Published: September 24, 2007 01:00 pm         

Letters to the Editor

Shame on cemetery thieves
Dear Editor,

I am writing to you in hopes that you print this so that the persons without a conscience will see this.

In June of this year I lost my only son to a short and difficult battle with cancer. It has been very hard to cope with the loss of a child.

This first Christmas without him is hard enough, now, having to see what robbing thieves have done.

I bought a beautiful Christmas bouquet for his grave. I went to a lot of trouble securing it. It was there two weeks. Someone stole it.

It is disgraceful sin to steal from a cemetery to decorate your home for Christmas. You know who you are. Shame on you!

Hildegard Shafley
Mineral Wells

Community thanked for Angel Tree’s 2007 success
Dear Editor,

On behalf of the 503 angels who received gifts from Tommy’s Angel Tree this year we would like to thank the Mineral Wells Community for their complete and total support of this year’s program. This program is a Mineral Wells program. It is not a fire department program. It is our community reaching out at this special season to those in need.

Some 70 bicycles were delivered throughout the community due to the generosity of the citizens of Mineral Wells. One hundred thirty-four angels were not selected from the tree. For those angels the citizens of the community allowed us to spend $8,509 to purchase gifts for those angels. The Angel Tree Guardians from Southside Church of Christ not only made the purchases, but wrapped the gifts as well.

It is virtually impossible to recognize everyone who contributed to the success of this year’s project. We must certainly thank the media, especially the Mineral Wells Index, for keeping Tommy’s Angel Tree in the spotlight. Thanks also goes to radio stations KNOB and KMQX for their publicity as well as the Mineral Wells Area Chamber of Commerce for keeping the updates of Angel Tree before their membership.

Thanks to the area businesses who allowed Angel Trees to be placed in their stores. These include Wal-Mart Supercenter, CitiBank, First State Bank, Bealls, Brazos Factory Outlet, Walgreens and Dollar General downtown. Both Dollar General stores set up toy collection containers.

Thanks goes to the Women’s Golf Association, Holiday Hills Country Club Golf Shop, the Optimist Club, Palo Pinto General Hospital Auxiliary and Palo Pinto General Hospital employees. PECO and Wal-Mart both adopted large numbers of angels as their employee projects. Several businesses had special campaigns such as Century 21 Real Estate and Ace Hardware. Smitty’s Cycle Shop and the toy run were phenomenal. The list of people who made monetary gifts is too long to mention, but recognition must be given to Antelope Tool for matching employee donations.

The annual Diamond Miss Pageant benefiting Tommy’s Angel Tree this year had special meaning as two of Tommy Parker’s relatives participated in the event directed by Marilyn Wilson.

Special thanks must go to the folks at Professional Answering Service who fielded countless Angel Tree calls. We must also remember the Mineral Wells police dispatchers and the firefighters who had their routines interrupted time and time again to receive angels.

Deepest thanks must go to each and every person who selected an angel, shopped for an angel, wrapped for an angel or helped deliver. Special thanks go to the Senior Center and some very special friends who do not want recognition for wrapping over and above the call of duty.

Each and every person mentioned and those who we have inadvertently left out must remember that their contribution has made Christmas 2007 more meaningful for the youth of Mineral Wells.

Sincerely,

The Angel Tree Guardians

Thanks given for benefit’s success
Dear Editor,

Thanks to everyone who participated and donated in the Santo Turkey Shoot and barbecue dinner benefit for Doug Long! It is greatly appreciated!

Also we would like to thank Tommy’s of Santo, Double E Stone, TexStar Ford, Longhorn, First National Bank of Santo, First National Bank of Lipan, Brazos Country Real Estate, Hamilton and Rucker Surveying, Mathis & Tri-Gas Co., Price Surveying, Millsap Lamar AC, Thorton’s, Teskey’s, Kelly & Co., Metro, Wal-Mart, Garrett’s Pawn Shop, Pulido’s, El Paseo, Coco’s, Curves, Hanchey Leather, Sparkles-n-Spurs, Pro-Cuts, Blockbuster, Downtown Video, Save-A-Lot, Sherwin Williams, Palo Pinto Co. Abstract, Mark Harrington, Simms Lumber, Nattyflat Furniture, Circle H Shell Station, Kennedy’s, Brock Junction, Millsap CafŽ I-20; from Stephenville-Hastings, Mrs. Baird’s, J.C. Penney, Bealls, Mountain Momma’s Art Studio, The Home Place, Frames Etc., Tractor Supply, Coca Cola Co., Matters from The Heart; from Granbury-Plant Construction Services, Wal-Mart, Pamela & Co., Market on the Square, Downtown Store, Whimsy’s, Our Place, Books on the Square, The Cat’s Meow, Kountry Korner and Houston St. Mercantile; and from Fort Worth-Laser & Skin Care Center; and anyone else we forgot to mention.

Also, a big thank you to Dub Prince, Moon Baker, Rodney Peugh and Todd Baker for all of their help. Without all of the help that we had it would not have been as successful as it was. Thank you to the Santo School for allowing us to have the benefit on the school property. We also would like to give a big thank you to all of the individuals who helped by taking money, serving, making desserts, donating items, money, and all those who came out and supported this benefit for Doug Long.

Kelly Hamilton
Santo

Where has the season spirit gone?
Dear Editor,

I have to say that this year I was very disappointed in the amount of Christmas decorations that were on display. Has everyone lost their Christmas spirit?

The town is no longer lit up with lights, nor are the houses in this community. We took our daughter out to look at the lights on Christmas Eve. There were hardly any to be found. It seems that the people and the city do not celebrate the way they use to. I remember not to long ago the city park would be decorated, and there use to be a big tree lit up downtown. What happened to the celebration?

I truly hope that next year will bring with it a little more spirit. I know that I will be decorating a lot more this next year and I hope that the city can take some time and money to once again decorate the park and the town. Let’s bring back the Christmas spirit to Mineral Wells and make this a town to be proud of.

Jennifer Godwin
Mineral Wells