Shelby County Today

January 12, 2016 - The first meeting of the new year for the Center Women’s Reading Club, was held at the lovely home of Sandy Sinclair on January 7th. President, Janene Walker welcomed members and three guests. Mrs. Walker read a note from Gary Rholes thanking the ladies for the generous contribution of children’s books to his Christmas Toy Drive. She also asked members to present their volunteer hours so she can report them to the State Offices.

At the conclusion of the business meeting, Sandy Sinclair gave a fascinating report on Svetlana Stalin, Stalin’s only daughter. The book she read was Svetlana: The Story of Stalin’s Daughter by Martin Ebon. The author, Mr. Ebon is a member of the faculty of Social Science at the New School for Social Research in New York. He is also an authority on Communist history and tactics.

Svetlana was born in 1925, and grew up in the midst of the Bolshevic Revolution when her father was in power. She spent most her childhood living within the Kremlin walls. She was protected from the horrible atrocities that were occurring at the hands of her father. It wasn’t until she became a young adult and sent to school that she learned what really happened, and realized there was a very dark side to her father.

Sveltana’s mother, Nadya, married Stalin in 1919, and gave birth to a son a few month after the wedding. The boy’s name was Vassily. Stalin had nothing to do with his son, ever. But when Sveltana was born his attitude was much different. Stalin loved and protected her. Nadya died in 1931, of an apparent suicide. Later, reports revealed that she might have been murdered.

Sveltana was allowed to attend the public Communist School when she was older. It was at school where she learned of events that she had been protected from while living in the Kremlin. She also fell in love with a Jewish Soviet film maker who was 40 years old. Stalin disapproved of the romance. Soon after the romance began, the film maker was sentenced to ten years in exile near the Arctic Circle. Svetlana never heard from him again.

Sveltana married three times during the course of her life. At the age of 17, she married Grigory Morozov, a fellow student at Moscow University. They had a son in 1945, and divorced in 1947.

Her second marriage, in 1949, was arranged to Yuri Zhdanov, the son of Stalin’s right hand man. A daughter was born in 1950, but the marriage soon ended.

Her third marriage, which also ended in divorce, was to William Peters, a protégé of Frank Lloyd Wright. She married him in 1971 after she had moved to the United States. They had a daughter, but the marriage dissolved within two years.

After Stalin’s death in 1953, Sveltana worked as a lecturer and translator. In 1963, while in the hospital for the removal of her tonsils, she met Brajesh Singh, an Indian Communist visiting Moscow. The two fell in love but the Soviet government would not allow them to marry. He died a few years later. Sveltana was allowed to leave Russia to deliver Singh’s ashes to his family in India. She fell in love with India and the people and wanted to stay. The Indian government feared condemnation by the Soviet Union if they granted her political asylum.

On March 6,1967, Svetlana approached the U.S. embassy in New Dehli, stating her desire to defect. The U.S. Ambassador, Charles Bowles, offered her political asylum and a new life in the United States. After receiving approval from Washington DC, he put her on the 1:00am plane to Rome. From Rome she travelled to Geneva where the government arranged a tourist visa and accommodations for six weeks. She lived in a convent during this time where the nuns protected her privacy and gave her the solitude she wanted.

Svetlana arrived in New York City in April 1967. She immediately gave a press conference denouncing her father’s legacy and the Soviet government. She also announced that she intended to publish an autobiographical book “Twenty Letters to a Friend” on the fiftieth anniversary of the October Revolution. The book was very successful.

During her years in exile, it is claimed that Svetlana was never happy. She had left her children behind, and they did not maintain contact. Western sources said the KGB prevented communication. She eventually joined the Roman Catholic Church. She married and divorced William Peters in the early 1970s.

Svetlana became a U.S. citizen in 1978. She lived in England for a brief time and eventually returned to the Soviet Union. She returned to the United States in 2007.

Svetlana moved to Wisconsin and died on November 22, 2011 from complications from colon cancer.

January 7, 2016 - Our local Shelby County Aggie Moms group was able to spend the evening with several of our local Aggies before the start of fall finals. We traveled to College Station and treated the students to an evening of good food and fellowship to give them a boost to finish the semester strong. We are so proud of all of our local Aggies and wish them good luck this spring semester.

January 4, 2016 - Presidential candidate Senator Ted Cruz arrived in Center on Sunday, January 3, 2016 at the Center Municipal Airport for a rally/fundraiser. Members of the public were invited to meet the senator and hear a speech from him on his race for the presidency.

Many Shelby County officials were present, as well as others from surrounding areas. Following the senator's speech, all in attendance were treated to a meal prepared by the Shelby County Cookers. Cruz announced he would be traveling from Shelby County to Iowa where he is continuing his campaign.

January 4, 2016 - Center, Texas Weather Stats for December 2015

Highest Temp was 82 degrees on 12-26-2015
Highest Temp on Record was 84 degrees on 12-06-1956
Lowest Temp was 30 degrees on 12-19-2015
Lowest Temp on Record was 2 degrees on 12-24-1989

Rainfall Recorded was 6.67 inches
Average Monthly Rainfall is 5.43 inches
Above Average by 1.24 inches
Highest Recorded for this Month was 14.23 inches in 2002
Lowest Recorded for this Month was 0.87 inches in 1980
Average Yearly Rainfall is 54.20 inches

Total Rainfall for the Year is 77.13 inches - a New Yearly Record Rainfall
22.93 inches above Yearly Rainfall in 2015
Previous Yearly Record Rainfall is 76.20 inches in 1997
0.93 inches above Previous Yearly Record Rainfall

Message from the Forbes, "Hard to believe by looking at these stats that we also had a summer drought this year isn't it? Happy New Year everybody and may you have a wonderful blessed 2016!"

Attached is the December, 2015 Center, TX Weather Report prepared and submitted by Jim and Ann Forbes, U.S. Weather Observers.