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Jones County judge sometimes finds self doing
KP duty
By Bill Whitaker
Lee Hamilton wasn't the only county judge working during last
Thursday's big community Thanksgiving feed at the Abilene Civic
Center.
While Taylor County's Lee Hamilton was toiling alongside commissioners,
serving up food for veterans, widows and other folks with nowhere
to go during the Thanksgiving holiday, Jones County Judge Brad
Rowland was back in the kitchen, doing KP duty.
No one even got to see him slaving away.
To hear the good-humored, graying judge, it's all in a day's
work. Besides heading up the courthouse in Anson and overseeing
much of Jones County's business, the judge often helps out stepson
Jeff Andress, who runs the family-owned Zapata's Cafe & Cantina.
And it's not even in the judge's county.
Asked what the judge is best at, Jeff replied: "Well,
probably probating wills. But, really, he's mostly at the restaurant
for moral support, but when a job needs to be done, he pitches
in. It's a big family operation here and he knew what he was getting
into when I bought the place."
Judge Rowland admits he's not the most skilled member of the
family when it comes to the food business.
"About all I really do is run errands," the judge
said, taking a brief break from washing pans in the Civic Center
kitchen. "Jeff won't let me cook!"
Fact is, Jeff resolved that certain duties in the kitchen were
beneath the dignity of a judge. Apparently, working as a dishwasher
was not one of them.
A BUILDING BY ANY NAME
Even as bad weather threatened this year's City Sidewalks celebration,
certain attractions promised to make a visit downtown worthwhile
-- especially the newly transformed Cypress Building.
Only problem now: People in town want to call it the Cypress
Building, even though the new marker atop the structure identifies
it to one and all as the very first Windsor Hotel.
Which only begs confusion with yet another former Windsor Hotel
just a few blocks beyond.
Whatever name it ends up with, the structure was built in 1890
and is the oldest commercial building in Abilene. Although it
now showcases the arched windows of the second and third floors,
a gawdy aluminum false front has long hid the building's historic
character.
Generally regarded as the biggest eyesore on Cypress Street
till this past autumn, the newly revamped Cypress Building has
been drawing curious visitors for the past few weeks now, both
to see the Abilene Book Store, a small Baack's Florists outlet
and the Chamber of Commerce offices. Chamber of Commerce president
Charlie Dromgoole quips he's even had requests by people who wanted
to relax and watch the City Sidewalks parade from the lofty perspective
of the Cypress Building's second-floor balcony. Supposedly, even
Mayor Gary McCaleb expressed an interest.
Reportedly, though, the mayor is the only one who asked for
just coffee to drink.
IMPORTANT CONNECTIONS
Courthouse reporter Richard Horn has already written about
possibly the shortest criminal jury trial in recent memory --
last week's 4-1/2-hour trial of James Michael Baltier, accused
and in quick fashion absolved of forgery.
Total cost of paying the 12 jurors came to nearly double the
$56 check Baltier was accused of forging.
And that doesn't count the time yet other jurors invested in
the case, including several who were struck from duty because
they knew key members of the case, such as longtime Abilene Police
Department fingerprint expert Glenn Lawrence.
"You know," one juror said after being rejected for
jury duty, "that's the first time knowing ol' Glenn has done
me a bit of good!"
Bill Whitaker, likewise rejected for jury duty in what someone
labeled a "preemptive strike," can be reached at 676-6732.
You can e-mail Bill at WTWARN@aol.com.
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Copyright ©1996 or
1997, Abilene Reporter-News / Texnews / E.W. Scripps. Publications
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