People, Places & Events

Statistics on ‘the Age Wave’ listed at Chamber lunch
By Barbara Gartman
Monitor Staff Writer
GUN BARREL CITY–Upcoming statistics on aging were presented by Don Richardson to members and guests of The Greater Cedar Creek Lake Chamber of Commerce at the chamber’s monthly luncheon Jan. 8.
“Statistics are about as interesting as watching paint dry,” Richardson, owner of the local Home Instead Senior Care facility, said.
His talk emphasized helping seniors who wished to stay in their homes in their final years, instead of going to a nursing home or senior facility.
One of the biggest problems with Social Security is the fact it was developed more than 63 years ago, in 1935, based on the life expectancy at the time, 65 years.
“Today’s life expectancy is nearly 80 years,” Richardson said.
“No matter who is in office, we are not going to be able to base our retirement on government assistance,” he added.
“The number of people reaching retirement age each year is huge,” Richardson said. “On Oct. 1, 2007, the first Baby Boomer reached retirement. Now, there is one every 12 seconds reaching retirement age.”
Statistics show that in the next five years, half of the seniors will not have $1,000 in cash and Texas will have the third largest senior population.
“Nursing homes will supply the needs of those who need skilled nursing care. The new type of senior care will happen in the home,” Richardson said.
Richardson was raised on a West Texas ranch and attended Texas Tech University. Afterwards, he went to Tripoli and was hired by Hailburton Corporation.
In other business, members heard:
• Strickland Caterers, owned by Sharron Strickland, was named January Business of the Month.
Strickland was a lifesaver helping the Chamber save funds invested in food for the “Night at the Red Garter,” which was postponed by Hurricane Ike.
Potatoes for a large crowd were baked, stuffed and sold to lake area citizens for lunches, preventing one loss, while other foods and projects were similarly handled by Strickland’s catering service.
• Miss East Texas 2009 Jessika Williams was attending. She currently is a Chamber member and will eventually compete in the Miss Texas Pageant.
• the luncheon was hosted by Eustace Chamber with Drucilla Haynes acting as the mistress of ceremonies.
• the meeting was sponsored by Edward Jones/Debra Davis in Mabank.

Seating at Panther Stadium to be expanded
Visiting schools can bring up to 2,000 fans to Mabank home games
By Barbara Gartman
Monitor Staff Writer
MABANK–Monday, Mabank school trustees agreed to add approximately 750 to 900 seats to the visitor’s side of Panther Stadium on a 5-2 vote.
Last month, trustees heard the cost of adding about 1,500 seats would likely be $405,000. Since then, trustees have met in a workshop to discuss the issue in greater detail.
The additional seating would help with visiting District 15-4A school districts.
Mabank High School has the smallest enrollment in the district, turning in an enrollment of 984 students to be used in the 2008 biennial UIL realignment.
The district’s largest school, Lancaster, turned in an enrollment of 1,824, or almost 1,000 more students than Mabank.
In fact, all of the 15-4A schools, with the exception of Terrell (1,204), have more than 1,600 students, and some of them will bring more than 2,000 fans to games at Mabank, far more than the stadium’s existing visitor seating capacity.
Board president Gary Sapp said when the 2005 school bond was being considered, the planning committee considered the problems at Panther Stadium as a future need.
“Panther Stadium is the next (project) on the list,” Sapp said.
New trustees Tyson Johnson and Todd Grimes opposed the proposal.
In other business, trustees:
• heard the number of foreign exchange students allowed to attend MISD would remain the same.
The district must ask for a waiver every three years, and the latest request was approved in 2008.
• heard the traffic light requested for the high school/junior high entrance at Business 175 was approved, and will be paid for by the state.
• heard the highway construction on State Highway 198 in front of the Intermediate School is nearing completion.
The construction is set to be completed in just a few months, Dr. Russell Marshall said.
• heard the district is in good financial shape.
“Everything expense-wise is running about where it was expected,” Assistant Superintendent of Business Operations Scott Adams said.
• received gifts from various campuses and school organizations.
A table loaded with gift bags adorned with colorful reflective paper and filled with treats gave the board meeting a holiday flair.
The occasion marked the statewide observance of School Board Recognition Month. Trustees were thanked for their time in serving the community.
Board members also received certificates and a meal prepared by school principals. The high school student council offered a variety of desserts.
Gift cards from Jalapeño Tree, Chili’s, Pizza Hut, Kings Creek Golf, Blockbuster and others were among the many gifts showered on the school board members.
Also, donations to the two area community libraries were made in the trustees’ names.


Monitor Photo/Barbara Gartman
Mabank Independent School District trustees received certificates of appreciation
for their service at Monday’s board meeting. January is School Board Appreciation
Month. Pictured are (from left) Superintendent Dr. Russell Marshall, trustee Michael
Cathey, board president Gary Sapp, secretary Darrell Kinnard, vice president Kenneth
Odom, trustees Dean Fannin, Todd Grimes and Tyson Johnson.

Kiwanis members get talk training
Monitor Staff Reports
GUN BARREL CITY–In a relaxed and humorous meeting, Cedar Creek Lake Kiwanis members found themselves standing before the group, making an impromptu speech on a suggested subject Wednesday.
Long-time Kiwanis member Paula Kimbell (who was one of the first women in the formerly all-male club) talked about learning to speak before a group through Toastmasters training.
“The idea behind all this is that, if we asked you to do something, you can do it,” she told the gathering.
“We can be as formal or informal as we want to be, but there are rules we have to live by,” she added.
During Toastmasters training, speakers are asked to give a prepared five-minute speech, but are also required to give a two-minute impromptu speech on virtually any topic, she related.
Kimbell asked each member present to write down a word or phrase on a slip of paper, and members were called up to present unprepared two-minute talks on the written suggestions.
Past president Ralph Fortner (who presided over the meeting, as club president Denise York was in Seattle, Wash.) talked about the Texas Aggies, while Tate Cramm spoke about daycare and Marie Sligh spoke about Valentine’s Day.
“I’m very glad to hear that (Dr.) Jeanne (Caillet) will be taking over the secretary’s position,” Kimbell said. “I would like each of you to take a Kiwanis program and report on it.”
Kimbell added she was asking Caillet (a past president) to speak about the secretary’s duties at next week’s Wednesday luncheon.
Former secretary Carol Eubank moved out of state a couple of months ago.
Caillet handed out registration forms for the upcoming Texas-Oklahoma District mid-winter conference at the D/FW Airport Mariott Hotel Feb.13-14, and said each club in the district is being asked to send $100 to the Galveston Kiwanis club, which was decimated by Hurricane Ike.
“No one in the district even sent them a letter,” she reported. “The only letter they got was from Alabama. We should hang our heads over that.”