Wednesday, June 21, 2023
We were recently in Savannah, GA and stopped by a little diner named “Fork & Dagger” for breakfast. Their slogan is “Where the north and the south meet for lunch.”
We were blown away when we noticed the lady working behind the counter who took our orders. She looked so much like our own Jennifer Anderson who runs Bayou Crawfish and the Gulf Station Café in Many.
And her mannerisms were the same. She was always moving. Always taking care of business.
When I told her that she reminded me of a nice lady who operated a couple of restaurants in my hometown, she flashed a big smile and wanted to know more. I told her I would show her photo to Jennifer and would send her a picture of Jennifer.
I also told her I was going to write about it, and she said be sure and let her know. So, Brandi, “Hello from Many, LA.”
Hats doffed to Sylvester Martinez who placed an American Flag on the grave of each soldier who was killed in action and buried at St. Joseph Cemetery in Zwolle. What an outstanding thing he did to honor our fallen heroes, and folks are very appreciative of his efforts. Sylvester is a leader in this area for the Sons of Confederate Veterans.
In addition, Sylvester cleaned all the tombstones of the fallen men, and they were so pretty and white.
The following soldiers lost their lives and are buried in St. Joseph’s. Thanks to Mary L. “Betty” Rivers who put this information together.
SERVING IN THE ARMY WERE: Army Pvt. Morise Z. Sepulvado, killed in Germany March 24, 1945. Army SFC Jonnie V. Mena, killed in Korea on April 19, 1951. Army Sp-4 Thomas S. Malmay, killed in Viet Nam on Sept. 26, 1970. Marine Clayton Sepulvado killed in Korea March 3, 1951. Marine Joseph Matthew Crnkovic killed in Saipan on June 15, 1944.
Army Pfc. Joseph Donald Ebarb, killed on August 3, 1950 in Korea. Navy soldier Jessie Patrick Ebarb, killed while training in the USA on Feb. 6, 1943. Joseph James Ebarb, member of the Army killed Nov. 5, 1944. Lawrence Parrie, member of the Navy, killed in the South Pacific on Nov. 18, 1944. Army Pfc Jarrell Richard Remedies killed in Viet Nam on Aug. 1, 1967. Army SFC James Thomas Cordova, killed Jan. 23, 1965 in Viet Nam. Army Pfc Martin L. Nigreville was killed Dec. 31, 1953 in Korea.
Three sons of Hosea and Josephine (Longoria) Torres enlisted in the Army and were killed during World War II. Willie L. Torres was killed July 25, 1945, on Luzon Island, Philippines. John B. Torres was killed in Belgium on Oct. 11, 1945. Hosea “Hosie Lee” Louis Torres was killed on Manila, Philippines on July 12, 1945.
A special thank you to our good friend Martha Henderson of Zwolle for supplying these pictures and information to Observations.
Robeline Council Member Rodney French said the Council met Thursday night, June 15, to adopt the budget for the coming year, but did not take a vote. He said the budget by law has to be adopted by July 1, which is the beginning of the fiscal year.
According to the proposed budget, provided by Mr. French, the Village anticipates revenue of $595,626 and total expenditures of the same amount.
Terri Matthews, who has had problems with the operation of the Village government for years, said the residents of the Village have had little or no voice in how the funds are spent. She said the salary/payroll account is over budgeted by $163,000. She claims that the “villagers want $100,000 taken from the payroll and insurance account and put into the ‘Betterment of the Village’ account.” Terri said the Council will meet again on June 28 to discuss the budget.
The big expenditures on the proposed budget are: salaries/payroll $250,000; payroll taxes, including delinquent, $95,100; vehicle insurance, $18,300; health insurance, $32,050; commercial insurance, $41,850; contract labor for mowing, $30,000; police department, traffic disbursements, $37,900 and events/recreation, beautification, $10,000.
French said at the June 15 meeting that Alderman Mike Solice was absent, and that Council Member Lovance Sowell told him she would vote in favor of the proposed budget, with French voting against, making it a tie vote, thus Mayor O’Con could have to break the tie.
Both French and Matthews complained they have tried to see Robeline Village records and the records have not been forthcoming from Mayor O’Con or Town Clerk Celeste O’Con. In fact, at the last regular Council meeting, Matthews said the police made her leave the meeting.
Terri posted recently on social media: “Robeline’s budget SHOULD NOT be done by the Mayor and his Clerk. It SHOULD BE done by the people with Council approval, or by the Council with the peoples’ approval, NOT THE Mayor and his clerk.”
In his official request, French asked for the following information, pursuant to Louisiana Public Records Act, La. 44:1-41 and Article XII, Section 3 of the Louisiana Constitution:
- All bank accounts the village has, their names, addresses and balances of each account.
- The name and addresses of all insurance companies used by the Village, the police numbers and copies of all policies.
- A list and description of all lands owned by the Village, plus copies of all leases for Village property.
- A list of all ordinances passed by the Village Council, including those passed by previous administrations.
- All monthly bank statements and canceled checks from December 2022 through May 2023.
French said he has been told that he cannot be provided copies of checks because they contain personal information. We bet Rodney and Terri won’t stop until they see the records.
Rodney French and Aubrey Mitchell are administrators for a Facebook page entitled, “Robeline, LA. Past, Present, Future. Happenings & Debate.”
Started just a few weeks ago, the group now has about 200 members.
We were informed by Terri Matthews on Monday afternoon that the Robeline Town Council will meet June 29 at 6 p.m. to go over the town’s budget.
She said Mayor Gordon O’Con had “just agreed to put $105,500 in the excess revenue account to offset in the expenses account for the betterment of Robeline.”
“I’m a happy woman,” she stated.
In other news, Rodney French says he wants to see Robeline change and grow. He has started volunteering his time to do things around town that he considers the change it needs, such as beautification, a program on July 4, cleaning up the town, etc. He has asked that other folks join in and help him. We understand he has already spent $600 of his own money helping others.
LATE REPORT: To add to the confusion about what is happening in Robeline, Council Member Rodney French reported Tuesday morning that he had talked with Mayor Gordon O’Con, and he stated that the $105,500 for town improvements will not be forthcoming.
We were saddened to learn of the death of long-time friend Joy Pickett Phillips. She passed away peacefully in her sleep June 16 at the age of 95.
She and husband Tom Phillips were very active in community affairs in Sabine Parish. She was active in the Fisher Heritage Foundation and was chairperson for Fisher Sawmill Days for 18 years. She was a member of the Order of Eastern Star for 68 years. In addition, she was a member of the United Daughters of the Confederacy and the Daughters of the American Revolution.
After her retirement, she and Tom will be remembered for being very involved in Mary Bozeman’s Sabine Parish Players. She acted in many productions, with her favorite being “A Christmas Carol.”
She was a devoted Christian and taught Sunday School in various churches through the years.
Ms. Phillips was a sister of Judge John S. Pickett Jr.
We send our sympathy to members of the family. She will be missed.
Word has it that Lawrence Brandon has opened a new restaurant in Converse called “The Four Corners.” He has operated restaurants across Sabine Parish, near Logansport, Hemphill, Beaumont, TX and other places. Always found his food to be good.
Phyllis Lehr Named to Hall of Fame Board
Phyllis Lehr of Zwolle has been named to the Board of Directors of the Sabine Hall of Fame, according to Chairman Pete Abington. She will be in charge of publicity and photography. “We are very pleased to have Ms. Lehr on the committee,” Abington said. “She is a real community worker and is interested in the betterment of Sabine Parish. I know she will do an outstanding job.”
Ms. Lehr commented, “I am looking forward to meeting the people who will be selected to represent each area of accomplishment for the coming year. These highly motivated individuals are models of achievement in their areas of experience and success. The manner of recognizing them with their colleagues and family in attendance is a fabulous event.”
She is very active in civic, community and social affairs. She is a longtime member of the Zwolle Tamale Fiesta Board of Directors where she serves as photographer and is chairperson for the annual commemorative poster. She is affiliated with St. Joseph Catholic Church where she serves as lector and Eucharistic Minister.
Ms. Lehr’s interests include photography, which she has been interested in since high school, reading historical and biographical books and stories and learning about culture, history and folklore of the area.
She has a very strong background in education, receiving the Bachelor of Education degree in Elementary Education from Northwestern in December 1979. Ms. Lehr obtained her Master of Education in Special Education with emphasis in Intellectual Disabilities in December 1983 from Northwestern, the Specialist of Education with emphasis in Gifted Education in December 1989 and additional areas in Administration and Supervision of Education, Regular Education and Special Education Supervision, Special Education-Learning Disabilities.
Her work experience includes Special Educational Paraprofessional and Special Educational Self-Contained Classroom for the Sabine School Board from August 1974 – May 1978. She was Special Education Teacher, Resource Setting – Mid/Moderate Disabilities at Zwolle Intermediate School from Jan. 1980 – May 1984. From Jan. 1984 – May 2000 she taught Gifted Education at Converse High School, home-based School Itinerant Teacher. She worked for the Louisiana Department of Education from May 2000 – Nov. 2011 at the Regional Education Service Center in Natchitoches where she was an Education Consultant – Special Education Coordinator for eight parishes.
Ms. Lehr’s professional affiliations include Sabine Parish Retired Teachers Association and Council for Exceptional Children, Red River Chapter 1004 where she served as president 1994-96. She was a member of the Louisiana Association of Educators from 1989-95. In addition, she was a Louisiana delegate to the National Conference of Exceptional Children in San Antonio in 1994.
It was with sadness we learned from Rickey Robertson Monday afternoon that our good friend Donald Murphy of Negreet had passed away. Those who were fortunate enough to know Donald knew he was a “one-of-a-kind” very talented and interesting human being.
I first met Donald in 1966 when I got him to draw some illustrations for a James Stallworth book I was publishing.
Once when he was working for Needham Tidwell as a carpenter, they were building an addition to my home. I came in for lunch one day and in his spare time, Donald had drawn a caricature of Reese Bray on the sheetrock. He knew it would later be covered with paint. It was funny.
A few years ago, I was on a trip for a few days and when I came back to the office, there was a group of three drawings of Indians on my desk. No one knew who had brought them in. Finally, it came to me that it was Don Murphy. I called him, and he said it was. I asked him to come by and sign and date them, which he did. That was back in 2018. At the same time, he brought me two additional pictures. Wife Laurie framed them for me and they hang in my office to this day.
Donald told me he kept a sketch pad on a night table by his bed. He said when he could not sleep, he would get up, turn on a light, get his pen and sketch pad and draw a picture. He was good.
In his early days, folks around called him Tarzan because they said he would swing from vines down at Negreet and yell like Tarzan. He loved nature and lived back in the woods. He loved to talk about the deer coming up to his house each afternoon when he would feed them.
It was a great loss to him when wife Lois died a few years ago. He never got over it.
Services for Donald will be held Sunday, June 25, at Siloam Baptist Church at 2 p.m.
We are fortunate to have called Don a friend for so many years. May he rest in peace.
We want to send out Get Well wishes to Pete Abington, who has been down for about two weeks now. He’s had a rough time, and we hope he will soon be on the road to recovery.
Mrs. Joe R. Salter informed us that her husband had a tough week recently due to being unable to sleep. She said the issue is much improved, he is doing better now and is getting some good sleep.
We want to ask you to please remember these two fine gentlemen in your prayers.
Converse Lady Cats come home proud State Champs
In what could be described as two of the most exciting games of the LHSAA Softball State Playoffs, the Converse Lady Cats claimed their first state title in 29 years in highly dramatic fashion. At the helm of both victorious finishes was pitcher Avery Prine.
In the state semifinal game, the Lady Cats took on the Choudrant Lady Aggies. Not only was Prine a gem in the circle but she also took care of business at the plate. Prine allowed one run on five hits and struck out 13 batters. Alongside teammate Summer Brumley, Prine was 2 for 4 at the plate and sealed the deal in the bottom of the 7″ with a massive 2-run homer to lead her team to victory with a final score of 3-1. Also recording hits in the semifinal game were Kraegan Jordan and Kristin Claire Murray.
The final game for the Division V, Non-select state title was even more of a heartstopper. The 4-seed Lady Cats took on the 2-seed Quitman Lady Wolverines in a 9-inning thriller. In a true pitcher’s duel, Quitman’s Cali Deal went head-to-head with Converse’s Prine. Quitman started out with a bang scoring one run in the bottom of the first inning behind a double put into play by Deal and a single by Madison Brymer. Amazingly, Prine would hold them to that single run for the remainder of the game.
It wasn’t until the fourth inning when Converse was able to answer. Summer Brumley started the rally with a double to left field followed by a hard ground ball single up the middle put into play by Avery Prine. After back-to-back hits, with runners at the corners, Converse set the stage for a sac bunt by Maci Morgan to tie the game 1-1. In doing so, Converse accomplished something that no Quitman opponent had been able to do in their last five games – score runs. In fact, in their previous five games leading up to the state championship game, Quitman had outscored their opponents 42-0.
Another five innings would ensue before a victor was named. In the top of the 9th, Prine once again stepped up for her team with a single to shallow left. The stage was set for two perfectly placed sac bunts by Maci Morgan and Kraegan Jordan, respectively. With all the determination to return home a state champion, Abby Friday singled to right field on a 1-2 count to record the second RBI of the game and all but sealed the deal. Next up, Prine once again worked her magic in the bottom of the 9th to induce a groundout, a strikeout swinging, and a final strikeout looking to secure the game of a lifetime for her team. Over the 9-inning battle, Deal held the Lady Cats to two runs on four hits while striking out nine. Prine could not have been any better on the mound holding the Lady Wolverines to a one-run game off three hits while striking out an astonishing 17 batters. Deservedly, Prine went on to be awarded the Division V, Non-select Outstanding Player Award.
Behind the team’s massive success was a lineup of coaches that included Head Coach Chris Brumley, Associate Head Daniel Litton, Assistant Ashlee Bennett, and Assistant Derek Jordan. Earning the Louisiana Sportswriter’s Association’s top bid as Class B Softball Coach of the Year was veteran coach Chris Brumley.
Although this was his first season with the Lady Cats, Brumley brought a wealth of knowledge to the program as a seasoned baseball coach. Returning to his alma mater where he was a member of the 1986 Class B Wildcat State Champion Baseball Team, Brumley set out a goal for the Lady Cats to make the state tourney.
That goal was met as the Lady Cats moved past Maurepaus (15-0) in the regional round of playoffs and Anacoco (4-2) in the quarterfinal round to make the LHSAA State Tourney for the first time since 2017 and ultimately, take the state’s top honor for the first time since 1994. The Lady Cats ended their historic season with an overall record of 25-7.
Brumley stated after his team’s win, “Prine had an outstanding weekend in the circle striking out 30 batters. I couldn’t have asked for a better performance. Our team came together and locked in when it mattered most. The ending to this season is one these girls and coaches will remember for a lifetime.”
The Lady Cats were the recipients of several honors. Named to the District 3-B, First Team All-District Squad were senior Rayni Rivers and juniors Avery Prine, Summer Brumley, Abby Friday and Kristin Claire Murray. Rounding out the District 3-B Second Team honors were senior Willa Gregston, sophomore Maci Morgan, 8th Grader Kohley Rivers and 7th Grader Kraegan Jordan.
Additional honors were also extended by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association and the Louisiana Softball Coaches Association as three Lady Cats were named to both organization’s Class B, First Team All-State Roster. Receiving top honors were Avery Prine, Summer Brumley and Rayni Rivers. They were also each named to the Shreveport Times All Area Team.
(Special thanks to Sabine Parish Director of Student Services Kristy Brumley for supplying the article and photos above.)
We always love to hear from our longtime friend and faithful reader Ronald Byrd of South Boston, VA. His latest note follows:
“Robert, Sorry for the lack of contact but I did enjoy last week’s Observations items related to your journey and was very impressed by today’s article on Wade Seegers. I don’t think that I’m stretching a point to guess that Sheriff Mitchell had a hand in helping Wade get the opportunity. Whatever, it’s obvious that the Sabine Parish Sheriff’s Office is in good hands. I’m hoping all aspects of the trip to the east coast went well. I’m being treated for what’s been a debilitating bout with sciatica. When I can’t play games against the youngsters, my attitude gets really bad! Wish I could have heard Laurie sing last week… Please tell her hello for me… Ronny”
Ronny is quite an amazing guy. He’s a pickleball champ and was in the game long before its recent trendiness. He has started his ninth decade, and Ronny’s physical stamina and mental acuity are truly something to behold. He makes his age look like a youthful 70-something.
We are awfully proud of great-niece Mollie McHand of Winnsboro who makes her stage debut next month at the historic Princess Theater.
Mollie is set to portray young Michael in the musical, “Mary Poppins.” Set in 1910 England, Michael and sister Jane have sent many nannies packing before the arrival of Mary Poppins, who outwits the children with common sense and magic and has a profound effect on the family.
Mollie is 11 years old and is the daughter of Scott and Karla McHand of Winnsboro. She is going into the 6th grade at Family Community Christian School. When not performing on the stage, Mollie enjoys traveling with her family, reading, swimming, and spending time with her cats, Jasper and Jojo.
We are equally proud of the beautiful and talented Betsy Shirley, wife of our great-nephew Travis, who has the starring role as Mary Poppins. She is gifted vocally and on a variety of instruments, and we cannot wait to see her performance as well.
For anyone who happens to be that way, the musical will be produced at the Princess Theater at 714 Prairie St. in Winnsboro, LA on Aug. 10-12 at 7 p.m. each evening.
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