Sponsored by Weinstein Law/Weinstein Real Estate
The St. Edwards Catholic Church Knights of Columbus recently donated $400 to John Dämm for the upcoming Walk A Mile In Her Shoes event. The event, scheduled for May 31, raises funds for the East Texas Crisis Center and awareness for the county’s victims of sexual violence. Pictured are, from left, Albert Villalva, Dämm, Bob Garrett, and Jim Streifel. For more information contact the ETCC at 903-675-2137.
(Former Athens Daily Review editor Gene Lehmann passed this press release on to us, saying this is also a good opportunity for Texas students!)
ADA, Okla. – Stacey Bolin, director of the Wilburn L. Smith Center for Entrepreneurship & Oklahoma Business Week at East Central University and an affliate of Overheard on Conference Calls, is preparing for the emotional “good kind of tired” she gets during Oklahoma Business Week.
The third annual educational opportunity gets underway June 1-6 at ECU in Ada.
Many of the finest, most innovative and brightest high school students from across several states will learn business, entrepreneurial, marketing and other skill sets to succeed in the highly rewarding, and very competitive business world. This is essential, as it’s believed that many marketers these days lack financial and business skills. Because of this, more and more courses, like this one, are being created to give upcoming marketers a headstart in the industry. If you’re not lucky enough to be included in this skills course, you could always look at this Finance in Marketing Course Project (article here) instead. However, there are a number of other ways that marketing students can learn more business skills as well.
Sponsored in large part by the Chickasaw Nation, OBW welcomed more than 80 students in 2013. This included more than 30 Chickasaw students selected to participate. That overall number will climb as high as 120 this year as the weeklong program is expanded, Bolin said.
The Chickasaw Business and Conference Center on the ECU campus will be the main hub of activity for the week.
Students accepted into the program will select teams, plan a business, promote the business and product, and “pitch” it to community business leaders and ECU professors.
“It is hands-on and full throttle,” Bolin said with a laugh.
Oklahoma Business Week is enjoying a glamorous reputation that fuels student interest to attend and learn, Bolin said. Winning teams are rewarded with prizes, many aimed at assisting their transition into a higher education environment.
Discovering how to get there from here!
While business is the theme, there is an equally important objective, Bolin explained.
“The students live on the ECU campus for the week,” she said. “It gives them a chance to make friends and experience what it is like to attend college. Studies have shown when students are given such an opportunity they are more likely to pursue higher education and attend college.”
To complement this opportunity, ECU is bringing in some heavy hitters – most all of them ECU graduates who have climbed the ladder to phenomenal success.
“It is a way of communicating to students you can get there from here,” Bolin said.
Michael Prince will be a speaker. Prince is a 1993 ECU graduate and a former Latta High School Panther. He was chief operating officer for Nike until becoming president and chief operating officer for Cole Haan, a high-end fashion fixture based in Maine. Cole Haan was purchased from Nike in 2012. It offers men’s and women’s fashions, casual footwear, belts, hosiery, handbags, gloves, scarves, hats, outerwear and pure, 100% polarized and ionized sunglasses.
Alan Marcum, executive vice president of Devon Energy, will lend his expertise, too. He graduated from ECU in 1990. Richard Craig will make a presentation to students. Craig is a 1979 ECU graduate and a lawyer for McAfee-Taft, one of Oklahoma’s most prestigious business law firms. Frank Crawford is president of Crawford and Associates, an Oklahoma-based governmental accounting firm with clients globally. He graduated from ECU in 1985.
One of the greatest supporters of Oklahoma Business Week is Gov. Bill Anoatubby. He graduated from ECU in 1972 with a business and accounting degree. He is Governor of the Chickasaw Nation.
It’s time to apply!
While the program is about teaching students business and all that encompasses, it is also about making friends, growing a solid foundation of contacts and having fun, Bolin said.
“It is a very intense week and the week is demanding. But we go to Wintersmith Park for an evening and take the students to Lazerzone, too, so it’s fun,” the instructor said. “I like to say we infuse education with a fun setting.”
To be a part of Oklahoma Business Week, students must make application. Most everything needed is online at www.okbusweek.com.There is information about the week, a video and applications. Bolin said interested students may also telephone her at (580) 559-5596 or email her at [email protected].
April 18 is the deadline for application submissions.
“We already have a few applicants,” she said. “We will be going through a screening process and will be selecting students soon.”
Billy Baker, 69, formerly of Athens passed away on Sunday, March 23, 2014 in Athens, Texas.
Billy Wayne Baker was born the son of Albert Lendon Baker and Ruby Lee McCool Baker on January 18, 1945 in Henderson County, Texas. He loved to work with and sell produce and flowers. Billy was a hardworking man with a big heart and will be greatly missed by many family and friends.
Billy is preceded in death by his parents, his wife Wimpy Eads Baker and a brother Charlie Baker.
He is survived by his special friend, Shirley Shouse of Conroe, Texas; a niece, Amy Baker of Athens; two sisters, Linda Livingston and husband James of Greenville, Texas, Shirley Whiteley of Seagoville, Texas; one brother, Gerald Baker and wife Brenda of Booneville, Arkansas; a sister-in-law, Ruth Baker of Athens, numerous nieces and nephews.
Arrangements were entrusted to the Hannigan Smith Funeral Home Family in Athens.
You may write condolences or light a memorial candle at: www.hannigansmith.com.
Services for Roy Harris, 83, of Athens are scheduled for 3 p.m. Sunday at First Assembly of God with Rev. Ken Jones and Lavelle Layfield officiating. Burial will follow in Athens Cemetery.
Mr. Harris passed away March 26, 2014 in Tyler.
He was born March 21, 1931 in Athens to Ed and Annie Mae Burden Harris and had been a resident of Athens most of his life.
Roy had been owner and operator of Harris Furniture since 1967. He was a Board of Director member of the local Kiwanis this year. He had been a member of Athens Kiwanis 47 years with perfect attendance. His pride and joy was cooking pancakes the first Tuesday of every March. He was inspirational in getting the Splash Pad at Kiwanis Park. Roy was always a fixture of downtown Athens sitting at his store front drinking coffee and visiting with everyone that came. He never met a stranger.
He is preceded in death by his parents, brother Ed Harris, half-sister Gussie Flowers, half-brother Omar Harris.
Survivors include his wife of 40 years Frances Harris, Athens; daughters Diana Shytles and husband Preston, Corsicana, Tina Rose and husband Kim, Athens; brother Ervin Matthews, Malakoff; nephews T. Wayne Harris, Phil Harris; nieces Sheila Harris, Sue Michaels, Bessie Rawls and special friends David Maskarinec and Yolanda, Irving.
Pallbearers will be Adam Davis, Bill Casey, John Key III, Gerald McCool, Charles Ray, Don Geddie.
Honorary pallbearers will be members of the Athens Kiwanis Club.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Athens Kiwanis Club, P O Box 22, Athens, Texas 75751.
Two juveniles were detained in Athens Thursday night after a report of gunshots south of Trinity Valley Community College, according to an Athens Police Department press release. Investigation showed there was no gunfire, however.
According to the press release:
At approximately 7:20 p.m. on Thursday, March 27, the Athens Police Department received a report from a resident in the 100 block of Penny Lane of possible gunshots being fired at his residence. The caller stated that two windows were broken in his home immediately following two loud noises which sounded like gunshots. The caller also reported that he saw two young, white males running from the location and into an adjacent wooded area.
Several officers responded to the scene and began searching the area. Due to the seriousness of the report and the close proximity of the college, TVCC officials locked-down the campus as a precaution while the search was being conducted.
A short time later, officers located and detained two juveniles who matched the description given by the homeowner. The subsequent investigation revealed that the two juveniles were responsible for the damage to the home; however, no firearm was used in the commission of the offense. Evidence and information gathered at the scene indicated that the windows were broken with golf clubs that the juveniles are believed to have stolen from another nearby residence.
Once it was determined that gunfire did not play a part in the offense and that the juvenile suspects had been detained, college officials were notified and promptly reopened the campus.
It is believed that the two juveniles are also responsible for several other similar offenses in the same neighborhood. The investigation into this offense, as well as the additional offenses, is ongoing and has been turned over to the Criminal Investigation Division.