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Vol. 23, No. 34 Wheeler County, Texas
Thursday, November 13, 2014
Area Roundup Wheeler approves hospital bond, alcohol sales
Vendors sought
The Wheeler Chamber of Commerce is seeking vendors to participate in Small Business Saturday, November 29. Booth spaces are $40 each
for a 10 x 10 booth. Electricity is also available
at an additional charge. Booths are indoor and on
the square shopping area. For more information,
contact Kristen at (806) 826-3408.
Chamber seeks donations
The Shamrock Chamber of Commerce is asking
chamber businesses to donate a gift card or
basket to be in a drawing as part of the Shop
Shamrock promotion that will begin November
29. Bring gifts to the County Star News or to
Connie at the chamber office by November 17.
Senior Parent Night
Shamrock High School will have a senior parent night on November 20 at 5:30. This will be a
time to learn about the college financial aid process and what seniors should be doing to begin
the application process. A bar-b-que dinner will
begin at 5:30 in the Shamrock school cafeteria.
Hunter safety course
There will be a hunter safety course Friday,
November 21 and Saturday, November 22 in
Shamrock. Friday will be from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
and Saturday will be from 8 a.m. till completed.
For more information, please contact Joe McQuay at (806) 256-2471 or (806) 336-6862.
By JEFF BLACKMON
Publisher
With very few contested county-wide elections,
most of last week’s local election races were held
in the northern part of Wheeler County.
It was in the City of Wheeler that voters were
asked to approve a nearly $10-million bond package for the Northern Wheeler Hospital District as
well as approve the off-premise sale of alcohol in
the City of Wheeler. Voters in Kelton also cast ballots to see who would serve as trustees on the Kelton Independent School District Board of Trustees.
Voters in Wheeler approved the off-premise sale
of alcohol by a margin of 241-127. The hospital
bond was approved by a large majority of voters,
540-64. The hospital bond will help fund improvements to the current hospital including expansion
and remodeling.
Courtesy photo
In Kelton, five candidates ran for four full term The above is an artist’s drawing of what the emergency entrance to Parkview Hospital in
spots on the board with Neal Ray Davis (54), Brett Wheeler could look like after voters approved a nearly $10-million bond for expansion and
improvements.
SEE VOTE, page a10
Remembering the jungles of Vietnam
Shamrock Army Veteran Kirk Clay shares memories of his service to America
I
Ambassador trip fund raiser
Megan Lacy is currently having two fund
raisers for an upcoming People to People Ambassador trip to France, Italy, Austria and Switzerland. She is selling butter braids and is also
doing something new, a Fun Pasta fund raiser.
She has a catalog for all the different fun pastas
offered. Different shapes, soup and pasta mixes
and over 50 collegiate pasta salad mixes. There
is a group website at www.funpastafundraising.
com, under People to People West Texas, go to
Megan Lacy and place an order. Orders online
will be shipped directly to you. Orders for both
fund raisers are due Thursday, November 13.
Wyatt “Golden Years”
The Old Mobeetie Jail Museum is selling
chances on the Kenneth Wyatt painting, “Golden
Years.” It is a 16 x 20 Giclee on canvas. Tickets
are $5 each or 6 for $25. The drawing will be
held December 9, 2014. You need not be present
to win. For more information call the museum
at (806) 845-2028, or come by the Mobeetie Jail
Museum offices. You may also purchase tickets
from any board member.
Girl Scouts taking orders
It’s time to order Girl Scouts nuts, candy,
magazines and photo keepsakes. Orders will be
taken from November 1 through November 15
and will be delivered December 3 through December 5. Several varieties of nuts and candy
will be available along with magazines and photo keepsakes including photo books, calendars
and much more. Remember these will make a
great Christmas gift. To order or for more information, contact Joyce Walker at (806) 669-4695.
FBC Ministry Center
Starting November 17, 2014, our ministry
center will be open for FOOD and CLOTHING
for Shamrock residents. You must qualify and
fill out the forms in order to receive food, no exceptions. Forms can be picked up at the church
office, 401 N Main, Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.3 p.m., or Accolade Home Care, 211 N. Main,
Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Questions, call
(806) 256-3207.
Operation Christmas Child
Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan Purse, Franklin Graham, President, will
soon touch children’s lives all over the world.
Millions of gift-filled shoe boxes will bring
joy to both the child and the giver. The 2014
National Collection Week will be Nov. 17-24.
Brochures at the Wheeler and Allison United
Methodist Churches will provide more information. Boxes will be collected at these locations.
Allison boxes will be collected Sunday morning,
Nov. 16. Wheeler boxes will be collected Monday morning, Nov. 17. If you have additional
questions, please call 826-3114 or 375-2328.
By Jeff Blackmon
Publisher
n February, it will have been 48 years
since Shamrock native Kirk Clay
shipped off for basic training at Fort
Bliss, Texas, to serve in the United States
Army.
Clay, like many young men at that time,
volunteered for the draft and one year later
in 1967 was on his way to Vietnam, where
the American military was heavily involved
in a conflict there. His life, like many other veterans who have served in times of
war, would never be the same. America’s
involvement in Vietnam lasted for nearly
19 years (1959-1979) and ended with nearly 53,000 American casualties and tens of
thousands wounded.
Clay owned and operated Clay Motor
Company in Shamrock with his wife June
before retiring in 2013. The two have been
married for 44 years.
Clay thought when he arrived in Vietnam
he would be spending the majority of his
time working on military machinery as a
mechanic. Instead, he was sent to the field.
Clay’s original orders were to go to the
227th Aviation Company as a mechanic,
and those orders never materialized. Instead
he was sent to meet up with the First Air
STAR-NEWS PHOTO/ Buc Weatherby
Recently Shamrock’s Kirk Clay gathered with members of the squad he fought with in
Vietnam. Those members were (back row, from left) Earl Callan, Kirk Clay, Jack Doherty,
Rich Darling, (front row, from left) Len TePoel and Jim Whitaker. Wayne Wilcox (not
pictured) also made the reunion. The group met together in October and visited one
afternoon at Joe McQuay’s home in Shamrock.
SEE clay, page a10
Anchors Aweigh
n Tyler Lepp leaves
for the U.S. Navy
by Angie Eddleman
Reporter
Shamrock High School graduate, Tyler Lepp is
set to join the United States Navy.
Tyler’s original plan was to join the Navy reserves and attend college at Oklahoma Panhandle
State University while getting his degree in business.
His plans changed when he went to the MEPS
station and scored an 89 on his ASVAB and qualified to be in the Navy’s Nuclear Field.
Lepp is keeping the family tradition alive as
his grandfather Walter A. Lepp, his father Chad
Lepp and uncle served in the U.S Navy. He left his
hometown of Shamrock on November 4 to go to
the Great Lakes, Illinois, for eight weeks of training. Then he will head to North Carolina for about
a year of schooling in the fundamentals of nuclear
propulsion. Lepp will then move to New York for
about another year to work on a prototype nuclear
reactor before he heads off to set sail in the fleet.
Tyler’s family and friends gathered at the American Legion Post #68 to bid him farewell on October 25. The American Legion filled up with famimore photos on page a5
ly, veterans, his coaches, his Irish fans, and close
friends.
STAR-NEWS PHOTO/ANGIE EDDLEMAN
They enjoyed pizza and a few games of pool as
Lacy Lepp Hanson, Tyler Lepp, Rochelle Doughtery, Caitlin Lepp, and Alea Tranthum
they all wished him well in his future.
gather for a picture at Tyler’s farewell party held at the American Legion #68.
See pages 8A & 9A of this issue for a salute to
Wheeler County Veterans
Living Accents
6’ fold-in-half
table
now serving breakfast
Located inside garrisons
on the corner of i-40 & 83
$34.99
Located inside Market Square Thriftway
1814 N. Bill Mack St. • Shamrock, TX • (806) 256-2481
1/2 off all in stock
hard surfacing
install only, no carryout
Premier Floor Warehouse
301 S. Cuyler, Pampa TX • 669-7001