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TVCC students earn accolades at annual convention

TVCC agriculture students (from left) Rhonda Godlewski and Taylor Brown and TVCC agriculture instructor Marc Robinson show off an award won at the 2013 TJCAA Convention. Godlewski is wearing medals she earned in three other categories at the event. (COURTESY PHOTO)

By Jennifer Hannigan/TVCC Public Information

The members of the Trinity Valley Community College Agriculture Club spent part of April on the road, and brought back a few awards from their journey.

TVCC Ag Club President Taylor Brown and member Rhonda Godlewski attended the 2013 Texas Junior College Agriculture Association Convention earlier this month.

This year’s convention was held in Kingsville and hosted by Texas A&M Kingsville Department of Agriculture. The students at the event represented many different Texas junior colleges departments from around the state.

During the competition portion of the convention, Brown and Godlewski competed as a team in the public relations contest. Taylor Brown also prepared a scrapbook that placed second overall. Godlewski placed second in the entomology quiz, third in the agronomy quiz, and fourth in the wildlife quiz.

“I was very proud of our students’ performance; we came with only a few students, and still did very well overall,” said TVCC agriculture and ranch management professor Marc Robinson. “My hope is that other students see the reward in attending a function like this as an investment in their future.”

During the group’s trip to the convention, they made a stop at the Mission Espiritu Santo in Goliad.

“We took a self-guided tour of the mission grounds, where the students learned about Spanish missionaries and what could be called North America’s first cattle ranch,” said Robinson.

The group also toured the King Ranch Museum, where the group learned about the origin of the Santa Gertrudis Beef Cow, and the famous King Ranch upon which the city of Kingsville was founded.

“It was a rewarding experience; I truly enjoyed it and learned a lot about myself, my faculty, and fellow students,” said Godlewski.

Obituary: Bobbie Loworn LeBlanc

Services for Bobbie Lovvorn LeBlanc, 85, Athens are scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Saturday, April 27, 2013 at First Presbyterian Church with Dr. C. William McNatt officiating.

Private burial will follow in Holly Springs Cemetery in Van Zandt County under the direction of Carroll-Lehr Funeral Home.

Mrs. LeBlanc died April 23, 2013 in Athens.

She was born April 5, 1928 in Martins Mill to the late Gafford and Ethel Barber Lovvorn and grew up in Houston. She formerly resided in Baton Rouge, La. 31 years where she owned and operated The Gold Leaf Antique Shop on Government Street.

Since moving to Athens in 1998 she has been an active member of First Presbyterian Church. Bobbie’s family, especially her grandchildren, friends and church were the center of her life.

She was preceded in death by her husband Anthony Joseph “Tony” LeBlanc in 2000; son Larry Joseph LeBlanc in 1995; and a brother James Lovvorn.

Survivors include son Gregory A. LeBlanc, Houston; daughter-in-law Stacy LeBlanc, Walker, La.; sister Jackie Mitchell, Canton; grandchildren Grace Mathews, Toni Mathews, Emmett Mathews, all of Walker, La.

Honorary pallbearers will be the Martins Mill girls including Mildred Baskin, Sue Williams, Polly Hooton and Connie Bass.

In lieu of flowers, family requests donations be made to First Presbyterian Church, P O Box 927, Athens, Texas 75751.

You may leave a message of condolence or light a memorial candle for the family at
www.carroll-lehr.com.

Around Malakoff: Growing the garden

By Loretta Humble/Around the Town

I hope you are all ready to go to the East Texas Artists and Sculpture Garden Tour this Saturday and Sunday. If you are reading this Thursday afternoon or Friday, it is not too late to get your tickets at the early bird price of $25. But if you are reading this Saturday morning, you can just show up at the James and Barbara Stewart Residence in Bridgepointe or Malakoff Community Center, the Bartlett House, or Joe Surls Memorial Garden and buy your ticket at the gate. It will cost you $35, but will certainly be worth every cent.

I’ve think by now everybody knows the details, but if somehow you’ve missed it, go to www.malakofftexas.com, or call me at 903-681-2880 and I’ll tell you all about it.

I’ve finally been working in my garden, I’m happy to say. I have planted tomatoes, squash, eggplants, onions, peppers. And I’ve made a little herb garden outside my back door.

I went to the seminar on square foot gardening, and bought all the stuff it takes to do that, then decided that my garden dirt isn’t too bad, and I certainly have a lot of it, so if I just mixed all that good stuff I bought with it, I could stretch my good stuff a whole lot further, and if it had a box around it, I could keep track of things better. So I got some help and now have one big long box in my garden, containing most of the vegetables I just told you about, though some onions and most of the tomatoes are out on their own. Some of the tomatoes are doing wonderful. I got some help with some post hole diggers, and was able to plant some of them the way Donald Hughes plants his. He digs a really deep hole, puts some fertilizer in the bottom, covers it with some dirt, then plants the tomato, nearly up to its neck in that hole. Those I did that way are looking fantastic.

Now I want another box to plant more stuff in it, but I don’t know where to put it. I don’t want to disturb the lambsquarters. Mama told me some people eat that stuff, but we never did. Then I read how healthy it is—it is one of the most nutrient-filled green there is. One year I ordered seeds and tried to grow it, but with almost no luck. Last year it came up in the garden, and while I used some of it in my green smoothies, I never got serious about using it. But since I knew it was nutritious and I ought to be using it, I kept letting it grow. It took over the garden, choking out other plants. Some monstrous sized bushes of it grew, with roots too deep for me to pull up.

Finally we got it up in the fall and tilled the garden. Again this spring we tilled. And then it started coming up again, millions and millions of tiny lambsquarters. And it grows quick. It wants to take over.

But this year I’m welcoming and using it. I just go weed my onions and I have greens for supper or for my green smoothies. It tastes great. Donna Rinn comes and gets it, and so does my daughter Liz when she gets around to it. Luckily, I’ve got the best blender for veggie smoothies.

I never have been able to grow spinach, but this weed is every bit as good, there it is, a garden full of it. I’ve got to not let it take over everything, but I also need to let some of it make seed for next year. I’ve finally found something I can really grow. I’ll bet Donald Hughes couldn’t grow better lambsquarters than mine. I’ve got to hang on to this stuff.

Let me know if you’d like to try some, of if you’d like me to save you some seed.

TVCC Sports Notes: Spring football game Saturday

By Benny Rogers/TVCC Sports Information

Saturday is a big day for the Cardinals. The annual spring football game is scheduled Saturday at Bruce Field. Action will begin at 10 a.m.

Expected to be in attendance are many of the high school football players who signed with the Cardinals back in February. They’ll be in town to get a first-hand look at their future teammates. If you get a chance to visit with them, please welcome them to The Valley family.

The Cardinals would love to have a big turnout to add to the excitement and intensity of the spring game and give the future Cardinals in attendance a glimpse of fan support to expect.

See you at Bruce Field tomorrow morning!

SOFTBALL

The record-setting Lady Cardinals will be the No. 4 East seed in the regional tournament next week in Corsicana. They will open against the No. 1 South seed Galveston at 5:30 p.m. Thursday.

In their final regular season game at home Wednesday against Northeast Texas Community College, the Lady Cardinals scored a 3-0 to establish a school record for wins in a season. The win moved them to 30-23 overall. They were 10-10 in conference.

Northeast Texas was a 7-4 winner in the first game of the doubleheader.
Kim Leschber tossed a four-hitter in Game 2.

Shelby Reddington had a perfect game at the plate in the game, going 3-for-3. Candise Wise went 3-for-4 and had a stolen base. Chyna Phipps was 2-for-3 and drove in a pair of runs.

In Game 1, Jazmine Hicks and Wise had two hits each. Erica Jordan and Phipps had one hit each. Jordan drove in two runs with a double and Phipps stole two bases and drove in a run.

The regional tournament is scheduled May 2-5 at Navarro College.

STRIKEOUT CANCER

The number is in!

Athletic Coordinator Lucy Strom reported Thursday afternoon the Lady Cardinal softball team’s “Strikeout Cancer” event earlier this month raised $1,212.32 for a local cancer fund.

The goal was $1,000.

The Lady Cardinal thank for coming out and making the event a big success.

Go Blue to fight child abuse

Go Blue press release

If you have seen blue ribbons and blue shirts throughout Henderson County you know that it�s that time of year again! April is Child Abuse Awareness month in Henderson County and across the State of Texas. As always, leaders in our community are making great strides to heighten our county�s awareness in a coordinated effort to prevent child abuse. Scott McKee the Henderson County District Attorney, Clint Davis the Henderson County Attorney, and Ray Nutt the Henderson County Sheriff have partnered up with other local agencies to promote April as Child Abuse Awareness Month.

Child abuse is a community problem that can take many forms including, emotional abuse, neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse and verbal abuse. For those who have or haven’t experienced a form of child abuse, they may or may not know they have access to help from law firms like https://lawtx.com. But what people don�t realize is that a little awareness goes a long way to prevent child abuse full stop.

Throughout the entire month of April, they are asking folks to proudly display blue ribbons everywhere to promote awareness and prevent child abuse. Many of the blue ribbons are placed in memory of children who were tragically lost at the hands of abusers.

How can you support Child Abuse Prevention Month? Throughout the month, individuals have shown their support by wearing a blue ribbon on their collars, lapels or elsewhere on their garments. Blue ribbons can also be displayed on car antennas, mailboxes and tree branches.

Tuesday, April 30 will be Go Blue Day in Henderson County, and citizens are asked to wear blue to show their support for the cause. The group is also asking citizens to encourage their family, friends and colleagues, not only to wear blue, but to purchase a 2013 Go Blue T-Shirt. This is the 5th year that Go Blue T-Shirts have been sold and of course, there is a new logo this year! This year�s campaign is: �Have a heart, do your part; Prevent child abuse.�

The money raised from the T-shirt sales stays in Henderson County to assist with child abuse and sexual assault awareness. All three offices work very closely with the Henderson County Child Advocacy Center, CASA, and the East Texas Crisis Center.

To purchase a T-shirts, contact, Betty Herriage or DeAnna Browning with the Henderson County District Attorney�s Office at 903-675-6100, or stop by Island Tans. The shirts are $10, and 2X- 5X are $13. Some of the proceeds from the sale will go towards Henderson County teachers in grades 5th and lower who receive free blue ribbon t-shirts. This is an important detail, because teachers are the frontline of defense against child abuse.

Additionally proceeds from the sale of the shirts help fund a fourth-grade poster contest for Henderson County schools, which is designed to educate and raise awareness and child abuse prevention. Additionally, in collaboration with the agency�s efforts, Athens Independent School District is allowing their students to wear the T-shirts for Go Blue day on April 30th.

Have a heart and do your part on Tuesday, April 30 and GO BLUE!