binder5

BY KEVIN HOLAMONBROWNWOOD [email protected]

Where they are now . . .Brookesmith, Texas is a small

community only accessible by Farm to Market and County Roads. It’s the kind of place that remains with a person, once they leave; where roots are never for-gotten. Shauna and Sarah Dodds haven’t forgotten, although their careers have taken them to places just a little bit different from Mus-tang Gym.

Okay, more than just a little bit. On Jan.26, 2014, the sisters took the stage in the 950,000 square foot Staples Center, in Los Ange-les, and their images and voices were broadcast to more than 28 million viewers. The Brookesmith

natives were awarded a Grammy for Best Recording Package, for their design of the CD packaging for an album by the Austin based band, Reckless Kelly, en-titled Long Night Moon.

On stage that night, Sarah and Shauna were obviously elated and surprised.

“We didn’t prepare anything,” Shauna said, “because we really didn’t expect to be up here.”

In addition to the traditional acknowledgments, Shauna ex-pressed their gratitude for their parents.

“Thank you to our parents, for always supporting our creativity and instilling in us . . .”

Sarah joined to add, “and the big bucket of used crayons, when we were little.”

After the initial excitement has

somewhat calmed, the sisters were asked what the Grammy meant to them, in terms of per-sonal achievement.

Shauna replied, “It’s been almost two weeks and Sarah and I still can’t wrap our heads around what

this means for us. Where we stand today is not where we expected to be.”

“Our category was packed full of some of the biggest names in the industry, pitting us against unlim-ited budgets,” Shauna said, “For the Recording Academy to have chosen our work as the winner . . . It’s simply overwhelming and humbling.”

It really shouldn’t have been a surprise. The

design of the Long Night Moon package is extraordinary. Hid-den images, secret codes, a lunar map with the stars meticulously aligned and historically accurate depictions of moon phases (many visible only with the included LED

UV light) . . . The 12-panel poster fold-out insert, alone, is reason enough to buy the album. But, it is definitely befitting the great — sometimes soulful and sometimes upbeat — Texas country music by Reckless Kelly.

And how might the Grammy effect their future?

“Who can say? All we can hope for is to continue to do what we love, for the people that inspire us. Maybe this will open a few doors to collaborate with some more of our heroes.”

The Dodds sisters combined their creative talents in 2004, forming their company, Backstage

PHOTO CONTRIBUTEDSarah and Shauna Dodds, originally from Brookesmith, learned the meaning of hard work, as well as its potential awards, early in life. This year, their devotion of hard work to their clients paid off in a big way.

“It’s been almost two weeks and Sarah and I still can’t wrap our heads around what this means for us. Where we stand today is not where we expected to be.”

Brookesmith duo brings home Grammy gold

Sister Act

SEE SISTERS, A7

CHANGING THE GAMELockwood breaks into traditionally male careers

Page A4

‘LISTEN’ TO THE MUSICDespite deafness, Laird hears the band

Page A9

WhereNoWare they?Horizons 2014

C e l e b r a t i n g 2 5 Y e a r s

Brownwood Bulletin February 23, 2014

Sunday, February 23, 2014 Brownwood Bulletin Horizons 2014A2

CONTRIBUTED PHOTOBrownwood Class of 2003 graduate Cale Sikes has been the general manager of the Sci Fi Factory, located in Fort Worth, for the past year.

BHS graduate relives childhood with career at Sci Fi Factory

A FACTORY OF FUN

CONTRIBUTED PHOTOPictured are patrons of the Sci Fi Factory during a recent Super Hero Saturday, one of several attractions that has increased the popularity of the business.

BY DERRICK STUCKLY BROWNWOOD [email protected]

Yearning for days gone by, the days of our youth, is bound to strike an indi-vidual at some point in his or her life. For 2003 Brown-wood High School graduate Cale Sikes, reliving the past has become a career choice, in a sense.

Sikes — the manager of the Sci Fi Factory, located in North Fort Worth, for the past year — opted for a new job after visiting the estab-lishment, which reminded him of his time growing up in Brownwood.

“What happened was the shop was actually opened up by couple guys I hadn’t met previously and was, ironically enough, just a few doors down from our current daycare,” Sikes said. “When it opened, I started going over there to check the place out, hung out for a little bit, and I liked it so much I asked if they needed help with anything. It reminded me of every-thing we did when we were growing up and I felt like I’d like to work there. I did some volunteer work for a little bit until they asked if I wanted to work one or two days a week and it went from there. I’ve been there now right at a year.”

Sikes describes the Sci Fi Factory as, “pretty much a comic book, video game, trading card game, table top role playing game store. It’s pretty much everything my generation grew up with, all in one place.”

In his role as store man-ager, Sikes often acts more as a host than someone whose primary objective is to generate a profit.

“The thing I tell everyone who walks in the door is my job is to make everyone feel at home,” Sikes said. “My

favorite thing is interacting with people, building cus-tomer relations. What it all boils down to in the end is I’m working for and with my best friends. We have the same interests, share the same hobbies, a lot of us are in the same life stages, even though we do have a lot of college and high school kids that come into the store. At the same time, what I focus on is making everyone who walks through those doors feel as welcomed as pos-sible, like a second home or going over to a friend’s place to hang out. That’s what it feels like.”

The atmosphere of the Sci Fi Factory is among the key factors in the store’s suc-cess, Sikes believes.

“First and foremost we’re a family store that happens to sell comic books, video games and such,” Sikes said. “Everything that goes on is G-rated. We actually enforce a language policy. Something a mom, dad and very young daughter and or son wouldn’t be comfort-able hearing, we don’t want to hear it in the store. A lot of parents find that very refreshing, part of the whole atmosphere of making everyone feel welcomed no matter how young or old you are.

“One of the best compli-ments we’ve ever had was from a gentlemen who said he’d been to 30-plus comic book stores in the greater DFW and Texas area. He said that Sci Fi Factory was hands down the most open, welcoming, loving store he’d ever been in. The camara-derie, the customer service, it’s like the feeling when you walk into someone’s house that’s full of love and has that vibe. When you come through those doors we’re going to love on you and make you feel at home and

do whatever we need to make you feel like you are wanted here.”

The Sci Fi Factory features a variety of inventory, but those not looking to buy are just as welcomed in the store.

“One of the shop’s mainstays is new and used comics,” Sikes said. “One of our biggest selling points is $1 used comics, so if someone isn’t sure what to get or wants to try out the whole comic scene, we recommend getting some of the less expensive ones because we buy them for re-ally cheap and try and turn that around and give those to our customers. We’ve also got new comics, and if someone is wanting to stay up to date with a series, we’ll order an extra one and set it aside for them.

“Another mainstay is Magic The Gathering, a trading card game, and we hold tournaments multiple days a week. Our Friday night Magic tournament has anywhere from 40-50 people, and our largest was 71 people on a Friday night. It’s one of, if not the most popular trading game on the planet right now. An-other really popular game we have now is Warhammer 40K, a table top miniatures game that plays out a lot like chess except its got a lot more options and variables and is a bit more compli-cated. You build and paint your own models, so that makes it really cool because you can personalize.”

Volunteers also assist in making the Sci Fi Factory experience unique.

“Every Tuesday we host a board games night and we have a guy who comes out and does an amazing job of it,” Sikes said. “This particu-

SEE SCI FI, A16

Sunday, February 23, 2014Brownwood Bulletin Horizons 2014 A3

BY STEVE NASHBROWNWOOD [email protected]

Mike Wilson had been working at his job as op-erations manager at Killeen-Fort Hood Regional Airport for just a couple of weeks when he realized he’d taken on a big challenge.

The year was 2005, and Wilson, then 45, had just left his job as manager of the much smaller, slower-paced Brownwood Regional Airport. He’d worked there for 25 years.

On his new job at the Killeen airport, where Wilson is the No. 3 person, he was quickly inundated with projects and responsibilities. It was exciting — and in-timidating, Wilson, now 54, recalled in a recent phone interview.

He reminded himself that he’d been seeking a challenge when he left the Brownwood airport. “You got it!” he told himself.

Wilson embraced the challenge and jumped into his responsibilities, adapting quickly. “It’s a lot different from what I had in Brown-wood. I enjoy every minute of it,” Wilson said.

Wilson claims both Brownwood and Early as his hometowns. He attended school in both districts and graduated from Early High School in 1977.

Wilson was 21 when he started working at the Brownwood airport in 1980, and his job duties included mowing the grass and clean-ing the toilets.

At age 25, he was pro-moted to assistant airport manager. In 2001, at age 41, Wilson was named manager

of the airport.In 2005, Wilson retired

from the Brownwood airport and went to work as operations manager for the Killeen-Fort Hood Regional Airport. He and his wife, Teresa, were ready for some-thing different.

“It’s just a good opportu-nity for me and my family,” Wilson said then. “It’s a good move for me person-ally and professionally.”

The Killeen-Fort Hood Re-gional Airport is one of two airports in Killeen. It is used by military and commercial traffic and is not a general aviation facility, Wilson said.

In August 2004, the city of Killeen relocated passenger service from Killeen Munici-pal Airport to new facilities at the Killeen-Fort Hood Regional Airport, according to the airport’s website. The city of Killeen and the Army completed negotiations in 1999 on a joint use agree-ment that allowed Killeen to lease 76 acres of prop-erty in an area southeast of the runway at Robert Gray Army Airfield and allow civilian aircraft access to the runway.

About 400,000 people a year come through the air-port, and there are 18 to 32 flights a day in and out of the airport, Wilson said.

He’s met nationally known people who have come through the airport includ-ing Bill Clinton, Robert Gates, John McCain and Sarah Palin, Gary Sinise and Emmitt Smith.

“It’s a lot different from what I had in Brownwood but I enjoy every minute of it,” Wilson said.

Wilson described the view of the ramp from his office

as he talked by phone — a view that included three large Air Force cargo planes for flights to Afghanistan.

Fort Hood’s 21st Cavalry is among the entities that use the airport, Wilson said.

“Oh, I love it. I stay very, very busy,” Wilson said. “This is a beehive of activ-ity.”

When asked to describe his job duties, Wilson laughed. “How much time have you got?” he asked. He summed up his job:

He’s responsible for the airport’s day-to-day opera-tions. He deals with federal regulations and is the desig-nated security coordinator. He is the airport’s liaison to the Transportation Security Administration and Killeen Police Department.

Wilson also has oversight of the 24/7 operations cen-ter and monitors its cameras and radios, and oversees the office that issues badges and performs background checks, and oversees construction projects — 15 projects totaling $35 million in his nearly nine years on the job.

“And then in my spare time …” Wilson said with another laugh.

His phones ring constant-ly, and there are usually people waiting outside his office to see him on airport business, Wilson said.

Wilson, who is an ordained minister, is also on the staff of a church in Temple.

While he and his wife are enjoying this chapter of their lives, Wilson said, he hasn’t forgotten Brown County. He has “absolutely” good memories of Brown County and the Brownwood airport, Wilson said.

PHOTO CONTRIBUTEDMike Wilson (left) and another airport employee are pictured in front of a bank of moni-tors.

Wilson keeps things flying in Killeen

Up in the Air

PHOTO CONTRIBUTEDAbout 400,000 people a year pass through the Killeen-Fort Hood Regional Airport.

Parade of Progress 2014YEARS

Union presbyterian

chUrchUnion Presbyterian Church 1967Austin Avenue Presbyterian Church 1875& First Presbyterian Church 1876

Dr. Mark White, pastor700 Fisk Ave. • 646-8569

139 YEARS

weakley-watson trUe valUe

hardware store1414 Austin Avenue

646-0536Established July 4, 1876

139

YEARS

First christian chUrch

(Disciples of Christ)2411 Coggin Ave. 646-8901

Sterling Lentz, PastorSunday School 9:45 am

Worship Service 10:50 amWed. Bible Study & Youth 6:00 pm

127 YEARS

aUstin avenUe chUrch oF christ

1020 austin 646-0855J. Tom Washburn - Pulpit

Roland Bowen - Adult Education & Missions Julie Moore - Director of Childrens Ministry

Sean Fitzgerald - Youth

126

YEARS

St. John’S chUrch

Main at depot street646-7482

Sunday School 9:15 amSunday Services 8:00 am & 10:30 am

Wednesday Services 6:30 pm

125

325-646-25021000 Fisk Street

125 Years of Christian Higher Education

Established 1889

125 YEARS

YEARS

Mills coUnty state bank

“Where Service Makes The Difference”Early

646-0313Brownwood

646-1798Goldthwaite

648-2216

Hamilton254-386-4461

Hico254-796-4221

125 YEARS

salt creek baptist chUrch

7775 North FM 3100 Early, TX4 miles North Eastlawn Cemetary

Pastor Jimmie MizeSunday School: 10:00am

Worship Services: 11:00am & 6:00pmWednesday/Youth 6:30pm

646-3897 or 643-5853

125

YEARS

St. Mary’SQueen of Peace

catholic church

Rev. Francis Njoku1105 Main 646-7455

118 YEARS

higginbothaMs FUneral hoMe

309 Northeast 4th St (254)725-6153Cross Plains, Texas 76443

Robert Harrell - Funeral DirectorDee Harrell - Administrative Asst.

113

serving Cross Plains & surrounding areas

YEARS

505 Fisk646-9595

107YEARS

700 carnegie646-2541

www.brownwoodtx.com

113

YEARS

201 W. Adams 646-4578

Jeff Smith & Bart Johnson LUTCFCarter M. Sharpe

107 YEARS

leach bros. ManUFactUring

U-haul rental210 north Main 646-9301

richard scott leach,owner-Manager

97

YEARS

pecan valley electric

302 2nd St. • (325) 646-3566Airport Lighting

Industrial & CommercialB.N. & LaVerne Gribble - Owners

97 YEARS

1038 Early Blvd. • 643-5563 Since 1918

96

www.ranchmoney.com

YEARS

Shaw’S laundrydry cleaning& linen service

96

508 N. Center • 646-7559

YEARS

centralunited

methodistchurch

1501 2nd 646-9621Tim Boeglin, Pastor

92

YEARS

davis-Morris FUneral hoMe Since 1926 800 center ave. 646-5555

88YEARS

since 1922Heartland Mall • Early, TX

325-646-3537

92


PHOTO CONTRIBUTEDBrownwood Class of 2005 graduate Caroline Lockwood on the sideline at Midland Grande Communications Stadium during her time as sports director at KMID-TV, the ABC affiliate in Midland. Lockwood is the daughter of Charles and Marianne Lockwood of Brownwood.

“Forget the stereotypes. We’re in a time now where everybody’s breaking molds, whether it’s race, religion or sexual preference. This is a time where stereotypes are being pushed out the window.”

CHANGING THE GAME

Those are the words of 2005 Brownwood High School graduate Caroline Lockwood, whose two career choices since her gradua-tion from Texas Christian Univer-sity are far from what was once expected of a woman.

Lockwood first spent more than four years as a sports reporter for KMID-TV— the ABC affiliate based in Midland — and recently began working as a landman as the oil boom continues in the Permian Basin.

“I’ve chosen two professions where a woman is definitely in the minority,” Lockwood said. “In TV, women in sports broadcast-ing is starting to become really popular. The most difficult thing I had to deal with was girls who didn’t know a thing about sports but they were gorgeous and had all the assets and they would get jobs, and that was really frustrat-ing. That’s not why I wanted to get

a job and that was really difficult. In college, I had quite a few people tell me I had no right covering sports, but I was lucky enough when I came out here to KMID that my boss was very open to hiring a woman and gave me total control. I was sports reporter for a year and then was promoted to sports director. He gave me total control of that sports department and I could tell he never doubted my knowledge and how I covered things, so that made it a lot easier. But there would be Facebook messages or emails sometimes that would say something about being a girl and not knowing what you’re talking about, but you just hope you can prove them wrong with your work.

“As a landman, it’s not as open a discussion, but I know some guys that when a woman walks into the courthouse you get looks like ‘why is she here?’ because a

BY DERRICK STUCKLY BROWNWOOD BULLETIN

[email protected]

woman’s supposed to be a clerk in the office, or a secretary. That’s another profession where a lot of women are coming in and I know a lot of female brokers who are very successful. That’s something you try not to think about, don’t keep it in the front of your mind, push it to the back and just do your work and prove you’re bet-ter.”

Lockwood’s career in televi-sion she attributed to her father, Charles, and his love for sports, which transitioned to the young-est of his three daughters.

“I was the closest thing my dad had to a boy, so of the three girls I was the one he brainwashed to love sports, particularly football,” Lockwood said. “My parents have season tickets to the Dallas Cowboys games, so in the womb I was going to those games. I just became obsessed. I’d watch the NFL draft with my dad when I was 5-years-old with the news-paper out crossing out names. From there I’d watch FOX with Pam Oliver and I knew I wanted to do what she does. I was just one of those people that knew what I wanted to do since I was very young. You take all those aptitude tests in high school that tell you what you want to do and all mine told me I wanted a career in media, so it felt like the perfect fit. From there I went to TCU and majored in broadcast journalism

and got my first job as a sports reporter in Midland.”

With Brownwood High School’s storied tradition in the sport, it’s no surprise Lockwood’s greatest enjoyment at KMID was covering high school football.

“The coolest thing about coming out to Midland is this is the home of ‘Friday Night Lights’ and West Texas football, and that was very appealing, and it’s fairly close to home,” Lockwood said. “Football season by far was a lot more en-

joyable than the rest of the year, because that’s what people care the most about. It was really fun going to those games and cover-ing them, talking with the kids and the coaches.”

Lockwood’s most memorable moment in television, however, came when the Texas League All-Star Game was played in Midland in 2010.

“Covering football here was a

PHOTO CONTRIBUTEDCaroline Lockwood on the set of a sports cast during her time at KMID-TV in Midland. Lockwood is now working as a landman in the Permian Basin.

Lockwood breaks into traditionally male careers

SEE CAREER, A16


PHOTO CONTRIBUTEDJeff Tischler (RIGHT), is pictured with his boss/mentor, Rick Fairless, the owner and operator of Strokers Dallas. Tischler was fortunate to have the opportunity to begin his career at one of the preeminent shops in the country.

PHOTO CONTRIBUTEDOn graduation night, in the old May Tigers’ gymnasium, Jeff Tischler’s future plans were a little different from what would become his “dream job.”


Jeff Tischler, of May, grew up knowing which end of a wrench was the business end. His dad, L.W. “Tisch” Tischler, owns and operates Wash Systems, Inc., at the family’s home place, manu-facturing and servicing car wash equipment. As anyone in similar circumstances knows, the whole family works in dad’s business, at one time or another.

Jeff, like most guys from small towns with small schools, was involved in sports throughout school. He started playing tennis, in junior high, but became

involved in so many things once in high school, he abandoned it. Football, basketball, track and field, and baseball consumed his time, along with work at dad’s shop and Main Street Car Wash, also owned by the Tischlers and operated by Jeff’s mother, Jaci.

“I ran a little bit, but I wasn’t real fast,” Jeff said, “I did make it to the state meet in 2001, throwing the discus. I think I placed fourth or fifth.”

Jeff also played baseball in the Brownwood summer leagues, after beginning the sport in Rising Star.

“When I got older, I moved to the Brownwood leagues,

because it was a little more competitive.”

“I started out with the Brownwood Yankees and we went to state, once or twice,” he said, “Then I moved up to the Phillies and we actually won state one year.”

Jeff enrolled in Howard Payne University, after high school, where he played football and prepared for a career as a trainer or coach. He’d also begun throwing javelin, at the collegiate level, and placed fourth at his first meet. His hopes of pursuing that and other track and field events were soon dashed.

Tischler finds niche at Strokers Dallas

Enjoying the Ride

SEE TISCHLER, A12

Parade of Progress 2014

84YEARS

lydick-hooksrooFing co., inc.

2001 s. Fisk 646-9581Jim Merriman,

general Manager

YEARS

dr pepper bottlers

brownwood, inc.

3321 Milam Dr. • 646-9583

87

YEARS

landMark liFe ins. co.

P.O. Box 40 Brownwood, TX 76804 1-800-299-5433 646-6579

Providing Affordable Insurance Alternatives for Area Residents

Insuring Texans Since 1933www.landmarklife.com

81 YEARS

Men’s & ladies auxillaryCamp Bowie • 646-8113

vFwpost 3278

and

80

YEARS

1 Carnegie 643-3545Your Home Owned Bank

Member FDIC

80 YEARS

2 locations 100 north Fisk 646-9586514 Early Blvd. 643-6550

richard Porter CIC • robert Porter CICwww.porterins.com

74

YEARS

kbwd 1380aMkoXe 101.3FM

300 carnegie646-3505

73 YEARS

brownwood hoUsing

aUthority1500 terrace drive (sunset terrace)

646-0790since 1941

73

YEARS67

509 D. W. Commerce643-4217

YEARS

nelson wholesale

servicesince 1947

2400 hwy 377 So. 643-3636

67

YEARS

brownwood evangelisM center

Upc pentecostals oF brownwood

2515 Ave. D (Corner of 14th & D)643-3500 - Church Office

Ken Colegrove, Pastor

66YEARS

FrameS anD thingS408 Center • 646-8811

Established In 1947

66

YEARS

reed MeMorial,

inc.The Granite Guys

2300 Crockett Dr. 646-7625

66 YEARS66

firestonecompleteautocare.com

509 W. Commerce 646-6513

61

Wendlee Broadcasting600 Fisk Ave • 646-3535

YEARS

KXYL FM - 102.3KQBZ FM - 96.9 BREEZE

KXYL 1240YEARS

We bring the city to you!405-411 Center Ave.

Downtown Brownwood325-643-2633

Mon-Sat 9:30am-6:00pmSherrie, Brenda, Stephanie & Steve

62

YEARS

2450 hwy 377 S. - Brownwood, txoffice 325-646-5516 Fax 325-646-6367

life • auto • health • home • disability• Business • annuities • liability • Ira’s

• lone term Care

61 YEARS

chUrch oF the

good shepherd1800 Good Shepherd 646-8791

the Very rev. andrew F.L. Bradley SSC. rector

60

YEARS

roberson rent all

3102 Morris Sheppard Drive646-7732

Van & Cindy Marshall

58YEARS

hi-wayaUto inc.

2805 hwy 279 646-8254James Cooley - owner

59


Design Studio, also based in Austin. That should actually read “their award winning company.” Since its inception, Backstage Design Studios has received numerous accolades for album and DVD packaging. In 2013, the sisters received a Bronze Austin ADDY, for their work on the Kris Kristofferson album, Feeling Mortal.

They were nominated for a 2012 Grammy, for their packag-ing of another Reckless Kelly album, for which they won a Gold Austin ADDY, earlier in the year. 2012 was big year, with the duo also receiving a Bronze ADDY, as well as awards at the AIGA Texas Show, a Lone Star Music Award and a nomination for another. Their resumes include sev-eral more honors.

Shauna and Sarah have never forgotten their roots and have contributed to the community by designing posters for the Brownwood Reunion each year, begin-ning in 2008.

Where they were then . . . Sarah and Shauna Dodds,

the daughters of Chuck and Donna Dodds, are 1999 and 1997 graduates of Brooke-smith High School, respec-

tively. Both were involved in the typical small school ac-tivites: cheerleading, cross country, and track. Sarah captured the state champi-onship high jump title three years and held the 1A state record several years.

Both were players on the 1997 Lady Mustangs basketball team, which ad-vanced to the state tourna-ment, each being named to the All-District and All-State Teams.

“We didn’t win,” Shauna said, “But we got to step onto the court at the Erwin Center and play.”

The ladies recall, advanc-ing to the state tournament from one of the smallest 1A schools, being referred to as “the little train that could.” They’ve heard the same phrase relating to their Grammy win over much larger firms.

“It was sheer drive and determination that had been drilled into us, from an early age.”

After high school, Sarah studied graphic design at Texas State, in San Marcos, and Shauna at Schreiner University, in Kerrville.

The Dodds sisters are a testament to the results of “drive and determination.”

Small towns and small schools should never be considered a hindrance to success. Struggles build character.

Speaking about the Brookesmith school, when they attended, Shauna said, “We had a tough enough time keeping enrollment high enough to keep the doors open. Some years, there weren’t enough boys to play six-man football, so

girls would suit up.”

Beating out teams from larg-er schools, with more resources, the Dodds sis-ters and the rest

of the 1997 Lady Mustangs basketball team achieved their moment in the spot-light. Seventeen years later, Sarah and Shauna were in the spotlight, once again, triumphing over equally great odds.

In closing the interview, the sisters said, “We are eternally grateful for all the incredible love and support from all the folks at home. It truly means the world to us to know that we have so many people at our backs, rooting us on. Thank you.”

To track Sarah’s and Shauna’s success and to see examples of their work, including the unique album cover design that won the Grammy, visit backstagede-signs.com or facebook.com/BackstageDesignStudio.

PHOTO CONTRIBUTEDA Grammy win is a pretty good reason to celebrate for the Dodds sisters in a light mo-ment during a photo shoot upon their return to Austin.

PHOTO CONTRIBUTEDSarah and Shauna Dodds with the Grammy award they received Jan. 26. Nominated in 2012 in the same category, the sisters collaborated once again with the band Reckless Kelly to top the fi eld this year.

“It was sheer drive and determination that had been drilled into us from an early age.”

SISTERSCONTINUED FROM A1


First travelservice

57

611 Center325-646-0523

firsttraveltexas.com

YEARS

twt Moulding co. inc./dba

wall MoUlding & associates

203 w 8th St. • 643-2521Jennifer & Brian Williams

Brian & Chris Waldorf

57

YEARS

3808 Highway 377 SouthBrownwood, Texas 76801

www.mtfcu.org

53YEARS

M&F gaUge & specialty co., inc.

3104 Morris Sheppard Dr. • 643-2655Jack Matthaei, Monelle Manley

& David Huggins

53

YEARS

8875 HWY 279325-784-7656

53

Under New management and ownership for 2 years

YEARS

Camp Bowie • 646-6561

51

iMgraM concrete

4301 danhil rd. 646-6518– Locations –

Brownwood • ComancheColeman • Goldthwaite

51YEARS YEARS

bangs nUrsing hoMe“A small Home with a BIG Heart”

1105 Fitzgerald • 752-6321Bangs, Texas

Providing Quality Care Over 40 Years

50

RobeRts & Petty, Inc.

Building 113 Sthephen F. Austin Blvd.646-6452

#tacla000685c

50YEARS YEARS

longhorn caMpers, inc.

Blanket, Texas 748-5741Donna Isham - Owner

49

YEARS

3M coMpanybrownwood

Brownwood Industrial Park646-3551

Traffic Control Materials Division

49 YEARS

pF&e oil co.Food plazaBrady Hwy. 646-1584

Calvin & Steve Fryer

48

YEARS

soUthwest appliance

FUrnitUre & service

100 C.C. Woodson • 646-8773 Ellis Perkins - Owner

48 YEARS

SMitty’SBar-B-Q708 W. Austin325-646-5922

48

‑‑‑‑‑‑‑YEARS

1101 Austin Ave.646-0637

47 YEARS

Brownwood nursing &rehaBilitation, l.P.

101 Miller Dr., 325-643-9555Medicare/Medicaid Approved

Christy Denton, AdministratorOccupatiOnal, Speech, & phySical therapieS

private rehab sUites

46

YEARS45Bill J. Stewart ConStruCtion

P.O. Box 1446 • Brownwood, Tx 76804643-3905 • 642-5529

• Custom homes • remodeling• light Commercial Projects

•home Improvements • Site Clearing & PaintingServing Brown County For Over 40 Years

YEARS

kelcy & son paving contractors, inc.

518 Lucas Dr. • Early, Tx646-4026 Wyman Kelcy-OwnerFrom Driveways to Highways

House Pads & Demolition Work

44

YEARS

thriFt Mart

108 1st, Bangs, Texas 752-6113

Thank You For all Your SupporT!

44 YEARS

THERAPEUTIC OPTOMETRISTS1200 AUSTIN AVE. 643-5511

BROWNWOOD, TEXAS

KENT C. COMOLLI, O.D.

J. RANDALL ETHRIDGE, O.D.

44



“Headline: Brownwood na-tive turns into icicle?”

That’s what Brownwood native Andrea Middleton texted from her new home in Madison, Wis. to a Bul-letin reporter in response to a request for an interview.

If you have any contact with 29-year-old Andrea or her 27-year-old brother, Frank, you’ll learn a few things fast, such as: they are friendly and open, they joke and laugh easily — and while they good-naturedly rib each other, they are loyal to each other and to their parents, Walter and Martha Middleton.

“Wonderful, supportive family,” Andrea said.

“I was fortunate to have my mom and dad,” Frank said, citing “loving relation-ships with friends, family and fiance.”

Andrea, who studied bio-medical engineering at the University of Texas, recently moved to Madison and went to work for Epic Systems Corp., a health care soft-ware company. Frank, who majored in math at Baylor University, lives in Brown-wood and works at Superior Essex as a manufacturing engineer.

Frank and his fiance, Jes-sica Switzer, a Brownwood native who teaches theatre arts at Santa Anna High School, will be married later this year.

“Watch out for my sister … ” Frank warned in an email.

The two siblings are close, said their dad, who is the finance director for the City of Brownwood. “They love each other very much,” he said of his son and daugh-

ter.The elder Middleton said

he’s “absolutely” proud of the two, describing them both as “super smart.”

One’s conservative and one is liberal, Walter Middle-ton said. Both will “do anything for you” — Andrea because she’s altruistic, Frank because “it’s the right thing to do.”

Walter Middleton ex-plained the family’s Brown-wood connection:

“Martha and I met at East Texas Baptist College in Marshall as freshmen in 1974,” Middleton said via email. “We had our first date in early April 1975, our first kiss on April 11, 1975 and I gave her a promise ring on April 11, 1976.

“We transferred to HPU for the fall semester 1976 as juniors. I wanted to study accounting and Martha wanted to study psychology. ETBC had neither discipline and HPU did. We wanted to stay at a small Baptist college. Our choices were HPU and Dallas Baptist. Neither of us wanted a big city (I was from Houston and Martha from San Antonio) as we chose Brownwood.

“We married on Aug. 12, 1978 and graduated from HPU in May 1979. We had fallen in love with Brown-wood and decided to make it our home and raise our kids here. Worked out pretty good, I think!”

Andrea graduated from Brownwood High School in 2002 and initially attended Rice University, where she studied biology. Her interest in biology started with a love of animals.

She took a break from college, and then enrolled at the University of Texas

to study biomedicine. She’s enjoying Madison and its “very beautiful” snowy landscape, and she isn’t complaining about the cold. She described some recent winter days in which the thermometer had reached 8 degrees one day and nine-below-zero on another couple of days.

“It just feels very friendly,” Andrea said. She described herself as “more of the explorer. I like experiencing things that are different.”

That might explain her previous adventures in sky-diving. She hasn’t tried that yet in Wisconsin — too cold.

Frank graduated from Brownwood High School in 2005, and when he enrolled in college, math was already his favorite subject. Frank said he can blame his dad — “he’s a bean counter” — for his interest in math. Frank minored in statistics and had once planned to become an financial actu-ary.

But working as an actuary would mean leaving Brown-wood, Frank said, and he wanted to stay in Brown-wood to be close to his family. He worked at The Home Depot, where he met the woman who became his fiance, and was offered a job at Superior Essex.

Growing up in his par-ents’ home, Frank devel-oped good reflexes because his dad “would hide in the house and jump out and scare” the two siblings, Frank said.

“I just thank God my mom was there and I take after her,” Frank joked.

Walter Middleton credited his wife for his children’s successes. “I married well,” Middleton said.

Geography can’t break sibling bond

Thick as Thieves

PHOTO CONTRIBUTEDSiblings Andrea and Frank Middleton are pictured on a family cruise in the Caribbean Sea in 2009.

PHOTO CONTRIBUTEDAndrea Middleton and her brother, Frank, take lighthearted jabs at each other. But the two “love each other very much,” their father, Walter, said. The siblings credit a loving and supportive family among the reasons for their successes.


YEARS

cadenheadveterinary

clinic3807 Hwy 377 South • Brownwood

646-8775

44 YEARS44

“Care... The name says it all”and Retirement Community

200 County Rd. 616Early, TX

325-646-5521

YEARS

apartMentsHome Sweet Home

2001 Slayden [email protected]

43 YEARS42Brownwood muffler

& automotive

406 Early Blvd.(next to Heartland Mall)

646-0716 • Since 1974Mon-Fri 7:30am - 5:30pm

YEARS

3605 HWY 377 SOUTH • 325-643-2638G o I m p r o v e S o m e t h i n g

42 YEARS

3005 Hwy. 377S • Brownwood 325-643-3383

Daryl Kirbo & Bruce Stewart - Owners

42

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211 W. Commerce • 646-6812

41 YEARS

soUthside village

apartMents2801 4th 646-1749

all bills paidwww.southsidevillage.com

41

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brownwood Flying service

Cisco Hwy • 646-8047Municipal Airport

pete and brenda Michaudowner/operators

41

YEARS40

401 N. Main • 646-1599Daily Lunch SpecialsOpen Late on Fridays

red WagoN resTaUraNT

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Juki & Singer Sewing

MachineS & FabricS

410 Center Ave • 643-1132Downtown Brownwood

40

YEARS

heard brothers

aUtoMotive403 Early Blvd. • 643-1725Phyllis, Russell & Gaylon -

Owners

40

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INSuRANCEMike Hall

807 Center Suite C.325-646-8600

www.michaelhallinsurance.com

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state FarM insUrance

larry Pullin - agent400 C. C. Woodson • (325) 643-2624Car • hoME • hEalth • lIfE

“Like A Good Neighbor, State Farm Is There!”®

39

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LonghornAuto SALeS

903 W. Commerce325-643-2994

Glen Smith - Owner

38 YEARS

little dUde ranch

Child Development Center1601 Stewart • 646-8877

Open 5:45am to 10:00pm; M-SServing Families Who Want Quality Child CareInfant Stimulation Program • Pre-School ClassesPre-Kindergarten Classes • After School Program

Evening Childcare

38

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201 W. Adams • 646-2959Bart Johnson LuTCF

Insurance & Investments

37 YEARS

angersteinconcrete

contractors, inc.3427 Milam Drive

646-2730647-9833

Bruce647-9832

Jason

37

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FlowersBy Phyllis

Complete Floral Service

325-646-0820115 east adams

37 YEARS

c.t. haM insUrance agency

2800 A. Austin Ave. • 643-1583Farmers Insurance Group of Companies

C.T., Angela, Victoria, & Serena

37



If you spend much time around the Brownwood High School band, you’ll likely encounter the smil-ing, animated man band members refer to as the “band’s No. 1 fan.”

He’s 56-year-old Ronnie Laird, and Laird can’t hear a note of the music the band plays. Laird is deaf, but he feels the vibra-tion from the music. And band members and band directors David and Lesley Lambert have no trouble communicating with Laird — by gestures and informal sign language, smiles and hugs, and sometimes by writing.

The Lamberts became aware of Laird during the summer of 2012, when band practice was un-der way for what would be their first year in the Brownwood school district. They noticed Laird, who traveled by bicycle and seemed to have a great ap-preciation for the band.

“That’s the band’s No. 1 fan,” a band member told the Lamberts.

They learned Laird is deaf, and they learned from principal Bill Faircloth that Laird was a trustworthy man who was known to the school. Faircloth blessed Laird’s presence around the band. And Faircloth had good reason to know: Faircloth’s wife, Suzanne, and Laird are cousins.

The Lamberts reached out to Laird, who, they discovered, was very intel-ligent and an extremely good worker, volunteering to help out with behind-the-scenes tasks.

“You all are his second parents,” Laird’s sister, Pam Mann, told the Lam-berts in David Lambert’s office just off the band hall,

where the Lamberts, Laird and his sister gathered to tell Laird’s story.

“He wants to fit in and live life, and he’s living life through the band.”

Laird is so helpful, David Lambert said, it’s like hav-ing anothr band director. “I’ve never had anybody like Ronnie,” Lambert said. “He’s unique. He’s very helpful and we’re glad to have him.”

Laird “is just a fixture in the band hall,” Lesley Lambert said.

Although Laird couldn’t hear the conversation that day in Lambert’s office, he knew the conversation was about him. His sister told his life’s story.

Pam’s and Ronnie’s parents were Willie and Frances Laird. Their grand-father was former Howard Payne University president Dr. Thomas Taylor. Their father, Willie, was the longtime produce manager at the JRB grocery store at Coggin and Austin.

Ronnie wasn’t born deaf. But at age 3 months — just before he would’ve been taken in for a pertussis, or whooping cough, im-munization � Ronnie was exposed to someone who had the disease.

Ronnie caught it and lost his hearing.

“Mom always blamed herself,” Mann said. “She said ‘I should’ve gotten him in sooner ...”

Ronnie was 8 when, with the assistance of Groner Pitts, the family got him en-rolled at the Texas School for the Deaf in Austin. Ron-nie learned sign language, but modern sign language is different from the ver-sion he learned, Mann said.

Ronnie got sick, though, and had to leave school before graduating.

In the meantime he’d developed a love of bands

and parades — “ever since he was little,” Mann said.

Laird lives alone in an apartment in a neighbor-hood where he’s well known and rides around on his bicycle. Since he can’t hear a doorbell or knocking on his door, the resourceful Laird rigged up a system in which a visitor flips a switch outside the door, and it causes lights to flash on in every room, letting Laird know he has a visitor.

Laird has had a couple of jobs including working at the bowling alley and at Pizza Hut, but he’s not working now because he had prostate cancer and surgery, Mann said.

Laird also became a Texas Tech football fan because his nephew — Mann’s son, Keith Shields, who played football as a Brownwood Lion in the 1980s — also played foot-ball as a Red Raider.

“He’s a big-time Brown-wood Lions and Texas Tech (fan),” Mann said.

Before the Lamberts ar-rived in Brownwood, Laird was already known to the Brownwood High School band. But “you all are the ones who took him in,” Mann told the Lamberts.

During the marching band season, Laird is with the band for practice nearly every day, finding ways to be helpful, the Lamberts said.

During concert season, he comes less often because there isn’t as much for him to do.

Laird learned to be diligent and detail-oriented from the example of their father, Mann said.

“This is a dream for him,” Mann said. “He never got to be in the band. He never got to play football.”

Getting a hug from a band member, Mann said, is “like giving him $50.”

Despite deafness, Laird hears the band

‘Listen’ to the Music

STEVE NASH | BROWNWOOD BULLETINRonnie Laird fl ashes a big grin as he holds a bass drum in the Brownwood High School band hall.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTORonnie Laird holds a tuba as he stands next to senior tuba player Matthew Bryant.


making sense of investing500 Main

643-2544 • 1-800-441-2356Member New York Stock Exchange & SIPC

Since 1871Pierre Osbourn, Ryan Reagan, & Zane Barnes

Mike Seidenberger • 1105 RiversideInvestment Representatives

37 36 YEARS

Proudly Serving the Brownwood Community for over 36 years.

302 n. Main • 646-7546Your Total Value Leader

YEARS

7 days a week • 24 hours a dayserving all of the central texas area

we’ll Get you out!discount rates

Glynn franklin, owner-Bondsman 643-1072earl kimbrell, bondsman 643-3809

1038 w. Commerce • Brownwood (next to Jail)325-643-1827

36 YEARS

Small town living big town pride

104 E. Industrial Drive325.649.9317 Fax 325.643.4746

www.earlychamber.com

35

YEARS

abe giles Motor co.

103 Early Blvd.643-3836

34 YEARS

carroUsel child care center

1303 Phillips 646-2461Where Love Goes Around

Monday - Friday6:00 am - 7:30 pm

34

YEARS

weldon wilson

electric, inc.4507 Danhill Dr.

643-3110Since1980

34 YEARS34Kirby Cabler

GeneralContractor

“No job too big or too small”325-646-6125

YEARS34Good

Shepherd Apartments

325-643-51821700 Good Shepherd

Brownwood

YEARS

ace treeservice

We go out on a limb for youInsured for your protection

Experience since 1968646-7956

33

YEARS

sivalls, inc.P.O. Box 1326

2300 Dickman Rd.Brownwood, Tx 76801

Bus. 325/643‑3621Res. 325/643‑8122

Clay KuykendallPlant Manager

32YEARS

Dr. Stanley W. Cavettsince 1981

310 EArly Blvd. • 325-643-1826

Texas State Optical

33

YEARS32 Wally’s Woodwork

205 South FirstBangs, TX

325-642-5605

YEARS30

HigHway 36 between Rising staR and ComanCHe

254-842-5409Friday & Saturday 5-10

Cook'sFish Barn

RestauRant & CateRing

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peters insUrance

agency1301 Ave. A 643-1723

Specializing in Senior Insurance Needs

29

YEARS

609 S. Main • 325-646-6793

29

Carpet • Tile • Vinyl Shutters • Blinds • Drapes

Carpet & Drapery

YEARS

Trans-TexasTire109 S. Broadway

(325)643-1541

29

YEARS32AArOn COnE AIr COnDITIOnInG

& HEATInG Aaron Cone - Owner643-1821 • 2100 Coggin Ave.Sales, Service, & Installation

License # TACLB0015589E

YEARS

williaMson Financial services

Brownwood830-257-9673

1130 Junction Hwy. Suite 300 Kerrville, TX

James L. WilliamsonChartered Financial Consultant

Insurance and Financial PlanningLife, Health and Annuities

27 YEARS

shane e. oliver Exclusive Agent

allstate insurance comPany3663 hwy 377 SO. , (next to McCoys)

[email protected]: 325.643.4243

27



People who are fortunate enough to have a career doing exactly what they always wanted is a rarity, but Denny Pounds can be included in that list.

Pounds, who graduated from Brownwood High School in 1979, is the Spike-box Land and Cattle Ranch Manager.

“This is basi-cally all I ever wanted to be,” Pounds said. “I’ll never leave. I even have permission to be buried here on the ranch. I’m not ever going to retire.”

Spikebox Land and Cattle consists of three ranches — one in Benjamin, Texas one in Roswell, N.M. and one in Amistad, N.M., where Pounds resides.

“As general manager I pretty much oversee all three ranches,” Pounds said. “I’m responsible for safety of the guys, safety of the animals, safety of the houses. We’ve got houses on the ranches, I’m respon-sible for them, and all the vehicles, shops and barns. I’m responsible for all of it. Everything combined is about 160,000 acres.”

While Spikebox Land and Cattle offers white tail trophy and management hunts, crane hunts, dove hunts, turkey hunts, and varmint hunts on scenic landscapes, the primary function of the ranch is a cow-calf and stock opera-tion.

“We have 1,150 mama

cows,” Pounds said. “We can turn, on a good year, about 9,000 yearlings or stockers through Amistad and about 14,000 through the Benjamin ranch. There’s three or four times a year we get really busy — at branding, and we still brand the old fashion way, we’re busy at winging, which is in October, and we’re busy in the fall run and spring run when we start bringing in

our yearlings to put on our wheat to graze.

“The Benjamin ranch is all barley and wheat and grass, same way as the South ranch at Roswell, it’s all grass. The unique thing about the ranch I’m at in Amistad is that we have 24 center-pivot irrigation service, so we have a lot of moving parts. We’ve got 24 center pivots and 7,000 acres of grass at Amistad. Our daily routine is cattle, cattle and more cattle, and then we go fix sprin-klers. And if you still have daylight, you go weld up a water leak.

Two years ago, Pounds re-cruited a former classmate, Mark Baugh, to oversee the Benjamin ranch.

“Mark and I gradu-ated together in 1979 from Brownwood,” Pounds said. “Mark came aboard when we were undergoing a

management change and were growing things a little bit. Mark Engler, the boss now, asked me what we were going to do and I told him I knew a guy and I had this handled. Mark’s come on and done a fantastic job. We’ve got something now that we’ve never had on the ranch and that’s total cohe-sion. Everybody’s so close, everybody’s so tight, it’s almost like being in a family

business now. My son works for Mark at Benjamin.”

Amistad is located 40 miles south of Clayton, N.M. — the nearest town — and 60 miles west of Dalhart, and Pounds wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Amistad has a population of zero,” Pounds said. “We have a post of-fice. From our house to the nearest loaf of bread, jug of milk, Coca-Cola, whatever you want, is 46 miles one way. I tell everybody else that comes to my house just turn left and go seven more miles. Nobody comes to our house on accident, I promise you.”

Pounds considers his greatest love of his job to simply be the challenge of it.

“I can wake up in the morning, I get up about 4:30 every morning, and I start watching the weather in the area,” Pounds said. “Weather is our lifeblood, depending on what it is. Then I’ll have my plan ready to go and I’ll go down to the pens and meet my guys. I can write anything I want

PHOTO CONTRIBUTEDDenny Pounds, a 1979 Brownwood High School graduate, is working his dream job and even plans to be buried on the Spikebox Land and Cattle property in Amistad, N.M.

CATTLE MAN

Denny Pounds is right where he wants to be

PHOTO CONTRIBUTEDDenny Pounds works as the general manager at Spikebox Land and Cattle, which has a primary function as a cow-calf and stock operation.

“This is basically all I ever wanted to be,” Pounds said. “I’ll never leave. I even have permission to be buried here on the ranch. I’m not ever going to retire.”

SEE POUNDS, A11


brownwood Janitorial and Fire

Extinguisher Supply1200 C.C. Woodson Rd

643-2711

27 YEARS

1101 riverside dr. • 643-3926We Supply Domestic, Foreign, Truck,

Farm, Industrial & Marine Parts

aUto parts

26

YEARS

cMs health care, inc.

1102 Early Blvd.. (325) 643-4900

Skilled Nursing • Home Health • PhysicalTherapy & Medical Supplies

Medical Social Worker

26YEARS

oak ridge Manor

2501 Morris Sheppard Dr.325-643-2746

“Come See What A Nursing Home Should Be”

26

YEARS

(texas america Safety Company)4400 Danhil Drive

646-5346Lyndon Brownlee: Pres.

GLB Enterprisesdba

26YEARS26Corina’s Restaurant

7601 Hwy. 279 • Lake Brownwood325-784-5360

Specializing in Fine Mexican Food

YEARS

ed McMillianplumbing

2514 waco325-646-6102

30+ years experience

25 YEARS

Brownwood Music

Band Rentals • Music lessonschurch/SchOOl SOund SySteMS

201 W. Baker • 325-646-1365

25

YEARS

brindley bookkeeping

FoRMeRly King’s BooKKeeping

314 Brown 646-7057Deleta (Dee) Brindley

24 YEARS

J&e co. recycled reading

1207 Coggin 643-6628Edna Hopkins - Owner

24

YEARS

212 E. Commerce325-643-6415

23 songbird lodge nUrsing &

rehabilitation centerJim Reynolds - Administrator

2500 Songbird Circle646-4750

22 YEARS

YEARS

2000 Fisk • 643-4851

cain electrical

sUpply corp.

21YEARS

303 Early Blvd.646-9424

22

YEARS

646-9789WINDSHIELDS

100 North Main • Brownwood

AUTOGLASSMAGIC

21 YEARS

1305 Early Blvd. • 646-4673

21

YEARS

Keith & WandaLemons, Owners

God Bless

open:Mon.-Wed. 11-2:30

Thurs. - Fri. 11-83202 Coggin AveBrownwood, TX

646-9655 - Take-Outsfull menu availaBlewe cater everyday

Meetings rooms available

19YEARS20

531 A. W Commerce • 325-646-3676Now Locally Owned

YEARS

taylor’S MInI Mall pickUp trUck accessories

& window tintingRear Bumpers • Front Bumper Replacements •

Grille Guards • Headache RacksCorner of Austin & Melwood

Tommy or Sharen 325-643-9903

19 YEARScnc Machine shop16901 hwy. 183p. o. box 97May, tX 76857(254) 259-3906www.smkfab.come-mail: [email protected]

19

iso 9001-as9100certified

Shane & Valerie Kelton


down on that piece of pa-per, and I’ll promise you the first seven minutes of my meeting it’s changed. It’s the challenge of being flexible and being able to go do this or go do that, then handle the cattle and whatever the ranch is dealing with that day.”

Pounds recalled a time when he and his wife Kan-dy, who now have a 2-year-old daugh-ter, were stranded for almost two months on the ranch due to weather.

“Kandy and I were basi-cally snowed in together for 51 days about four years ago, so I know she loves me,” Pounds said. “Times have been really good and there’s been some tough stretches through there.”

Pounds has worked on the Amistad property for more than two decades.

“It’s been a journey,” Pounds said. “I went to work for Kathy Spears in 1991 and Mr. Engler bought Amistad Land and Cattle where I live in ‘92. The first

manager there, I’d known for a while from cowboying for my uncle in years past. Anyway, he would call me and I would go out there and help them catch up on weekends. The more I was around it the more I wanted it.

“It took me 15 years to

get this job. I was selling and marketing fat cattle at the time, then I was buying feeder cattle. Every time the manager’s job at Amistad would come open, I would ask for it and Mr. Engler would tell me, ‘I’ve got you where I want you right now.’ Finally, 15 years later it came open and he said, ‘OK, if you’ll quit bugging me you can have it.’”

Before arriving in Amis-tad, Pounds went to a pair of universities, served our country in the military and worked a couple of other

jobs.“I actually went to West

Texas State in Canyon, then went to the Army and became a Green Beret,” Pounds said. “I left there and went to Texas A&M and finished. Then I worked in the packing house for Tyson Foods, then I got hired by

Cactus Operating as a cattle sales-man and that took me all the way here.”

During his days at Brownwood High, both Pounds and Baugh were members of the Lions’ 1978 state championship football team

under head coach Gordon Wood. Pounds attributes that experience to the soli-darity Spikebox Land and Cattle enjoys today.

“The thing that makes this ranching company differ-ent from the other ones is we come from Coach Wood and that concept of team,” Pounds said. “By bringing Mark in it all came to fruition, it’s a true team concept. I got it from Coach Wood, and got it from the Army. Bringing Mark in is one of the best things we did, he really helped solidify the deal.”

PHOTO CONTRIBUTEDDenny Pounds and his wife, Kandy, were once snowed in on the Spikebox Land and Cattle property for 51 days.

PHOTO CONTRIBUTEDBranding, winging and the spring and fall runs are the busiest times of year for Pounds at Spikebox Land and Cattle.

PHOTO CONTRIBUTEDSpikebox Land and Cattle consists of three ranches in Benjamin, Texas, Amistad, N.M. and Roswell, N.M. — a total of 160,000 acres of land.

POUNDSCONTINUED FROM A10

“Kandy and I were basically snowed in together for 51 days about four years ago, so I know she loves me. Times have been really good and there’s been some tough stretches through there.”

Parade of Progress 2014YEARS19

325-646-0611 or 325-642-7921

Draco’sJanitorial & Auto Detailing

2103 Fisk Brownwood

YEARS

4300 danhil dr.325-646-6566

18elliott

eleCtriC Supply

inC.

YEARS

www.neighborhoodpostal.com

Box-n-mail express901 N. Fisk

Brownwood, TX 76801

325‑643‑1037325‑641‑0942 Fax

18 YEARS18

1501 Center Ave • 643-4492800-979-4333

Suppliers of A/C, Heating and Plumbing Supplies

YEARS

919 North Fisk St. • 643-6661Dine In or Drive Thru

www.cooldeli.com

17YEARS18

511 Early Blvd. • Early, tX325-643-4826

511 Early Blvd. • Early, t325-643-4826

YEARS17

410 Main st.643-5001

8:00- 5:30 M-F • 8:00- 4:30 SATL.W. (Tish) & Jaci Tischler

YEARS

new location510 e. adaMs325-646-2569

17

The Salon

16 YEARS

302 2nd StreetBrownwood, TX 76801

Email:[email protected]

Business: 325-641-1900Fax: 325-646-5158

Home: 325-646-2077Mobile: 325-647-4886

YEARS

325-646-74461711 Austin Avenue

Brownwood, Texas 76801Teresa Bergren - owner

17

YEARS14Day Stone

325-641-90402800 Hwy 279

BrownwoodJerry and Lena Day, Owners

14 YEARS

Shoppa’S Materal handling

Forklift Sales (new & used)Rentals • Golf Carts • Warehouse Shelving

Services all Brand of Forklifts4511 danhil dr. • 643-8115

14 YEARS

SalES and lEaSing219 Early Blvd. • 646-8023

YEARS14first aide agency

Elderly and Disabled Care Service

www.firstaideagency.com18 years of experience

325-641-2512

Quality Service at a reasonable rate

901 n. Fisk 641-2690

YEARS13NethertoN

FuNeral home& CrematioN

1412 belle PlainBrownwood • 646-9000

www.nethertonfuneralhome.com

YEARS12

12 YEARS

325-642-4872 MembershipTara Bradley

[email protected] call 911

YEARS15 custom gunite Pools

& sPas

Phone: 325-641-2855Cell: 325-647-9832Jason Angerstein

www.heartlandpools.com

YEARS

1814 Third St. 642-3604 24 Hours: 646-6147

Senior Citizen Discounts [email protected]

ElEctricaltradE

Since 1976

15


CMYK

PHOTO CONTRIBUTEDJeff Tischler sits astride a custom bike he is working on for his boss, Rick Fairless. The bike will be displayed in the showroom, to demonstrate the types of custom work Tischler and his colleagues perform in the shop.

PHOTO CONTRIBUTEDJeff Tischler is pictured with his parents, Jaci and L.W. “Tisch”, during Senior Night of his last year playing May Tigers basketball.

“During spring break, my first year, I went skiing and blew my knee out,” Jeff said, “I kept trying to play on it, but couldn’t. I ended up not having anything done with the knee for six years.”

Jeff transferred from HPU to Texas Tech, where he at-tended for 2 1/2 years.

While there, he decided he wanted to be a motorcycle mechanic, an idea about which his parents were “hesitant.”

“I called my parents and told them,” he said, “and they told me to go get a job at a bike shop and see if that’s really what I wanted to do.”

He did, and found he did like it. So much so, that he began to miss classes.

“I liked to work more than I liked to go to school.”

Jeff left Tech and moved to Daytona Beach, Fla., enrolling at American Motorcycle Institute, now WyoTech. After completing

the six-month course, he returned to May and worked for his dad over the next nine months.

“I hadn’t really figured out where I wanted to go,” he said, “I was just saving some money and was thinking about moving to California.”

He got a call one day, from AMI, that Strokers Dallas was looking for a me-chanic and wanted to know if he was interested.

Now, anyone who knows a little bit about motorcycles knows Strokers Dallas. Rick Fairless owns one of the preeminent motorcycle shops in the country. He and his shop have been featured on the Discovery Channel’s Biker Build-Off, had two original television shows, Texas Hardtails on the Speed Network and Ma’s Roadhouse on TruTV, and has a tremendous presence at the annual Easyrider’s Motorcycle show, in Dallas.

Needless to say, Jeff didn’t hesitate. In just a few months, he will have been there eight years, working in the shop with six other me-

chanics. In fact, he arrived just after Texas Hardtails had finished filming, but was there for the entirety of Ma’s Roadhouse. All Jeff had to say about that was, “It was interesting.”

In addition to mechanic work, which has included working on several bikes owned by Herschel Walker, Jeff has added fiberglass fabrication and repair to his repertoire, as well as some custom motorcycle fabrica-tion.

“We didn’t have a fabrica-tor for a few months,” he said, “so a buddy and I went to Mountain View College, took a short course, and kind of taught ourselves how to weld.”

He’s since built a 26-inch front wheeled Road King for Rick, as a demonstra-tion bike for the showroom floor, and is currently work-ing on a 30-inch.

Jeff currently owns a Big Dog Canine and a Harley Davidson Road Glide, enjoys his job, and to his mother’s delight, attends church at Crossings in Grand Prairie.

TISCHLERCONTINUED FROM A6

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Where he started . . .Dennis Lambert moved to Brownwood,

with his family, and enrolled in the BISD at Coggin Elementary. At 9, he most likely wasn’t considering whether growing up in a small town would impact his future, either positively or negatively. But, his story should be the answer for any who might have that question in their mind, now.

Lambert completed his primary and secondary education in the BISD, graduat-ing Brownwood High School in 2003. For all four years he played with the band, primarily on piano, but also on trumpet. In that time, Lambert was selected to the All-District Band three times, with his trumpet, received a “1 Rating” at All-District and All-Region competition three times, on piano, and was selected as the recipient of the John Phillip Sousa Award and Scholarship his senior year. His early successes in music drew the staff and bar lines on his future.

Following high school, Lambert remained in Brownwood and attended Howard Payne University. He continued studying classical piano, under the tutelage of Dr. Elizabeth Wallace and jazz harmony under Prof. Stephen Goacher. While there, he had the opportunity to also study with world-renowned pianist, Stefan Karlsson. Lambert was named the Presser Music Scholar for the 2006-2007 school year and received five Outstanding Juries during his time at HPU.

Lambert played with the Howard Payne University Combo, competing annually at the Temple Jazz Festival. While a member of that group, he received three Outstand-ing Solo and three Outstanding Combo Awards. Lambert completed his Bachelor’s degree in Piano Performance at HPU, in 2008, adding several piano clefs, time signatures, and notes to the sheet music of his future.

Where he is now . . .Upon graduation, Lambert joined the

U.S. Air Force. From 2008 to 2012, he was pianist for the USAF Band of the West, stationed at Lackland AFB in San Antonio. Dennis Lambert became Airman First Class Lambert, in April 2008, and Senior Airman in August 2010, and was deployed as a part of the Central Air Forces Band, serving tours in Iraq, Afghanistan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Kyrgystan in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation En-during Freedom. The Air Force made some significant changes in tempo to his sheet.

“The main reason for me joining the Air Force Band was to pursue my love of playing in front of people,” Lambert said, “In addition, I loved the idea of having the opportunity to do it all around the world as the Air Force allows me to do today. I never get tired of it,” he added, “I think I counted having been in 14 countries during my Air Force career.”

In July 2012, Lambert transferred to the Band of the Pacific-Asia, at Yokota Air Base in Japan, where he graduated Airman

Leadership School and attained the rank of Staff Sergeant, in 2013. While in Japan, he also worked as a freelance musician and clinician in Tokyo.

“While in the Air Force, I’ve had the op-portunity to play for some great people,” said Lambert.

Specifically, he noted the Secretary and Chief of Staff of the Air Force, the United Nations, the U.S. Ambassador to Japan, and the Command Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force.

Lambert has received medals for AF Good Conduct, AF Achievement, Global War on Terrorism Service and Expeditionary med-als, and National Defense Service.

Lambert’s extensive list of professional musicians with whom he has collabo-rated includes Eddie Daniels, Butch Miles, Jason Marsalis, The Mambo Kings, Kid Rock’s Twisted Brown Tucker Band, Memo Acevedo, Stefan Karlsson, the San Antonio Symphony, Georgie Padilla, and Mike Vax. His sheet of music successes just keeps growing.

Lambert was asked what words of en-couragement he could offer young musi-cians, hailing from small towns.

“I would tell them to keep that fire going, regardless of any obstacles they may face that could prevent them from growing as musicians. It’s very easy in this business to become complacent. At the end of the day, it is hard work. It takes dedication and hours and hours of practice. I remem-ber spending 6-8 hours in the practice room my last year in college. I’m glad I did though, because when it came time to take the audition to be in the Air Force Band, I was ready.

“I would give students four things to think about: 1. Find a mentor and someone that can really be a role model and guide their progress; 2. I would encourage young musicians to keep to a consistent sched-ule of practicing. Build practicing time into their schedule; 3. Allow yourself to be creative. Music is inherently a creative art form and I think it’s important for future generations to keep “reinventing the wheel” while honoring/respecting the traditions of the music; 4. And last of all, get out there and play. Put together their own band and experience what it is to play in front of people. People’s reaction to one’s music is the best feedback one can have as a musi-cian.”

Lambert’s father, David, has passed on, but his mother, Esther Lambert, his brother, Andrew, and sister, Griselda Diaz, all still live in Brownwood. His ties to his roots are strong and he has demonstrated his appreciation for those who have helped him attain his goals, by taking time to share his music with local residents, performing concerts at HPU.

Musicians from Beethoven to Tchai-kovsky are known for having unfinished symphonies. Lambert’s own musical story is still being written and his family, friends, colleagues, and supporters are no doubt as anxious as he, to hear what’s next.

Music opens doors

PHOTO CONTRIBUTEDStaff Sergeant Dennis Lambert, USAF, stands at the gates of his alma mater, Howard Payne University, from which he graduated with bachelor’s degree in piano performance, in 2008. Recently, he was a member of the USAF Band of the Pacifi c-Asia, stationed at Yokota Air Base, Japan.

Lambert’s piano takes him around the world

LEFT: Lambert, center, has per-formed with Kid Rock’s Twisted Brown Tucker Band. He is pic-tured here, fl anked by Kid Rock, left, and comedian Carlos Mencia.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

RIGHT: Dennis Lambert has per-formed on piano in 14 countries during his career with U.S. Air Force Bands.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO


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Wherever Spence went,she never left Brownwood

Her Irregular Life

BY GENE DEASONSPECIAL TO THE BULLETIN [email protected]

AUSTIN — “You asked, where am I now?” the voice at the other end of the phone call said. “Tell them I’m in my pajamas here in south Austin, feeding the neighbors’ pets.”

If Brownwood native Mary Gordon Spence ever decided to write her autobiography — and that’s not a bad idea — she might title it, “My Irregular Life.”

“Ever since the first grade, I never wanted to have a regular life,” Spence said.

“I’m kind of free to live an irregular life.”

Even her first name is ir-regular, unless you happen to be from the Deep South. She goes by “Mary Gordon,” not just “Mary,” if you please.

Toward that goal of living an irregular life, Spence has found herself living in places as diverse as Mexico, Nicaragua, Stephenville and now Austin since she graduated from Brownwood High School an unspecified number of years ago.

Along the way, Spence has taught students ranging from kindergarten to college levels, written Texas history materials, drafted legisla-tion, directed statewide environmental programs, published books and maga-zine articles, and worked for former president Lyndon B. Johnson. Throughout her career, her storytelling, wit and wisdom have been continually sharpened, and she is now in demand as a speaker, writer, facilitator, emcee and humorist.

Spence even had to make up a word to describe one of the many hats she wears — “humorlospher.”

However, the title of her book, “Finding Magic in the Mundane,” perhaps best describes what she does in front of audiences. The

book, published some 10 years ago, is available on Amazon.

After living in some seem-ingly irregular places, Spen-ce settled in Austin 30 years ago. But in many ways, despite the years spent in Latin America and in other cities in Texas, she said, “I never left Brownwood.”

Part of that was because her parents continued to live here until their deaths. Part of that is because many good friends continue to live here. And part of that is because she remembers in detail the stories and lessons she learned growing up here. And she is not shy about sharing them every-where she goes.

While her communication skills frequently earn her invitations to speak before newspaper associations, educator groups and others like the League of Women Voters, Spence is quick to explain that her primary vocation right now is that of grandmother.

“It’s such a sweet gift to be able to be a grandmoth-er,” Spence said. “I’ve got two way-above-average chil-dren and four way-above-av-erage grandchildren. Some of them live eight miles north of me, and the others live eight miles south of me. My greatest joy is being a part of their school days from time to time.”

After graduating from Brownwood High, Spence went to Southwest Texas State University (now Texas State) in San Marcos to study music, but after a year transferred to the University of Texas at Austin. Despite changing her major numer-ous times, she still managed to graduate on time with her class. She later earned a master’s degree from la Universida de las Americas in Puebla, Puebla, Mexico. She also studied advanced mediation at Harvard-MIT’s

School of Public Affairs, and is a master facilitator.

“I never thought I would live in the city,” Spence said of her three decades as a resident of Austin. She made the same complaint that many Brownwood residents have after visit-ing Austin — “The traffic is awful” — but said with her children and grandchildren relatively close, she has been able to create a small town for herself within a big city.

“It’s a feeling of commu-nity, and I’m happy in my home. But we have enough people here right now,” Spence said with a chuckle, knowing that the state’s capital city continues to be a magnet for newcomers.

After graduating from the University of Texas, Spence was prepared to venture away from not only Austin and Texas, but also from the United States — and that irregular life she had wanted since childhood was on the road to reality. The brother of a friend from Brownwood was director of a school in Nicaragua, and so it was that she made the connection that took her to her first teaching job there in 1969.

She returned to Texas, was married to her college sweetheart (they’ve since divorced) and embarked on that irregular series of occupations. They have included teaching English as a second language classes in Mexico and Texas, and serv-ing as director of Archives and Records and director of the Adopt-A-Beach program for the Texas General Land Office. But about 14 years ago, she quit her job with the state, intent on “telling my own stories instead of someone else’s stories.”

“I think that was irregu-lar,” she said, “but now I speak at a lot of confer-

PHOTO CONTRIBUTEDMary Gordon Spence speaks to a group. The self-described “humorlospher” is regularly in demand as a speaker, writer, facilitator, emcee and humorist.

PHOTO CONTRIBUTEDMary Gordon Spence with her family. Spence considers it “a sweet gift” to be a grand-mother and to live close to her children and grandchildren.SEE SPENCE, A15

1000 Fisk Street, Brownwood, Texas 76801

325-649-8020 • 800-880-4HPU

www.hputx.edu • [email protected]

“I knew I wanted to attend a quality, Christian university,” says Taylor

Combs, a junior family studies major from Brownwood. “I looked into

several, but nothing beat the scholarship I was given to attend HPU.”

HPU’s Heart of Texas Scholarship allows Taylor and other students

from Brown and surrounding counties to attend a nationally

recognized university while staying close to home.

“I still feel like I went away to college,” says Taylor. “I love HPU, and

the scholarship was the main reason I came. And I got it just for

living in Brownwood.”

For Taylor Combs, nothing beats HPU.

HPU’S HEART OF TExAS SCHOlARSHiP awards $56,000 over four years to eligible applicants from Brown County and other counties in the Heart of Texas area.

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ences, and at a lot of school districts around the state.”

Spence not only files away a lifetime of stories in her agile memory, but she also keeps various clip-pings and mementos. One of them — a photo of her from elementary school showing her with the first Hula-Hoop on her block — is posted on her website, www.askmarygordon.com. She also lists among her school-age accomplish-ments being crowned Val-entine Queen in first grade, and later being named Miss Friendly Brownwood High School.

“That’s really not brag-ging,” she is quick to point

out.This month, Spence

has been looking through a trunk holding old let-ters she and her mother, Ruth Griffin Spence, had written each other. Her mother died in Brownwood in 1998, and her father, Roy Spence Sr., died here in 2009. Her siblings are Roy Spence of Austin, and Susan Spence, who died in 1992.

Ruth Spence’s words are well-known to many resi-dents thanks to her 1988 book, “The Nice and Nasty of Brown County,” a must-read for local history buffs.

“One of the letters in my trunk shows I was off to Nicaragua on July 7, 1969, with my Spanish book and ukulele in hand,” Spence said. “I still have them both.”

Spence is able to keep an audience — and an inter-viewer — shifting between introspection and laughter as she tells stories pulled from experiences gleaned from growing up in Brown-wood, as well as from life in general.

“Where you’re from is really important,” Spence said, “and I always tell people I’m from Brown-wood. No matter where I’ve traveled or what I’ve done, that’s a gift. It spoils you for the rest of your life. So I’m curious about where people are from. That’s part of who you are. ”

Spence has often been quoted saying her sense of humor is the result of growing up in Brownwood.

“Not everybody grew up like we did,” she said.

Spence has studied

people’s language and their homes, and she can often tell someone is from Waco, or the Gulf Coast or other places in Texas just by listening to that person speak. But because of our mobile society, she said doing so is not as easy as it once was.

She tells her audiences of how public schools were first integrated where she taught, and that the diffi-cult process initially called for her as a white teacher to be assigned to a tradi-tionally black campus.

Then there was the time she was riding an elevator before starting a job open-ing mail for President Lyn-don Johnson. A last-minute wardrobe adjustment while she thought she was alone on the elevator turned to embarrassment when the

Secret Service told her they had watched as she hiked her dress to adjust her slip. Closed-circuit cameras were in operation every-where, agents told her.

In addition to her appear-ances before groups, Spen-ce has become involved in the support of several non-profit organizations in the Austin area.

“I tell their stories,” Spence said. “Stories are everything.”

For the past 28 years, Spence has been heard regularly on an Austin pub-lic radio station.

“It’s amazing how many people recognize my voice,” Spence said. “I’ve decided I should never criticize any-one when I’m out, like in an elevator, because they will know who I am.”

While she hasn’t written

much recently, she has been teaching English-speaking skills to groups from Japan and Korea several times a year.

“I adore doing that,” Spence said. “My goal is to have everyone who comes here from Japan and Korea talking with a Brownwood accent.”

Spence said she contin-ues to be amazed at the connections Brownwood has with people she meets, not only in Mexico years ago, but also in Austin today.

“Brownwood connections just keep going,” she said. “And there’s something about being from Brown-wood. What it is, I don’t know. We immediately have a reputation when people in Austin learn that’s where you’re from.”

SPENCECONTINUED FROM A14


Although not a native of Brown-wood, Daniel Hunt has been here for about 14 years, now. Originally from Denver City, Hunt arrived as a student of Howard Payne University. When he graduated, in 2004, Brownwood had become home.

Hunt currently works full-time as the floor manager for the Sears store, in Early, but is pursuing his passions of art and creative writ-ing. He obtained a Bach-elor of Applied Arts and Sciences, from HPU, and also studied creative writing.

His first book was published in January, the first in a series of five. Hunter and the Hounds (Avalon from Ashes) is a fantasy story following the adventures of The King’s Hunter, as he tracks and captures thieves and killers. According to the Amazon description, “The Hunter is set on the trail of a kid-napper, who has stolen away a child from a neighboring king.” Using his wiedmurths, a rare breed of hound, The Hunter “pursues the kidnapper, Thias, through the lands of Goretoore, a dwarves wizard in tow.”

Hunt is is working on completing the second installment, which should

be available by the end of the year, and has started the third. Shortly after its release, Hunter and the Hounds commanded the top search position in Amazon’s search engine, overtaking a book that was published in 2008.

“Developing the world took over six years,” Hunt said, “and the first draft of writing took eight months.”

Also an artist and graphic designer, Hunt created all of the original art-work, including the maps, as well as created the website to promote the

series. Hunt’s

creative drive is also exhibited in other digital art and design,

oil painting, and ink drawing. Past endeavors have included work on a comic book.

He’s already planning future writing projects, including a children’s series with the working title, Corridor.

Hunt encourages young writers and artists to be persistent.

“If you want to write, start reading,” Hunt said, “Once you start writing just keep writing.”

Hunter and the Hounds is available on Amazon, in digital and paperback formats.

For more information and to track the progress of the series, visit the Facebook page, Decraigent The Kings Hunter, or follow @Kings Hunter on Twitter.

Fantasy World

PHOTO CONTRIBUTEDHPU graduate Daniel Hunt is pursuing his passions of art and creative writing. Hunt has published a book and also serves his creative drive in digital art, design, oil painting and ink drawing.

PHOTOS CONTRIBUTEDDaniel Hunt produces many of the illustrations for his writing. Above are two fantasy pieces from his book, Hunter and the Hounds. The book is the first in a planned series of five.

Howard Payne grad pursues passion,publishes first book

“Developing the world took over six years, and the first draft of writing took eight months.”


lar gentleman helped me make that possible because he’s a part-time caterer and cooks for us on Tuesdays out of his pocket and takes donations and such. If you want to try a board game before you buy it, come out on Tuesdays, come in and play a few games for free, try it out before you buy it and have a good time. That’s what we try and

focus on is everyone having fun.”

Other merchandise in the store includes Mangas — Japanese comics — graphic novels, literary novels, action figures, video games, DVDs and Blu-Ray movies.

Sikes’ path to the Sci Fi Factory was completely unexpected, after initial desires of working in the engineering field, and then becoming a chef. Sikes cred-its the love and support of his wife, Missy, in helping lead to his current destina-

tion.“I went to UT-Arlington

for a year and double majored in mechanical and aeronautical engineer-ing, but I just didn’t like it, it wasn’t for me,” Sikes said. “I wasn’t interacting with people enough, I was behind a computer too long and too often. So I came back home for a few years, worked at Chicken Express and Hastings as many in Brownwood have.

“As with most stories, I met a girl and she lived in

Stephenville and was going to Tarleton at the time. She was one of the funni-est, most lively girls I’ve ever met. We got to talking and dated for a while so I moved to Stephenville to be able to spend more time with her and shortly thereafter we got engaged and married. Missy’s pretty much the reason why I got on this road and the reason why I’ve come this direc-tion. Her passion is people just like mine is, but hers is in the sense of nurs-ing, she’s an R.N. The Fort Worth area was the best place for her to find work, she had some friends up here, so we moved up here.”

Once in Fort Worth, Sikes attended culinary school.

“I enjoyed cooking, which I based that upon it being the best way to communi-cate with anyone,” Sikes said. “Literally, you don’t have to speak the same lan-

guage, but I can cook you a good meal and communi-cate with you without even having said a word. That leads back to me being, at heart, a people person. I went to culinary school because I thought what I wanted to do was cook. My wife was extremely support-ive and I ended up graduat-ing and working for various restaurants and bakeries until Sci Fi Factory opened, and the rest is history.”

With Sci Fi Factory still in its infancy, there is plenty of room to grow, which Sikes fully supports. At the same time, he doesn’t want the current store — or any potential new ones — to lose the atmosphere that he feels is the reason for its popularity.

“I would like to see the communities grow, but in the end what we focus on is not actually selling video games or board games, it’s

that you told your friends about us and they got curious and came in and bought something,” Sikes said. “It’s pretty much all about word of mouth. What we’re doing is just as much a business as a community service. At the time we got it, we were the only comic book store in the area certi-fied with the Better Busi-ness Bureau, so that’s got to speak for something. We have just as many volun-teers as we do staff because people are that passionate about their games and their hobbies and making other people feel welcomed and having fun.

“I’d like to see us expand over the next few years, perhaps even franchise out, but above and beyond everything else, I’d like to see the Sci Fi Factory remain the home that it has become for a lot of our guys.”

PHOTO CONTRIBUTEDPictured are patrons of the Sci Fi Factory during a recent Super Hero Saturday, one of several attractions that has increased the popularity of the business.

SCI FICONTINUED FROM A2

lot of fun for sure, but I also had a good time covering the minor league baseball team here, the Midland Rockhounds,” Lockwood said. “They’re the double-A affiliate of the Oakland A’s, and one of the greatest things I got to cover was the Texas League All-Star Game. (Oakland general manager) Billy Beane came in for it, I got to meet Rickey Hender-son, Nolan Ryan was there, at the time Roger Clemens’ son, Koby, played for the Corpus Christi Hooks, so he was there and I got to interview him. I shot a bunch of material that ended up airing on SportsCenter that night.”

But the intro-duction of Lock-wood’s fiancé, Dustin Petraitis, into her life led the Brownwood graduate to reevaluate her career path.

“I did TV for 4 1/2 years and enjoyed it. When I moved to Midland in 2009 I said I would not meet a guy and would not stay in Midland, and a guy would not get in the way of my career, but that exact thing happened,” Lockwood said. “I met my now fiancé out here, he’s a drilling engineer, and I got sick of the TV thing. It’s a not a lot of money, the hours are not ideal, so I told myself if I was going to stay out in Midland I was probably going to do something where I have a better quality of life.

“I didn’t know what I wanted to do, I thought I wanted to do some type of PR thing, but there’s not a lot of that out here. He suggested I try and be a landman, you don’t need experience, but I told him that sounded awful. He convinced me to try it

and I’m only six months in, but I absolutely love it and I never thought I would.”

When describing her new job as a land-man, Lockwood stated, “Most people know that Midland is going through a giant boom right now. A lot of people have minerals of land but they don’t know what their work-ing interest in minerals are or how much they owe, etc. My job is to basically find out the mineral rights for certain companies or independent people. It sounds pretty mundane and boring, but it’s actually pretty interesting. You go to the county courthouse and look through records starting from the beginning, which would be 1900 up until

present day. It’s almost like connecting a giant puzzle piece. There’s so many landmen out here, but they don’t have enough because things are so out of control right now.”

Since Lock-wood has started her new career, the only time she’s felt the television itch occurred

during the holidays, though it quickly sub-sided.

“I haven’t missed it too much, but the one time I really missed it was around Christmas time when I was driving home to Brown-wood,” Lockwood said. “I was listening to ESPN Radio and breaking news came on and said Tony Romo was out the rest of the year. I immediately started writing my copy in my head. I have a love-hate relationship with the Cowboys, and when it came to the Cowboys I was always a smart alec on air about them, because it’s easy to be. I thought to myself I would love to just get in front of the camera and voice how I feel about this, but then I had the immediate thought following that if I was still on TV, I probably wouldn’t be driv-ing home right now to visit my family. There

CAREERCONTINUED FROM A4

PHOTOS CONTRIBUTEDCaroline Lockwood is pictured during an on-air interview with Texas Tech football head coach Kliff Kingsbury. BOTTOM: Caroline Lockwood is pictured with her fiancé Dustin Petraitis.

are aspects that I still miss, and I’m glad I did it, but I’m happy it’s behind me now.”

Looking ahead, Lockwood would one day like to own her own landman business as she doesn’t envision leaving the Midland area any time soon.

“Right now I’m a contract landman, so they pay me when I work and when I don’t work I don’t get paid,” Lockwood said. “I don’t have a problem with that right now because things are so busy out here, but I would eventually like to become an in-house landman and some day have my own group, be my own broker and have my own employees. That’s the ultimate goal, but I don’t know if that can happen in five years, but maybe 10 years down the road.

“I think we’ll be in Midland a while, or some other place where oil is king. I would eventually like to wind up in either Hous-ton or Denver. I really enjoyed living in Fort Worth for four years and miss the big city, but you can’t leave Midland right now, even if I wanted to.”

“I thought to myself I would love to just get in front of the camera and voice how I feel about this, but then I had the immediate thought following that if I was still on TV, I probably wouldn’t be driving home right now to visit my family. There are aspects that I still miss, and I’m glad I did it, but I’m happy it’s behind me now.”

PHOTO CONTRIBUTEDTrent Thomas is pictured in front to the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. when he worked as a lobbyist.

Trent Thomas helps things run at TxDOT

Government Man


For most of his professional career, Brownwood native Trent Thomas has worked either for or around politicians. He enjoys the public sector.

But Thomas, a 1991 graduate of Brownwood High School, doesn’t want to hold an elected office. He prefers working behind the scenes, and that’s what he’s doing now as deputy director for the State Legislative Affairs Office of the Department of Transportation.

Thomas’ resume includes serving as chief of staff to State Rep. Drew Darby and legislative director to Rep. Jim Keffer and former Rep. Bob Turner. Thomas

also spent two years in Wash-ington, D.C., as the director of government relations and special counsel for a grassroots U.S. trade organization, where he served as an advisor on federal and interna-tional trade issues, according to his online biogra-phy on the TxDOT website.

Thomas holds a bachelor’s degree in agricultural science and development with a teaching emphasis and a master’s degree in education, both from Tarleton State University.

TxDOT’s State Legislative Af-fairs, according to the TxDOT website, is primarily responsible for the department’s interaction

with the Texas Legislature, the governor’s office and other state-wide elected officials.

The division’s work includes responding to legislative requests, researching and analyzing legisla-tive and policy issues, attending

legislative hearings and preparing the department’s testimony for those hearings, providing brief-ings to members and staff, prepar-ing transportation materials for legislative visits, tracking legisla-tion, monitoring legislative actions

and communicating with experts throughout the department.

“I do like it,” Thomas said, not-ing that it brings a different type of challenge and diversity from his previous jobs. He was a 4-H state council member for 4-H,

which helped him become confident at public speaking.

But Thomas didn’t expect to go into government or politics, and he

earned a teaching certificate from Tarleton. After Thomas completed graduate school, then-Rep. Bob Turner asked Thomas if he’d be interested in being Turner’s legisla-tive director in Austin. Thomas was just what Turner was looking for:

Turner, Thomas said, didn’t want “an Austin bureaucrat” but wanted someone who could relate to rural issues. Thomas fit that bill.

Thomas wasn’t closing the door on anything. He also had sales ex-perience and considered teaching. Thomas decided on the public sec-tor and went to work for Turner.

Thomas left Texas for awhile and worked as a lobbyist, but discovered that he missed Texas politics. Thomas returned to Texas and went to work for Kef-fer, then Darby.

At his TxDOT job, Thomas works near the state capitol build-ing. A typical day, Thomas said, “depends on the weather.” He said he’d started out a recent morning

“Even though you may have a set day, you’re at beck and call to respond to legislators.”

MUSIC MANSinging journey takes Wilburn from Brownwood to Europe

Page B5

A TALE OF TWO TOWNSSt. Clair feels at home in both Brownwood, Mars Hill

Page B14

SEE THOMAS, B4

WhereNoWare they?Horizons 2014

C e l e b r a t i n g 2 5 Y e a r s

Brownwood Bulletin February 23, 2014

Sunday, February 23, 2014 Brownwood Bulletin Horizons 2014B2


Opting for a career in the accounting field, Brownwood High School Class of 1981 graduate Dodie Brown felt her de-sire to make a difference for those who truly need it was at times left unful-filled.

Now serving as the Vice President for Financial Services of Goodwill In-dustries of Central Texas, Brown is able to excel in her profession of choice while also assisting to provide a multitude of services throughout the greater Austin area.

Brown first arrived at GICT 10 years ago as a controller and has worked in her cur-rent role as Vice Presi-dent for Financial Services for the last eight years.

“I’d been working in public ac-counting doing tax and audit work and when we moved back to Austin, I was working downtown for a CPA firm and doing technical reviews, a little bit of audit work and some tax work,” Brown said. “A board member at Goodwill knew they were looking at that time for a controller. I was ready to go back into industry and do something different and feel like I was making a difference. I sat down and talked to them and next thing I

knew I had a job here and I’ve been here 10 years now. It’s been great.”

In her current posi-tion at GICT, Brown has a plethora of responsibilities which always keep her on the go.

“I do everything from managing the accounting team and making sure everything goes well with them to working with a financial analyst to do projections and decide if investments are the right thing for us — if we’re go-ing to build a store, where are we going to build it, is it going to be profit-able enough to serve the mission, all those kinds of things,” Brown said. “I make sure there’s financial

stability within the organiza-tion. I’m respon-sible for all financ-es, the internal reporting, all the re-porting to Goodwill Industries Interna-tional and reporting to the finance commit-tee and the board. I attend finance and board meetings

and we have a financial audit every year because we have a lot of grant funding, so I also work with that audit team to make sure everything goes smoothly and everything is correct.”

Though Brown enjoys all aspects of her job, it’s playing a role in helping

PHOTO CONTRIBUTEDDodie Brown has served as the Vice President of Financial Services for Goodwill Industries of Central Texas for the last eight years.

PHOTO CONTRIBUTEDDodie Brown (center) recently completed the Goodwill Industries International Executive Development Program, and hopes to one day be able to lead a branch of Goodwill.

Dodie Brown adding up good works at Goodwill

SEE BROWN, B11

“I was ready to go back into industry and do something different and feel like I was making a difference. I sat down and talked to them and next thing I knew I had a job here and I’ve been here 10 years now. It’s been great.”

Sunday, February 23, 2014Brownwood Bulletin Horizons 2014 B3

Where are they now?

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dealing with winter advi-sories.

“Even though you may have a set day you’re at beck and call to respond to legislators,” Thomas said. He attends meetings at the capitol and travels a good bit with the agency’s execu-tive director.

Thomas said he has “a great fondness” for rural areas and West Texas.

Thomas said a goal of

former TxDOT Executive Director Phil Wilson — also a Brownwood native — was “to work on transparency” and to rebuilt the agency’s reputation.

“(TxDOT) had previously been seen as a nasty agen-cy that dictates,” Thomas said. “TxDOT employees are Little League coaches and Sunday school teach-ers. “There’s some solid people at this agency who care deeply,” Thomas said.

Thomas and his wife, Chelsey, are the parents of a 3-month-old daughter,

Elliott Grace. Thomas still has family in Brownwood, and he tries to get back here about once a month, as he did recently for the dedication of Elliott Grace in church.

Thomas said his job is to help make sure legislators are well prepared. “There’s no way those legislators can understand everything that’s happening,” Thomas said.

He said he helps shapes legislation for the state. “It’s a rewarding feeling,” Thomas said.

THOMASCONTINUED FROM B1

PHOTO CONTRIBUTEDTrent and Chelsey Thomas are pictured rafting in Wyoming.

PHOTO CONTRIBUTEDTrent Thomas missed Texas politics so he returned to the Lone Star State. He is pictured from the top of the Greer Building, where the Texas Department of Transportation offices are located, with the Texas Capitol in Austin behind him.

PHOTO CONTRIBUTEDTrent and Chelsey Thomas hold their newborn daughter, Elliott Grace.


Mark Campbell is a 1981 graduate of Brownwood High School. His parents, Jimmie and Nancy Campbell, are na-tive residents, as well. Camp-bell recalls going to Mrs. Lamb’s kindergarten and he went through the BISD, attending Woodland Heights Elem., Northwest Elem., and Brownwood Junior and Senior High.

In high school, Campbell participated in football, track, and choir, and met his future wife, Kathy Thomas.

After graduation, he at-tained a BBA in Real Estate and Finance. Unlike many, Mark chose his career early in life and has remained on that path.

“Real estate has always been challenging and reward-ing,” he said, “and I could not imagine ever doing anything else.”

Just recently celebrating their 25th anniversary, the Campbells were married in 1988, at St. Johns Episco-pal Church in Brownwood. Kathy was a 1982 graduate of BHS and was the Football Sweetheart for the 1981 State Champion Lions. She attended Baylor University fours years and graduated with a degree in Physical Therapy from the University of Texas Health Science Cen-ter in Dallas. For the past 15

years, Kathy has worked as a Physical Therapist for BISD.

The couple has two daughters. Callie is 18, a 2013 graduate of Early High School, and freshman at Texas Tech, majoring in Pre-Dentistry. Courtney, 21, graduated from EHS in 2010 and is a senior at Texas A&M as an English major.

While attending Baylor University, Campbell was employed with the Kelly Co., and opened a real estate firm on campus.

“We specialized in student housing,” Campbell said, “and managed, leased, and sold apartments, condomini-ums, and homes.”

Upon graduation, he worked for Coldwell Banker Commercial in Fort Worth for three years, specializing in retail leasing and broker-age. From there, Campbell moved to Jim Daniels and Associates in Fort Worth, appraising all types of real estate properties for three years.

In 1992, Campbell re-turned to Brownwood and worked in real estate. In 1996 he opened his current firm, Coldwell Banker, Mark Campbell and Associates, now located at 1900 Austin Ave. Campbell’s firm is home to 11 award-winning agents and the office manager. They have been first in residential sales and listings in Brown-wood, for the past five years.

Campbell and his fam-

ily continue to support BISD and EISD, as well as the entire Brown County community, personally and through their business. One of his most visible projects is the annual distribution of about 5,000 flags, which he, his staff, and associ-ates conduct each July 4th. During the day, and after his treating the flag crews to a hamburger dinner on the of-fice lawn, dozens of friends and family members fan out across Brownwood and Early, placing free flags in yards, commemorating Indepen-dence Day.

He has been a sponsor of the Brownwood Reunion, since its inception, and, along with others, has organized the Hands On A House competition for most of those events.

Campbell is a past presi-dent of the Brownwood Board of Realtors, current president of the Brown County Water Improvement District, past board member of the Brownwood Area Chamber of Commerce, and a member of the First United Methodist Church.

“I love Brownwood,” Campbell said, “There is no better place to live and raise a family.

“Brownwood has every-thing an outdoor enthusiast can ask for, including a great lake, great deer, dove, and turkey hunting, two great golf courses, and great local

Campbell serves hometown community

PHOTO CONTRIBUTEDThe Coldwell Banker Mark Campbell and Associates “family” gathers each Fourth of July to distribute free flags to yards across Brownwood and Early.

The Early Church1023 Early Blvd. • Early Tx • 325-646-2935

Are you looking for thatOLD TIME RELIGION

that makes you love everybody?

YOU ARE INVITED to come and be apart of a bible based church that

strives to be “Led by the Spirit”

SERVICE TIMES:

ALL ARE WELCOME to our Non-Denominational Services!

SuNDAy AMCoffee and Donuts served - 9:30 am

10:00am Morning ServiceWEDNESDAy PRAyER/BIBLE STuDy

6:00pm

We believe you will feel the love of the Holy Spirit as soon as youwalk through the door.

Worship ServicesDirectory

2014

View Brownwood Bulletin’s Saturday Devotional Page for more local church listings and times.

St. Mary’s Queen of Peace Catholic Church

Everyone Is Welcome to Attend

1896 2014to

Saturdays: Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament: 4:30 – 5:15 p.m.

Saturdays: Sacrament of Reconciliation: 4:30 – 5:15 p.m.Saturday Evening Mass: 5:30 p.m.

Sunday Mass: 9:00 a.m. Bilingual; 11:00 a.m. English; 5:30 p.m. English

Daily Mass Schedule: Monday and Wednesday: 12:00 noon

Tuesday and Friday: 9:00 a.m. Thursday: 6:30 p.m.

unless otherwise noted in the parish bulletin

1105 Main Avenue; Office: 1101 Booker Street

325-646-7455 office; fax 325-646-6643

Singing journey takes Wilburn from Brownwood to Europe



Rudi Wilburn has been a professional enter-tainer for 40 years. Currently living in St. Julien En Genevois, a French suburb of Geneva, Switzerland, Wilburn tours Europe with two of his sons, per-forming songs by artists from Sinatra to Seal and Redding to Richie, as well as originally composed pieces.

Rewinding to 63 years ago, Wilburn was born and raised in Brownwood, Texas. Singing be-came his passion, at a very early age. By 13, he was singing lead in the youth choir at Little Zion Baptist Church. At 14, he received his first outside acknowledgement of his talents.

“We were at a sock-hop at Adams Street Com-munity Center, with a band from Houston play-ing,” Wilburn said, “I asked if I could sing a song with them and they let me. I sang Shotgun by Jr. Walker and the Allstars. When I finished, the lead singer told me, ‘You’re going to be a great singer. Just don’t stop.”

Wilburn didn’t stop, but he did hit pause for a few years, along the way. He lost his mother at age 15 and, he readily admits, lost his way for a while.

“I turned into the worst kid in Brownwood,” he said, “I was going to end up getting in trouble with the law.”

Even through that struggle, Wilburn retained his love for music. Although he doesn’t recall if it was 1965 or 1966, at age 15, Wilburn worked alongside Dave Fair at KEAN radio station, as a DJ.

“I was Doc Soul, on the radio,” Wilburn said, “and Dave was Mr. Rock.”

In high school, Wilburn played the bass drum in the marching band, continued to sing in the choir, and won trophies at all of the talent contests he was able to enter, with his voice. He also per-formed in a band with his schoolmate, Van Wilks, a guitarist and song writer now based in Austin who is an inductee into the Texas Music Hall of Fame.

His troubled youth resulted in his dropping out of high school at 16. Seeing the writing on the wall, Wilburn joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1968, at age 17, and very soon found himself in Vietnam. When he enlisted, the Marines offered an early out, to those who agreed to serve an uninterrupted 18-month tour. He did. Ten of them in Vietnam.

After a brief stop in Okinawa, Japan, Wilburn returned to Brownwood for about six months, pondering what to do next.

“I told myself, I want to be a singer. I am a singer. Where do I have to go to do that?”

While the music scene has now spread around the country, at the time there was only one place.

“My grandmother gave me a hundred dollars and I had a couple of hundred in my pocket,” Wilburn said, “So, I went to Los Angeles, because that’s where the music was.”

Wilburn booked himself into a hotel, for five days, while he began searching for a job. The day before he had to leave the hotel, Wilburn met two

PHOTO CONTRIBUTEDFollowing a successful music career in the U.S., Brownwood native Rudi Wilburn quickly established himself on European tours after arriving in the South of France in 1996 with his wife and three sons.

Music Man

With his photo-graph, in tripli-cate, dominating the roofline of a theater, Brown-wood native Rudi Wilburn has clearly found success in his singing career.

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED

SEE WILBURN, B13

“A warm welcome awaits you...”

Austin Avenue ChurCh of ChristA loving, caring, friendly congregation with a place for you.1020 Austin Avenue 646-0855

Bible Class 9:30 a.m.Morning Worship 10:30 a.m.Evening Worship 6:00 p.m.

Wednesday Midweek Service 7:00 p.m.

J. Tom Washburn, Pulpit MinisterSean Fitzgerald, Youth Minister

Roland Bowen, Minister of Education & MissionsJulie Moore, Director of Children’s Ministry

Everyone Welcome

Rev. Tim Boeglin, PastorSunday

Sunday School 9:30 a.m.Morning Worship 10:50 a.m.

Everyone Welcome

Central United Methodist Church

1501 2nd Street 646-9621

[email protected] www.centralbrownwood.org“God Cares, We Care”

Sunday School — 9:45 a.m. for all agesWorship — 11:00 a.m.

Wednesday night youth — 6:00 p.m. (during school year)

Third Sunday is Barbecue Day! 11:30 – 1:00

1073 Early Blvd, Early, TX 76802 325-646-2300

[email protected]

Join us for Worship and Study atEarly First United Methodist Church

ChurCh of the Good ShepherdEucharistic Services:

6:30 a.m. Wednesdaywith the Brotherhood of St. Andrew and

5:15 p.m. WednesdaySunday Service 10:00 a.m.

Morning Prayer Tuesday and Thursday 9:00 a.m. with nursery provided during Sunday service.

The Very Reverend Andrew F.L. Bradley SSC, Rector

1800 Good Shepherd Drive • 646-8791

1st Christian Church2411 Coggin Ave. • 646-8901

Sterling Lentz, Pastor

Sunday School 9:45 am

Sunday WorShip 10:50 am

WedneSday BiBle Study 6:00 pm

Nursery Provided For Each Service

E V E R Y O N E W E L C O M E

www.fccbwd.org • [email protected]

New BegiNNiNgs ChurChService TimeS: AdulT And YouTh

Sunday School 9:30 a.m. • Sunday WorShip 10:30 a.m.Sunday EvEning 6:00 p.m. • WEdnESday SErvicE 7:00 p.m.

nurSerY everY Service ouTreAch ServiceS:

Food pantry 3rd monday oF thE month 10:00 a.m. - noon

priSon miniStry at t.r. havinS unit FirSt Friday oF thE month

1001 Belle Plain • 643-6089Biker Friendly and Mission Based ChurCh

Worship Services Directory 2014

PHOTO CONTRIBUTEDPaul Brown, whose media career began at the Brownwood Bulletin in 1986, is now the host of Capital Tonight, which airs weeknights on Time Warner Cable’s YNN.

Paul Brown keeps his finger on pulse of Texas politics with

Capital Tonight

Media Matters


A media career that began right here at the Brownwood Bulletin has taken Paul Brown to New York state, and back to the capital city of his native state, where he now hosts Capital Tonight, an hourlong program that delves into Texas politics.

Capital Tonight appears at 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, with a replay at 11 p.m., on YNN, a statewide news channel available on Time Warner Cable.

“We started it three years ago as a weekly show, and I was still anchoring the regu-lar news of the day around that,” Brown said. “This year we started running Monday through Friday. The focus is on state politics and we get everybody from the guber-natorial candidates to the speaker. I love politics, I’m a political junkie, it’s so much fun for me and right up my alley.”

Brown, who was preparing to interview Texas Commis-sioner of Education Michael

Williams for the Capital Tonight telecast when this interview was conducted, started his run at YNN as a daytime news anchor. Time Warner Cable’s discus-sion to add a program to its news lineup that had experienced success at the company’s branch in New York state proved to be a landfall for Brown.

“Our newsgroup has other news channels in other parts in the country, one in New York state, one in North Carolina,” Brown said. “The one in New York has been around quite some time and it’s been very suc-cessful there, so they said lets replicate there here in Austin, it’s the state capital and it makes sense. That’s why they started Capital To-night, but started it slowly on a once a week basis. It became so successful they decided to do this every night.

“The difference in New York state and here is that our legislature only meets every other year. We were wondering how it would

go in an off session, but now that everybody who’s a Republican is running for a statewide office, we’re probably busier now than we were during the session. We’re not short of material at all.”

Before Brown was ap-pearing on televisions in the greater Austin area, he was a student at the University of Texas. Brown,

a 1980 graduate of Brown-wood High School, earned a degree in Radio/Televi-sion/Film at Texas in 1985. He then returned home to Brownwood after gradua-tion, awaiting a break in the field of media.

“I went back home trying to get my first TV job to no avail just because it was so competitive,” Brown said. “I worked just a few months

at KPSM and Dave Fair operated KPSM back then. I worked very part time but I got to go and cover city council meetings and school board meetings and all the things reporters do regard-less of where reporters are at. That’s kind of how news is everywhere.

“(Former Bulletin editor) Gene (Deason) would cover some of those meetings,

too, and he saw me there and appreciated what I was doing. In college I inter-viewed Gene for a project I was doing, so between those two circumstances he offered me a full time gig. He told me he knew it wasn’t broadcasting, but I told him I’d take it. I knew I wanted to do reporting

SEE BROWN, B7



Senior Pastor Duane SheriffResident Pastor Stan Roberts

Service TimesSunday Morning Worship Services 9:00 a.m. & 11:00 a.m.

Children’s Church Ministry/Nursery Both Services

Wednesday Evening Services Pastor Duane Sheriff 6:30 PMPastor Duane Sheriff in person 1st Wednesday of each month

Revolution Youth and Children’s classesNursery available

Care Groups meet in homes throughout the week

901 CC Woodson Rd. Brownwood, Texas325-646-3420

www.myvictorylife.tv/brownwood

View Brownwood Bulletin’s Saturday Devotional Page for more local church listings and times.

May First Baptist Church

18955 Cunningham St. • May, TX • 254.259.2182Sunday School - 9:45 a.m. • Morning Worship - 11 a.m.

Sunday Youth & Adult Bible Study - 6 p.m.Wednesday - Team Kids - 5:30 p.m. • Prayer Meeting - 6:45 p.m.

Nursery provided for all services.

EvEryoNE WElcomE!

Sunday Worship - 10:30Wednesday Bible Study - 6:30

www.alcbrownwood.org (325)643-4738

Grace Baptist Church

103 Salt Creek Dr.Early, Texas325-643-5312

Bible Study - 10:00 a.m.Kidz Crossing - 10:00 a.m.

(4 years to 6th grade)

Worship - 11:00 a.m.Evening Worship - 6:00 p.m.

Wednesday Bible Study - 6:00 p.m.

“A Place to Lover, Serve & Grow”

PhiliP Scott, PaStor Nursery provided

EvEryonE WElComE!

for more local church listings and times.

PHOTO CONTRIBUTEDAmong the political fi gures Paul Brown has interviewed for Capital Tonight include Ron Paul (above) and Ted Cruz (below).


work and at that point I didn’t care. I loved the fact it would be at the Bulletin, the paper I’d grown up reading, and working for Gene, who I admired.”

Brown worked at the Bul-letin from 1986-89 and dur-ing that span elevated from reporter to city editor.

“At the point I was there the Bulletin was under the Woodson Newspapers and we had an Early weekly,” Brown said. “I was covering the Early school board, Early City Council and the Early Longhorns football team. The last year I was there I was the city editor and Gene was the managing editor, so I got to put together the layout of the paper for the Bulletin.”

In 1989, KRBC-TV in Abilene came calling and lured Brown to his dream career.

“After a couple of years, KRBC called me up out of the blue,” Brown said. “I had sent them a tape after I graduated and apparently they saved it. While I regret-ted leaving the Bulletin, my first desire was TV broad-casting. I landed there and was there for a couple of years.”

Looking to move to a larger media market, the next step on Brown’s profes-sional journey was a 2 1/2

year stint at WROC, the CBS affiliate in Rochester, N.Y. He endured three winters in the Northeast, which influ-enced his return to Texas.

“I had an opportunity to go from a small media market to a medium sized media market, as you do in this business unless you’re going to be one of the main anchors,” Brown said. “I basically auditioned all over the phone. There was no Internet, so I sent in a tape and did my due diligence of what it was like there, what the competition was like in the city.

“At that point I was single so I jumped at that. I don’t regret it all. It was such a

great TV market despite the harsh winters. I made some life long friends there, but I was anxious to get back to Texas after that third sea-son of snow. I had no idea, truly, what the term lake ef-fect snow meant until I got up there, and I learned very quickly within a month.”

In 1993, an opportunity presented itself at KTXS-TV in Abilene, and Brown made the leap for a 10-year stay.

“KTXS had a management position, assignment editor position at the time, and it was an opportunity to get back to Texas,” Brown said. “I did a little bit of anchor-ing during morning cut ins,

and a year and half into it the news director got an-other job. I applied for news director and got it at the age of 32. We also launched the 5 p.m. newscast around that time and I anchored that with longtime friend Jennifer Bray, who was my assistant news director. We did that show for seven or eight years.”

Opportunity again knocked for Brown in 2003, which led he and his wife — fellow Brownwood High graduate Dodie Brown, and their family — to Austin not only for an exciting new job, but to pursue another goal he felt was almost impos-sible.

“A mutual acquain-tance from my time on the Texas Associat-ed Press Broad-casters

Board that I served on, and another person who served on that board, was part of this operation, which was really intriguing to me,” Brown said of the jump to YNN. “They had a dayside anchor position and I was always interested in trying to get my master’s degree. At this point I was married with two stepsons and a 2-year-old, and I decided to come down here.

“I’ve had a wonderful experience down here and it’s evolved into this politi-cal show I do. I also got my master’s degree and now I’m a candidate for Ph.D. Hopefully by this time next

BROWNCONTINUED FROM B6

year I’ll be wrapped up with it. I was able to get this po-litical show that didn’t even exist when I got here, and I never dreamed I would pur-sue my Ph.D. and now I’m year away, hopefully, from finishing it.”

In a career that’s ap-proaching 30 years, Brown has more memorable mo-ments than he can count. Among Brown’s proudest as a professional occurred just this past April in Dallas at the dedication of the George W. Bush Presidential Library.

“We covered the open-ing of the George W. Bush Library and all the living presidents were there,”

Brown said. “I didn’t get to interview all the living presi-dents, but we were probably less than a football field, if not closer, to all of them and all the former First La-dies. We had to go through Secret Service to get that close, but to see all of them at one time, with me doing research on presidential debates for my Ph.D. and loving presidential politics, that was such a treat. I real-ize not everybody gets that opportunity.”

For Brown, the career path he has followed has brought much joy to his life and respect from his peers, and he treats each day with

both intense passion as well as an immense sense of responsibility.

“I love being able to interview all the people who are basically responsible for the policy decisions that run our lives, and to be able to question them about their decision making and what’s at stake for all of us in general,” Brown said. “I just really enjoy that. These are people I look at as our state’s leaders. To be able to interview Greg Abbott and Wendy Davis and ask them why they’re running for governor, to me that’s such a privilege that I don’t take for granted.”

“I love being able to interview all the people who are basically responsible for the policy decisions that run our lives, and to be able to question them about their decision making and what’s at stake for all of us in general.”



Sundays:Bible Study 9:45 AM

Worship Services: 8:30 AM (Blended)

11 AM (Contemporary) and 6 PMMondays:

Wee Kids Mother’s Day Out: 9 AM

Wednesday Activities:Wee Kids Mother’s Day Out:

9 AM

Prayer Meeting: 6 PMAwana Children’s program: 6 PM

(School year only)180 for Youth: 6:45 PM

Thursdays: Celebrate Recovery: 7 PM

Fridays: MOPS (Mother’s of

Preschoolers):The 2nd & 4th Fridays

of the month9:30 AM (school year only)

There are many other activities and events throughout the year such as children and youth camps, mission trips,

women’s conferences, etc. For more information,please call the church office.

Coggin Avenue Baptist Church

1815 Coggin Avenue

Brownwood, TX 76801

325-646-1506 Church Office

Pastor Tim Skaggs

4th & Stewart Church of Christ

3201 4th Street • 646-7102

EvEryonE WElComE

Service ScheduleSunday School : 9:45 a.m.

Morning Worship: 10:40 a.m.evening Worship: 6:00 p.m.

Wednesday evening Worship 7:00 p.m.

First UnitedMethodist Church,

Brownwood

Regular Sunday ServicesWorship 8:30 a.m.

10:30 a.m. Common Ground Service10:45 a.m. Traditional Service

Sunday School 9:40 a.m.Youth & Kids in Mission

Dr. Don Scroggs, MinisterLocated at the corner of Tenth Street &

Asbury across from the high school(325) 643-1555

[email protected]

Salt Creek Baptist ChurchSunday Services 11:00 a.m. & 6:00 p.m.Bible Study 10:00 a.m.Wednesday Youth 6:30 p.m.

7775 FM 3100 • Early, TX • 646-3897

Jimmie MizePastor

Dr. Randy Ethridge Minister of Music

Phillip BertrandStudent Minister

Sierra DamronChildren’s Minister

Welcome!

Ave. W Church of Christ800 Ave. W 643-6003

Ministers:Billy Willis

Bruce StewartDarrell KirboRoland Finch

Sunday Services:10:30 am and 2:00 pm

Wednesday Service: 7:00 pm

PHOTO CONTRIBUTEDSha Robinson, a 1981 graduate of Brownwood High School, is a microbiologist currently employed by Helena Laboratories.


An education born and developed in Brownwood has gone on to impact na-tions spanning the globe.

A 1981 graduate from Brownwood High School who obtained an under-graduate degree from How-ard Payne University, Sha Ragsdale Robinson and her husband, Johnny, have cre-ated a non-profit business that is benefitting countries in need of clean drinking water.

Sha, a microbiologist, and Johnny, a chemist — resi-dents of Silsbee in southeast Texas — had the back-grounds necessary to bring Water-4-Nations officially into existence in 2011 in an effort to provide safe, sustainable drinking water for all.

The initial idea for Water-4-Nations was formulated in the summer of 2005 when the Robinsons first visited Steve and Carol Thompson of Global Outreach Mission-aries in the Andes Moun-tains of Central Ecuador.

“We went on a mission trip to Ecuador and saw a lot of people sick,” Sha Rob-inson said. “They had plenty of water, but they were sick all the time. The water

they were drinking wasn’t clean. It’s not that they need people to dig wells, they need someone to clean up the water they have. We came home and talked about it and we knew how to do this, my husband has a background in chemistry and mine is in biology, how to clean it up. That’s how it started.”

In 2008, Johnny Robinson began a new job with Hach Company, which focuses on water quality analysis. After the January 2010 earth-quake in Haiti resulted in an international water crisis, the Robinsons decided it was time to take action.

The autumn months of 2010 saw the Robinsons reach out to the Thomp-sons and return to Ecuador where they provided chlo-rine disinfection systems to new church plants, as well as existing churches and schools in their ministry area.

A regional water labora-tory was also established at Campamento Bautista Cha-cauco in Ecuador. Thanks to a donation by Hach Com-pany, the capability exists to test drinking water quality in accordance with World Health Organization stan-dards. E. coli testing was added in March 2012.

As of September 2012, eight chlorine disinfection systems had been installed in the mountain and jungle areas of Ecuador serving more than 1,000 people.

Water-4-Nations is now turning its attention to the Republic of Zambia, located in southern Africa.

“Africa is new for us,” Sha Robinson said. “We were contacted by a missionary couple, Sherrie and Jerry Avery, who heard we do this kind of thing. They have kids at their school who are sick and asked if we could help them. The equipment is ready and we have a ship-ping container with chlo-rinators on the way. It will probably be the summer before we can get there and set something up.”

The Robinsons are open to assisting anyone in need in any country throughout the world, but they need assistance.

“We hope this grows and grows, but people have to contact us and ask for help. We do it as we can. We’re a 501 © (3) tax exempt company totally dependent on donations from other people. We don’t have the funds to do this on our own.”

Robinson uses training to help bring safe drinking water to all

Fountain of Life

SEE WATER, B9


St. John’S ChurChSchedule of Services:

Sunday Morning Service:8:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist, 1928 Book of Common Prayer9:15 a.m. Sunday School for all ages10:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist, Rite I, 1979 Book of Common PrayerWednesday Schedule:6:30 p.m. Holy Eucharist with Unction for Healing7:30 p.m. Adult Bible Study

Main & Depot Streets 646-7482

The Rev. Michael S. Mobley Th.M., RecToR Serving the community (those in need)

Food & Toiletries Ministry

Grace Lutheran 1401 1st Street (1st & Coggin) 646-2045

Rev. Curtis W. SchneiderSunday Services:

Sunday School 9:00 amMorning Worship 10:15 am

Church of the Lutheran [email protected]

Lake Brownwood

First United Methodist

784-5294 • 5751 Hwy 279,7 Miles North of Brownwood

Rev. Tim Boeglin, Pastor

Sunday: Morning Worship9:00 a.m.

Sunday School 10:00 a.m.Wednesday: Bible Study

6:00 p.m.

View Brownwood Bulletin’s Saturday Devotional Page for more local church listings and times.for more local church listings and times.

Christian Education (all ages)...9:30 a.m.Fellowship Time.............10:00 a.m.Morning Worship.......... 10:30 a.m.

Soaking Prayer.....Noon-1:00 p.m. Wednesday

Union Presbysterian ChUrCh

a congregation of the P.C. (U.S.A.)700 Fisk Ave., Brownwood, Tx

http://www.unionpresbrownwood.org.325-646-8569

“Take Care of Your Heart”

Dr. Mark S. White, Interim Pastor

PHOTO CONTRIBUTEDSha Robinson and her husband, Johnny, are the founders of Water-4-Nations, which has provided clean drinking in areas of Ecuador. Water-4-Nations is also embarking on a project in Zambia in Africa.


When not working on Water-4-Nations projects, Sha Robinson is employed with Helena Laboratories, which manufactures and sells clinical diagnostic tests for hospitals and reference labs.

“I work in Research and Development, developing new tests and trouble-shooting any problems we may have with manu-facturing or that custom-ers may have using our cur-rent tests,” Robinson said. “It’s not exactly what I got my degree in, but I use a lot of the skills I learned in my job now.

“ I really enjoy what I do. I enjoy creating the new tests and automating tests we already have, and working with engineers to create equipment and cre-ate tests. It’s a fun job.”

Robinson inherited her love for science from her father, Bennett Ragsdale, who was a professor at Howard Payne. Her moth-er, Sue Ragsdale, was a principal within Brown-wood ISD, and the couple now resides in Voss in Coleman County.

“From a really young age I was always inter-ested in the sciences,” Robinson said. “It was always something I knew

I wanted to do. My dad worked at Howard Payne University and I was always drawn to profes-sors and their classroom. There wasn’t one par-ticular event that got me hooked, but I knew sci-ence was what I wanted to do.”

Upon graduation from Brownwood High School, Robinson attended How-ard Payne and attributed her desire to dig deeper

into the sciences to pro-fessors Jack Stanford and Geraldine Boyd who, “all had a big impact on my life. They made we want to go to graduate school.”

“Some of my profes-sors at HPU had a big influence on my life,” she said. “The professors there really encouraged me. I wouldn’t have gone on to get my Ph.D. if it wasn’t for them.” The next step in Robin-son’s journey was Texas A&M, where she attended graduate school.

“I enjoyed graduate school because I got to focus on what I really wanted to do,” Robinson said. “I learned a skill set that I get to use in my job now. The job I have, there’s a lot of research

involved and I get use to all the skills I’ve learned. It’s more like play than work, really.”

She also met her hus-band, Johnny, there, and the couple have two sons, Ben and Sam.

“After graduate school I taught some at UTSA, but I wasn’t there a very long time,” said Robin-son, who began working at Helena in 1993, but left from 2002 to 2010 to

return to the classroom. “I did take off for a period of time and went back and taught physics when my boys were in high school. I wanted to

be with them and it was a break from working in the lab all the time. I re-ally enjoyed it and really enjoy kids.”

Though she had no orig-inal idea where her love of the sciences would take her, Robinson is ex-tremely pleased with the path her life has taken, and with the opportunity she has found to help others in need.

“When I set out in col-lege, I didn’t know where I was going,” Robinson said. “What I thought I wanted to be was a clini-cal chemist.

“I couldn’t have predict-ed I would be here or that I could use all the biology I’ve learned, put together with chemistry, and end up in such a good place.”

“I learned a skill set that I get to use in my job now. “The job I have, there’s a lot of

research involved and I get use to all the skills I’ve learned. It’s more like play than work, really.”

WATERCONTINUED FROM B8



Rhonda Walker Chris-tensen, a 1981 Brownwood High School graduate, has celebrated a number of milestones in her life, but this past June was the most important.

Diagnosed with Acute My-eloid Leukemia in November 2007, Christensen celebrat-ed the fifth anniversary of the stem cell transplant that saved her life this past June.

“I celebrated my five-year transplant birthday on June 4,” Christensen said.

Looking back on her initial diagnosis, Christensen said, “It was pretty shocking, but I was mostly concerned about my children. They were in the seventh grade and a freshman in college then.

“My faith, friends and family kept me going. My parents (Dudley and Twila Walker), who live in Brown-wood, stayed with me the whole time and took care of my younger son. I had great doctors at Baylor and a lot of people prayed for me.”

After her initial two rounds of chemotherapy, Christensen became so ill she was admitted into ICU.

“They couldn’t do chemo anymore so they decided to do a transplant,” Chris-tensen said. “First they try and see if your siblings match and none of mine matched, so we had to look to the National Mar-row Registry. There’s a 50 percent chance you can find someone and we did. She donated her whole stem cells to me in June 2008.”

Elizabeth Jordan, a resident of California, made the donation and she and

Christensen have remained close. In fact, Christensen attended Jordan’s wed-ding over Valentine’s Day weekend.

“Everyone should be on the National Marrow Registry,” Christensen said. “There’s no reason not to be. It could save a life.”

Before and since her illness, Christensen has developed a thirst for teaching that can never be quenched, as she has made it her life’s goal to provide insight to students, as well as other teachers, on ways to improve the learning experience.

Christensen’s official title is research scientist at the University of North Texas, but the foundation of her position revolves around teaching.

“I got my undergradu-ate degree in elementary education and then I taught for five years,” Christensen said. “Then I went and got my master’s in computer education, then I went back and got a doctorate in interdisciplinary informa-tion science. What I do now, I combine all those things in my education and work with National Science Foundation grants.”

Technology, particularly when used in the classroom, is a passion for Christensen, which fueled the pursuit of both her master’s and doc-torate degrees from North Texas.

“I was really interested in technology when I first started teaching,” Chris-tensen said. “We had one computer that I had to roll to the classroom from the library every day to use.

PHOTO CONTRIBUTEDRhonda Christensen, a 1981 Brownwood High graduate, is a Research Scientist at the University of North Texas. Chris-tensen (bottom right), a Leukemia survivor, is also the co-Chair of the Cancer Awareness activities on the campus at UNT focusing on National Marrow Registry drives.

Leukemia survivorChristensen uses technology

to power learning

A Drive to Teach

SEE TEACH, B12

PHOTO CONTRIBUTEDRhonda Christensen celebrated a five-year anniversary of the stem cell transplant that saved her life last June. Before and after the transplant, Christensen developed a thirst for teaching and has made improving the learning experience her life’s goal.

SEE TEACH, B12


programs flourish that brings the biggest smile to her face.

“If I just had to sit behind a desk and do ac-counting all day I would go insane,” Brown said. “I have to be interacting and feeling like I’m touching people and adding value to their life and making a difference.

“I was in accounting for so many years and I was the one who got the non-profits and small govern-mentals because it was fun for me to step in the door with someone who really didn’t have a lot of skills and show them how to try another way. I felt like I made a difference as an auditor, which is probably a little strange. That and the teaching, I’ve been teaching a lot of classes, and to see peo-ple’s eyes sparkle and feel like you’ve added value to them, it’s something that drives me.”

Brown admitted there are some challenges that come with the GICT being an $84 million autono-mous 501c3 non-profit program, but the rewards far outweigh any hiccups along the way.

“In a non-profit orga-nization you never have

enough resources so we work cross functionally across the organization,” Brown said. “Goodwill is an interesting animal. It’s non-profit, but we have to run it like a business because we have com-mercial service contracts and we’ve got all kinds of mission service work. Recently we turned in an application for a pilot charter school for adults. Adults up to 50 years old can get their high school diplomas and we feel like that will make a huge dif-ference in their life. We’ve got a really visionary CEO and just trying to keep up with him is fun.”

Among the accomplish-ments of the past year alone, Goodwill Industries of Central Texas placed 3,135 people in jobs, diverted more than 29.2 million pounds of material from landfills and won the Texas Award for Perfor-mance Excellence.

And Brown could barely contain her excitement for some of the plans GICT is currently developing.

“We’re also working on a career academy that goes hand in hand with the diploma program,” Brown said. “We’ve seen, through our mission work, that some of the great barriers to people getting jobs that really matter and really make a difference

in their life is education. That need just isn’t being met in our community. We figured out that they can get their high school diploma and at that same time work on a certifica-tion, for example if there’s a shortage of plumbers, electricians, certified nurs-ing assistants, etc. There’s any number of gaps com-ing up because people are getting older and no one is training for those posi-tions.”

Another aspect of this program that thrills Brown is the advent of “life coaches.”

“The other thing we’re going to do for these folks is a lot of times they come out of generational pov-erty and they don’t have the skills all of us have,” Brown said. “They don’t know how to troubleshoot if a babysitter calls in sick. Most of them are single parents and have a lot of these challenges. Part of our model is to provide life coaches with every student that walks in the door so they have some-body who can teach them what sometimes hasn’t been taught. It’s a really interesting thing that’s been so successful, so we’re very excited about that.”

Looking back on her career, Brown stated her initial desire to enter the

accounting profession was due mostly to job security. But she’s extremely thank-ful to be in the position she now holds.

“I think I took account-ing because I knew I would always be able to have a job and it was comfort-able,” Brown said. “As an 18-year-old, do you think things through that well, who knows? I started out at Howard Payne and then transferred to Tarleton and then I started working in small CPA firms.

Then when Paul and I married, we moved to Abilene and I got to work for a regional firm so I got to do a lot more, includ-ing mentoring and teach-ing and I really found the niche that I like. I don’t know that I planned it very well, but I stumbled into it and enjoy it.”

Dodie and Paul Brown, a 1980 graduate of Brown-wood High School, were married in 1998.

“I’m going to forever blame Lewis Locker,” she joked. “I was working at Howard Payne at the time as controller and he kept telling me there was this guy I just had to meet. I was done with dating, I was divorced and had been on a few dates and didn’t want to go on any more. He harassed me so much, so I told him to tell me who it is and I’ll think

about it. He told me who it was

and I remembered Paul from National Honor Society and Spanish Club and he was such a nice guy, so I said OK, fine I’ll go out with him one time. Two years later we were married.”

As for her work-related future, Brown envisions herself hopefully continu-ing to climb the profes-sional ladder with Good-

will.“About a year ago I

completed the Goodwill Industries International Executive Development Program,” Brown said. “Some day I might like to lead an organization like this.

“I think that would be something I would re-ally enjoy doing. So I’ll be doing that, or be in a CFO role somewhere where I can make a difference.”

BROWNCONTINUED FROM B2

Mark Cox began from scratch to build Brownwood Lions baseballWhere it Started

THOM HANRAHAN | BROWNWOOD BULLETIN(TOP) Former Lions Baseball Coach Mark Cox is honored before the Feb. 15 reunion game. (ABOVE) Cox poses with former players after the ceremony.

BY THOM HANRAHANBROWNWOOD [email protected]

When former Brownwood High School baseball coach Mark Cox looks back on the programs beginnings, he remember it as a fun, if lean time.

“The first thing was we had no facili-ties,” he said about reestablishing the program that had been dormant since the 1930s.

“We started baseball and all our games

were out at Camp Bowie,” he remem-bered. “We didn’t have a batting cage. We didn’t have a lot of the things you need to go, but we were in the process of get-ting them.”

As Cox watched the current Lions base-ball squad play the team’s alumni on Feb. 15, some of those memories came back.

“I am from Weatherford and we played Brownwood in football when I was in high school,” he said. “We were in the same district. This was my first stop – my first coaching job out of college.

Dodie Brown

“Brownwood was a traditional power and then later, when coach (Gordon) Wood offered me a position, it was definitely an intriguing place for a young coach to start his career.”

Cox said he stayed on for two years coaching seventh and eighth-grade foot-ball, then moved on to Austin Westlake as its offensive coordinator. But baseball folks in Brownwood were talking about adding the sport to the high schools slate of athletic offerings, and Cox would be called back to get the program off the ground.

“I was actually at Westlake High School when Coach Wood came out on the prac-tice field and I was wondering what he was doing at our practice and he told me ‘You’re coming back to Brownwood,’ so I went home and told my wife we were coming back to Brownwood.

“And that’s when I came back and started a baseball program.”

That was in 1985, and the program without facilities wouldn’t have to wait long for those or for on-field success.

“We started working on this field dur-ing that time,” Cox said. “We obviously didn’t play on it, but we were putting it in. The next year, we got batting cages and it made a big difference. I think we

averaged about 13 strikeouts a game the first year simply because we didn’t have the batting facilities.

“We got that corrected, though. We went from 13 strikeouts a game to three the next year.”

And in the second year, the Lions made the playoffs.

“Probably it wasn’t so bad for starting a program,” Cox said. “Because funda-mentally, those guys got about three hours of ground balls. That getting the basics in translated into success that next season.”

Cox is currently the head football coach and athletics director at South Garland High School, but he keeps Brownwood close to his heart. And some of his former players have followed in his footsteps. Cox says he remains close to those former players.

“We have a lot of great friends here in Brownwood,” he said. “We were here three times in my coaching career. Mitch Moore, who is going to be the high school principal, was on that first team as my second baseman.

“What those guys don’t realize is I am not that much older than they are but they thought I was. My bluff stayed good and we have remained friends.”


PHOTO CONTRIBUTEDData compiled by Rhonda Christensen (standing, right) has been used in reports and journals, and she also speaks at conferences across the country sharing the educational information she has gathered.

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It was an Apple 2, nothing much to it, just a floppy drive. I was in Galveston then.

“When I moved to Dallas, I started going back to school and studying computer education because I was very interested in that. I worked in a school as a computer teacher. You need that experience before you work with oth-ers.

“Then I went back to school again to get my doctorate, and I started teaching pre-serviced teachers and also doing a lot of inservices on how to use technol-ogy in a classroom. Then I got interest-ed in research and what difference that makes. I got my doctorate and did my dissertation on helping teach the teach-ers how to use technology, and what effect that has on their students. Does it make a difference in their attitude toward technology for students? That was 1997. Since then, I’ve been all over the state with technology integration stuff. In the U.S., I do a lot of confer-ences sharing data findings and things like that.”

The information Christensen gathers from her teachings can be dispersed in a variety of ways or used as the basis to write additional grants to address a need based on her findings.

“I’ve been on soft money since 1999 and I’ve been working on government funded grants my whole career almost,” Christensen said. “I write grants and then when they’re funded I implement them. Right now, we have a National Science Foundation grant to work with middle school kids and measure stand-by power, which is power being used when appliances aren’t being used, just sitting there plugged in, and there’s a ton of waste of standby power. We work with kids all over the country, they’re in Hawaii, Vermont, North Caro-lina, Louisiana, Texas and I even have a class in Dublin.

“Then we gather data, and that’s what my whole career has been like, data analysis, too. We gather the data and write reports, present papers, write papers that appear in journals and present them at conferences to let other people know and disseminate the information.”

Christensen most recently submitted a grant to use augmented reality with handheld devices at the Dallas Arbore-tum.

“I’m always waiting on a new grant to come in,” Christensen said. “I’m very excited about the possibly that kids can keep learning about careers and STEM

(Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). We have a shortage of Americans to do some jobs that are available in the U.S. These kids don’t even equate what a STEM career is, what a career in science really does. Unless your parents do that, you don’t really know about the careers.

“We’re working with an online gam-ing service to create some overtly clear career paths so kids will play a game and learn what this person does. For instance, the energy auditor does this, so it makes it feel like you’ve earned an energy audit badge, or something like that. You have to do things to earn a badge and understand careers, be it technical or professional. You need to have both in there so kids can under-stand what they’re doing in classrooms and hopefully it leads to a career.”

The use of new technology, like hand-held devices, as learning tools has come a long way since Christensen began her

teaching career. “In my first job in Dallas, back in

1990, all we had was email,” Chris-tensen said. “I got in contact with someone in New Zealand and we started having kids do curriculums related to water and studying water in our area, and they shared it with email. And the kids would get excited to send emails back and forth to the kids in New Zealand. The most vivid thing to me, it’s one day later there, so we came into the classroom and had one com-puter hooked to a modem, dial up. We were all sitting around the computer and it pops up Feb. 14 in New Zealand. It was only Feb. 13 in Dallas. The kids said, ‘It’s already Valentine’s Day there,’ and they got so excited about that. Even though we tell them about the different day and that the time zones are differ-ent, I don’t think it really hit them until they see something like that and it mat-ters to them. I’ll never forget that.”

While the constant change in technol-ogy can at times be frustrating, mak-ing sure teachers are up to speed with the change plays a huge role in future educations.

“It’d be a lot easier to teach English if technology hadn’t changed,” Chris-tensen said with a laugh. “We’re con-stantly having to upgrade and update everything because it changes so much. The kids are way ahead of the parents and the teachers. It’s more about really preparing teachers to be ready in the classroom for what they have and what the kids are going to know. It’s really hard to stay ahead of that curve be-cause it changes so quickly, especially with social media and every kid having their own handheld device now. We found you have to prepare the teach-ers before you bring anything into the classroom. You have to prepare the teachers or they won’t use it, and it will be a disaster and never work.”

TEACHCONTINUED FROM B10

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girls who picked him up while hitchhiking. One of them told him her boyfriend was from Mississippi and “He’ll like you.”

Wilburn said, “The next day I met him and he said he was going to help me. They let me stay with them and he found me a job in a hospital, washing the walls in the surgery room. That happened the last day that I had a room at the hotel.”

While in L.A. and working at the hospital, Wilburn began going to clubs to watch famous bands perform, learning from them and gaining inspiration as he went. He finally joined a band in Sacramento and sang six days a week, for the next three years.

Wilburn made a move to San Francisco, seeking the fame and fortunes of a music career, and began working as a chauffeur for a large law firm and sang at night. He soon joined the established and locally popular band, Pride and Joy; a move that led him to meet his future wife.

In 1985, after ten years in San Francisco, Wilburn met the famous music producer, Narada Michael

Walden, who would become his mentor. Through Walden, he met many famous artists, including Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Steve Winwood, John McGlauphin, Carlos Santana, Warren G., Herbie Hancock, The Doobie Brothers, Anita Baker, Journey, Angela Bofill, Tower of Power, Kool and the Gang, Pia Zadora, and others. From them, he learned the rules of the music industry.

Wilburn and his wife, who is French, had three sons, Ellington, Madisson, and Cassidy. In 1996, when the oldest was seven, they decided to move to the South of France, to raise their children. There, he met Princess Stephanie of Monaco, the daughter of Prince Ranier III and his wife, American actress Grace Kelly. The Princess and her husband helped him with securing a commitment to perform at a famous nightclub in Monaco, where a year later, he had become a star on the music scenes, as well as all along the French Riviera.

Ultimately, the family moved to their current home in St. Julien En Genevois. Wilburn continues to perform, but now shares the stage with Ellington, 25, and Madisson, 23.

Ellington began performing with his father. A quote from his bio

reads, “I just love the feeling of seeing people love and enjoy the music we do.” Expanding his musi-cal talents, Ellington also writes, composes, and mixes. In 2011, he formed his own group, 5 STARS HOODZ, with whom he raps.

Madisson made it a trio, when he joined his father and brother in 2007. He’s since also joined Ellington’s group, where he has continued to develop his talents as a writer and vocalist.

The eldest Wilburn has writ-ten a book, Crooning My Way, which chronicles his life to 1996, and is writing the second, pick-ing up where the first left off. He returned to Brownwood, in 2013, to performed at the Juneteenth celebration and while here, con-nected with old friends and visited cousins who still live here.

Where does Wilburn’s career lead to next?

“In about ten years, I want to come back to Brownwood and buy a place on the lake,” he said, “I’d like to live there about six months out of the year.”

Another goal of Wilburn’s is to start a production company, to develop new artists. He hinted at doing so in Brownwood, with the right backing from investors.

Wilburn was asked what advice

he gives young musicians, “It is so easy to dream and dreaming is very healthy if they are positive thoughts. As we all know the hard part is to make the dream come true. Reality is, my dream would never have manifested if I had not left home. Ask yourself do you want to be a star or do you want to play banjo on the front porch, it’s your choice but whatever it is be the best. Remember, I love my hometown but it only got me in trouble with the law. So hearing

songs like California Girls and If You Go to San Francisco started my dreams and my quest for life. I knew at an early age that I would be a singer, but I learned to be-come a great singer in time. Now, after 40 years of being in business and working with my children I am living my dream. It’s about what you are doing for your career now that will make you look back in a few years to check your progress. Dreams do come true, if you make them come true.

WILBURNCONTINUED FROM B5

PHOTO CONTRIBUTEDEllington, Rudi, and Madisson Wilburn are The Wilburns, a father and sons vocal trio based in the suburbs of Geneva, Switzerland known as “The Americans with golden voices” to audiences along the French Riviera, from St. Tropez to Monaco.


BY GENE DEASONSPECIAL TO THE BULLETIN [email protected]

MARS HILL, N.C. —Neil St. Clair was very familiar with his new hometown when he left Brownwood and Howard Payne University in 2000 for Mars Hill College in the mountains of North Caroli-na. It’s where he had earned bachelor’s degrees in music and theater in the 1970s.

St. Clair served as director of theater at Howard Payne for 17 years, from 1983 to 2000, before he and his fam-ily moved east. Even though returning to Mars Hill meant a homecoming of sorts, he said he left Brownwood with mixed emotions.

“I love that place,” St. Clair said in a telephone in-terview from the Mars Hill campus near Asheville. “I miss the people. I still have some Howard Payne bud-dies.”

St. Clair draws numer-ous similarities between Mars Hill and Brownwood.

“There’s a lot of the same overall feel,” he said. “It’s a small liberal arts atmo-sphere, but of course the ge-ography is different. It’s one of the reasons I like Howard Payne. To me, it’s like a ‘Mars Hill West,’ but nobody there understands that.”

Mars Hill, which became a university in 2013, and How-ard Payne are both academic communities rooted in the Christian faith, St. Clair said, with a Baptist heritage. Mars Hill’s enrollment of 1,370 is similar to that of Howard Payne. But the towns in which they are located are not. Situated 20 miles from

metropolitan Asheville and 11 miles from the Tennessee border, the historic town of Mars Hill has a population of approximately 1,800.

St. Clair has also served as chairman of the theater arts department at Mars Hill Uni-versity, but he relinquished those duties to focus more on teaching and “the person-al touch” of teaching. He has announced plans to retire as a full-time professor at the end of this semester.

“I’ve enjoyed teaching classes and being part of the plays and musicals here,” St. Clair said. “The univer-sity’s program is nationally accredited, by the National Association of Schools of Theatre.”

“I’m just teaching,” he said

of his current role on cam-pus. “After I retire, I want to teach part-time for a few years to ease into that phase of life.”

St. Clair has also served as production manager for the Southern Appalachian Repertory Theatre, or SART, which provides the region with major professional productions during the sum-mer, usually at the univer-sity’s Owen Theatre.

His wife, Kay, has been head of library services at Carolina Day School, a private school in Asheville, for 14 years. Both have acted professionally.

When they were in Brown-wood, both he and Kay were

employed at Howard Payne. That’s one of the differences St. Clair cited between their life in Brownwood and in North Carolina. He and his wife are no longer working on the same campus.

“The main thing that’s different here, and some-times I kind of missed, is the centralized life that you live in Brownwood,” St. Clair said. “You’re always see-ing someone you know... The last two times we’ve been through Brownwood, people have recognized us at restaurants. People who live there don’t realize that. It’s comforting and interesting. You’re always a little part of that community.”

Things he likes about working in the North Caroli-

na mountains include the experience of having four distinct sea-sons. In fact, the message on St. Clair’s office answer-ing machine on the day of this interview indicated that rehearsal

for an upcoming theater production schedule for the evening had been canceled due to snow.

“The girls got to experi-ence those four seasons,” St. Clair said. “This area is con-sidered one of the absolute best for color as the leaves change.”

He is also closer to his family, who live in Virginia.

The St. Clairs’ two daugh-ters were young teenagers when they moved from Brownwood, and they thought if a move east was going to happen, it needed to happen when it did.

“It turned out great,” St. Clair said. “Our daughters thrived.”

PHOTO CONTRIBUTEDNeil St. Clair, professor of theater at Mars Hill University in North Carolina, delivered the keynote address for the university’s convocation opening the 2014 spring semester on Jan. 14.

PHOTOS CONTRIBUTED(LEFT) Neil St. Clair is shown in his downstairs toy room at his North Carolina home with his collection of action figures and other items. (RIGHT) Kay and Neil St. Clair (center) are shown with their two daughters and sons-in-law. On the left are Michael Iglesia and Rachel St. Clair Iglesia, and on the right are Jessica St. Clair Smith and Adrian Smith.

St. Clair feels at home in both Brownwood, Mars Hill

A Tale of Two Towns

Both of them live relatively near to their parents — at least by Texas standards, he said. Jessica is in Greenville, S.C., working as a videogra-pher/photographer/editor, and Rachel is a graduate student in Spanish at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Both are mar-ried.

While living in Brownwood, St. Clair served as president of the Brownwood Rotary Club, and he continues to carry that club’s banner in North Carolina. In 2003, he helped organize the Rotary Club of Madison County, and served as its second presi-dent.

“It’s a great little club,”

St. Clair said. “I’m happy to be back involved in Rotary here.”

St. Clair said he also “re-energized” his toy action figure and science fiction collection after relocating. But all of his “toys” aren’t tiny. He also owns two clas-sic Pontiac automobiles.

St. Clair was asked to deliver the main address to Mars Hill University students at the opening convocation of the spring 2014 semes-ter, and a story about his speech is featured on the university’s website. In those remarks, he urged students to make the most of their “Mars Hill journey,” includ-ing taking advantage of re-

lationships with professors, staff members, coaches and fellow students.

“Embrace all that is around you,” he said during the Jan. 14 program. “Try new things, consider new ideas, take advantage of the vast array of classes, concerts, sporting events, plays, speakers, seminar, service opportunities and organiza-tions offered by the univer-sity.”

Students would do well to heed such advice, especially when offered by someone who has experienced what the campus has to offer not only as an administrator and a professor, but also as a student.

“The main thing that’s different here, and sometimes I kind of missed, is the centralized life that you live in Brownwood. You’re always seeing someone you know...”

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