HIGH POINTS FROM EL CAMINO REAL
CHRIS DAVIS

elcaminoreal@consolidated.net

Texas Independence Day came and went along El Camino Real without much fanfare. I often wonder how our little stretch of the old road looked back in the days when Texas was fighting for its independence. We have a rich history that we can be proud of, but it seems that the holidays that haven't been commercialized just get forgotten. Our early Texas pioneers fought and won us a pretty good place to live and I guess we ought to do more to remember them. Fortunately I haven't forgotten your four bits' worth of news.

We were saddened to hear of the passing of Bennice Russell. Ms. Russell is the mother of Vicki and Dixie Russell who teach at the Alto Middle School. Ms. Russell passed away Saturday after a short illness. Please keep the Russell family in your prayers as they mourn the passing of their loved one.

Pat Lindsey fell at the post office a couple of weeks ago and shattered her knee. She is in a Palestine rehab center getting better. We need to keep Pat in our prayers and maybe we'll have her home and on the mend before long. Get well soon, Pat! We miss you in Alto.

Our friend, Elvin Peacock

suffered a heart attack last week and underwent bypass surgery Friday at Nacogdoches Memorial Hospital. The surgery went very well and hopefully he will be home before too long. I am always amazed at what doctors can do with hearts these days. Lots of prayers have been lifted up for our friend and we better keep him on our prayer list until he gets home and is fully recovered. Elvin is an important part of our community, and he had us all worried for a few days. Get well soon, Elvin!

Judy Landrum told me in church Sunday that her son Noel Bradford received a big award last week. Noel is a Lt. Colonel in the Air Force and is stationed in Colorado Springs, Colo. Noel was named Field Grade Officer of the Year for U.S. Northern Command. Admiral Tim Keating presented Noel with his award at the ceremony held in Colorado Springs. Noel had been in the Air Force for a good many years and we don't get to see him here in Alto as much as we would like to. We are all proud of him and the job he is doing for our country. Keep up the good work, Noel.

Some of our Alto FFA members showed their agriculture mechanics projects at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo last week. Parents and students worked into the early hours of Tuesday morning doing the last minute touches on the projects. A restored 1957 John Deere Tractor, two trailers, a feeder and a nice metal light stand were carried to the show.

Lauren Pierce won second place overall for the portable light stand on wheels that she entered. She received a portable welder, a helmet and a bunch of tools as her prize. I know the boys who went had to have been pretty disgusted about being beaten by a girl, but women's lib has arrived to stay. I don't think Lauren will be heading to Alaska to work as a welder on the new pipeline or building ships in a shipyard, but we are proud of her big win in Houston. Lauren was proud of her win, but she was even prouder that she didn't break a manicured fingernail while building her project. The steers are being shown this week in Houston and next week the heifers will be making the trip. Good luck to all the participants in the show. Now it's time to get ready for the best show of all, the Cherokee County Junior Livestock Show. It will be held at the end of this month.

The Alto Youth Baseball fields came alive on Saturday morning in spite of the cold weather when our area youth poured out for the annual baseball tryouts. Baseball were flying every which way as the little guys and gals warmed up for the tryouts. I figured that I got away lucky without getting hit in the head by one of those stray balls. It seemed to me that there were a lot more kids up there than usual, so we ought to be in for a great year of baseball and softball. It never ceases to amaze me at how excited these kids get over baseball season. They love it and their enthusiasm is contagious. I hope you'll get a chance to go out and enjoy a game or two sometime this season. I'll keep you posted on the upcoming activities and the date of the opening day ceremonies as they become available.

Members of the State Champion Alto Yellowjacket football team will be receiving their state championship rings this week. They will undoubtably be the topic of most of the conversations around town this week. The players have been waiting patiently and when the coaches got their rings a week or so ago, the kids became even more anxious. I can't wait to see our boys flashing them around the county. Wear them with pride - you earned them.

Spring Break will be kicking off next week for many area schools. A week off to rest from all the drudgeries of school should be just the thing to get our kids through the rest of the school year. A week away from the little darlings won't be nearly enough for many of our teachers. After preparing for the TAKS test and all the other little extras that go with teaching, I'm sure many of our teachers can only dream of summer.

I guess this just about covers all the Alto news for this issue.

Keep the news pouring in and I'll keep redirecting it to the masses. I'll see ya next week! And remember, We each need the maturity to recognize that the things that we share are far more important than the disagreements that we have.