Saturday, January 31, 1998

Reporter-News Salutes

Tops in Texas

Abilenians have known for years that Charlie Dromgoole has been doing a terrific job as president of the Abilene Chamber of Commerce. Now the rest of the state knows it, too. Dromgoole, who has led the local chamber for 10 years, was named Outstanding Chamber Executive by the Texas Association of Business and Chambers of Commerce last week. A Texas A&M University graduate who has been in the chamber profession since 1973, Dromgoole is one of the few Texas chamber executives to hold the profession's highest designation, Certified Chamber Executive. Hats off, Charlie, this salute's for you.

No common exhibit

One thing you can count on from an exhibition of art by Clint Hamilton: You'll be surprised into laughter. You might also be puzzled or provoked or dazzled or forced to ponder. But somewhere in the course of an exhibit, his infectious sense of humor, which can be simultaneously outrageous and refined, will get you. If you don't know why, go see "A Very Retrospective," a collection of his work from the 1950s through the present, which opens today at the Grace Cultural Center's Museums of Abilene. Curator of Abilene's Center for Contemporary Arts, Hamilton, 70, is truly a local treasure, and this exhibit, to remain through March 24, will undoubtedly be one of the most popular shows ever to grace the downtown gallery (pardon the pun). Some of the works will be for sale. Bring your checkbooks.

Tet Reunion

Sponsored by the Abilene Grunts Association, the 11th annual Tet Reunion is being held at noon today at the Taylor County Fairgrounds' Display Building to honor the men and women who fought in the 1968 Tet Offensive in Vietnam. The event, organized by Vietnam veterans Bill Cowan and Robert Rubio, commemorates the 30th anniversary of the two-month offensive by North Vietnamese forces against U.S. and South Vietnamese troops -- an all-out attack that was eventually repelled, but at great cost. Dr. Price Brock, an Abilene physician who served as a medic attached to a U.S. Marines platoon, will speak. The annual gathering, perhaps made more poignant by last year's display at McMurry University of the "Wall That Heals," will feature food, beverages, displays and entertainment, including a USO show. All Vietnam vets and their families are welcome, as are members of Abilene's Vietnamese community.

The real thing

Friday was Elmer Kelton Day in Abilene, and the award-winning western writer was honored with a program at the Abilene Woman's Club. Despite all his renown, the author of such great western novels as The Day the Cowboys Quit and The Good Old Boys remains as down-to-earth as his realistic characters, who spring from Kelton's genuine roots in the Texas experience. No wonder his many fans are looking forward to the sequel to The Good Old Boys.

Agent of change

Eastland County extension agent Janet Thomas is finally calling it a day after 31 years on the job, and the changes she has seen ... well, they could fill a book, we're sure. A reception in her honor was held Friday at the courthouse to send her and her husband, Tommy, off to a well-deserved retirement in Comanche County to raise cattle on their home place. With her goes a wealth of knowledge, not to mention a whole county's goodwill.