By TOMIE LUNSFORD
Telegram Staff Writer
These are the files of Bell County lives - the records that sit in the home of Michael and Nancy Kelsey in Belton.
Folders and binders fill the storage boxes and filing cabinets that crowd the couple's foyer.
'If it sheds light on the history of Bell County, we save it,' Mrs. Kelsey said.
There are estate records, diaries, ledgers, photos, high school yearbooks, letters and newspaper clippings.
'We collect,' Mrs. Kelsey said. 'That's how we find the information for our books.'
She and her husband are the authors of the series 'Notes on Bell County.' The second volume, 'Hillcrest Cemetery,' was published Dec. 7. It joins the first volume, 'South Belton Cemetery,' in what will soon be a trilogy.
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Perpetual cemetery cruise preserves Bell County's past
By TOMIE LUNSFORD
Telegram Staff Writer
There are at least 50,000 dead people in Bell County.
The tally didn't come from a mail-in census; it came from a tombstone count by Joe and Dorothy Button of Killeen.
Cemetery hopping, more or less, is the couple's hobby.
This particular pastime, though, is an invaluable act of community service, according to Ron Gates, chair of the Bell County Historical Commission.
'The Buttons are the cemetery people,' Gates said. 'If anybody has a question about a grave or a cemetery, they either have the answer or can find it for you.'
The 50,000 tombstones the couple has counted since 1997 are from private family cemeteries and random one- and two-man burial sites, found hidden behind groves of trees or on rural road sides and river banks.
'The total doesn't include the larger commercial cemeteries,' Mr. Button said. 'It will one day. We just haven't gotten around to it.'
Telegram Staff Writer
There are at least 50,000 dead people in Bell County.
The tally didn't come from a mail-in census; it came from a tombstone count by Joe and Dorothy Button of Killeen.
Cemetery hopping, more or less, is the couple's hobby.
This particular pastime, though, is an invaluable act of community service, according to Ron Gates, chair of the Bell County Historical Commission.
'The Buttons are the cemetery people,' Gates said. 'If anybody has a question about a grave or a cemetery, they either have the answer or can find it for you.'
The 50,000 tombstones the couple has counted since 1997 are from private family cemeteries and random one- and two-man burial sites, found hidden behind groves of trees or on rural road sides and river banks.
'The total doesn't include the larger commercial cemeteries,' Mr. Button said. 'It will one day. We just haven't gotten around to it.'
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Inspired by new movie, locals start their own lists of things they'd like to do before they die
By TOMIE LUNSFORD
Telegram Staff Writer
Area residents have more in common with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman than they think.
Just like the two stars of 'The Bucket List,' local folks want to 'live it big' in their last six months of life.
In the movie, set to release Jan. 11, the terminally ill characters of Nicholson and Freeman ditch the hospital for time to skydive, flirt with women, spend money and 'live on the wild side.'
And since it's all got to be done before they kick the bucket, each minute becomes all the more rare and precious.
To determine the types of bucket lists Bell County residents have, the Telegram interviewed 20 random people at various public locations in Temple.
Telegram Staff Writer
Area residents have more in common with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman than they think.
Just like the two stars of 'The Bucket List,' local folks want to 'live it big' in their last six months of life.
In the movie, set to release Jan. 11, the terminally ill characters of Nicholson and Freeman ditch the hospital for time to skydive, flirt with women, spend money and 'live on the wild side.'
And since it's all got to be done before they kick the bucket, each minute becomes all the more rare and precious.
To determine the types of bucket lists Bell County residents have, the Telegram interviewed 20 random people at various public locations in Temple.
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
'He's a neat entertainer'
By TOMIE LUNSFORD
Telegram Staff Writer
Music is Kevin Carr's hobby and passion.
He works as a professional DJ in Bartlett, Granger and Taylor. He has provided the entertainment for several weddings, anniversaries, quinceañeras and award ceremonies.
'It's fun, and it's a way to earn a little extra money,' Carr said. (His main source of income is his disability insurance.) 'One day, I'd like to be in a band.'
Telegram Staff Writer
Music is Kevin Carr's hobby and passion.
He works as a professional DJ in Bartlett, Granger and Taylor. He has provided the entertainment for several weddings, anniversaries, quinceañeras and award ceremonies.
'It's fun, and it's a way to earn a little extra money,' Carr said. (His main source of income is his disability insurance.) 'One day, I'd like to be in a band.'
It's never too late to learn new things: Man with cerebral palsy proves that strong will prevails
By TOMIE LUNSFORD
Telegram Staff Writer
You can tell him no, but it won't do any good.
Kevin Carr has a mind of his own. His cerebral palsy is just a footnote - something that makes him look and sound a little different.
'If he thinks he can do it, he's going to try,' said his mother, Bettye Carpenter of Granger.
That determination earned Carr a seat at Granger High School. Since the second week of September, the 44-year-old man has been attending classes, something he wasn't able to do in his youth.
'School,' he said, 'is a dream come true.'
Telegram Staff Writer
You can tell him no, but it won't do any good.
Kevin Carr has a mind of his own. His cerebral palsy is just a footnote - something that makes him look and sound a little different.
'If he thinks he can do it, he's going to try,' said his mother, Bettye Carpenter of Granger.
That determination earned Carr a seat at Granger High School. Since the second week of September, the 44-year-old man has been attending classes, something he wasn't able to do in his youth.
'School,' he said, 'is a dream come true.'
It's better the second time around
By TOMIE LUNSFORD
Telegram Staff Writer
'Why is there this big dude in our class?'
That's the question 44-year-old Kevin Carr's classmates asked themselves the first day he attended Todd Grandjean's Texas history class.
'But it all turned out all right,' said Jorge Torrez, 12.
He and his 20 peers couldn't think of a single disadvantage at having a classmate like Carr.
'There's nothing bad,' Torrez said
Group work with Carr poses no problem.
'It's just like any other group,' said Bree Nava, 12. 'Work distribution is even and fair.'
Carr's decision to come back to school makes his new classmates say, 'Wow.'
Telegram Staff Writer
'Why is there this big dude in our class?'
That's the question 44-year-old Kevin Carr's classmates asked themselves the first day he attended Todd Grandjean's Texas history class.
'But it all turned out all right,' said Jorge Torrez, 12.
He and his 20 peers couldn't think of a single disadvantage at having a classmate like Carr.
'There's nothing bad,' Torrez said
Group work with Carr poses no problem.
'It's just like any other group,' said Bree Nava, 12. 'Work distribution is even and fair.'
Carr's decision to come back to school makes his new classmates say, 'Wow.'
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Zabcikville woman welcomes loved ones home for Christmas with a lot of beautiful decor
By TOMIE LUNSFORD
Telegram Staff Writer
Her house is a life-size snow globe.
Well, it would be if it had a dome-shaped layer of glass around it.
Reindeer prance in her lawn, carolers guard her doorway and icicles cling to her rooftop and tree branches.
But that's not it.
Della Green has seven Christmas trees in her house, each fully decorated. And, from bathroom to kitchen, on top of every table and counter sits a unique, handmade floral arrangement.
Fluffy bows adorn every window, serving as wreath centerpieces. Wrinkle-free and their color a vibrant red, they look store bought.
But no - the 89-year-old woman makes them herself.
Telegram Staff Writer
Her house is a life-size snow globe.
Well, it would be if it had a dome-shaped layer of glass around it.
Reindeer prance in her lawn, carolers guard her doorway and icicles cling to her rooftop and tree branches.
But that's not it.
Della Green has seven Christmas trees in her house, each fully decorated. And, from bathroom to kitchen, on top of every table and counter sits a unique, handmade floral arrangement.
Fluffy bows adorn every window, serving as wreath centerpieces. Wrinkle-free and their color a vibrant red, they look store bought.
But no - the 89-year-old woman makes them herself.
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