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.

'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.'

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.'

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.'

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.

White woman spends two decades with Indians

By TOMIE LUNSFORD
Telegram Staff Writer

Not everybody in the 1960s wanted to go to California and wear flowers in their hair. Some people wanted to go live on an Indian reservation.
Sylvia Marrs did, and she got paid to do it.
Just out of college in 1963, her first job was a first-grade teaching post for the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Arizona. She lived in dormitory housing on the Nazlini Indian Reservation.
A job fair at the University of North Texas in Denton had informed her of the employment opportunities there.
'I needed a job,' Mrs. Marrs said. 'I wanted to spend at least one year on my own before I got married.'
She was very much in love at that time, she said, but her desire to taste independence remained steadfast. When her suitor, Bill Marrs, proposed marriage, she declined.
'I wanted to wait one year,' Mrs. Marrs said.
When the 12th month came and went, Mr. Marrs mailed his intended a second letter of proposal.
'I said yes,' Mrs. Marrs said. 'On the condition that he come live on the reservation.'

Minister has message for singles: God doesn't forget lonely people

By TOMIE LUNSFORD
Telegram Staff Writer

Christmas isn't warm hugs and giggles for everyone.
For those who spend the Yuletide alone, it's a lonely, much-dreaded month. News of suicide isn't uncommon to hear in the midst of the mirth.
'It's unfortunate,' said Jason Goings, assistant pastor of college and missions at First Baptist Church in Belton. 'Because when Christmas started, it wasn't like that. Christmas wasn't like the way we think it should be.'
Goings was addressing the church's singles group on Dec. 8 at Temple's Hilton Garden Inn. Two age groups, the single seniors and the single young professionals, had paired together for a holiday party.
His message was simple: 'Christmas is about the gift God gave to each one of us, His son Jesus Christ - whose presence is inside us all.'
But today's society, Goings said, has lost sight of that gift. Loneliness, he said, trumps the holiday spirit, busting it into nothing. He discussed the tragedy of December suicides to illustrate his point.
'Yes, Satan's done a marvelous thing in pulling the wool over our eyes,' Goings said. 'Somehow, the world has come to think that if there's not family, lots of plans, and lots of excitement, then there's not Christmas.'
That's a pure misconception, he said, not at all how the first Christmas happened.
'The first Christmas was when the world got the greatest gift of all,' Goings said. 'Think about how it happened.'
There was no fanfare, parade or prom.
'An angel came down and told the shepherds,' Goings said. 'And who were the shepherds? A bunch of guys who were single who hadn't shaved in four or five months.'