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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas

Golden Years

May 19, 1998

Local cotton farmer acquires many honors


By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer
He has held numerous high-profile positions and served his
community on a multitude of boards, but nothing about this
quiet and genuinely modest man would betray a hint of the
greatness others feel for him.

Well-known throughout the Trans-Pecos and beyond, Bob
Bickley, former Pecos mayor and longtime backbone of the
area's cotton business, doesn't think much of his many
achievements and positions, objecting that they are really
"no big deal."

"They were just a part of my life, that I enjoyed doing,"
said Bickley.

"I'm not involved in very much these days," said Bickley.
"Even though I still like to keep in touch with what is
going on and especially the cotton business," he said.

"I don't do a lot of the activities I used to love such as
play golf, hunt and fish," said Bickley.

He was involved in an automobile accident that has halted
most of the strenuous activities he used to enjoy. But his
many other activities have not stopped.

Bob Bickley is celebrating having just completed his 50th
year in Pecos. Born on Sept. 22, 1918, in Merkel, Texas,
Bickley moved to Pecos in April of 1948.

He attended Merkel High School and McMurry College in
Abilene, earning a B.S. degree in business administration,
in 1940.

Prior to 1951 he held various employment position with
Anderson, Clayton and Co. and others.

"From 1951 to 1961 I was manager of Pecos oil mill for
Anderson, Clayton and Co.," said Bickley.

During this time, Bickley did general management functions,
including being responsible for sales, employment and
procurement.

From 1961-1968 he was district manager for the same company
and Pecos Cottonoil Co.

"I was responsible as district manager, for extensive crop
financing in the area, making production loans to local
growers and represented Anderson, Clayton and Co. as officer
of the several gin corporations in which Anderson, Clayton
and Co. was interested," Bickley said.

As manager of Pecos Cottonoil Co. he had full responsibility
for the operation.

Bickley was manager of the Pecos Area Operations, SWIG
Cottonoil Mill and Southwestern Irrigated Cotton Growers
Association. As manager he was responsible for operations of
oil mill, two cotton gins, cotton warehouses, and other
merchandising functions in the Pecos area.

He was executive vice-president and general manager of West
Texas Cooperative Oil Mill from 1976 until 1983.

Bickley was chief executive officer for cooperative
operating a cottonseed and oil mill and a cotton warehouse.

He is currently semi-retired and operates under "Bob Bickley
Trading Co." on a part-time basis engaging in family,
commodity trading and consultation work.

As a familiar face in the cotton business, he is also
currently executive director of the Trans-pecos Cotton
Association.

He is married to Billie Shields Bickley, a retired teacher
from the Pecos-Barstow-Toyah ISD and the couple have three
children, Linda Hayes of El Paso, Martha Stuart of Midland
and Besty Slack of Dallas.

He has been a past member of the Pecos-Barstow-Toyah ISD
Board; past member of the Pecos Housing Authority Board;
past president of the Pecos Chamber of Commerce; past
president of the Pecos Valley Country Club; past president
of the Community Chest; past senior warden, St. Mark's
Episcopal Church; past member of Town council, Town of Pecos
City, where he served as Mayor for four years.

"I was also involved in other civic activities," said
Bickley.

He had served in the U.S. Army where he entered as a
private, honorable discharged as technical sergeant.

Recently, Congressman Henry Bonilla was in Pecos to present
Bickley with six more medals to add to his "Croix de Guerre"
he already had.

Adding to his "croix de guerre", a French medal for heroism
in battle, Congressman Bonilla presented local cotton man
Bob Bickley with six more medals honoring him for his
extensive service during World War Two. Bickley served with
anti-aircraft artillery as a technical sergeant in the
United States Army and completed five military campaigns
between November of 1942 and November of 1945.

"A lot of folks may not know what you did, they just think
of you as a cotton expert," said Bonilla. "I cannot imagine
being like you were and the bravery in your heart."

"I appreciate it very much Congressman," said a reserved
Bickley. "But, remember, most who have decorations, whether
high or low level, have gotten them somewhat accidentally."

The medals had all been awarded to Bickley previously,
though he just wrote and requested they be sent recently.

"I didn't expect anything like this," said Bickley of the
Congressional escort.

Some of the medals presented included one for American
Theater, one for European Theater and one for Army of
Occupation.

Bickley is still a landowner in Reeves County and a few
acres in Ward County. He is the president of Learning
Enhancement, Inc. a franchise operating a Sylvan Learning
Center in Midland.

He was executive vice-president and general manager of West
Texas Cooperative Oil Mill from 1976 until 1983.

Bickley was chief executive officer for a cooperative
operating a cottonseed and oil mill and a cotton warehouse.

He is currently semi-retired and operates under "Bob Bickley
Trading Co." on a part-time basis engaging in family,
commodity trading and consultation work.

As a familiar face in the cotton business, he is also
currently executive director of the Trans-Pecos Cotton
Association.

He is married to Billie Shields Bickley, a retired teacher
from the Pecos-Barstow-Toyah ISD and the couple have three
children, Linda Hayes of El Paso, Martha Stuart of Midland
and Besty Slack of Dallas.

He has been a past member of the Pecos-Barstow-Toyah ISD
Board; past member of the Pecos Housing Authority Board;
past president of the Pecos Chamber of Commerce; past
president of the Pecos Valley Country Club; past president
of the Community Chest; past senior warden, St. Mark's
Episcopal Church; past member of Town council, Town of Pecos
City, where he served as Mayor for four years.

"I was also involved in other civic activities," said
Bickley.

He had served in the U.S. Army where he entered as a
private, honorable discharged as technical sergeant.

Recently, Congressman Henry Bonilla was in Pecos to present
Bickley with six more medals to add to the "Croix de Guerre"
he already had.

Museum News


By GENORA PREWIT
As you have seen in the Pecos Enterprise, the museum is
always involved in community activities. One of the most
important programs, because it involves Pecos children, is
the Student Art Festival. Dorinda and I started this 11
years ago and it has always been well attended by parents,
students, grandparents, teachers and friends.

About 250 attended this year's program in the courtyard.
This is good!

The museum is again open on Sunday afternoons from 1-4, with
good attendance of tourists and local folks. Freda Blahosky
was working Mother's Day when an unexpected tour bus from
California stopped. Needless to say, she and Joel
Valenzuela, one of the museum's student employees, were
quite busy.

Everyone at the museum is working on the annual newsletter -
quite a production - and an expensive one because it goes
out to thousands of old timers and others. Tickets for our
annual quilt fundraiser will be included. This year's quilt
was again made by Harvey and Stella Tinkler (who have moved
to Brownwood). Valued at $600, it is maroon and white,
kingsize, the pattern is "Broken Star." Only $2 per ticket,
this is one of our most important fundraisers. Come by the
museum to see the quilt - and buy some tickets - or pick up
some to sell for us - you would be helping the museum.

Museum Board of Trustees:

Catherine Ashley Travland has been a very dedicated member
of the West of the Pecos Museum Board of Trustees for about
four years, but even before being elected to the board, she
was very interested and active in the museum's welfare.
Catherine, and husband, J.E. Travland, have been attending
and helping with museum functions for years; for instance,
since they know most everyone, they make excellent hosts for
the Old Timer's Reunion.

Catherine is retired as the Reeves County Clerk after
serving our community in that capacity for a lot of years.
She was an excellent, and always pleasant, clerk as she is
any endeavor she happens to be pursuing.

Very active in the First Baptist Church, she is Sunday
School Director, sings in the choir, is a Mission Friends
Helper and is involved with most all activities of the
church.

As a long-time member of the Pecos Business and Professional
Women's Club, she has been involved with many community
projects. For years she was responsible for gathering the
information and photos and putting together one of the best
rodeo programs in the country; the B&PW ladies have been
selling those programs at the famous West of the Pecos Rodeo
for years. She is very interested in area history and has
served on the B&PW committee that has helped me choose the
Pioneer Family honored annually during rodeo-time.

She also helps her club prepare and serve refreshments at
this reunion/reception, as well as the one in September than
honors the Mexican-American Reeves County Pioneer family.
She has helped B&PW to sponsor the Western Heritage Room at
the museum; they have helped clean the museum and have
donated a lot of money to the museum for years, as well as
helping in many other areas at the museum.

Catherine is also a member of the Modern Study Club, a major
active women's club in our community who sponsors the Bridal
Suite on the second floor of the museum. They also clean the
rooms, furnish curtains and donate money to the museum.

She has been an active member of the chamber of commerce for
years and is an excellent ambassador for Pecos.

Catherine was born in McCamey, Upton County, Tx., grew up in
Toyah, graduating from Toyah High School in 1953. Her
great-grandparents, John Joseph and Rosa Preusser, settled
in the Davis Mountains in 1879. Her grandmother, Hulda Laura
Pruesser Scott was born in Toyah, March 2, 1882 before
Reeves County was incorporated in 1885 and lived there all
her life. Toyah (and Pecos) was still in Pecos County at
that time. Catherine helped to publish "Toyah Taproots," a
history book that is sold in the museum book store.

Catherine is married to J.E. Travland, retired Pecos
Postmaster. Her children are Victor Ashley of Post and
Kimberly Ashley of Galveston.

Pecos and the West of the Pecos Museum are better places
because of Catherine Ashley-Travland! We thank you!

I can hardly wait to see the story about Pecos and the
museum in the upcoming Texas Highway Magazine. Hopefully it
will be a good one - resulting in more tourism for us. When
it comes out I hope lots of people write Larry Hodge, the
reporter and/or Jack Lowry, Publisher of Texas Highways -
maybe they will come back for other stories in the future.

If you are interested in area history, the center for Big
Bend Studies, at Sul Ross in Alpine, publishes a book every
year with interesting area historical stories. The museum
book store carries these and many other really good books.
Come by the museum to see what we have to offer. Also, Freda
is always getting new items for the gift shop. Shop at the
museum - it helps!

How exciting! Hometown boys, grandsons of Ruby Fay Newton
(long-time museum volunteers) will be performing in Pecos
the night of July 4. Jeff and Junior Bryant, sons of former
residents Jimmy and Della Bryant, play and sing with the
western band "Ricochet." They have become quite famous!
Remember - they started out with their dad and Dewayne
Jackson as the Lariat Band and played for several "Pecos
Promenade" dances for the museum. Jeff's three handsome
children attend Pecos schools. The rodeo committee is
responsible for their performance here.

An old time hay baler has been donated to the museum by the
W.L. Fuller family, long-time Barstow residents. You can see
it across the street from the museum in the farm and ranch
exhibits. Susan Fuller Crow had contacted the museum about
it and Roy Lindsay hauled it in. Thanks folks!

Speaking of Barstow, there was an interesting writing in the
Sunday, Odessa American about the old red sandstone quarry
that furnished the stone for many Texas buildings in the
early days. Included was a good picture of two Barstow
pioneers, Shine Avary and Rabe Allgood.

This morning as I was writing this information at home for
Golden Years, I received a call from Australia! Jack
Fletcher lived here years ago, and in fact, has been over a
large part of the world, but has lived and ranched in
Australia for some time. His son runs a million-acre ranch
down there now. Jack's 10-year-old grandson was accidently
shot and killed not long ago by his best friend. The
grandson had dreamed of ranching and rodeoing when he got
older. He wanted to ride bulls! So - recently Jack contacted
his friend Ben Ralph Burkholder in Houston, then my cousin
Ben contacted me, then I spoke with Ray Owen, President of
the Rodeo Association - because the family wants the
grandson's ashes to be scattered in the Pecos Rodeo Arena
during the bull-riding performances. Always anxious to
please folks, Ray and the rodeo committee will somehow
accomplish this feat. Jack said it was cattle-working time
during the monsoon month of May-September but some of the
family will come to Pecos.

Some up-coming events at the museum: May 1 and May 8 --
Tours of Edwards' first graders from Monahans; May 14, Merry
Wives Study Club annual meeting; May 16, Modern Study Club
annual luncheon/meeting; May 19, Petroleum Museum staff from
Midland will tour and have lunch; May 29, Jackson wedding
the saloon; June 6, Betty Wilson's 90th birthday party, 10
a.m. until noon; June 21, Rodeo director's dinner in the
courtyard; June 26, Golden Girl Luncheon; June 27, Fiesta
Night in Old Pecos, delicious Mexican food to be served in
the courtyard; July 1, 35th Annual Old Timer's Reunion, plan
to attend and watch the parade, 8 a.m. until noon; July 3,
class of 1978 reunion; July 4, Pioneer Family Reception,
9:30 a.m. until 11:30 a.m.

Watch your rodeo tickets - part of it will give you a
discount to tour the museum.

For years tourists have commented on the lack of advertising
done for this outstanding museum. They are amazed that Pecos
has a museum of this proportion; look at a few recent
comments: "It's like a wild-west movie, beautifully done,
very good, great - could spend hours here, enjoyed, really
neat, very interesting, marvelous, unbelievable, nice and
informative, beautiful collection, great!, historic,
well-kept, great art work (local children's), what a great
stop, best in the west, a must see, something for everyone,
super!

Many visitors came in April, most from Texas - all over
Texas, in fact, others were from all over the United States
and abroad. A couple from France could not speak English so
Freda did some calling - Ken Winkles brought the nice young
Rotary Exchange student from Belgium down to translate --
lots of visiting here also!

Rosie tells me this is the last Golden Years. What a shame
because it is always enjoyed. Pecos people love home-town
news. Evidently not enough people buy the Enterprise nor do
enough people take out advertising. The museum staff and I
truly appreciate having been able to share museum news with
the Golden Years readers and thank the Pecos Enterprise and
Rosie.

103-year-old columnist keeps on writing


By TRACI CARL
Associated Press Writer
HOWARD, Kan. (AP) - Rose Nix Leo was a teen-ager when she
wrote her first story about a remote spot called Dead Man's
Gulch where frontier criminals were supposedly hanged.

At 103, Mrs. Leo is still writing, telling readers about the
first time she tried to drive a car or mulling over her
observation of human nature. Her columns in the weekly Elk
County Citizen-Advance News, the monthly magazine Tallgrass
Country and a church newsletter haven't earned her a
lucrative book deal or national fame.

She says she doesn't keep writing for fame or even the $20
she earns each month. ``I like to write,'' she said. ``If I
can't write and if I can't think, I don't want to be here.''

She writes all of her columns by hand and mails them to her
editors from her small house in Howard, a ranching and
farming community of about 800 people 65 miles southeast of
Wichita.

Many people in town are retired and look forward to reading
her columns, which include local tidbits as well as her own
memories.

In one article, for example, she remembered the 39 houses
she called home, including the one-room house her father
built.

When Mrs. Leo's weekly column didn't appear in a recent
issue, editor Janis Sinclair got a call from a reader
wondering where it was.

Readers like Mrs. Leo's honest, straightforward approach,
Mrs. Sinclair said. ``They just say, `Oh, I enjoy reading
that old lady's column,''' she said.

Born on April 30, 1894, in Oklahoma, Mrs. Leo hasn't had an
easy life. Her father died when she was 4, trampled by a
horse he was trying to break. Her mother supported her three
sons and five daughters by working in the Oklahoma farm
fields, but she died when Mrs. Leo was 7.

Rose's 18-year-old brother tried to take care of his younger
siblings for a few months, then had to send them to other
families. Rose and a younger brother moved in with an aunt
and uncle in Kansas.

``Our aunt was a good, Christian person,'' she said. ``She
told us to work hard, but think our own thoughts.'' She
recalled her uncle as cruel.

She only attended a year of high school, but took
correspondence courses and taught at a small country school
as a young woman.

In 1920, her life took a turn toward happiness when she
married John Leo, a farmer. ``I fell in love with his
smile,'' she said.

The Leos and their three children shared the life of a farm
family. Her husband often worked odd jobs to support them
all.

One son was killed in World War II, and her husband died in
1967. Her remaining son and daughter live in Wichita.

After her husband died, Mrs. Leo said she had offers of
marriage or simply live-in company. She decided she was too
independent for that. Although she moves slowly through her
home and has some trouble hearing, Mrs. Leo prides herself
on being independent and active.

``I find that the older I get, I am more aware of the
brightness of everything. I look for beauty, adventure,
discovery and push for increasing knowledge that awakens me
to achieve,'' she wrote in another column.

``I fell in love with words when I was just a little, tiny
kid,'' she said. ``Signs and everything, I always wanted to
know what they said.''

She also wants to see what happened to that Dead Man's Gulch
she wrote about as a youngster. ``I just wonder if that tree
is still there,'' she mused.



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Pecos Enterprise
Mac McKinnon, Publisher
Division of Buckner News Alliance, Inc.

324 S. Cedar St., Pecos, TX 79772
Phone 915-445-5475, FAX 915-445-4321
e-mail news@pecos.net

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Copyright 1998 by Pecos Enterprise