Around the Community
Local Student Seeks Historical Marker Designation for Forgotten Cemetery
La Porte High School student Sabrina Silos has researched extensively the burial place of her ancestors, the Beazley Family Cemetery, located at Seabreeze Park. Her efforts were showcased to the public on May 13th, as Silos spoke to the La Porte City Council concerning her efforts to have a historical marker designation for the 160-year-old cemetery.The project first began after a trip to New Orleans to visit her great-uncle, Dr. Sanford Etheridge, who gave Silos some documents he wrote concerning Silos’ family history and a list of those buried in the Beazley Cemetery. With helpful guidance from her teacher, Ms. Kathryn Muston, Silos began culling through old deeds and property records at the Harris County Clerk’s Office. The City of La Porte has owned the Beazley Family cemetery, now part of Seabreeze Park, since 1995.Ten members of the Beazley family are buried there, in a section fenced off from the rest of the park. Gravestones marking the sites of those who are buried have long since vanished, either by vandalism or by the rushing waters of past storms. The Beazley family was one of the first families to settle in what is today La Porte. John Beazley, the patriarch of the family, moved to this area around 1820 and came to own vast amounts of land. A later descendant, also named John Beazley, built the Bay Shore Park Hotel, which later became the Happy Harbor Methodist Retirement Home in 1949. The Beazley home, built on Sylvan Beach and later burned in 1928, was widely known, as the Houston Chronicle reported, as the “the social center for Galveston Bay.” The porch of the house was where “General Sam Houston, Mirabeau Lamar and General Sidney Sherman used to sit and watch the sailboat races out in the Bay.”For her project, Silos interviewed many long-time residents of La Porte, including Mrs. Annie M. Rose, an actual witness of the gravestones at the cemetery. From her interviews, she gained information concerning the amount of property the Beazley family once held and recollections about the members of the Beazley family.“I would love to have any old pictures of the cemetery with gravestones,” Silos said in an interview. “It would help in the process of achieving historic designation for the cemetery.”After months of researching, Silos is now preparing her application to acquire a historic Texas cemetery designation, the first step in obtaining an official Texas historical marker. To qualify, the cemetery must be at least 50-years-old and must be deemed worthy of recognition for its historical associations.If anyone has any pictures documenting the old cemetery, please contact the newspaper at the following e-mail address: Maggie@aroundlaporte.com .
Lana Follis, standing, of Beacon Federal Credit Union, helps La Porte High School seniors add up their living expenses during the CU 4 Reality Financial Education Fair held at the LPHS Physical Education Center on May 22 and 23. The event, sponsored by Beacon Federal Credit Union, gave participants a chance to create spending plans based on an assigned salary, juggling needs versus wants to make sure they were living within their means. Representatives from auto dealerships, realtors, lenders, utility providers and other community volunteers manned tables where students “spent” their earnings on vehicles, utilities, clothing, housing, services, entertainment and more. The CU 4 Reality Program uses an in-class curriculum to teach participants important skills that will equip them to handle money responsibly, set and adhere to budgets, and avoid the pitfalls of debt. LPLS&RA Success for 2013
The 2013 La Porte Livestock Show and Rodeo Association show year is now in the books, and we can proudly say it was a success. The cook-off on March 22 and 23rd was the first event, followed with a city sponsored concert featuring Brian Evans, and ending with scholarship fund raising auction that had a record breaking year of $33,000.00.The live auction also had a record breaking year with a grand total of $127,325.00. This year’s Grand champion steer was raised by 9 year old Zane Hayman and was purchased by Beacon Federal Credit Union for $18,000.00. The Reserve champion steer was raised by high school junior Hunter Stewart and was purchased by Force Specialty Services for $7,000.00. The entire La Porte Livestock show and Rodeo Association board would like to thank Brent Choates, Danielle Ortiz, and the Wild Child Cookers, Jeff Zatopek, Pat Brooks and his gate committee, Doug Watson and his livestock committee, for the countless hours of hard work. We would also like to thank our buyers, sponsors and supporters along with the parents and volunteers for their time and efforts that help make the show a success. The Lomax arena has now been torn down by the city for renovation so look for the “New” arena in 2014. City
Council Seeks to Apply More Pressure to Homeowners with Blue Tarps April Housing Data Shows La
Porte Housing Prices Up
According to data released by the Houston Association of Realtors, the housing market remained strong in the Houston area in April as single-family home sales increased for the 23rd straight month, which has resulted in lowering the available housing inventory level to 3.4 months.In the La Porte-Morgan’s Point-Shore Acres housing market, April home sales totaled 42, compared to 30 in 2012. The average price of homes sold rose 15 percent (from $110,890 in April 2012 to $127,478 in April 2013) and the median price for homes sold in the 77571 zip code increased by 12.2 percent, from $108,250 a year ago to $121,500 now. Paskey Awarded Contract for Farrington Boulevard Utility
Relocation Project June 2013 La
Porte Community Library Schedule Harris County Public Library - www.hcpl.net “Preschool Story Time with Mr. D” On Tuesday Mornings at 10:15 am“Baby Time with Miss Mandy” On Tuesday Mornings at 11:00 am “Toddler Time with Miss Mandy” On Thursday Mornings at 10:15 & 11:00 am
Around La Porte Sylvan
Beach Day Winners
Parade Winners Best of Show: Shriners-Dancers Most Creative: Strawberry Festival Judges’ Award: Diamond Diva’s Softball Team Best Commercial Entry: Good Eats Delivery Chairman’s Award: Beacon Federal Credit Union Cook Off Winners Beans: Reason to Cook Drinkers Chicken: Wild Child Cookers Ribs- Smoke Shack Cookers Brisket: Wild Child Cookers Chefs Choice: 4 Hookers and a Cooker Miss Sylvan Beach Winners 2013 Miss Sylvan Beach Lyndzie West Miss Brock Entertainment Agency 1st Runner up Haley Green Miss Compton’s Florist 2nd Runner up Tana Fuentes Miss Beth Brady Insurance Agency 3rd Runner up Alexandra Chaplin Miss Zemanek Marine Services 4th Runner up Peyton Shipwash Miss Gringo’s Miss Congeniality: Claudia Pool Miss La Porte Rotary Contestants Choice: Haley Green Miss Compton’s Florist Directors Choice: Savannah Riggenbach Miss Moser Electric Miss Photogenic: Alexis Ormsbee LP Football Booster 2013 Officers Around the Mayor's Desk
From the Mayor’s
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 HYC host Annual Leukemia Cup Regatta
The 2013 Leukemia Cup Regatta, hosted by the Houston Yacht Club, is June 22-23 at HYC (3620 Miramar Drive in Shore Acres). The regatta, which is a sailing race as well as fundraiser to benefit the Texas Gulf Coast Chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, is open to all sailors. The Notice of Race and online registration is available online at www.houstonyachtclub.com. The public is invited to view the regatta on the water onboard the Observer, a 100- foot long, three-story tall spectator boat. Spectator boat tickets cost $30 per person and include lunch and soft drinks. Participants will board the boat June 22 and June 23 starting at 10 a.m. at HYC. Reservations for the Observer are a must, please contact Cheryl Thomas at csthomas25@gmail.com for reservations or call the HYC Office at 281.471.1255. All ticket money is donated directly to the Leukemia Cup Regatta. Saturday event’s end with a party at HYC and tickets can be purchased at HYC. Sunday will have the trophy presentation. The Leukemia Cup Regatta is a series of 47 national sailing events that combines the joy of boating with the important task of raising money to fight leukemia, lymphoma and other blood-related cancers.  La Porte ISD Board of Trustees members take the oath of office at the May 21 special/workshop meeting of the Board. From left are Charlcya Wheeler, Dee Anne Thomson and Lois Rogerson, who were sworn in by Maria Arizpe, secretary to the deputy superintendent. Wheeler and Thomson were unopposed in their bids for Positions 6 and 7, respectively. Rogerson won the May 11 special election to fill the unexpired one-year Position 1 term previously held by Bill Snead. Rogerson
Wins LPISD Race; High Turnout in Shore Acres
In the contested race for La Porte I.S.D. School Board, Lois Rogerson won the one-year, unexpired Position 1 term, formerly held by Bill Snead, on May 11 by a vote of 403 to Eva Brown’s 219.In Shore Acres, a high turnout helped propel Rick Moses, Nancy Schnell, and Bo Bunker to victory Election Night Saturday. The top three candidates receiving the most votes in a field of nine were elected. Rick Moses received 157 votes; Nancy Schnell 137 votes; Bo Bunker 108 votes. The other candidates received the following vote totals: Richard Adams 74 votes; Dana Woodruff 71 votes; Darlene Gamble Bays 51 votes; Mike Clark 36 votes; Charlotte Wells 19 votes; and Ron Hoskins 16 votes. Shore Acres voters overwhelmingly supported proposition 1, reauthorizing a one-fourth of one percent sales tax to provide revenue for street maintenance and repairs, by a vote of 195 to 47.In Morgan’s Point, Michel Bechtel defeated Craig Holland by a vote of 90 to 70 for Council Member Position3 position. For the City of La Porte, all amendments to the City Charter passed with over 80% in favor, except for Proposition 11, which if enacted, would double Mayor and Council salary. It passed with 57% in favor.  LA PORTE, AND LOCAL CITY RACES ELECTION RESULTS
La Porte ISD Board Trustee Position 1 Lois Rogerson 403 64.79% Eva Brown 219 35.21% La Porte Propositions All propositions passed: 29 of them with over 80% in favor and Proposition 11 (doubling of Mayor and Council salary) passed with 57% in favor. Morgan's Point City Council Position 3 Michel Bechtel 90 56.25% Craig Holland 70 43.75% Shore Acres Alderman (Top 3 are Winners) Rick Moses 157 23.47% Nancy Schnell 137 20.48% Bo Bunker 108 16.14% Richard Adams 74 11.06% Dana Woodruff 71 10.61% D. Gamble-Bays 51 7.62% Mike Clark 36 5.38% Charlotte Wells 19 2.84% Ron Hoskins 16 2.39% Shore Acres Prop 1 (reauthorization of sales tax) FOR 195 80.58% AGAINST 47 19.42% La Porte Jobless Rate Rises in April By David Lee Janda, Jr.The unemployment rate for La Porte rose to 6.6 percent in April, an increase from March’s rate of 6.4 percent, according to data released by the Texas Workforce Commission on Friday, May 17. A year ago La Porte’s unemployment rate was at 7.4 percent. The U.S. unemployment rate for April 2013 is 7.5 percent while Texas’ rate was 6.4 percent.  The La Porte Rotary Club presents scholarships to deserving La Porte High School students at the May 22 Grants and Scholarships Program at LPHS. At left are La Porte Rotary Club President Ray Nolen and Rotary Scholarship Committee Chairperson Crystal Redden with recipients Gabby Ochoa, Elissa Stamps, Christopher Dlouhy, Shakeira Woods, Victoria Stewart, Cassandra Parke, Yaneth Aguirre, Jorge Perez, Jr., Diana Aleman and Courtney Liimatainen. Rotary
Club sets Record in Scholarships
The La Porte Rotary Club presented a record $25,000 in scholarships to La Porte High School students at the annual Grants and Scholarships Night held on May 22 in the LPHS Sonja Angelo Theater.Five general grants in the amount of $3,000 each were awarded to Elissa Stamps, Christopher Dlouhy, Gabrielle Ochoa, Shakeira Woods and Victoria Stewart. Five named grants in the amount of $2,000 each were also presented. The honorees include Yaneth Aguirre, who received the Helen Crowder Memorial Grant; Jorge Perez, Jr., who received the Russell Shepherd Memorial Grant; Diana Aleman, who received the Jim Zoller Memorial Grant; Cassandra Parke, who received the Dr. W.R. Davison Nursing Grant; and Courtney Liimatainen, who received the Frank Pierson Achievement Grant. Pictured from L-R are: At left are La Porte Rotary Club President Ray Nolen and Rotary Scholarship Committee Chairperson Crystal Redden with recipients Gabby Ochoa, Elissa Stamps, Christopher Dlouhy, Shakeira Woods, Victoria Stewart, Cassandra Parke, Yaneth Aguirre, Jorge Perez, Jr., Diana Aleman and Courtney Liimatainen. What
Is Juneteenth?
by Mary Gay Juneteenth began in Texas when Major General Gordon Granger of the Union Army led his troops into Galveston. There on June 19, 1865, he officially proclaimed freedom for the slaves living in Texas. The news was issued from the balcony of Ashton Villa, two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. Attempts to explain this two and a half year delay of this important news have yielded different versions that have been handed down through the years. Often told is the story of a messenger who was murdered on his way to Texas with the news of freedom. Another is that the enslavers deliberately withheld the news to maintain the labor force on the plantation. Another version is that the federal troops actually waited for the slave owners to reap the benefit of a last cotton harvest before going to Texas to enforce the proclamation. Regardless of which story is true, Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. June 19th was coined “Juneteenth.”On the evening of June 19, 1865, thousands flooded the streets of Galveston, rejoicing in their newly announced freedom. Acknowledging African American contributions to society, Juneteenth is a time for all Americans to celebrate our independence, human and civil rights, and freedom.Juneteenth became a symbol for many during the Civil Rights Movement, as many civil rights activists linked their struggles for racial equality to the historical struggles of their ancestors. On January 1, 1980, Juneteenth became an official state holiday.Today, Juneteenth celebrates African-American freedom while encouraging self-development and respect for all cultures. In celebration of Juneteenth, the La Porte Community Civic Club will host the annual baseball game at the Deotis Gay Sr. Ball Park on Friday, June 14 at 5:00 p.m. On Saturday, June 15th, everyone is invited to the Juneteenth Festival at Sylvan Beach Park from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. There will be games, food, drinks, and a beauty pageant. On Sunday, June 16th, there will be a religious service at 3:30 p.m. at the Jennie Riley Center, 322 N. 4th Street. On Thursday, June 13th, there will be a Juneteenth prayer breakfast, given by Precinct 2 Commissioner Jack Morman at the J.D. Walker Center in Baytown at 8:00 a.m. For more information, contact Mary Gay at 281-471-3259.The Juneteenth celebration is sponsored by the La Porte Community Civic Club and co-sponsored by La Porte’s Parks and Recreation Department.  La Porte City Councilman Jay Martin and Mayor Louis Rigby enjoy plates of crawfish during the May 11 La Porte Rotary Club Crawfish Boil held at the Special Programs Center.  La Porte Rotary Club President Ray Nolen and Rotary members cook 600 lbs. of crawfish during the Rotary’s annual Crawfish Boil held on May 11 at the La Porte Special Programs Center. Approximately 150 tickets were sold, and the event raised $2,500 for Polio Plus, a Rotary effort to help eradicate polio world-wide. The La Porte High School Interact Club also raised $96 for Polio Plus by selling snow cones, cupcakes and candy and doing face painting. Around the Chamber |
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