Welcome to Seguin, Friends



Karen stands by Seguin's pecan, a must for tourists.



When Karen Crumley came to Austin, Texas, to join the Eunah Temple Holden Leadership Fund Committee, we thought it would be an excellent opportunity for this New Yorker to see "small town" Texas.

     Following her orientation to the work of the committee, Karen drove with me for an hour on one of the most publicized roads in the nation...US130: with speed limits of 80 and 85 mph. Of we course chatted...lots. Karen was the chair of the 2012 International Convention in New York City. She and I had spent several years working together to gear up for the event and keep it rolling.

     My point? The Society provides us with interesting and new connections. Without DKG, Karen and I would not have met and enjoyed each other's company. We did not spend time in a deer blind or boot skootin' in a dance hall, but we did enjoy a local sandwich shop and several locally owned stores. A good time was had by all. I hope we do it again soon. Perhaps you can join me next time? I hope you have had the chance to enjoyed this kind of camaraderie in DKG.





Dr. Beverly Helms explains Eunah Temple
Holden's will and the creating of the ETH
Leadership Fund Committee to Karen.

Comments can go viral

     When Lisa Myers, an English teacher in Texarkana, TX, wrote To America from a Teacher December 17, she had no idea it would "go viral." Her heartfelt reaction to events in Newtown, Connecticut, has touched thousands of readers. Go to this link to read her comments and her follow up:  http://lisamyers.org/author/junk5865/  I think it is worth reading, but then we are "the choir."
      Lisa and her husband, pastor of Highland Park Baptist Church, have one daughter who recently earned her MBA. Lisa is not a member of DKG. So many times I meet or hear about outstanding women and wonder how we "missed" inviting them to membership. Did they decline? Did we reach out to them at the busiest time in their lives and never ask again? Did we not bother to turn in names? Did we do their thinking for them and assume they didn't have time?  
    

Meetings, meetings, meetings

During a recent Go-To Meeting, Dr. Beverly
Helms follows material on her computer screen
 and prepares for the next item on her iPad.

The Golden Gift Fund committee meets Friday, January 11, and Saturday, January 12, in Austin. They will plan for the 2014 Leadership Manager Seminar and prepare for programs at the Regional Conferences...Info Fair and workshop. Updating brochures, checking for current information resources on the committee's website page and writing an article for the NEWS will be among tasks that will keep us busy. Dr. Vicki Davis, Texas, chairs this committee.
     January 15-16 the Eunah Temple Holden Leadership Fund committee will meet. Checking on finances, this group will verify that all five regional conferences have requested their $1,000 from ETH to help bring a woman speaker from outside the organization to the events. This is a unique committee set up under the terms of Holden's will. Betty Oswald (Mississippi) chairs this group.
     Nominations Committee will arrive in Austin for its January 18-19 meeting. Dr. Liz Tarner (Virginia) chairs this 10-member group.
    The Ad Hoc Election Procedure Committee brings up the end of the month on January 31-February 1. Dr. Carolyn Rants, chair (Iowa) has worked with the committee via email to jump start their work.
     It's busy at Society Headquarters! We prepare for the meetings and then have much work by way of followup. Of course day-to-day operations and interaction with members continues with or without meetings. Still must pay the utilities and taxes.

New Year's Food Traditions Vary

Did you eat something "special" to ensure you would have good luck for the new year?
    Here in south Texas we eat Mexican tamales at midnight. Because we have southern connections, we also eat black-eyed peas on January 1st. These are supposed to bring us good luck in the new year. I like both, so I enjoy the traditions.
     I have celebrated when the hostess insisted on serving pickled herring...a northern thing? or Danish? I tried to buy some this year...just in case, but our local grocery store that does usually carry pickled herring was sold out. Guess we have some folks here who ate herring for new year's day, just not me.
     Please share your food traditions with us in the comments below.

2013! Comfortable but challenging




Current Guadalupe County, Texas, Courthouse stands
in town center of Seguin. Pecan is the State Nut;
Seguin is one of two  Texas Pecan Capitals.The town square
offers a lively mix of old and new throughout the year.

As my husband and I drove around Seguin, TX, running errands January 2, the newness of another year and the sameness of the town touched me. We picked up a calender, folder for income tax organization (hope springs eternal), smoke alarms, AC filters, red pens and a few movies (to enjoy the last few days of vacation). Nothing unusual, same stores we shop regularly, but it was now 2013.

   I turned right where the lumberyard used to be (The man who owned that lumberyard originally built my house almost 100 years ago.). When a gas station was built on the corner of the lumberyard lot, it became four corners (because each corner had a gas station).  Now we only have two gas stations there and the lumberyard is gone, but longtime residents still call it four corners. Later I turned left at the corner where the Chevrolet dealer sold cars for many years. He married a young woman who grew up in my house and then they lived in my house for almost 20 years. The Chevrolet dealership has changed hands and moved closer to the highway for more room and visibility. I still use the Chevrolet dealership in driving directions.

The Texas Theater, built around 1935,
was still showing movies when we moved
to Seguin. Following a massive renovation,
the Seguin Conservation Society
operates the building which proves venues
for a variety of community events.
Old and new meet.

   That's what makes some things seem the same...we say, "Go past where the Ford dealer was and turn left by the old high school before you come to where Tommy lived." It's comfortable that way, but the directions are almost impossible for a newcomer to follow, or anyone who didn't know Tommy. So we adjust to the new and we make changes without even realizing it. Subtle and important at the same time.

     Enjoy the photos I took with my phone (that's new) of many of the old places around town that keep Seguin comfortable and challenging. Comfortable because we know about log cabins and court houses. Challenging because we need money to keep them in shape and to keep them vital. We want them to remind us of our past, to teach us about our heritage and to be relevant to our future. Much like DKG.

The Campbell Log Cabin was moved to its downtown
location to preserve it. The two-room cabin has the
typical "dog run" in the center. Annual celebration
of Seguin's birthday is held in and around the cabin
where old and new annually.

What Texas town would be complete without a local garage
and tire shop? Looks old and comfortable but uses some
pretty new technology.