Wednesday, May 5, 2021

Moses Curtis, son of Mr. and Mrs. John W. Curtis of Many, was named Principal of Many High School effective Monday, May 3, Supt. Sara Peace Ebarb informed Observations Friday afternoon. And there could not have been a finer choice.

Supt. Ebarb said the School Board advertised for the position after Norman Booker III resigned from the position. Moses was interviewed by a committee, along with three other applicants. In addition, the faculty was surveyed regarding leadership qualities for the school, and Moses was selected by the committee and approved by Supt. Ebarb. She added that the process took about four weeks, and this is the regular procedure for hiring administrators.

Moses has over 18 years’ experience in education, 17 of those years in Sabine Parish. He has served over 10 years at Many High as Assistant Principal and most recently as Interim Principal. He spent four years teaching and coaching at Many Junior High. Next, he spent over three years as Assistant Principal at the Junior High before assuming his duties at Many High.

He earned his Bachelors of Science and Masters of Education from the University of Louisiana at Monroe. 

Moses is married to the former Leslie Founds, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Warren Founds of Many. She is a pharmacist and operates the very successful Curtis Family Pharmacy in Many. Moses and Leslie have been married 27 years and have four children. The oldest is Gunner, who is a senior at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, majoring in General Studies. Carson is a sophomore at LSU majoring in Pre-med. Tackett is a tenth-grader at Many High, and Lola is a seventh-grader at Many Junior High.

If there is an ethics question about Moses Curtis being named principal at Many High as his brother and his nephew work there, it is not an ethics violation, according to Supt. Sara Ebarb. She added, “He could not hire his sibling, parent, child or the spouse of his sibling or child, but since his sibling has been there for more than a year, it is not an issue. His nephew being there is not an ethics issue.”

The Principal’s post became open after Norman Booker III was charged with one count of sexual battery, one count of oral sexual battery, two counts of indecent behavior with juveniles and one count of misdemeanor sexual battery. A Sabine Grand Jury indicted him on the charges Feb. 8.

According to reports reaching Observations, Booker continues to be on the School Board payroll, we suppose until his case is disposed of in a court of law. That could possibly take years. District Attorney Don Burkett recused himself from this case and it is being handled by State Attorney General Jeff Landry’s office.

In addition, Norman’s brother, John Anthony “Jay” Booker was indicted by the same Grand Jury for two counts of indecent behavior with juveniles. He taught at Many Junior High and was later transferred to the SPARK school. The State Attorney General is also handling this case. According to reports reaching us, his status with the School Board has not changed.

One of our good friends and a regular reader of Observations is Marthaville native Ronald Byrd who lives in New Boston, VA. He came up with a wonderful suggestion, and we wanted to pass it on and hope that it will be carried out.

He suggested the first basketball tournament that Chief of Police Cheryl Wooley has proposed be named the Jaret Barrett Summer Tournament to show Mr. Barrett the appreciation from the citizens of Many for what he has done in supplying sports equipment. Ronald suggested, “Maybe he could be invited and recognized at halftime during the championship game.”

Folks realize how much the youth of our town need help at this particular time. And we very much appreciate the good heart of Mr. Barrett and his desire to help.

Judy and Conrad Cathey are two of the biggest promoters and developers of Toledo Bend Lake. Here they are shown resting on the front porch of one of their homes built at the lake.

The other day I was at the Sabine Index office and ran across the above picture of Conrad and Judy Cathey back in their younger days. And it brought to mind just how much Conrad and Judy have done to promote the Lake. And they have been so successful with it.

Conrad was one of the earlier developers on Toledo Bend and helped many other people do so. Judy sold real estate for many years and helped a lot of people find the property they wanted. She is now retired and we hope is enjoying life to the fullest. Conrad continues to work, and we guess he will until the day he dies.

But both of them are well known and regarded very highly for their long-time promotion of the growth and development of Toledo Bend. We need more like them.

Thanks again to District Attorney Don Burkett for again hosting the National Day of Prayer for our Nation on Thursday. He has been doing so for a number of years. Lord knows our nation needs much prayer and we thank Don for his efforts.

The Newton County, Texas Sheriff’s Department is on the lookout for Leo “Burt” Mitchell Jr., 40, of Sabine Parish. He is the suspect accused of stealing a pickup truck after an attempted theft of an ATM at Sabine State Bank in Burkeville, TX early Monday morning.

Newton County Sheriff Robert Burby said Mitchell lives in Louisiana and investigators believe he’s in Natchitoches or Florien. Anyone with information should call the Newton County Sheriff’s Office at (409) 379-3636 or 3637.

Mitchell has a history of theft. Sabine Chief Sheriff’s Deputy Brad Walker told Observations that back in 2018, he and Detective Don Flores investigated a case of money boxes at boat launch pads on Toledo Bend being forced open and the money taken.

In addition, Mitchell was found guilty of stealing Bo Stewart’s work truck and driving it into Curtis Grocery [Hwy. 191, south Sabine Parish] in an attempt to get to the ATM. Mitchell did not get the ATM, but did manage to back the truck out and make it to Florien before being apprehended. 

Also, Chief Walker said that Mitchell used a cutting torch to get into locked boxes that held money. He is also a suspect in an unsuccessful attempt to compromise the ATM at the Sabine State Bank Florien branch.

Mitchell was sentenced to seven years in the can, but got out after about three years.

Longtime Many Police Dept. Dispatcher Jimmy Dees was honored Monday at a retirement celebration hosted by the Town of Many and the Many Police Department. Former Police Chief Dean Lambert, who first hired Dees at the Department full-time, was on hand to recognize him as was Mayor Ken Freeman, District Attorney Don Burkett, Sabine Sheriff Aaron Mitchell, Police Chief Cheryl Wooley and several other elected officials, friends and family.

Speaking of Dees, Mayor Freeman said “He trained Alfice Brumley, he trained Dean Lambert, he trained Ron Lambert, he trained Roger Freeman and he is now training our new Chief, Cheryl Wooley. He also had a lot to do with [the administrations of Mayors] Virginia Godfrey, Mike Tarver and me. He was also very, very instrumental in helping Valmore Byles and Reo Wright develop and operate the Vol. Fire Dept. that served our community many, many years so well and has helped keep our insurance levels at a reasonable rate. …We appreciate his role that he has played in making our hometown a better place for us all to live.”

Dees went to work full-time at the Many Police Dept. on Nov. 5, 1978. He had done some part-time work there previously, but came on board as full-time Dispatcher under Chief Dean Lambert. “He was just fabulous,” Lambert said. “He was officially a Dispatcher, but he had many other duties, of course.” Some of the important work to which Dees contributed included the installation of the 9-1-1 system, which he helped map out for the area.

“I stayed up here forever,” former Chief Dean Lambert said in his remarks to the crowd, “And Jimmy stayed up here longer than that! Jimmy was out there in the front where he saw a lot of stuff – good stuff, bad stuff and really interesting stuff. You know in a coal mine, they always had that canary down there and if anything went bad, and they got gas or something, the canary was the first one to go. And that’s what I called Jimmy sitting at that front door. He was our canary,” to which current Chief Cheryl Wooley interjected, “He still is!”

Dees was born to Eugene and Hattie Mae Rains Dees on July 22, 1941. He was the first of four boys born to the couple; his younger brothers were Ted, J. L. and Roland. His children are Marsha (Weaver), Truman, Corey and Justin. He is married to Jackie Dees and is grandfather to six.

At the party, Dees expressed his appreciation to the Many Police Department, the Town of Many, his many co-workers down through the years, and his family. “A lot has happened through the years,” Dees said, “A lot of it good, a lot of it bad, but as a town, we have managed to get through it. This is my hometown. It always has been and always will be. I appreciate every one of y’all and I love every last one of you. If y’all ever need me, I’ll be on that hill over there,” he said, motioning toward the direction of his home. “Just holler at me and I’ll come to you, wherever you’re at.”

“We proudly present you this plaque for all your years of service,” Chief Wooley said during the presentation, “We hope that you hang it up on the wall and don’t use it as fishing bait!”

“I won’t!” Dees responded with a laugh, “It will be proudly hung up,” he said.

 Native Americans danced, sang, beat the drums and celebrated their heritage and culture at the annual spring Pow Wow held at the end of April at the tribal grounds in Ebarb. Adults, tribal elders, and children were colorfully dressed in their native attire as they danced around the center arena to the tunes of native drums as spectators watched in awe.

Gourd dances, a grand entry parade, women’s jingle dances and other Native American dances entertained both the dancers and the visitors.

Twelve members of the Choctaw-Apache tribe died of COVID during the last 12 months, and tribal members commemorated their loved ones in special dances.

Vendors brought their wares for sale which included blankets, musical instruments, wood carvings, Indian jewelry and much more.

At what was perhaps the busiest vendor booth, a just-published new book about the Choctaw-Apache Tribe in the Ebarb-Noble-Zwolle area of Sabine Parish was sold and autographed.

Dorsey Ebarb Bronson, Mary Carlin and Danny Ebarb all grew up in the Ebarb area, and have authored the book “Trail of Tears,” the story of the Choctaw-Apache Tribe, its history and its culture. More than 300 copies of the book were sold to a line of customers waiting to buy them. The book will soon be for sale at Nichols in Many. 

Other vendors sold a wide variety of food items ranging from Indian fry bread to tamales.

For the Native Americans, the Pow Wow was a day of celebrating their heritage and culture. For others, it was a day of learning about the huge contribution of the Choctaw-Apaches to the history and culture of Sabine Parish.

A special Thank You to Mary Brocato for the above article.

Sales tax collections in Sabine Parish amounted to $2,094,435.52 in April, according to a report issued by Tax Collector Nolan Rivers. This represents $439,494.83 more than was collected in April of 2020.

The following table shows April results:

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