously," Larry said, "but what's expected of me is not to pay it back, but to pass it on."Jon Mark Beiluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09315375094861728420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5292878125640952165.post-64034227951129478412010-07-28T09:45:00.003-05:002010-07-28T09:52:49.677-05:00Bike helmet made a difference<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY5uXYdEgFMxsaItJWCR4BDA_WV9WZeMfhmpI2vQFYItdfO4g9TlFbwstEwsX2Wnyj3XamCc6ceLZ0qCB-9H4byY7jY2rwFHtwTCk-jngxGJRh3hk1Rrk8AgDQ6jQM56eXRC4CXwu-qaK1/s1600/helmet.png"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY5uXYdEgFMxsaItJWCR4BDA_WV9WZeMfhmpI2vQFYItdfO4g9TlFbwstEwsX2Wnyj3XamCc6ceLZ0qCB-9H4byY7jY2rwFHtwTCk-jngxGJRh3hk1Rrk8AgDQ6jQM56eXRC4CXwu-qaK1/s400/helmet.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498970106956870114" /></a><br />Last Sunday, I wrote <a href="http://www.amarillo.com/stories/072510/new_news1.shtml">a column </a>on how bike helmets may have saved the lives or at least serious head injuries to Robyn Willis and Sherri Williamson last month. They were hit from behind while riding down 23rd Ave. in Canyon.<br /><br />Amarillo attorney Shawn Twing, who is training for a triathlon, knows full well the importance of a helmet as well. He was injured recently in a cycling accident.<br /><br />"According to my trainer I went 51 feet going just under 30 mph. If it were not for this helmet I would have died or would have suffered a very serious head injury. With the helmet I suffered a mild concussion and broken clavicle. I have become a big advocate for cycling helmets."Jon Mark Beiluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09315375094861728420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5292878125640952165.post-32401187989842337052010-07-27T15:45:00.002-05:002010-07-27T15:54:11.011-05:00Good stick, no speedIt's a loss not only to First Presbyterian Church, but to Amarillo that Dr. Jim Bankhead, the senior pastor of the church, is leaving in August. Bankhead's final sermon will be Aug. 15, 11 years to the day after first sermon as First Presbyterian's pastor.<br /><br />Bankhead said he began to consider retirement about three years ago, but instead is taking a position as interim associate pastor of discipleship at West Hills Lake Presbyterian in Austin.<br /><br />Jim also knows his way around a baseball field. We were part of two adult teams who met monthly during the spring and summer about 10 years ago. That's baseball, not softball. We should have known better, but there's too much kid in a bunch of us not to get out there make fools of ourselves. And then two years ago on Fathers Day, we had one more game, sort of an Old Timers Game.<br /><br />Jim is a pretty good baseball player. For his age.Jon Mark Beiluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09315375094861728420noreply@blogger.com0