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Tuesday, June 27, 2000

Commissioners receive update on local census

By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer

PECOS, June 27, 2000 - Reeves County Commissioners were briefed on the status of Census 2000 locally on Monday, during their regular meeting at the Reeves County Courthouse.

Commissioner also discussed funding a new Pee Wee football program during their meeting, after Pecos City Councilmen approved funds for the league last Thursday.

Area Census 2000 director Charlene Romero-Wurtz told the court that she had a good report on the response received from Reeves County residents during the initial counting phase.

"Thanks to everyone in Reeves County and Pecos, census counting was a complete success," said Wurtz. "But we're not through yet, we're done with about 60-65 percent and still have a good 35 percent left to go."

County Judge Jimmy Galindo and Precinct 3 Commissioner Herman Tarin went beyond their call of duty in helping with the Census, according to Wurtz.

"You took the lead and did a great job in making sure everyone was accounted for," said Wurtz.

"We reached our 100 percent recruitment and finally found someone to count on the outskirts of Pecos city," said Wurtz. "We are now into the follow-up phase, most of the individuals who worked as enumerators will work until mid-August."

The response in Reeves County was 55 percent and in the city of Pecos to count total was also 55 percent. "We expected 70 percent in Pecos, but anything up from 48 percent is real good, according to Wurtz.

"The reason for the smaller percentage stems from the fact that a lot of people don't receive their mail at home anymore, but have post office boxes," said Wurtz.

"The schools really did promote it and we were able to get into the homes, they did an outstanding job," said Wurtz.

Census takers will be going back and checking everything. "If they find enough discrepancies, we'll come back and review this area," said Wurtz.

After this phase the group will go into the accuracy phase, according to Wurtz.

"The other thing they are going to do is go into the motels where people actually live, institutions and apartments," she said. "There's still quite a bit that they want to do."

Everything should be wrapped up September and in December President Clinton will be receiving an actual count.

"Everyone has been really wonderful, very cordial and no incidents were reported," said Wurtz. "This is great to know, because that wasn't the case in other counties."

Commissioners meet with officials for the new Pecos Eagle Pee-Wee Tackle Football and discussed ways to help fund it.

President of the organization, Randy Baeza, was on hand for the regular meeting and spoke about the efforts the group is currently working on.

"The initial investment is $20,000 to start the program," said Baeza. "This program has been out of Pecos for 19 years and we want to bring it back."

He told commissioners that the surrounding counties are participating and the group is still in need of $8,000.

"We have investors who have given us money for the program," said Baeza.

Baeza stated that the program would show kids the basics of football, such as the terminology and how to put on uniform correctly. "We want to get these kids ready for the coaches so that can get on to business, instead of starting off with the basics," he said.

Pecos High School Coach Gary Grubbs will be involved with the program, with a board set up to help with decisions and funding. Board members include Paul Deishler, Alvaro Herrera, John Salcido and Baeza.

"We will go side-by-side with the varsity schedule, they will play on Fridays and we will play on Saturdays," said Baeza.

Deadline to register is Aug. 14, which will give them three weeks to practice before the first game scheduled for Sept. 9.

"We want to include the whole community in this program," said Baeza.

Individual registration will be only $25 for each player, but the cost to suit up a child has been set at $140, necessitating the outside funding. Officials plan to have 10 teams, five for students in grades 3-4 and five for grades 5-6.

"The initial investment is just to buy the equipment and we plan to buy the best, as far as safety is concerned," said Baeza.

"Do you think there would be enough kids in Balmorhea interested to also include them, commissioner Tarin?" asked Reeves County Judge Jimmy B. Galindo.

Commissioner Tarin assured the court that the kids in Balmorhea were very much interested in the program. "There's a lot of kids that just want to participate in anything, and this program is a good idea," he said.

"We'll have a free football clinic and after that a coaches clinic," said Baeza. "We'll commit to Balmorhea also, if they have enough kids that want to participate."

"I don't think you can legally give him money, because this is a private organization," said county auditor Lynn Owens.

"The proper place for this program is community and recreation," said Galindo.

Galindo stated that there was a line item for football supplies in the recreation department. "I recommend that we put this program under the recreation department so that we can contribute to it legally," he said.

Galindo suggested creating a line item for this particular program in the recreation department. "That way there will be no questions as to giving them money," he said.

"I think that's something to discuss and see if you can live under the recreation department," said Galindo.

"I don't think we'll have any problems with using those facilities and coming under the recreation department," said Baeza.

"My recommendation is to ask the city and private individuals to make their donations under the recreation department, because we can't make any contributions legally," said Galindo.

"I don't see that as a problem, we've been working with (recreation department director) Nora Geron and she has come up with a waiver form for the equipment," said Baeza.

Commissioners authorized a line item and transfers from other line items with funds from the recreation department to this program.

In other action, commissioners approved formalizing a contract with jail and courthouse telephone consultants. "This is just to formalize the scope of work and fee for telephone consultants," said Galindo. "Miss Dailey has summarized the scope of work and fee not to exceed $8,500 and travel expenses no more than $600, for JanCom Technologies," said Galindo.

Commissioners tabled a decision on purchasing a green's mower and utility pickup for the Reeves County Golf Course.

"I don't think the mower is at a point that it's an emergency and we have a backup," said Galindo.

Galindo suggested looking at pickups that will be decommissioned by the RCDC to be used at the golf course. "We can get with the warden and see if we can purchase those for the blue book value," he said.

A Xerox copier lease agreement for the Reeves County Sheriff's Department was approved and a resolution and cooperative working agreement between the Trans Pecos Drug Task Force and Jeff Davis County, was also approved.

Precinct 2 Commissioner David Castillo volunteered to serve on the Juvenile Detention Center Advisory Committee.

"We wanted to select a member of commissioners court to serve the committee to help us decide crucial issues about the juvenile facility," said Chief Juvenile Probation Officer Alberto Alvarez.

"We'll have to decide if we're going to continue to have a juvenile center, right now it's a holding center and it's a much reduced cost," said Alvarez.

The committee consists of one member from each entity, with the Reeves County Sheriff and Pecos Police Chief both involved.

Humphrey looks back at century in Texas

By LEIA HOLLAND
Staff Writer

PECOS, June 27, 2000 - Imagine living without CD players. Imagine living without television. Imagine living without fast food restaurants.

Can't do it?

Marana Orsborn Humphrey did just that while growing up. She is celebrating being 100 years young tomorrow.

Humphrey was born on June 28, 1900, in Emory, Texas. Emory is in Raines County were her father was sheriff. Both the city and county in East Texas were named after her grandfather, Emory Raines.

Humphrey was the oldest of five children. She had three brothers, Gus, Max and Sparks and one sister, Lillian.

Growing up on a farm, Humphrey's father always expected her to work as hard as the workers making her very strong. Her daughter, Lillian Creasy, feels this partly accounts for her longevity.

Humphrey's mother died when she was young and took over the family. She would cook for her family and the workers everyday.

"She was always known by friends and family as sister," Creasy said.

Humphrey's family was always very loyal to each other.

Humphrey lived in the Raines County area until she married her true love, Joseph Robert Humphrey, in 1923.

"They were so devoted to each other," Creasy said.

The newlywed couple then moved to West Texas. They settled in Van Horn first and then moved to Pecos in 1924.

While in Pecos, Humphrey worked as an elementary school and home economics teacher in a one-room schoolhouse. Her husband was the superintendent of schools.

Humphrey and her husband would go to school in the summers. They lived on a "shoestring" budget in those days. For example, they had to eat off of pie plates because they did not have real china.

"They didn't have much but they were happy," Creasy said.

After living in Pecos for ten years Humphrey and her husband moved to Olney, were he also served as superintendent. While in Olney, their daughter Martha Jo was born.

Soon after the newly expanded family moved to Temple. Mr. Humphrey was superintendent of schools and president of Temple Junior College when Humphrey gave birth to their second daughter, Lillian.

In 1950, the family of four moved to Austin. Creasy explained that teachers and administrators were like a big family all over the state and moving to Austin was like moving to another home because her parents knew so many people.

While in Austin, Humphrey received her master's degree from the University of Texas and taught fourth, fifth and sixth grades.

"I used to love to visit her classroom," Creasy said. "Her students adored her."

During that time, she was voted teacher of the year twice and retired in 1968.

In 1998, Humphrey moved back to Pecos with her daughter and her husband, Richard Creasy. Last year, when she celebrated her 99th birthday, about six of her former students attended a party in her honor.

A former student, Birdie Slack, credited Humphrey to her becoming a schoolteacher. She also told a story of trick or treating at the Humphrey house one year. She said her friends and she went up to the screen door on Halloween and peeked in and saw Humphrey and her husband kissing. Slack remembers thinking that was so romantic.

Creasy said her mother has always been very independent and has a mind of her own and believes that is has helped her live this long.

"It's very like her to make sure she makes it to her 100th birthday," Creasy said.

Marana Orsborn Humphrey has seen a century of changes in the world, and has been a positive inspiration to many people throughout her career as a wife, mother, teacher and friend.

Former students and friends are invited to come visit Humphrey on her birthday, June 28, at 1610 South Park from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Obituary

Evaristo Ontiveros

Evaristo Ontiveros, 92, of Seminole, died Sunday, June 25, 2000, at Memorial Hospital after a lengthy illness.

Graveside services will be held at 10:30 a.m., Wednesday, June 28, at the Santa Rosa Cemetery in Pecos.

He was born Oct. 26, 1907, in Maxwell, married Eufemia Mora on Jan. 15, 1965, in Pecos. He was an owner of nightclubs in Odessa and Pecos for many years. He moved from Pecos to Seminole five years ago and was a Catholic.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Eufemia, in 1984.

Survivors include one son, Edwardo Ontiveros of Fort Stockton; one daughter, Basillia Rendon of Pecos; five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Boyer Funeral Home of Seminole is in charge of arrangements.

Weather

PECOS, June 27, 2000 - High Monday 97. Low this morning 73. Forecast for tonight: Partly cloudy with a less than 20 percent chance of thunderstorms. Low 65-70. Southeast wind 5-15 mph. Wednesday: Partly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of thunderstorms. High in the upper 90s. Southeast wind 10-20 mph. Wednesday night: Partly cloudy with a slight chance of showers or thunderstorms. Low around 65. Thursday: Partly cloudy with a slight chance of showers or thunderstorms. High 90-95.



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