Shelby County Today

March 2, 2016 - Members of the Center Woman’s Reading Club met on February 18th at the lovely home of Bille Sue Payne.  President, Janene Walker presided.  Following a short business meeting Barbara Prince reviewed the book Saved by Her Enemy, by Don Teague and Rafraf Barrak.  

Saved by Her Enemy is a journey of two different people from opposite sides of the world, of faith, of experience, and of expectations.  

Don Teague was a respected journalist, a Christian and family man. When September 11th happened, Don had an overwhelming feeling that his life was going to change.  It was shortly after that, that he ended up being hired by NBC News, and sent to Baghdad.

Rafraf grew up in Baghdad in a devout Muslim family.  She was one of ten children. The family lived in a small middle class house.  She was 10 years old when the Gulf War started.  She would sit home and watch the war outside her window.  The bombings were colors in the sky and noises.  Her parents would tell the children it was bad people attacking them – Americans.

Rafraf was very smart. She had a near photographic memory.  After completing school, the Government decided where students would go school, and what they would study.  The Government sent Rafraf to major in English.  Despite her fear of Americans Rafraf became a translator for NBC in 2003.   She was making more money than her father had ever been able to earn. But with the job and the money came threats to her life.  She was working for the “enemy”.  She was torn; quit the job and give up the income for her family or continue to work and risk death.

It was while working as a translator when Rafraf and Don Teague met.  They struck up an unlikely friendship.  The two were on assignment together at a local school when insurgents bombed the school.  The two were nearly killed.  Don gave his body armour to Rafraf.  No one was killed that day, but Rafraf couldn’t understand why her own people would kill her own people and why a foreigner would give her his body armour.  She says it was a wakeup call.

Don Teague talked to his wife Kiki following the bombing and asked permission to bring Rafraf back to live with the family.   Don, Kiki and Don’s fellow correspondents mobilized to get Rafraf out of the country and to the safety of the United States.

Within a year, Rafraf had left everything and everyone she knew and moved in with the Teague family.  She left her faith, her family and her culture to live with a middle class Christian family.   She spent two years in the US before being granted political Asylum since insurgents had targeted and threatened her family after she left Iraq.  It was too dangerous for her to return home.  During her time in the United States, Rafraf underwent a cultural and religious transformation.  She went from a sheltered Muslim girl to a modern American girl.   In 2008 she accepted Christ as her Lord and Savior.

Delicious refreshments were served after the program.

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March 1, 2016 - Album - A political rally was held at the Joaquin ISD cafeteria on Saturday, February 27, 2016 for candidates in Joaquin, Precinct 3 as well as county-wide candidates.

The event was well attended by candidates, fire department representatives and area residents. During the event a hamburger plate fundraiser was held by the fire department. Each candidate was presented with five minutes to speak and two minutes to respond to any questions from the audience.

Candidates present for the event included (in the order they spoke):

Joaquin City Council candidate, Frankie Cooper.
Precinct 3 Constable Candidate Roy Cheatwood.
Precinct 3 Constable Candidate Scott Burkhalter.
Precinct 3 Commissioner Candidate Travis Rodgers.
Precinct 3 Commissioner Candidate Charles Barr.
County Tax Assessor/Collector Debora Riley.
County Attorney Candidate Ken Florence.
County Attorney Candidate Gary Rholes.
Sheriff Candidate Willis Blackwell.
Sheriff Candidate Ricky Allen.
123rd District Judge Candidate LeAnn Kay Rafferty.
123rd District Judge Candidate Mike Parker.

Following each candidates speech and interaction with the audience, cakes and pies provided by the Joaquin VFD Ladies Auxiliary and were auctioned with each candidate first having the opportunity to give the opening bid.

March 1, 2016 - The Center Women’s Reading Club met at the lovely home of Suzanne Ihlo on January 21st. President, Janene Walker presided over the Annual Meeting. The Club approved the 2016-2017 Budget.

Suzanne Ihlo presented a program on Edna Gladney, an incredible lady who fought for children’s rights and adoption reform. Born in Milwaukee in 1886, Edna Gladney was labeled as “illegitimate” from birth and, as an adult, lobbied for that label’s removal from all birth certificates.

Edna was born on January 22 to Minnie Nell.  Her mother was not married and was only seventeen when Edna was born. Edna never knew her birth father.  Minnie married when Edna was seven years old. In 1904, Minnie sent Edna to live with an aunt in Ft. Worth. She hoped the climate would help Edna’s health.  She also hoped that by moving Edna into a completely new society, no one would find out that Edna was illegitimate.  Being illegitimate at that time was a huge stigma.

While in Fort Worth, Edna met Sam Gladney in 1906. Sam was ten years her senior and worked at Medlin Flour Milling Company. The two eloped. In 1913, the Gladneys moved to Sherman, Texas so that Sam could open his own milling company, Gladney Milling. Edna joined the Sherman Civic League and started inspecting local meat markets and public restrooms for cleanliness. Edna, along with eight other ladies also addressed the Poor Farm and horrible living conditions. They white washed the building, burned the trash and took the children to Texas Children’s Home and Aid Society (TCHAS).

By 1910, Edna had joined the Board of Directors for the TCHAS and established the Sherman Nursery and Kindergarten for Working Women, a free day nursery to help poor working families by watching their children. In 1927, Edna was named Superintendent of the TCHAS.

After her husband died in 1935, Edna continued to make the welfare of unwanted children the center of her life.  She placed abandoned children with adoptive families.  She worked hard to place the right children with the right parents.

Edna lobbied the Texas legislature to have the word “illegitimate” kept off birth certificates of adopted and abandoned children.  In 1936, Texas was the first state in the southwest to legally remove the stigma of illegitimacy
In the 1950s, Edna also helped to get a bill passed that gave adopted children the same inheritance rights as biological children.

In 1950, the Texas Children’s Home and Aid Society bought the West Texas Maternity Hospital, which was renamed the Edna Gladney Home – now The Gladney Center for Adoption.

In 1941, MGM released the movie “Blossoms in the Dust”, starring Greer Garson who portrayed Edna Gladney.

Edna Gladney passed away in 1961, but her legacy lives on through the tens of thousands of children for which she spent her life crusading.  She never adopted a child herself, she loved them all.

Delicious refreshments were served and the ladies enjoyed a special time of fellowship.

February 26, 2016 - The Center Rotary Club President Anna Lee presented a $250 donation for the Community Garden to AgriLife Extension Agents Jheri-Lynn McSwain and Lane Dunn during their Tuesday meeting at the John D. Windham Civic Center.

The Result Demonstration and Community Garden Project will be managed by the AgriLife Extension office; however, it will be a community effort involving local civic groups, community members, and youth groups.

The project will provide an opportunity to complete community service hours and to learn general horticultural practices while providing fresh produce to local food banks. A Result Demonstration Garden will allow visitors to learn about vegetables and plants that grow well in Deep East Texas.

Photo submitted by Anna Lee.