10-15-01

This week, I want to make honorable mention and a very worthy commendation of the pioneer descendant named Bill Coffey. Bill has served on the council for the past few years and I do believe he is one of the more deserving individuals to mention.

Bill can be seen on the City tractor on many different occasions. He is interested in making the city a more beautiful and pleasant place by mowing the various right of ways.

I know that Bill is not reimbursed for the time that he spends on the tractor. Most certainly, Bill is dedicated to the beautification of Aubrey which is evident by looking at his attractive yard. If you happen to drive over in the new Aubrey Meadows addition on Linda Drive, you will notice his beautiful lawn.

As usual, he came into the store last week and was asking me if I had any information on some large concrete slab and boulder rocks that are located on part of Aubrey’s street right of ways. He was trying to determine if these slabs covered an abandoned hand dug well.

This particular area was as usual one of the more blighted areas in town; and he was undertaking the task of making this area more attractive for people as they drive down the roads. He asked me to stop by and look at his project. He had made a very large pile of rocks, trash and some old scrap metal that would clog up his mowing machine.

He told me that the next time the council meets they are going to open bids that would pave some of the 1910 dirt road streets that we have become so attached to. This was the first good news that I had heard during the past two weeks. I have grown accustomed to scooping about 5 gallons of dirt out of my swimming pool, let alone the dirt stopping up my filter in the pool, and my clogged nostrils as I sit out in my backyard enjoying the many neighbors as they walk by and stop to visit.

I recall back about thirty years ago that Mayor Lewis George had a system of agreements with the county that was very good; but that was then and this is now. I was doing a little politicking, which I seldom do; but the dirt roads that date back to 1910 around the Aubrey ETJ (the area that is not incorporated) are about to become the responsibility of the City, and this will put a big financial burden on the people and our already loaded budget.

I told Mr. Coffey that I seldom get to politic, but I just couldn’t help but comment on the efforts that he is making. While I was on the subject, I discussed with him the small amount of money that is paid to the City for the fire runs out in the ETJ, which would not even buy the hub caps on our million dollar investment in fire equipment.

It seems to me that when we have to start maintaining the roads out in the county and increase the pay of the new employees to maintain these roads; it may perhaps leave a large number of employees of the county doing nothing but counting their hard earned money.

And by the way, as the economy is now and it doesn’t seem to be improving very quickly, it seems that the people that are losing their jobs may be making us all wish we were working for the county now.

I can remember when the county had a so called county farm for all or the under privileged. I would however, promise my loyalty too.

I do not want to discourage Mr. Coffey from all of the beautification that he is doing, but I may be inclined to think that his loyalty is most certainly drawing praises and perhaps others are interested in the reward.

Mr. Coffey says that he likes to do things for the people within the Aubrey city limits and he looks forward for every day that he can do more.

The photo for this week is the Dyche Cotton yard that was located next to the railroad back during the 1880's. You can see the old Methodist church in the background.

J.H. and Ruby Rena Byrom celebrated their 67^th wedding anniversary this past Saturday, October 13; they were married in 1934. Mr. and Mrs. Byrom have lived their entire wedded life in the farming and ranching business in the Aubrey area.

The farm where they presently live has been owned by the couple for the past 51 years.

The couple has three children. They are Sarah Beth, a daughter that lives in Ruinosa, New Mexico; a son Jerry who lives at Jacksonville, Texas; and another son Donald T. that lives in Aubrey.

J.H. has spent his entire life farming and ranching and was farming when he graduated from the Elizabethan High School at Tennessee. Mr. Byrom received his schooling at the Elm Ridge (Navo) School east of Aubrey where he finished.

J.H. is a grandson of a pioneer family that settled in Aubrey in the 1850's out near the Oak Grove community and formerly Sandtown settlement.

The pioneer Byrom family was involved in the cotton growing and ginning business. A cotton gin was located in the Sandtown community settlement and was later relocated to Aubrey

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