A tribute to our son

To the Editor:

William D. O’Brien, the biological son of Dawn and Thomas O’Brien, was serving in Iraq with the 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment. He was two weeks away from his 20th birthday and was a few weeks away from the end of his tour of duty. Cpl. William D. O’Brien was killed in action on March 15, 2008.

I didn’t know William before he was killed, but I was there when he was brought home, and I along with others from our community and state were there when he was taken to his final resting place. Why were we there? We were there to honor our son. Even though we did not know him, he became our son by virtue of being a resident of our community.

On May 25, 2009, we will be gathering to dedicate a monument in honor of William and those who have and are currently serving this great nation in the Global War on Terrorism. This Memorial Day, I ask that you join me in paying a special tribute to those who like William that have made the ultimate sacrifice.

I encourage every citizen to make the time to honor our son, William O’Brien. Please join us May 25 at 10 a.m. at the Navarro County War Memorial, located at the courthouse.

Tim Easley



To the boys of summer

To the Editor: Thanks to Corsicana Youth Baseball. I am a 93-year-old lady from Hubbard now a resident of Heritage Oaks Retirement Village. I would like to say “thank you” to a dedicated group of men and women who take time from their busy schedules to coach the Little League teams. I had the pleasure of seeing my great-great-grandson, Blane, a member of the Astros T-Ball team play. I was impressed with the coaches. They seemed very knowledgeable on the basics of the game and they handled the boys in a way that you knew they cared. I feel qualified to speak on this as my husband (now deceased) was in Minor League Baseball as a player and then manager for over 25 years. Parents please take the time to thank the coaches and all who participate in the program. The boys learn much more than baseball on the playing field. Thank you coaches. May God bless you for all that you do to help our youth — they are the future.

Sincerely,

Mariana York



Thanks for Relay efforts

To the Editor: This year’s Relay for Life was an incredible experience and, for many of us, the culmination of a year’s planning. There were numerous hard-working committees and contributors, without whom this event would not have been such a success. On behalf of my own “entertainment” committee, I feel it is important to give some key individuals/companies recognition. I was blessed with two outstanding co-chairs in the form of Kevin Painter (The Photo Shop) and Rick Hocker (Black Jack McCanless Steakhouse and Saloon). They were the masterminds behind the staging, lighting and sound and, with the expertise of Stanley Young, managed to create a powerful sound system that resonated throughout the park. Assistance from Scott Neal and William Parsons was also invaluable in this endeavor. Once again, Todd Jones (Two Doors Down Coffee House) did an outstanding job as our “Relay emcee.” Our stages were provided by Dan Wilkie/True Value, Kyle Glicksman, and College Park Mall. Generators/lights furnished by Rita Tyner/United Rentals, James Sykes/Corsicana Emergency Corps, and Dan Wilkie/True Value illuminated our stages and the Relay surrounds. Brandi Collard delighted us with her Miss Relay contestants. And then there were our outstanding performers: Wayne Owen, Corsicana Cloggers, Splendorleaf, New Life, Northside Orchestra, Byron Haynie, Lo*Ki, Janet Martin, Zanada Tally, Lora Duncan, CurlyHead, David Young, Stan Lawhon and the Current Praise Band, who committed to keep us moving and entertained into the wee hours of the morning. Sadly, a few of them never had the opportunity to perform since the threat of foul weather caused us to cut our event short. To all of these individuals/companies, I thank you for your gracious contribution to this year’s “entertainment segment” of the Relay. I would also like to thank our local newspapers, the Corsicana Daily Sun and Navarro County Times, and KAND radio for their coverage and publicity, as well as Terry Seth and the YMCA. Lastly, my hat goes off to all the other committees, sponsors, volunteers and participants (survivors, caregivers, teams) that pooled their efforts together to make our Relay a success. Thank you for stepping up and congratulations to all on a job well done!

Ellen Block



Vacation concerns

To the Editor: What can I tell my grandchildren about my Arizona vacation? They know that I planned to visit Organ Pipe National Park and I did visit briefly. I checked in at park HQ and paid my fees. When I told the park employee where I wanted to visit, I was informed that part of the park was closed to visitors. It seems that large numbers of illegal alien drug smugglers enter that part of the park with backpacks of drugs, that it is not safe for U.S. visitors. I was being kept out of my national park but the illegal drug smugglers were being let in. There are several highly-paid U.S. government agencies being paid to keep the illegal aliens out and agencies paid to keep our national parks safe. There are agencies paid to keep drugs out of this country and they are doing a poor job. I wonder if the elected/appointed officials are ashamed of the poor job they are doing? I don’t think any of them know what pride is. What happened to the home of the brave and the land of the free? I can’t tell my grandchildren the truth. They are taught what a wonderful free country this is and I can’t tell them this is not true. I simply do not know how to react to this sad situation.

Raymond H. Thomas



A special thank you

To the Editor: There are so many special people to be thanked, people that worked together to achieve the wonderful outcome that was our first historic preservation event. To our knowledge, this was the first time that all of the groups in Corsicana committed and involved in preserving the history and fabric of our city, have come together to work on one project. For the steering group, it was a sheer pleasure to be involved with so many enthusiastic people who worked diligently and in a very short time to get the job done.

For all the time and commitment, a mere “thank you” does not seem to be sufficient, however, if it conveys to all those involved our honest appreciation and gratitude then we are satisfied. We would be remiss if we did not mention by name the following, entities, organizations, interest groups and individuals:

City of Corsicana — the mayor and council; City of Corsicana Parks and Recreation Department — we are grateful for the support of Sharla Allen and her staff; City of Corsicana Police Department; Main Street Project and tourism — special thanks to Malinda Sharpley and Steve Dieterichs; Todd Jones — Two Doors Down for showing “Bonnie and Clyde” the movie; Caleb’s — a special thanks to Jourdan and Caleb; Roy’s Café — especially to Richelle, Ricky and Evonnne; Jordan Art Gallery — thanks to Connie; Merchants Antique Mall — with thanks to Renee Bennett; Canterbury Couture — thanks to Pam Dunn; Starbucks Carriage — thanks to Bettina and Cliff; The Palace Theatre — thanks to all who helped; Corsicana Public Library; the fabulous oral history orators: Carmack Watkins — Black Diamond, Robert Keathley — Rope Walker, Babbette Samuels — Jewish history, Bobby Fluker — Bonnie and Clyde, Pat Spiller — children’s storytime, Charles Statham — The Texas Ranger, Norman Stubbs — the Civil War and so much more!

Navarro College, Jeremy Pereira — for recording these stories for us, a special gift for Corsicana; to the board and membership of Corsicana Preservation Foundation — thanks to Lowell Dunn, Joe Brooks, Mary and Jerry Steely for their invaluable help; to Landmark Commission — Brad Cook; CPF and VIP members — to Joe and Mary Lee Kennemore, we hope that Joe knows how much we appreciated his help; to officers and members of the Navarro County Historical Society, Navarro County Historical Commission and Pioneer Village — with special thanks to Eddie Pevehouse, Bill and Bobbie Young; Daughters of the American Revolution; Daughters of the Republic of Texas; the Genealogy Society — thanks to Debra Hardin; teachers and elementary children of CISD and Mildred School; CPF/VIP/NCHS — Larry Turner thank you for the audio visuals; Single Believers Ministries/Woodland Cemetery and the Coleman House projects — with thanks to Cathy Douglas and her assistant Margaret; the Pearce Museum — thank you to Holly Beasley and husband; the Jackson House, thank you to Ruby Williams; Bobby Fluker and the talented musicians; the chili can car — a special thank you to Al and Pat Hopkins.

Judith Steely