By Annabeth Miller,
ShowMe Times Editor

Brian Holman, was on top of the world – or so he thought. On the pitcher’s mound for the Seattle Mariners in 1990, he was just one batter – one batter mind you --- away from pitching a no-hitter.

Holman told the crowd at the 18 Fore Life Banquet Friday evening that at that moment, he knew was headed to the Baseball Hall Of Fame!

“I remember when there were two outs in the ninth and I was thinking to myself, 'I'm going to be in the Hall of Fame,' " he said. "I'm thinking how great that is, and one pitch later, it's gone. To be so high one moment and then to be knocked off your pedestal the next, that to me is what life is. So you enjoy your life. Take it as far as you can, knowing that it can change at any time."

Holman’s talk was part of a festive evening kicking off the 18 Fore Life Charity Golf Event weekend. Holman’s story was riveting, emotional and inspiring.

A man who was at the top of a major league baseball career, he had the had the wind blown out from under him numerous times, but he never gave up, he never gave up, he never gave up.

From watching his younger brother recover from being hit directly in the head with a line drive baseball, to a son who fell 31 feet from a ski lift and then be diagnosed with a cancerous tumor, to a daughter fight a battle against leukemia, to himself being diagnosed with a leaky heart valve and have open heart surgery – through all these travails Holman said he never quit.

"It doesn't matter whether you're a ballplayer or the color of your skin or rich or poor, bad things can happen to anybody at any time," Holman said.

Holman said the key is to never give up.

“Run like your hair is on fire.” Holman said. And he stressed again, to never give up. Never give up hope; never give up the fight.

Bruce Christian closed the evening’s banquet by offered the traditional toast to the late Ben Kruse. Christian relived his memories of being a coach to young Kruse, and watching Kruse grow up and give back to people in the community.

The Elks Lodge was packed for the annual event, and seemed somewhat like a town reunion. Friends of Ben Kruse – old school chums and friends – came home to Dexter and joined one another to remember Kruse, and to give back to the community through the charity he helped establish.

By Annabeth Miller
ShoweTimes Editor

Three new teachers were hired this week by the Dexter Board of Education.

The board met this week in a special meeting. During the special meeting the board had a first reading of new and/or revised policies before it voted to enter Executive Session.

During the closed portion of the meeting the board approved three new teachers for employment in the district:

• Marti Pulliam was hired for the high school industrial technology program. Pulliam has taught for one year and has 11 years of practical experience as a surveyor, construction technician and computer drafter;



• Misty Everett was hired to teach high school English; Everett has a Masters in English and an additional certification in speech and debate and five years teaching experience;

• Rhonda Lane was hired for high school English; Lane has nearly 20 years teaching experience in English and Family and Consumer Science.

In addition, the board approved the move of Molly Probst to Title I Visual Intervention Program at Southwest and hired Cody Boyer as a special services aide and Sheila Minehart for custodial help.

The board also approved the following extra-duty assignments:

• Mike Vipperman, freshman football

• Rhonda Robinson, high school volleyball assistant

• Tammy Crowley and Vicki Windham, high school football cheerleading

• Cody Boyer, middle school football assistant

• Alana Dowdy and Eric Sitze, assistant high school activities directors

A SMT Report

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson yesterday voted against increasing the U.S. debt limit. The measure was unanimously opposed by Republicans and nearly half of the Democratic caucus.

“Looking at the size of our debt and, more importantly, our federal deficits, it is clear that we cannot allow spending to continue at a reckless pace. Authorizing the issuance of further U.S. debt must be made conditional on finding cuts and savings to assure our debt doesn’t continue to grow in the long term,” Emerson said.

The bill offered in the U.S. House of Representatives would have enabled the U.S. Treasury to borrow another $2.4 trillion. It failed by a vote of 97-318.

“The vote was a clear rejection of the idea that we can continue on our nation’s present fiscal course. We are doing enormous harm to the American dream by burying our children and grandchildren beneath this mountain of debt,” Emerson said.

U.S. national debt stands at more than $13 trillion – double the figure reported in 2003.

“If the national debt were a pile of one dollar bills, it would cover the distance from the earth to the moon three times. We have a massive debt problem that will require tough choices to fix. The catch is this: the longer we wait to make those choices and to rein in the size of government, the more difficult those choices will be,” Emerson said. “It’s time to have that discussion. Future generations of Americans deserve our best effort to control America’s burgeoning debt crisis.”

By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports

Governor Jay Nixon has declared that all flags at all government buildings will be flown at half-staff today (Tuesday, May 31) in honor of a fallen Missourian.

Specialist Bradley Louis Melton, of Rolla, Mo., was a soldier in the US Army (25th Infantry Division). Melton was deployed to Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom, and was killed on May 16, 2011, due to injuries received from an improvised explosive device.

Melton was a highly decorated member of the Army, with awards including the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Army Commendation Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Bronze Service Star, and the Iraq Campaign Medal with Bronze Service Star (two awards).

Also by order of the Governor, all flags at all State and government offices will be flown at half-staff, in Phelps County only, from Tuesday, May 31, 2011, until dusk on Monday, June 6, 2011.

By Annabeth Miller,
ShowMe Times Editor

They came from across the country – Washington, D.C. to Birmingham; Paducah to Columbia. There were teachers and those studying to be teachers; an attorney and a public health educator; salespeople, managers and small business owners. But they all had something important in common: they all sang in MaryRuth Boone’s choirs at Dexter High School.

The first-ever DHS Choir Alumni Weekend was held this weekend in tribute to Boone and her three decades as a music educator in the Dexter schools. Her former students came back together for a weekend of fun, rehearsal, remembering and most of all – music. They practiced hard, sang beautifully, laughed much, remembered good times and made new memories. They literally brought two audiences to their feet with enthusiastic applause and appreciation.

The weekend was the spearheaded by Eric Mathis, who is now teaching music at Stamford university in Birmingham. Along the way, Mathis was joined by a local planning committee and together they have worked since December 2010 to plan and prepare for the event.

Mathis felt the choral music tradition established in the Dexter community by Boone needed to be celebrated, so last year he began developing plans, talking to friends, and working toward a goal.

“Given the decline of music and arts education programs in public school systems across the country, Dexter is fortunate to have a music educator like Mrs. Boone who has maintained a choral program in the junior and senior high schools for nearly thirty years,” Mathis said at the onset of the project.

This past weekend was the culmination of that project.

As alumni began arriving for a day of rehearsal at the First United Methodist church Saturday morning, there was a festive atmosphere. Friends were seeing friends with plenty of hugs and hand shakes in the line to register. It was a diverse group – young and not-so-young, folks who had been singing in church choirs or in college, and others who hadn’t sung since high school.

The group included a father who was a freshman Boone’s first year in Dexter, and his son who was a senior in her final year at DHS. There was a mother who was an early student and her two daughters who sang together in Chamber Choir this year. There was a man who was a senior that first year Boone taught who is now a colleague at Dexter Middle School. One young man is now a member of the Washington Chorus, a choir in our nation's capitol that performs at the Kennedy center for Performing Arts; others who sang in collegiate choirs; many who sing in church choirs today. And Boone’s own two children – Andrew and Afton – who many in the choir remembered as small children.

Throughout the day on Saturday the choir rehearsed together and in sectionals. During the morning large group rehearsal, Boone arrived and slipped into a pew in the back of the church sanctuary. Occasionally a student would turn around and see her – and wave; some slipped out of their seat to go give her a hug. All, though, broke out into applause when Mathis announced her arrival.

Mathis directed the large choir and was helped in sectional rehearsals by Maria Chamberlain (sopranos), Jessica Moore (altos) and Jeff Huffman (tenors). Pianists for the day included Delisa Stize, Brandy Mouser, and Gail Clippard.

Boone directed this year’s Chamber Choir in two selections as well as the mass choir on one number. On Sunday morning many of the mass choir members gathered at the first United Methodist Church to sing in the congregation’s worship service. Boone has been the music director at the church for 30 years.

Then, that afternoon, everyone regrouped for a dress rehearsal and afternoon concert at First Baptist Church.

Following the concert Boone, her husband, Bill and her children were escorted from the Worship Center to a reception in their honor in the Atrium. Friends filed through the receiving line, and choir members introduced their children to Boone, and stories were told.

Planning committee members who worked on the event included Mathis, LaVeda Banken, Julie Lancaster, Lisa Mathis, Melisa Mayo, Annabeth Miller, Brandy Mouser, Toni Pyle, Patti Shell, and Mark Snider. Snider served as the master of ceremonies at the Sunday concert.

Photos Above: Top photo - a portion of the DHS Alumni Choir in concert on Sunday; Bottom photo - Jon Hessling and MaryRuth Boone at the reunion rehearsal on Saturday. (Photos by Annabeth Miller)

Additional photos of the weekend are available at www.gregmathisphotos.com. Thanks, Greg!