Very sad. That's the only way to describe the loss of Abilene Police Officer Rodney Holder. I had known Rodney from about the time he joined the force. I would not put myself in the category of a "best" friend like the "Police Brotherhood", but certainly we were friends. I often saw him working and contacted him for information about an incident that he had investigated.
My wife, my children, and I all know his wife from elementary school events. His son is a dynamo. His daughter presented him with two grandchildren.
He was a nice guy who liked people and wanted to help them. And he did a lot of that.
We will miss his helpfulness, his humor, his smile.
Very sad.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Something Different
Why do you like what you do? Your job or spare time or school or retirement. Or maybe you don't like what you do. That's kind of how I felt about school. Just wasn't my thing. Retirement I haven't tried yet. So, that leaves jobs and spare time about which I can comment.
I haven't had a lot of spare time over the years, with five children and my wife to keep me entertained. I enjoy flying, music, reading. Yard work is there, most of the time.
But my job. Behind my family, my most enjoyable pastime. And the reason..... there is something new and different everyday. I sit behind a computer all day, and have the deadlines, but the stories we air are always fascinating. Accidents are not joyous, but you can learn things. Did you know its a bad thing to keep your cruise control on while driving on wet or slippery roads? Trooper III Sparky Dean says with cruise control, your tires will keep rotating at the same speed on dry pavement or wet, so going over a puddle of water can spin the vehicle out of control. Happened last weekend near Eastland. Two people died. Several injuried. That's not the type of story we like to report, that accident, but if we can save a life with that cruise control info.... well, that's what we do.
Did a story tonight about Abilene Police Officer Jeremy Holmes. On routine patrol. Flagged down by a mother whose baby was in trouble. Officer Holmes used the Heimlick Manuver to dislodge food in the child's throat. Officer Holmes, salute.
Will be doing stories leading up to Big Country Appreciation Day at Dyess Air Force Base. Dyess and Air Force people have meant so much and done so much for the Big Country. This is the 25th anniversary of the arrival of the first B-1B Lancer. KTAB was covering the arrival live from the flight line. I said, "Look up Abilene", as the B-1 approached from downtown and flew (fast) to Dyess, made a few passes and landed. Those are the kinds of stories that keep a newsman coming back for more. That's why I like what I do.
I haven't had a lot of spare time over the years, with five children and my wife to keep me entertained. I enjoy flying, music, reading. Yard work is there, most of the time.
But my job. Behind my family, my most enjoyable pastime. And the reason..... there is something new and different everyday. I sit behind a computer all day, and have the deadlines, but the stories we air are always fascinating. Accidents are not joyous, but you can learn things. Did you know its a bad thing to keep your cruise control on while driving on wet or slippery roads? Trooper III Sparky Dean says with cruise control, your tires will keep rotating at the same speed on dry pavement or wet, so going over a puddle of water can spin the vehicle out of control. Happened last weekend near Eastland. Two people died. Several injuried. That's not the type of story we like to report, that accident, but if we can save a life with that cruise control info.... well, that's what we do.
Did a story tonight about Abilene Police Officer Jeremy Holmes. On routine patrol. Flagged down by a mother whose baby was in trouble. Officer Holmes used the Heimlick Manuver to dislodge food in the child's throat. Officer Holmes, salute.
Will be doing stories leading up to Big Country Appreciation Day at Dyess Air Force Base. Dyess and Air Force people have meant so much and done so much for the Big Country. This is the 25th anniversary of the arrival of the first B-1B Lancer. KTAB was covering the arrival live from the flight line. I said, "Look up Abilene", as the B-1 approached from downtown and flew (fast) to Dyess, made a few passes and landed. Those are the kinds of stories that keep a newsman coming back for more. That's why I like what I do.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Spring Has Sprung
Its starting to feel like spring. And on the 20th, it is. You remember winter. We'll all remember the winter of '09-'10 for a long time. 5 major snow events. A very white Christmas. Total moisture accumulation putting us more than 3 inches ahead of normal. And cold a lot. I know that's how winter is supposed to be, but with 1 minor snow the normal in the Big Country, this one was unusual.
But now, the birds are back. The weeds are growing in the lawn. Time to start transitioning so we can complain how hot it is, instead of how cold. We're just never satisified. And there's nothing we can do about it.
Spring means "spring break" for lots of folks. School is out. Families travel. This year, while two of our daughters are with their husbands and baby, the third is getting a break from her job and will be home for a few days. And the boys are both traveling along the east coast and to Washington, DC.
Seems like a quiet week ahead. Sleeping late, afternoon naps. But, of course, there are those weeds.....
But now, the birds are back. The weeds are growing in the lawn. Time to start transitioning so we can complain how hot it is, instead of how cold. We're just never satisified. And there's nothing we can do about it.
Spring means "spring break" for lots of folks. School is out. Families travel. This year, while two of our daughters are with their husbands and baby, the third is getting a break from her job and will be home for a few days. And the boys are both traveling along the east coast and to Washington, DC.
Seems like a quiet week ahead. Sleeping late, afternoon naps. But, of course, there are those weeds.....
Thursday, February 18, 2010
The Plane Game
A flight by an unhappy pilot into an Austin building will no doubt lead to calls for more rules for airplanes and pilots.
Speaking (writing) as a pilot, we have enough rules. The incident in Austin is tragic. And the events in the pilot's life which apparently led to it, are tragic too. He felt the federal government, especially the IRS, was targeting him. Maybe he is right. Maybe there are rules for the rich, and then for the rest of us. But trying to destroy one building and take some innocent lives with you is not the way to convey the message.
The IRS will still have its pages and pages of regulations. And people who might agree that government is too big, taxes too high and there is no way to get "their" attention, will be tarred with what this one individual did.
And pilots and airplanes may be victims too. There is always an out cry immediately after an event which gets so much attention. But, if the pilot had driven a car with a bomb into the building and caused similar damage, would there be a demand for stricter controls on drivers and cars?
Speaking (writing) as a pilot, we have enough rules. The incident in Austin is tragic. And the events in the pilot's life which apparently led to it, are tragic too. He felt the federal government, especially the IRS, was targeting him. Maybe he is right. Maybe there are rules for the rich, and then for the rest of us. But trying to destroy one building and take some innocent lives with you is not the way to convey the message.
The IRS will still have its pages and pages of regulations. And people who might agree that government is too big, taxes too high and there is no way to get "their" attention, will be tarred with what this one individual did.
And pilots and airplanes may be victims too. There is always an out cry immediately after an event which gets so much attention. But, if the pilot had driven a car with a bomb into the building and caused similar damage, would there be a demand for stricter controls on drivers and cars?
Monday, February 1, 2010
This Is Where I Came In
Even tho we've been talking about my 30 years at KTAB, I've been doing television in Abilene and the Big Country a lot longer than that. I began at KRBC in the fall of 1971. As a mere child, I produced and anchored the news and weather at noon, and sports at 6pm. (And of course there was Jackpot Movie in between. I picked phone numbers at random from Big Country phone books, and if they answered and knew the amount in the jackpot, they won the cash. Had a surprisingly large number of people watching those "B" movies, because the jackpot never got too big.) As sports director, I went to the schools in every town in our coverage area, talking with athletes and coaches, parents and fans. Many of them still come up to me and say, "I remember when you interviewed me." I love it when a woman or man, toting children or even grandchildren, thinks of those "good old days." Do you realize how along ago that is? A player I covered in high school baseball is now my son's middle school math teacher.
I bring this up, because today the UIL, in its wisdom, has once again changed the make up of school districts across the state. That has to be done of course, as the student population in schools change. Sometimes you wonder how they decide to send a school 5 hours one way to play football or basketball. But then, I'm happy someone else is having to make the plan. That's a tough one. The competition changes for fine arts and other fields, as well as athletics.
Folks were mad when the Little Southwest Conference was broken up two years ago, sending Cooper to 4A and Abilene High to Weatherford and Fort Worth. Now, we're back heading west on I-20 to compete with the Midland and Odessa schools. Even Big Spring will be coming to Abilene, altho to play Wylie instead of AHS or CHS. (The Steers and San Angelo Central had been with Abilene, Midland and Odessa schools way back when.)
When Victor Sotelo interviewed some students at AHS, they knew nothing of Mojo or the Little SWC, much less the Big SWC. Several, but not all Big 12 colleges were in the SWC. This UIL move probably means more to older folks like me, than those in high school right now. Familiar rivals.
So, if Cooper is 5A again, and joins AHS with Midland and Odessa in the Little SWC, then the collegiate SWC may be on its way back. March Grandioso may become our theme song again. We may shoot stories on 16mm film. And I may be hosting Jackpot Movie once more.
I bring this up, because today the UIL, in its wisdom, has once again changed the make up of school districts across the state. That has to be done of course, as the student population in schools change. Sometimes you wonder how they decide to send a school 5 hours one way to play football or basketball. But then, I'm happy someone else is having to make the plan. That's a tough one. The competition changes for fine arts and other fields, as well as athletics.
Folks were mad when the Little Southwest Conference was broken up two years ago, sending Cooper to 4A and Abilene High to Weatherford and Fort Worth. Now, we're back heading west on I-20 to compete with the Midland and Odessa schools. Even Big Spring will be coming to Abilene, altho to play Wylie instead of AHS or CHS. (The Steers and San Angelo Central had been with Abilene, Midland and Odessa schools way back when.)
When Victor Sotelo interviewed some students at AHS, they knew nothing of Mojo or the Little SWC, much less the Big SWC. Several, but not all Big 12 colleges were in the SWC. This UIL move probably means more to older folks like me, than those in high school right now. Familiar rivals.
So, if Cooper is 5A again, and joins AHS with Midland and Odessa in the Little SWC, then the collegiate SWC may be on its way back. March Grandioso may become our theme song again. We may shoot stories on 16mm film. And I may be hosting Jackpot Movie once more.
Monday, January 18, 2010
What Goes Around.....
I have mentioned this particular event in previous notes to you. Somalia, 1992. Operation Restore Hope.
Starvation is leading to the deaths of hundreds of thousands. The United States comes to the rescue. The Air Force is dispatched by President George H.W. Bush in August to fly food and water into the interior sections of Somalia. Later the Army and Marines are needed.
War lords are ruling the country. And they are all very well armed. There is little electricity. Phone service is almost non-existent. And people are continuing to die. A poor country.
Dyess sends C-130's and personnel to Africa for the mission. Air crews, maintainers, medical. Just about everyone at one time or another. My trip there was just before Christmas '92. The Dyess planes were already there, so I flew in the back of a C-141 to Newfoundland, Germany, Egypt and then Mombasa, Kenya. That's where the Dyess people were working. Flying missions up the Indian Ocean coast to Mogadishu, Somalia, and air strips around the bone dry countryside.
This is brought vividly to mind, as KTAB's Katherine Lane reports on her mission with Dyess C-130's to help in the Haiti disaster. "Riding in the back, feet propped on a Humvee, the web seats, no windows." For military men and women, that kind of transport is common. For civilians used to windows, reclining seats, and maybe even peanuts, it is a big adjustment.
My 141 had the same accoutrements.... web seats along each side of the plane, a couple of small windows providing no light, heavy equipment as cargo chained down in the middle, little room to walk around, and lots of noise. A 747 it was not. But military cargo aircraft are not designed for creature comforts. They're to get equipment and personnel to where they need to be.
For a reporter traveling half way around the world to Africa, or a couple thousand miles to Haiti, the thrill of getting the story helps you overlook the discomfort. I know the military has to do that all of the time. It's part of the job.
I remember the fine folks who got me there and back, and those who were away from their families Christmas 1992, helping people who needed help. I was gone for only two weeks. The Dyess folks much longer.
It makes me appreciate the sacrifices of those who represent our nation by wearing a uniform, and their families. I salute you.
Starvation is leading to the deaths of hundreds of thousands. The United States comes to the rescue. The Air Force is dispatched by President George H.W. Bush in August to fly food and water into the interior sections of Somalia. Later the Army and Marines are needed.
War lords are ruling the country. And they are all very well armed. There is little electricity. Phone service is almost non-existent. And people are continuing to die. A poor country.
Dyess sends C-130's and personnel to Africa for the mission. Air crews, maintainers, medical. Just about everyone at one time or another. My trip there was just before Christmas '92. The Dyess planes were already there, so I flew in the back of a C-141 to Newfoundland, Germany, Egypt and then Mombasa, Kenya. That's where the Dyess people were working. Flying missions up the Indian Ocean coast to Mogadishu, Somalia, and air strips around the bone dry countryside.
This is brought vividly to mind, as KTAB's Katherine Lane reports on her mission with Dyess C-130's to help in the Haiti disaster. "Riding in the back, feet propped on a Humvee, the web seats, no windows." For military men and women, that kind of transport is common. For civilians used to windows, reclining seats, and maybe even peanuts, it is a big adjustment.
My 141 had the same accoutrements.... web seats along each side of the plane, a couple of small windows providing no light, heavy equipment as cargo chained down in the middle, little room to walk around, and lots of noise. A 747 it was not. But military cargo aircraft are not designed for creature comforts. They're to get equipment and personnel to where they need to be.
For a reporter traveling half way around the world to Africa, or a couple thousand miles to Haiti, the thrill of getting the story helps you overlook the discomfort. I know the military has to do that all of the time. It's part of the job.
I remember the fine folks who got me there and back, and those who were away from their families Christmas 1992, helping people who needed help. I was gone for only two weeks. The Dyess folks much longer.
It makes me appreciate the sacrifices of those who represent our nation by wearing a uniform, and their families. I salute you.
Friday, January 1, 2010
What Happened To '09
The years just slip by. I know I'm not really getting any older, but the time does go by quickly. What happened to 2009? Have I said this before? Memory, you know.
There were many events, large and small, which each of us will remember from '09. Some national events which get us, whether we like them or not. And some personal things which aren't always what we had planned. But for those of us with family members who live away, it makes the holidays a joyous time when they return. So, my holiday was joyous. I hope yours was too.
So what's to come in 2010? No one knows of course. We are hopeful it will be good, but all will not end well, and all problems will not be solved in the length of a television show.
I just know the KTAB news crew will keep delivering the news, KTAB will be involved in community events, and we hope to be a positive part of your lives.
Be sure and let us hear from you about events we need to cover, stories which need to be told, people who need a camera pointed at them (for good or bad reasons).
And just maybe that clock will slow down a little.
There were many events, large and small, which each of us will remember from '09. Some national events which get us, whether we like them or not. And some personal things which aren't always what we had planned. But for those of us with family members who live away, it makes the holidays a joyous time when they return. So, my holiday was joyous. I hope yours was too.
So what's to come in 2010? No one knows of course. We are hopeful it will be good, but all will not end well, and all problems will not be solved in the length of a television show.
I just know the KTAB news crew will keep delivering the news, KTAB will be involved in community events, and we hope to be a positive part of your lives.
Be sure and let us hear from you about events we need to cover, stories which need to be told, people who need a camera pointed at them (for good or bad reasons).
And just maybe that clock will slow down a little.
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