Congratulations Class of 2017! 4141 yearsyears ofof coveringcovering SSouthouth BBeltelt Voice of Community-Minded People since 1976 Thursday, June 1, 2017 Email: [email protected] www.southbeltleader.com Vol. 42, No. 18 Beltway to close at I-45 Both the eastbound and westbound con- nector ramps on Beltway 8 to the southbound Sagemont honors fallen Texas soldiers lanes of the Gulf Freeway will be continuous- ly closed from 9 p.m. Friday, June 2, to 5 a.m. To celebrate Memorial Day, Sagemont a Name, and guests were invited to personalize During the service, Rothberg read the names of Friday, June 2. The outdoor displays will be open Monday, June 5. As a detour, drivers should Church’s grounds were transformed into a tem- the experience by leaving names of fallen loved 120 Houstonians who have died in recent bat- to the public from dawn to dusk, while the indoor exit either Beamer or Highway 3 and travel the porary memorial garden to pay homage to fallen ones on a Memorial Wall, also located on the tles. displays will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. frontage road to the southbound frontage road Texas soldiers. church property. Thousands of guests attended the function, Several photo stations are available for those of the Gulf Freeway. In the soldiers’ honor, 38,000 American fl ags Inside the church’s lobby, a life-sized repli- including hundreds of nonmembers, many of wishing to take pictures or videos of the dis- were fl own around the church’s 170-foot-tall ca of the Liberty Bell was displayed along with whom reportedly just happened to stumble plays. Guests are encouraged to tag photos of Graduation issue enclosed cross – each representing a Texas soldier who a Wall of Honor, which featured the names and across the massive display without prior knowl- the memorial on social media with the hashtag This week’s Leader features the annual died in battle from the days of the Republic of photos of fallen service members. edge of the event. #sagemontfl agmemorial. graduation issue, located in Section C of the Texas back in 1836 to the present. A special Memorial Day service was led by The memorial will remain on display through See related photos on Page 6A. newspaper. The special edition includes grad- The theme for the event was Every Flag Has former U.S. Army Chaplain Grant Rothberg. uation information for Dobie, Clear Brook, South Houston and Clear Horizons Early Col- Bebee remembered on 4th anniversary lege high schools and Lutheran South Acade- my. Sagemont celebrates Memorial Day Wednesday, May 31, had entered the building under the false assump- marked the fourth anni- tion there were civilians trapped inside. LSA holds summer camps versary of the death of It took more than 150 fi refi ghters roughly Registration is open for summer camps at Lu- Houston fi refi ghter and three hours to bring the fl ames under control. theran South Academy. Camps are available for longtime South Belt A 1990 Dobie graduate, Bebee, 41, dedicated art, baseball, boys basketball, girls basketball, resident Robert Bebee, his life to public service, fi rst working as a dep- book creator, football, forensic science, Lunch who along with three uty for the Harris County Precinct 2 Constable’s Bunch, physical education, Pioneer Power others, died while bat- offi ce, before making the switch to become an Camp, photography, Pride Camp, scuba, soccer, tling a fi ve-alarm fi re in HFD fi refi ghter in August 2001. tennis and volleyball. a motel near the South- Bebee began his HFD career as a fi refi ght- For students interested in weights, strength west Freeway at Hill- er/EMT but was promoted to engineer opera- and agility, Pride Camps are available for stu- croft. tor EMT in December 2007. At the time of his The other three fi re- death, Bebee was studying to become a captain. dents entering grades 6-8 and 9-12 in the fall. Bebee The Pioneer Power camp is for students entering fi ghters who died in the In December 2004, Bebee took on a second grades 9-12 and for students interested in foot- blaze were Captain EMT Matthew Renaud, 35, job, joining the Jersey Village Fire Department, ball, boys soccer, basketball, baseball and vol- of Station 51; Firefi ghter EMT Robert Garner, where he served for six years. leyball. Camp length varies depending on the 29, of Station 68; and Probationary Firefi ghter In addition to Station 51, Bebee served out of camp. Anne Sullivan, 24, of Station 68, who had just stations 37, 40, 10 and 48. Go to www.lutheransouth.org for more de- graduated from the academy the previous month. To honor Bebee’s legacy, family members and tails and camp registration. The fi re, which injured 14 more, marked friends started the Robert Bebee Foundation in the deadliest day in the 118-year history of the 2014. Founded by Bebee’s parents, his sister, his Houston Fire Department. cousin and longtime friends Jodie Thibodeaux Beltway 8 closures set Last March, HFD Capt. William “Iron Bill” Lawson and Ann Coronado Vasquez, the foun- The Blackhawk exit and Monroe entrance on Dowling, who lost both of his legs in the fi re, dation is aimed at helping the homeless and the Beltway 8 will be closed through Saturday, July died of complications from the injuries sustained underprivileged – an issue close to Bebee, who 8. The closures are associated with the widening in the line of duty that day. routinely reached out to such individuals. of Beltway 8 from Beamer to Highway 288. According to offi cials, the fi re started around For additional information on the Robert Be- noon in an adjacent restaurant, then quickly bee Foundation, visit www.robertbebeefoun Bay area quilters meet spread to the Southwest Inn in the 6800 block dation.org/about/foundation/ or https://m.face of the Southwest Freeway. The four were killed book.com/robertbebee.fdn or call 281-949- The Bay Area Quilt Guild meets the fi rst when the motel’s roof collapsed. The fi refi ghters 8839. Tuesday of each month at Mt. Olive Luther- an Church, located at 10310 Scarsdale Blvd. Fellowship begins at 6:30 p.m., and the gener- Sagemont’s Beth Morgan dies at 76 al meeting and program begins at 7 p.m. This In honor of Memorial Day, Sagemont Church fl ew 38,000 American fl ags on its grounds month, the guest speaker is Silvi Sealy, and her around the facility’s 170-foot-tall cross. Each of the fl ags represented a fallen Texas sol- Beth Morgan, wife of the Rev. John Morgan grown from a meager 16 members to a congrega- program will be a trunk show of quilts made of dier from 1836 to the present. A Memorial Wall was also on display, where guests could who serves as senior pastor of Sagemont Church, tion of more than 20,000 – one of the largest in the Kaffe Fassett fabrics. Guests are welcome. For sign the names of fallen loved ones. See additional photos on Page 6A. Photo submitted died Sunday, May 28, after a battle with an ill- country, with ministries all around the globe. additional information, call Debby Benson at ness. She was 76. The couple’s family grew to include their two 713-248-8757 or visit bayareaquiltguild.org. The two were high school sweethearts, despite sons (Sean Hunter Morgan and Dean Fisher Mor- attending different Pasadena Independent School gan), two daughters-in-law and three grandchil- Holocaust survivor speaks District campuses (Beth Morgan – then known dren. On Sunday, June 4, beginning at 6 p.m., Gulf Symphony to perform at Dobie as Beth Ann Barcello – attended South Houston Thursday, June 1 would have marked the cou- Meadows Church, located at 8012 Fuqua St., The Houston Symphony will perform a free Guests are invited to arrive early for the sym- High School, while John Morgan attended Pasa- ple’s 51st wedding anniversary. will host a presentation from Holocaust survi- concert at Dobie High School Saturday, June phony’s “instrument petting zoo.” dena High School). Morgan’s death coincided with Sagemont’s vor Irving Roth, who will speak on his World 10, in the school’s auditorium, beginning at 7:30 Additional community concerts will take A 1959 South Houston High School gradu- Memorial Day service, in which it fl ew 38,000 War II experiences. Having survived both Aus- p.m. place at Lilly Grove Missionary Baptist Church, ate, Morgan was the campus’s first homecoming American fl ags around the church’s 170-foot-tall chwitz and Buchenwald concentration camps Part of the Houston Symphony’s Summer 7034 Tierwester, on Tuesday, June 6; North queen. cross in honor of all Texas soldiers that have fall- in Nazi Germany, Roth’s heart-wrenching sto- Community Concert Series, the performance will Shore Senior High School, 353 N. Castlegory, on Following graduation, both Beth and John en in battle since 1836. (See related story on this ry is a testament of how individuals can thrive include selections from Bizet’s Carmen Suite, Wednesday, June 7; Spring High School, 19428 Morgan attended Baylor University, where she page.) in their darkest moments. Admission is free. Tchaikovsky’s Waltz from Sleeping Beauty, the Interstate 45, on Thursday, June 8; and Cypress earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in primary edu- Other church events, however were placed on theme from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast and Ridge High School, 7900 N. Eldridge Parkway, cation.