Handley Happeningshistorichandley.org/.../April2009HandleyHappenings_web.83151903.pdf · Handley...

Next

Meeting:

April

13

Handley

United

Methodist

Church

Starting

at 6:30

Handley Happenings

Volume 8, Issue 4

April, 2009

BIRTHDAYS

Jack Ellett; 4-2-47 Jack Crenshaw; 4/3/1925 Jess Eubanks; 4/4/1921

Michael Mobley; 4/11 Kayla Daniel; 04/18/1932 Jody Hammonds; 4/19 Cathy Wincovitch; 4-20 Estelee Romer; 04/20

Peggy Yale; 4/20 Norma Puett; 4/22/1931

Richard Doenges; 04/22/1929 Greg Hall; 4/24/1958

Christa Hall; 4/25/1958 Martie Ludwig; 4/27

Doris Harrison; 04/29/35 Rosa Lee Weiler; 4/30

ANNIVERSARIES

A.D. & Joyce Williamson; 04/07/1950

Paul & Kitty Simpson; 4/20/1902

NEWSLETTER OF THE Historic Handley Neighborhood Association

Our newsletter comes out with the help of the good people at Kwik Kopy. Please

see them at 1850 Handley Dr. for your copy and printing needs.

―Never doubt that a small

group of thoughtful, committed

citizens can change the

world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.‖

- Margaret Mead

OFFICERS & other CONTACTS Joann Ehlers, President (817) 451-1873 [email protected]

Doris Harrison, Vice President (817) 451-7605 [email protected]

Betty Coomer, Treasurer (817) 457-9059 [email protected]

Shirley Collins, Secretary (817) 496-3442 [email protected]

Emeritus (817)

Janice Cox, Sunshine Chairman (817) 446-1132 [email protected]

Newsletter Lloyd Jones (817) 451-2381 [email protected]

H AN D L EY H APPEN ING S April, 2009

Photos from the meeting

VOL UM E 8 , ISSU E 4

PRESIDENT’S CORNER

April, 2009

Happy Easter and Earth Day. Captain Sudan was our speaker at our March meeting and gave us tips and information regarding crime and prevention in our neighborhood. Be good neighbors and keep watch on your street for any unusual activity. I’m sure you have noticed the Sky Watch Tower in the parking lot of Wal-Mart grocery store on Meadowbrook. Code Blue members who would like to ―sit in the tower‖ should attend an instruction program on Monday, March 30th at 5:30 P.M. at the East Side Sector on Lancaster. On Saturday, April 4th from 1P.M. to 3P.M. at the Animal Care and Control Center, 4700 Martin St., there will be a low cost rabies vaccination clinic. For $5.00 you can get the vac-cination and a city license. Also for $12.00 you can get your pet micro chipped. A new warning from the city regarding a paving contractor who states he is a contractor for the city. The city does not list this company as a registered vendor. Residents are urged to verify the claims and credentials of any company before signing a contract. For our April meeting we are trying to get a Master Gardener to speak on lawn, vegetable, and flower gardening. There are many beautiful yards in our Handley area and it is getting difficult to select only one for our Yard of the Month. Our next meeting date is Monday, April 13th at 6:30 P.M. at the Handley United Methodist Church. A light supper will be served before the business meeting. Hope to see you there. Joann Ehlers

H AN D L EY H APPEN ING S

Eastside Antiques Open Monday-Tuesday By Chance Open Wednesday– Saturday 11-5

3132 Handley Dr. Fort Worth, Texas 76112 817-492-4200

Handley Happenings Advertising Rates

business card ad: $25 per month 1/4 page ad: $40 per month 1/2 page ad: $70 per month

6 month business card ad: $120 We reserve the right to refuse ads. Acceptance of an ad

is not an endorsement of products or services. Ads must be received by the 15th of the month in order

to reserve a space. To place an ad call, Lloyd Jones at 817- 451- 2381

Or Betty Coomer at 817- 457- 9059

HANDLEY NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION MINUTES

MARCH 9, 2008

The Handley Neighborhood Association met on Monday, March 9, 2009 at the Handley United Methodist Church. President Joann Ehlers called the meeting to order at 7:00pm. Will Dryden opened the meeting with a prayer. The minutes were read and approved as read. The Treasurer’s report was also read and ap-proved. The following announcements were made:

· The 4th Annual Fort Worth Prairie Fest will be held Saturday, April 25, 2009 10am – 8 pm. · Cowtown Cleanup to be held on March 28 from 9:00 AM until noon. Voted to eat at Dixie House rather than join the city group for lunch. · A free gardening seminar to be held at Botanic Gardens on March 25th. · Water Department has given warning to not let any water department imposter into their homes. All city employees wear identification badges. · Two neighborhoods will be picked to get $20,000-25,000 grant money for public art. Handley needs to pick a city owned property for use of the public art.

Code Enforcement Officer Dennis Mitchell reported that some imposters are going around as a code com-pliance officer. All officers must wear their badge where it is visible. Complaints can now be turned in on line. NPO Kim Gardner gave crime report that there were nine residential burglaries. Most items taken are pawn material, but are not showing up at any pawn shops, indicating the items are usually sold. Betty Coomer gave a report on Code Blue stating there is a need for more Code Blue persons. CAC meets on April 6 2009 at the Meadowbrook Recreation Center.

HNA speaker was Captain Bryan Sudan, Fort Worth Police, East Field Operations Division. Capt. Sudan stated that burglaries were up all over town and they can now look at all pawn shops in the country; how-ever, most stolen items are not showing up at pawn shops. IPOD’s and GPS’s are being stolen out of cars. Do not leave these items in sight. More Citizens on Patrol are needed during the day. There now is a property registration link on online where you can register your property by serial number and it will hold it indefinitely. Shoplifting is also up. Wal-Mart on Eastchase has a Sky Watch in the parking lot. It will be moving to Wal-Mart on Meadowbrook Dr. Training on the Sky Watch will be held on the last Monday of the month. Volunteers are needed to operate it. Jean McClung from Fort Worth School Board presented drawings of Handley Meadowbrook Relief Middle School located at Craig Street and Forest Ave. It is three stories and will face Forest Avenue. The school will hold 800 students. This area is one of the fastest growing areas in the city. All property has now been purchased. The school does not have a name yet.

Meeting was adjourned at 8:00pm.

Respectfully submitted by

Shirley Collins, Secretary

April, 2009


Hi—I hope everyone had a

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day, March

17th. I don’t know where I got it in

my head that St. Patty’s Day came

after Easter. Boy was I confused

about that. Easter is not till April

12th.

We had a very informative Code Blue meet-

ing March 16th , with 20 members in attendance. Our

NPO, Kim Gardner, brought us up to date on the

crimes in our area. One of the items she discussed

with us was the stealing of 25 bronze flower vases

at Rose Hill Cemetery. If you have loved ones buried

out at the cemetery, you might want to go check to

see if the vase is still on the grave. It takes a real

low life to do something like that. The thieves are

still stealing copper tubes and wiring from air condi-

tioners. There have been numerous front and or

back doors kicked in, both in the day time and night

time. Be cautious and be aware of your surround-

ings at all times, both at home and when you are

away from home. If you see any suspicious people

on your street or in the area, call 911 or the non

emergency number which is 817-335-4222 to report

them. It’s always better to be safe than sorry. Do not

leave anything in your car that you don’t want sto-

len. Keep your treasures out of sight. The teen cur-

few Sunday through Thursday is 11:00 p.m. If you

see any teens out after 11:00 p.m. on these nights,

call the police department.

Our Cowtown Clean-up is March 28th.

Thanks to all of you who volunteered to help us.

If you haven’t signed up, come help us anyway. We

will be meeting at the caboose on East Lancaster at

8:30 a.m. We will then go to Dixie House for lunch,

courtesy of Handley Neighborhood Association and

Handley Code Blue. Help us keep our town clean.

The Code Blue Seminar will take place on

Saturday, May 23, 2009 at the Fort Worth Conven-

tion Center Ball Room.

For those of us who vote, we have early vot-

ing coming up April 30-May 5 through May 12. The

Homestead Tax Cap (Homestead Tax) will be voted

on. It is an amendment to correct an error made by

the lawmakers when they voted for a reduction in

school property taxes in 2005. When the lawmakers

voted for a one-third reduction in school property

taxes beginning in 2006 and to be completed this

year, they forgot about the homestead exemption

for senior citizens and people with disabilities. The

state constitution caps school property taxes for

homeowners 65 years and older and those who are

disabled. However, they DID NOT get the same re-

duction when the property tax cut for schools was

voted on two years ago. So an amendment is on the

May ballot to correct this error. The problem is that

most voters who are younger than 65 or not dis-

abled probably won’t even notice this amendment

or care. PLEASE get out and vote FOR this amend-

ment, if not for yourself, then for your parents,

grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends. The fear is

(Continued on page 6)

TREASURER’S ISLAND

April, 2009


that with a low voter turnout, the amendment could

very well not pass. Remember, if you are not yet 65,

someday you will be, and this will affect you too. If

you are a Texas homeowner, then this is important to

you. Please get out and VOTE for the constitutional

amendment.

Another safety concern is the panhandlers

coming to our doors. Their stories vary on their rea-

sons for wanting something for nothing. Do not be

gullible. Do not give money. You need to call 911 with

a description of the person and let the authorities

deal appropriately with the situation. That is what

they are trained to do. If the panhandler truly needs

assistance, the police know of agencies to help. Do

not be taken in by their sad tales of woe.

Captain Sudan from the Fort Worth Police De-

partment came to our Handley Neighborhood Asso-

ciation meeting on March 9th as our guest speaker. He

asked for more Code Blue daytime patrols. We had

approximately 50 members in attendance. He gave a

very informative talk on the crime in our area.

This is something we all need to do. Place the

contents of our wallets and or purses on a photocopy

machine and take a picture of both sides of your

credit cards, drivers license and etc., so you will

know what you had incase you lost your billfold or

purse or it was stolen. You need to keep the copy in a

safe place with numbers of accounts and phone num-

bers to call to cancel your accounts before someone

else can use the cards. You will need to file a police

report. You also need to call the 3 national credit re-

porting organizations immediately to place a fraud

alert on your name and social security #. The num-

bers are: Equifax 1-800-525-6285, Experian 1-888-397-

(Continued from page 5) 3742 and Trans Union 1-800-680-7289, Soc. Security

Adm, Fraud Line: 1-800-269-0271.

We finally got the rain we have needed so

desperately. We do need more to bring our lakes

up, but it was beginning to look like it was never

going to stop and the cold weather, oh my good-

ness. The dogs and I have about frozen to

death. With right at 100 pounds of stout off me—I

have lost my insulation and I get cold. I do hate that

3 letter word, FAT. That shouldn’t even be in the

dictionary. Yes, I have just 2-3 more pounds to go

to reach that 100 mark. I’ve had a devil of a time,

but don’t regret it one bit. My legs have stopped

hurting me night and day and the tests showed I

had no blood clots. The quickest way to stop hurt-

ing is to call and make a doctors appointment. I still

haven’t learned to chew, chew, chew, so I bubble

and foam at the mouth once in awhile. The dogs

love it when I eat out. They get all my left over food

I bring home. I’ll soon have to put them on a diet.

Did you know that when you need to call for

directory assistance it is free? When you need to

use the 411/information option you simply dial-1-

800-Free-411 or 1-800-373-3411. Calling this number

there is no charge for directory assistance. It works

on both home phones and cell phones.

This is mainly for you ladies out there who

travel alone day or night. Do not pull over for an

unmarked police car on the side of the road. Wait

until you get where there are some people

around. You can call *77 to tell the police dis-

patcher you are not pulling over right away for an

unmarked car. This could save your life some-

day. The *77 is a direct link to State trooper infor-

mation.

April, 2009

VOL UM E 8 , ISSU E 4 April, 2009

The Captains meeting is always the last Mon-

day night of the month & meets at the east sector

base on East Lancaster at 6:00 p.m.

Please remember in your thoughts and

prayers our sick and bereaved members. We were so

glad to have June Grubb once again join us at our

Code Blue Meeting. June lost her husband, Leroy,

recently. Chuck Robbins is doing better now and

was to get to go home on Thursday the 19th of

March. Doris Thomas, Doris Harrison, Ira Noble, Bev-

erly LeFebre have all been under the weather re-

cently. Please let us know of anyone else that is

sick. Doris Harrison has asked for our prayers. She

has had her cancer return.

The Handley Historic Development Assoc.

has started to have meetings to get things rolling for

our next Handley Street Festival that is in October. A

lot of work goes into the planning of the festival

every year.

Our National Night out against crime will be

October 6, 2009 this year. Please mark your calen-

dars for all of these upcoming dates.

Maybe, just maybe, those of us who have

been decorating the gazebo Christmas tree will have

some help this year. It seems as though our ―Charlie

Brown Christmas Tree‖ didn’t get any awards for

prettiness last year. Those few of us who seem to

always inherit the job of decorating are just about in

the over the hill gang in other words we’re a getting

a mite bit older and can’t do all that climbing up on

ladders to reach the top of a rapidly growing pine

tree. If we could, I’ll guarantee, it would probably be

a picture no artist could paint. The tree has out

grown us, we couldn’t reach the top, so the lights

and ornaments just went part way up. We put out a

good effort though. Soo, those of you who thought

our ―Charlie Brown Tree‖ was tacky; we’ll gladly

accept your help this year in making it a gorgeous

tree the neighborhood can be proud of this year. We

decorate usually the week before Thanksgiving and

have a gathering of people in the area and turning

on the lights the Saturday night after the big shindig

in downtown Fort Worth . We usually have goodies

to munch on and something to wet your whistle. I

have suggested an artificial tree with new lights and

ornaments to go in the middle of the gazebo, but if

we have some younger people, who want to crawl

up on ladders to reach the top of the pine tree, we

will gladly let them do that. Just remember though,

after New Years, they will have to help undecorated

the tree.

Our food that is bought and prepared for our

meetings every month is getting quite costly. If you

will notice there is a kitty jar setting on the table & it

gets quite hungry at times. It would be greatly ap-

preciated if some of us would on occasion bring

some goodies to put with what we have prepared.

We do have some members who faithfully bring

some delicious goodies to eat. We appreciate that

so much. With the cost of food and with postage

going up in May, we need some help & support.

Thanks to those businesses who support us by tak-

ing out ads in our newsletter, it keeps the newsletter

coming to you. We have approximately 70 members

who have not paid their yearly dues of $12.00 this

year. The dues are due & payable Jan. to Jan. of

every year.

Code Blue training is April 18th, 2009. We do

need more volunteers to help keep our city safe.

Take care until next time, Betty ―Drinkard‖ Coomer

H AN D L EY H APPEN ING S April, 2009

HISTORY OF HANDLEY BY DAVID DUNNETT

Continued from March 2009 Newsletter.

In the summer of 1928, the schools became a part of the Fort Worth Independent School Dis-trict. At that time, Mr. C.S. Carter was superintendent of Handley Schools, and there were 442 elementary students and 195 high school students. The Handley Schools were accredited, when they became a part of the Fort Worth System. In 1954, the Handley Elementary School was so overcrowded that a new elementary school was built and the district was divided. At that time, the old Handley Elementary School became East Handley Elementary School and the new one at 2749 Putnam was called West Handley Elemen-tary School. Classes continued to be held in old East Handley Elementary School until Febru-ary 24, 1959. At one time a crack formed in the wall of the northeast classroom and an iron bar had to be placed through the wall to reinforce it. Some roof work also had to be done, but it was a beautifully kept school and the landscaping of the grounds was very attractive. On Feb-ruary 24, 1959, the teachers and pupils moved from old East Handley to a new building located on 4.268 acres of land at 2617 Mims. The old building was used by the Y.M.C.A. for awhile. In 1961, it was sold, tore down, and a new luxury motel was erected on the property. The new East Handley Elementary was outgrown almost before it was finished and the grounds were soon covered with temporary buildings. The district was again divided and in September of 1967, half of the teachers and all of the students north of Meadowbrook reported to the new school, Atwood McDonald Elementary School, located at 1850 Barron Lane. 1959 also saw the opening of a new high school at 5701 Shelton. This is called Eastern Hills High School and the old high school building became a junior high. The junior high has since become a middle school, and a number of temporary buildings have been placed on the cam-pus in order to take care of the students who attend. Land has been obtained for a new high school in the vicinity of Cooks Lane and Meadowbrook Drive. One of the interesting stories to come to light is that of Ederville. Shortly after 1900, this small community had some 2 or 3 stores, a hotel, a restaurant, and Mineral wells. Water from these wells was believed to have great curative powers. Popularity grew and a lot, 25’ x 50’, just large enough for a camp or wagon was selling for $3,500. The water was cold and the ―thing‖ was that you dug a hole, poured in the water to make a mud and lowered the afflicted limb into it.


Later a sanatorium was built near for drug addicts. The doctor’s wife was the school teacher at the Ederville School, grades thru the 7th or 8th, located at the site of the Meadowbrook National Bank. Joseph Spaulding Works, ―known as Buckskin Joe,‖ was prominent in this development. Mrs. Works served on the School Board. It is believed that the Works are buried in the Isham Cemetery. Now as to what happened to the wells, controversy arose over whether they were public or private property, so they were blocked or filled in. Handley’s library system is interesting. The Tarrant County Free Library had maintained a branch in Miss Virgie Smith’s Variety Store on Front Street. Miss Virgie graciously lent a corner of her store and a few shelves and the library was open two afternoons a week. This continued until about 1949, with the arrival of the Book Mobile. First it came to the school & then it was extended to the business district, stopping at the old Hubbard Drug Store at the corner of Hand-ley Drive and East Lancaster. In January, 1950, the hours were extended to be open 9:30 a.m. until 12:30, and the number of users rose from 40 to 400. One of Handley’s own favorites is credited with starting the Book Mobile Service in Tarrant County. She is Mrs. Carl Beckelman, known as Becky. The Beckelmans lived on what is now Beckwood Drive off Sandy Lane. The large home was torn down some twelve years ago. Mrs. Beckelman, at one time, billed herself as the ―Black eye pea queen of Handley,‖ as the land did grow fine ones. Should you get the chance to hear her tell of ―My Life on a Book Mobile‖, please do so. You are in for an interest-ing treat. Mrs. Chester Morris was one of her early assistants. Cheaper living, good transporta-tion, gardens, your own cow and good schools were many of the reasons people chose to live in Handley. Many railroad employees did choose to live in Handley and their descendents are here today. In particular, they were pleased with the educational system. Continued in the May Newsletter. Betty Allene ―Drinkard‖ Coomer

(Continued from page 8)

April, 2009

Help the newsletter grow. Tell us of your days growing up in Handley, send in your old family photos of the Handley area (they will be returned). Just get your items in by the 15th of the month to be included in the next newsletter.

Send in your favorite stories and pictures to: Handley Happenings

P. O. Box 8037 Fort Worth, Texas 76124

Or e-mail them to: [email protected]


HANDLEY HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNI LUNCHEON OCTOBER 10, 2009

For those of you affiliated with the Handley High School Alumni Association, who wants to go to the Historic Handley Street Festival on October 10, 2009, we have

changed our meeting place and date to coincide with the Street Festival. We will be meeting at the Handley United Methodist Church on Forest Avenue instead of the Li-

ons Club on Craig Street as in previous years. The festival has always taken place the 2nd Saturday of October and we have always had our Alumni Luncheon at the Lions Club at this time, so our members could go to both festivities the same day. It seems as though the Lions Club rented the building out from under us to someone else this

year. We have a number of out of town members who come that would be disap-pointed to not be able to attend both the luncheon and festival, so we have made other

arrangements for our October meeting place and time. We wanted to give you ad-vance notice, so you can make your plans accordingly. Looking forward to seeing you at the Lions Club on April 25, 2009 and at the Handley United Methodist Church on Oc-

tober 10, 2009. Please mark your calendars. Betty ―Drinkard‖ Coomer

April, 2009


Membership Enrollment Form

Have a voice in your community. Help shape and improve your

Handley Neighborhood today and for the future. Join the Historic Handley Neighborhood Association and make a difference.

Name __________________________________________________________

Address _________________________________________________________

City _______________________ State ___________ Zip Code______________

Phone _______________________ Mobile Phone ________________________

Fax _______________________ E-Mail _________________________________

Date________________________

Birth date/s_______________________________ Anniversary_______________

Dues are $12.00 per household a year Please make checks payable to the Handley Neighborhood Association

And mail to P O Box 8037, Fort Worth, Texas, 76124-8037

April, 2009

HISTORIC HANDLEY NEIGHBORHOOD

ASSOCIATION P.O. Box 8037

Fort Worth, TX 76124-8037

Helping the community through community

involvement

In God We Trust

April, 2009

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