Scent of a wedding: Flowers and brides have long history

By TOMIE LUNSFORD
Telegram Staff Writer

Here comes the bride.
Wait a minute. What's with all those flowers?
Are they for beauty's sake or for luck? Both.
Flower bouquets and herbal arrangements have long been a staple of wedding ceremonies.
The earliest record dates to ancient Greece. Brides would wear crowns of garland, ivy or field flowers upon their heads.
'It was considered a gift of nature,' said Charlotte Elrod of Temple. She spent about six months researching the history of wedding flowers for the Feb. 5 Temple Garden Club program.
The use of crowns added a sense of formality to the wedding, Ms. Elrod said. It also aligned with Greek custom and identity. People of importance at that time, like philosophers and actors, would wear plant crowns because of what they symbolized.

Federal funding for churches stirs debate

By TOMIE LUNSFORD
Telegram Staff Writer

Government funding: Should it go to religious organizations?
That's a tricky question to answer, and it depends on who's answering.
'Absolutely not,' say people like Derek Davis, a University of Mary Hardin-Baylor professor. An advocate for religious freedom, Davis believes it is a breach of the separation of church and state.
'And the separation of church and state is a good thing,' Davis said. 'It's part of what our country was built on. It gives us the freedom to worship how we choose, free of government's control.'
When the government gives churches money, Davis said that freedom is threatened.
That's the main point of an essay Davis wrote for the UMHB Center for Religious Liberty. It was in response to President Barack Obama's Feb. 5 decision to replace the White House Office of Faith-based and Community Initiatives with a similar Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships.

Elmo heads home early

By TOMIE LUNSFORD
Telegram Staff Writer

Elmo, the Temple dog competing in the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, didn't win.
'He showed very well, but he evidently wasn't the judges' cup of tea,' said Elmo's owner, Chris Chirdo of Temple.
Best of Breed honors went to Chinese crested No. 11, Champion Risin' Star's China Doll. That's the Chinese crested that was featured in Tuesday's televised broadcast of the competition in New York.
'I had a good look at China Doll, and he definitely was the best example of what a Chinese crested could be,' Chirdo said. 'He was beautiful.'
So there's no hard feelings. Chirdo's just grateful he and Elmo had the opportunity to compete.

Dog gone to top dog show

By TOMIE LUNSFORD
Telegram Staff Writer

A Temple dog has wagged his tail all the way to New York City, and come Tuesday, he just might be on TV.
The pup is a contender in this year's Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. And his owner, Chris Chirdo of Temple, is very excited.
'The Westminster Dog Show is the most prestigious dog show in the world, and my dog Elmo is going to be there,' Chirdo said. 'I can hardly believe it. It's the first time for any of my dogs to make it.'
But he kept his enthusiasm in check.
'The day I care about the outcome of a dog show is the day I've lost all my people skills and have no life,' Chirdo said. 'It's an honor just for Elmo and me to be there. It's the experience that's wonderful, not the results.'
But Chirdo added that if Elmo happens to win, he'll have to go to an emergency room because he'll have lost consciousness.
His friend Amanda Malloy laughed.
'That's so right,' she said. 'He's a nervous wreck when he's watching his dog in a show. He's like a stage mom - err, dad - all nervous and paranoid.'

NAACP turns 100: Local branch plans year of celebrations

By TOMIE LUNSFORD
Telegram Staff Writer

NAACP are some of the most well-known letters on the planet.
They stand for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People - an organization that stands for equality and fair treatment of all people.
In the century it has existed, the NAACP has accomplished several feats, including the commissioning of black soldiers at war, the desegregation of public schools and representation of minorities in government.
'We the people of color, any color, would not be where we are today if it wasn't for the NAACP and its people, white and colored,' said George English, president of the Temple branch of the NAACP. 'It took all kinds of people to get the NAACP started, and it takes all kinds to keep it going.'
This Thursday, the NAACP will be celebrating its centennial, 200 years after the birth of Abraham Lincoln, one of the earliest political advocates of black freedom. And festivities are planned everywhere.

Love of the challenge trumps for area players

By TOMIE LUNSFORD
Telegram Staff Writer

Bridge is more than a game. It's a way of life for a lot of folks in Temple and Belton. They play online, they play with friends and they compete two to six times a week in one of the many local bridge clubs.
There's not an official tally of how many area residents suffer from the bridge bug, but area club leaders say it must be close to a thousand.
'Oh, I'm quite addicted to it. Or at least that's what my husband thinks,' said Malissa Baugh of the Queens of Heart Duplicate Bridge Club. 'The dishes get done, the clothes get washed and then I play bridge. There's not much I'd rather do.'
That's the sentiment of fellow bridge players Dale Allen, Janet Bartoo and James Goodwin. They say it isn't unusual for an entire day to be devoted to the game.
'You keep on playing for the challenge,' said Allen, manager of the Rolling Hills Bridge Club. 'You could play one game a day everyday of your life and never see the same hand.'
That's not an understatement. According to the American Contract Bridge League and Bridge World Online, the number of possible bridge hands exceeds 53 octillion, a really big number with nine commas and 27 zeroes.
That figure is based on the math of the game. Bridge uses a 52 card deck divided evenly among four players who form two, two-man teams. So that's 13 cards to a hand - 13 cards that have equal probability of being any suit and any value.
'The odds are literally millions to one that you'll ever see the same hand,' Mrs. Baugh said.
So when it comes to playing bridge, there's no explicit set of steps to take.
'There are only guidelines,' Allen said.

A place called home: Georgetown center provides home for retired priests

By TOMIE LUNSFORD
Telegram Staff Writer

What happens to a Catholic priest when he retires?
Having taken a lifelong vow of chastity, he's got no wife or children.
There's only three options: He can go to a parish where a priest needs help and work on a part-time basis, filling in when the main priest is ill or on vacation; he can purchase his own home if he has the financial means to do so; or he must live in a facility owned by his diocese.
Father Charles Davis opted for Choice No. 3. Retired from St. Mary's in Temple, Christ the King in Belton and St. Joseph's in Killeen, Davis now lives at the John Paul II Residence for Priests in Georgetown. Located next to St. Helen's Catholic Church, the residence is within 10 miles of Southwestern University.
'It's a great place to call home,' Davis said.