One Man's Ramblings
I have to apologize up front for not putting more effort into this week’s column, because the subject matter is very important. But because of a more-than-usual hectic week (read Kari’s column first), my head is spinning and I just want to do the job right.
Today (Wednesday, Sept.
18) marks the 50-year anniversary for the Iowa Park Leader.
I was physically involved with the paper for six years in the 80s, and now for the past 15 years and running. But I, like my four sisters and both parents, were always a part of this paper’s pulse.
We kept Mom (Dolores Hamilton) on her toes in those early years. We’d have knock-down dragouts even on a very busy press day, and inevitably one of the kids would call her crying. She would make basic threats on the first two calls, then head home after the third call with threats to do bodily harm to anyone visible and breathing.
Yep. Sometimes the belt came out.
But we lived through it.
It was a crazy good time, coming to Iowa Park in the early fall of 1969, seven people loaded up with belongings in a station wagon and trekking the long distance from our former Panhandle home.
The town was full of energy from the start, with talk of a very strong Hawk football team just fixing to start their season (which ended up 15 games later with a state championship).
The business district was an interesting place, filled with all kinds of businesses, White’s, Western Auto, Discount Food, Bogan Furniture and Appliance, TG&Y, Parkway Furniture and Appliance, Shaw Ford, Bate’s Chevrolet, Verna’s Apparel, A&P Food Store, Settle Drug, State National Bank, Park Pharmacy, Shirley’s Flower Shop, Iowa Park Florist, Kidd’s Auto Supply, The Velfree Shop, Piggy Wiggly ... on and on.
It’s darned interesting how the entrance and later the retreat of Wal-Mart changed that deal.
My first day of school in Iowa Park was fifth grade at
Police officers attend annual HOPE breakfast
Several Iowa Park police officers attended the Grace Church of Iowa Park, 1401 North Pacific, third annual HOPE, Honoring Our Police and Emergency Responders, Breakfast for police and emergency responders Sunday morning.
HOPE is sponsored by Dutton Funeral Home and hosted by Grace Church.
Those attending were treated to pancakes, eggs, sausage, bacon, fruit, donuts, and coffee, milk and juice.
Kidwell Elementary, with Mrs. Heard my homeroom teacher.
Two kid football teams – the Hawks and Bandits – battled in the Boys and Girls Club league. Those were my first years in pads.
Dad (Bob Hamilton) took the family to every game that year, and all the other years up until I made it to the varsity as a junior in the mid-70s.
In most of those games prior to that time, I walked with Dad along the sidelines, helping him to keep accurate statistics. I’m still amazed how he was able to write notes in shorthand in a small steno notebook, while shooting pictures with a Yaschika box camera and Honeywell strobe.
My four sisters (and later, many of their kids) have worked their way through Iowa Park’s school system.
As a family, we have decades of life spent in this community, helping to tell its stories and share its history.
We are still rocking along 50 years later, with Mom at the helm, and along with my sister Kari, myself, and adopted daughter Sherrie Williams.
We are all extremely blessed and grateful to our readers, and to our advertisers.
A lot has changed in the newspaper business in those 50 years, with more and more challenges facing us. But we are as resolved now as we were 50 years ago to bring you a quality product. It’s in our blood. It’s what we do.
Thank you again to everyone supporting this paper then, today, and into our tomorrows.
