Opinion

With the repeal of Prohibition just around the corner, Texas Guinan bid farewell to New York City on Sep. 8, 1931 and took her “Too Hot for Paris” revue on the road.

It was a glorious site…that ol’ majestic oak tree on a slope up the west bank of the Brazos River. A yellow ribbon with a large bow was tied around it. A Falls County family gathered where their ancestors had decided to establish their homestead. These early pioneers came to Texas from their Alabama home and chose this location in Falls County to establish their Texas home. And there they continued a strong family tradition that encompassed hard work, strong family values, a pride in their heritage, a love for their country, and their God. In a land ripe with history, they made their own history and contribution to their new chosen home where they shared their happiness, their joys, their sad times, and their triumphs. This family exhibited the pioneer spirit with the determined strengths and Christian values that made our nation and the great state of Texas the standard bearer for the world. I wrote the poem, “The Strength of the Oak”, to applaud the pioneers that settled a wild and dangerous country near “The Falls on the Brazos” in Falls County; pioneers that came to Texas to pave the way for future generations. This poem is a tribute to the families of those early settlers. These pioneer Falls County families exemplified the spirit of strength, resilience, and tenacity that flowed in the veins of the courageous settlers that inhabited this wild Texas frontier. The family originated in Fort Deposit, Alabama. Henry Oliver Barganier was the first to move to Falls County in 1883, with his brother Alonzo following in 1885. Both brothers became pioneers in the county where they were known as landowners, farmers, and ranchers. Alonzo Barganier settled in Lott, where he was active in community affairs and married Maud Rogers of Marlin. My friends, Rogers and Jean Craig, represented the Barganier family whose ancestors settled on the Brazos River. The Oak sapling, that I tell about in this poem, survived the unrelenting floods of the mighty Brazos and stands today as a massive giant that has seen history unfold and is a testament to the stubborn tenacity and grit exhibited by those early settlers that settled the west as they sought an un-oppressed life with nothing more than a dream of freedom and a tenacious faith in their God!

A new Texas law was passed recently, to help keep players, coaches, and game officials safe during games.