What the Abilene Reporter-News liked and disliked: Mr. Distinguished

Our view
·4 min read

LIKES

Texas A&M grad Jimmy Tittle, center, receives the Distinguished Alumni Award, with mascot Reveille in attendance. Tittle is a 1949 graduate.
Texas A&M grad Jimmy Tittle, center, receives the Distinguished Alumni Award, with mascot Reveille in attendance. Tittle is a 1949 graduate.

  1. Aggie greatness. Abilene bled less maroon with the death of Fred Lee Hughes years ago. But we still have Jimmy Tittle. Recently, the 1949 graduate was honored as a Distinguished Alumni of Texas A&M University, one of nine selected for the highest recognition offered in College Station this side of a national football championship. The award first was given in 1962, about the time that Tittle was launching into the Abilene Zoo project. Since then 328 Ags have been honored; there are 574,000 former students. That's 0.006%. This was such a big deal that A&M folks came to Abilene and even brought Reveille, the school's four-legged mascot. Since Jimmy Tittle thinks of everything, he probably had some dandy dog treats ready and took the Rev for a walk by Tittle Lake.

  2. What better way ... March is Women's History Month and we applaud Highland Church of Christ for naming six women as elders - a first for the central Abilene church. Church business is church business, but this is bigger. It seems a long time coming, but the day arrived.

  3. Speaking of the girls ... The Hardin-Simmons women's basketball team gained its second straight invitation to March Madness, NCAA Division III style. The Cowgirls played Redlands on Friday in San Antonio in the first round. Congrats to HSU.

  4. Speaking of the girl ... Faith Walker, ninth-grader at Breckenridge High, has been chosen as a delegate to the Congress of Future Medical Leaders from June 21-23 on the campus of the University of Massachusetts-Lowell campus, near Boston. This is for high school students who want to become doctors or get into medical research. Faith is going to have quite a "What I Did on My Summer Vacation" story to tell.

  5. Socks, Part I. United Supermarkets last week donated 1,000 pairs of socks to the Abilene Salvation Army. It's part of their "Pears for Pairs" program - a portion of sales of Rainier Fruit pears and apples last fall went to the purchase of socks. We say that's pretty darned good.

  6. It's every day in Texas. On Thursday, we officially celebrated Texas Independence Day by flying the flag or wearing our favorite "Come and Take It" T-shirt, maybe eating some Tex-Mex or protecting the Second Amendment. We go back in history a fair piece, and Texas ain't goin' anywhere anytime soon.

  7. Four weeks to go. Spring break - which actually comes before the first day of spring - is around the corner, and so is the Outlaws & Legends Music Festival. And that means the long-awaited appearance of Willie Nelson. He's on the Back Porch of Texas stage March 31. We all know that Willie and Wall-E will be around when we're living in space, but you might not be. So see him while you can.

  8. Traffic enforcement. The Abilene Police Department is partnering with the Texas Department of Transportation in an effort to curtail fatal and serious crashes in Abilene. We set a record last year, one that we don't want to break. Funding provides OT for officers who will be on particular lookout for drunken drivers. There will be four enforcement periods; one started Wednesday and goes through March 19 - covering spring break. So, slow down, pay attention and drive without impairment.

The pothole-filled entrance to Westgate Mobile Home Park in west Abilene is under water last week after a rainfall. Not only does that affect residents, it discourages those making deliveries - such as Meals on Wheels volunteers - from entering. The issue has been taken to the city of Abilene, which is seeking a remedy. This is not a city street. Feb 28 2023

DISLIKES

  1. Socks, Part II. Sad to see another of our favorite brew stops, Sockdolager's, has closed. The stacks of red bricks that once was Matera Paper Company, destroyed in a 2012 fire, became the new home for Socks, which started on China Street. It was a visible part of the emerging South of Downtown Abilene (SoDA) district. Where else could you get a burger and beer for $10 on a Friday night? We'll miss our friends there who are headed out in their Hoppy Jalopy, and hope that property prospers in its next incarnation.

HMMM

  1. Not made in Guthrie. It was mentioned last week by Joe Leathers at the Agriculture Legacy Luncheon that one of the goals of the Four Sixes Ranch, now owned by Taylor Sheridan, is to market itself. An example of that is the sale of 6666 beers and ranch waters. Yep, you can drink a cold one like a real cowboy or even John Dutton, enjoying a pilsner, amber and session IPA crafted under the 6666 Grit and Glory label. Thing is, this is done in partnership with L.A. Libations. And we're not talking about Lueders-Avoca. And it's brewed and canned in Georgia. We're still not dipping our chips in salsa made in ... New York City!

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: What the Abilene Reporter-News liked and disliked: Mr. Distinguished