Feb. 17 Created Its Challenges
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Diamond Rio, March 16, 2021 Boots & Roots Our 27th Year of Publishing FREE coming to Clarion (979) 849-5407 PLEASE Weekly © 2021 Bulletin SEE PAGE 16 mybulletinnewspaper.com TAKE ONE LAKE JACKSON • CLUTE • RICHWOOD • FREEPORT • OYSTER CREEK • JONES CREEK • ANGLETON • DANBURY • ALVIN • WEST COLUMBIA • BRAZORIA • SWEENY A dream career What all lurks in Feb. 17 created that took off with the morning fog? its challenges By Janice R. Edwards In the middle of the Phi Slama Jama The Bulletin By Ernie Williamson I woke up and could not go big freeze, the best The Bulletin back to sleep. The morning light came out in people I was watching a television special through the blinds indicated that it on Tiger Woods when a former col- was not time yet to get up. But the By John Toth league appeared on the screen. pups were ready for their morning The Bulletin It was Tommy Bonk, the nation- regiment. So, I pried my eyes open, Feb. 17 was not an ordinary ally respected sports writer. slipped into the kitchen and left Roy Wednesday. Tommy and I began our journalism sleeping. Water pipes burst from the careers at the Houston Post in 1972. extreme cold, most of us just wanted Tommy is now semi-retired and does Memories are made of this the power to come back on and some free-lancing. I am retired after stay on for longer than 25 minutes, 45 years at newspapers. The clock indicated that it was and water pressure became only a As I watched Tommy talk about time to get up. But looking out the memory. Tiger, I realized that, although I had patio door, I realized that the sea followed his career by reading his fog had rolled in last night. It was Ramblings stories as he bounced from dateline not the kind of kitten-gray soft fog to dateline, it had been years since that twirls and dances with the We still had a few freezing nights we had spoken. breeze like fairies vanishing with to go before warmer temperatures dawn’s first light. returned. We were in the middle of The View from My Seat No, this was the kind of hearty the hardest and longest freeze this fog that sneaks in and disguises area had ever seen. I felt sad about that. Where had everything. The changing of the “Do you think the Health Depart- the time gone? seasons. Mother Nature hasn’t ment will be open today,” asked I knew he was living in California, decided whether or not to hang on Sharon. We were scheduled to get but I didn’t have a phone number. I to winter or let spring commence. our second Moderna shot at 11 a.m. did some research, got his number I made coffee – Buc-ee’s ground I planned to drive over to the and called him to catch up on the coffee that you make at home. It is The San Bernard River glistens in the early light on a less-foggy morning. motel room I rented as a safety net. past 30 years. (Continued on Page 9) (Photo by Brooke Atkins) We could use the restroom, take Boy, does he have some stories. showers and work there while the While I spent my career editing broken pipes at the house awaited stories, designing front pages and A basketball game to remember and an even better story repair. Then I planned to drive worrying about personnel and bud- around to see what’s open and By Rich Manieri tribute to the extraordinary. winning team and the crowd stood gets, Tommy was having a career search for a gas station so that I Special to The Bulletin Tech took the last shot in a 72-72 as one, in appreciation for six young (Continued on Page 5) that would be the envy of sports fans The basketball game ended. game, a desperate three-pointer as women who had given every bit of everywhere: He was traveling the Then, something happened that I the buzzer blared. It was perfect. themselves for each other and for INSIDE THIS ISSUE world covering sporting events and haven’t seen. The Tech players mobbed the those who weren’t here. developing relationships with famous Every member of the winning shooter at midcourt. But as the This is a good story and one that athletes. team stood and cheered the players defeated Asbury players left the needs telling because you probably Spring into To most Houstonians, Tommy will they had just defeated; six mem- floor, most of them in tears, the (Continued on Page 9) be remembered for three words he bers of the Asbury University wom- Reading Challenge wrote in a Houston Post column. en’s basketball team. There were It was a January Sunday in only six Asbury players in uniform All I want is a vaccine shot in the arm at county library 1983, and Tommy had just watched to laud. The rest of the team was in SEE PAGE 9 Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drex- By Jerry Zezima even though we haven’t gotten it COVID quarantine. Tribune News Service (TNS) ler and the University of Houston yet. The standing ovation was an After weeks of trying to get the basketball team slam dunk their That’s because we finally got I don’t use acknowledgement by the winners, coronavirus vaccine, during which way to a 112 - 56 trouncing of the appointments for our initial injec- from West Virginia Tech, that my wife, Sue, and I spent almost all tions. And we owe it all to our fancy words to (Continued on Page 10) they had just witnessed some- of our waking hours online, on the daughters, Katie and Lauren, who facebook.com/ thing unusual, something heroic. phone or on edge, I am happy and had been needling us (sorry, but it’s impress readers This was more than a ceremonial utterly flabbergasted to announce true) to keep at it. Ultimately, after SEE PAGE 12 thebulletinbrazoriacounty/ handshake or fist bump. This was a that our efforts were worth a shot, (Continued on Page 10) Page 2 THE BULLETIN March 16, 2021 (979) 849-5407 www.mybulletinnewspaper.com How warm of cold is Spring Break? Spring Break weather in March is a crap shoot some years, but it’s looking good this year. Spring temperature averages range from a high of 69.9 degrees Fahrenheit (21.1 degrees Celsius) in Florida to a low of 24.7 °F (-4.1 °C) in Alaska. For the entire United States, excluding Hawaii and Alaska, the season averages 52.0 °F (11.1 °C). Overall, March features above-normal temperatures on average in most areas with cooler-than-normal readings limited to the western United States, Quebec, and British Columbia. March 27 March 18 March 19 March 20 March 21 March 22 March 23 Texas is loaded with Spring Break spots Texas ranks No. 5 in the United States for great Spring Break weather with an average tempera- ture of 69F. That’s not exactly plunging in the Gulf of Mexico in a bikini type of weather, but warm enough to spend a week in the sun before returning to the classroom for a few more weeks of school. Living near the Gulf is a big advantage when it comes to Spring Break. There are many miles of beach shoreline in Brazoria County and Surfside for those who want to combine the beach with dining. And, the world-famous Galveston Island is only an hour’s drive away. That should satisfy anyone’s Spring Break cravings. Stroll down the Seawall, hit up Schlitterbahn Water Park, or explore the exhibits and attractions at Moody Gardens. Other spots are Corpus Christi, home to the Texas State Aquarium, South Texas Botanical Gardens and the USS Lexington, all of which are great places to explore. Corpus is about three hours from Brazoria County. If you are going there, you might as well stop by Port Aransas with a beach perfect for building sand castles, sunbath- ing, fishing, bird watching and shell hunting. And for hard-core spring break- ers, there is always South Padre Island, about seven hours by car from the county. Sunshine should be abundant everywhere. www.mybulletinnewspaper.com (979) 849-5407 March 16, 2021 THE BULLETIN Page 3 Strange but True By Bill Sones (We sure didn’t.) visitors to become better stewards and Rich Sones, Ph.D. Happy zoo animals of the Earth.” Having a blast with grapes Q. Are zoo animals happy in Fire drill math Q. Why do grapes spark in the captivity? Q. At Logic Inc., management microwave? A. Why shouldn’t they be? Most promises a “surprise” fire drill in A. DON’T TRY THIS, unless live longer than their counterparts the coming week, Monday through your life insurance is paid up and in the wild, eating better and safe Friday, to test the efficacy of evac- you have a spare microwave in the from predators. Zoos have come a uation procedures. No one but the basement! This one comes from long way since their start as private CEO knows which day it will be. the Mad Scientist Network (www. menageries, displaying exotic Can you guess when the alarm will madsci.org), posted by microwave and dangerous creatures for the most likely ring? physicist Adrian Popa. amusement of the nobility, says A. You might say each day is Not all microwave ovens give West Chester University psycholo- equally likely at 1 chance out of 5. the same results, but Popa cooked gist Michael J.