All propositions pass constitutional election

Something’s cooking at STC

By Mary Nichols

McALLEN — Boiling pot mysteries, clanging pans, chopping knives, and the congregation of students learning the craft of cooking are just a few of the sights, sounds and aromas at South Texas College.

STC’s Culinary Program has been cooking for 11 years, but the public is largely unaware of its existence.

Chef John Smaucker, chair of the program, said he has been promoting the program in every way possible, in the hopes to attract more students.

“Many people consider going to an institute and have to pay $3,000 to $6,000 dollars,” said Smaucker. “They get the exact same thing, the same information and quality here. I spend a fortune on food for our classes. We do everything here and try to push our students to want to work the high end of jobs.”

The culinary program has about 139 students this semester with four instructors leading them in the kitchen. Six classes are held in the spring and five in the fall and with such a high demand for the classes they now hold classes on the weekends. There are normal lecture classes and separate cooking classes. Students are taught in a step process that consists of basic to advanced cooking.

“Basics consist of the students learning how to do different cuts. Then goes into sauces, to stocks, then vegetable cookery to starch cookery,” said professor and Chef Paul Wendlanden. “They need all these in order to move to the higher classes.”

Higher classes consist of an intermediate course that involve nothing but meats and learning how to cut, cook and sauté the product. Then, students move on to international classes, where they learn the art of plating food and decorating the plate so it’s appealing to the eye. Students progress to other courses like catering, advanced cuisines, baking, advanced baking, beverage management, food and beverage, sanitation and safety.

Starting this spring they will offer a dining room course. In this course, students will be taught waitress styles and work alongside an advanced cuisine class, whose dishes they will serve.

“There is a demand for cooks, even with the bad economy. Restaurants are popping up and the demand for culinary chefs it still up high and growing strong for the years to come,” said Wendlanden. “The more students we can get interested in the long run, we can help them out and better prepare them for a job.”

One student the STC Culinary Program helped mold into a successful cook was Chef Rachel Valdez who graduated in 2007.

“I’m grateful that the Valley has a program like this, which is affordable for people,” she said. “They are able to do so and it was a good learning experience here.”

A year after she graduated, Valdez was offered a job as a chef at the Club at Cimarron in Mission where she worked for a year and a half under executive Chef Jimmy Veracruz. Valdez then moved on to the sushi restaurant Sushitto and learned Japanese Cuisine. She now works as a chef at Feldman’s.

“The other day I made encrusted pork tenderloin, seasoned with paprika, almonds and rosemary. It was marinated with some wine and it was really amazing,” said Valdez. “I was able to create something and allowed to apply all the skills I’ve learned from STC and previous jobs.”

Her passion for food and cooking goes back to when she was seven years old. She vividly remembers when her mom bought her a tortilla presser. She was always eager to help her mom out in the kitchen. When she was in junior high, she would make her parents lunch daily. Valdez said she also grew up watching and being inspired by Julia Child’s cooking show.

“Some people ask me, ‘If you had all the money in the world what would you be studying?’ Truthfully, it would be the culinary arts,” said Valdez. “But I would be at the biggest schools and traveling all over the world to learn about it. I just don’t have the money to do so right now, but I’m still pursuing what I love.”

Valdez said she would encourage anyone with an interest or curiosity of food and cooking to enroll in the program.

“Anybody that likes to cook, is interested in cooking or wants to learn how to cook would enjoy the program,” she said. “They offer a lot of knowledge and useful information that would be good for anybody to know.”

Valdez said she enjoyed the classes, working in the kitchen and getting a chance to meet other people who were interested in the same field, especially her instructors.

“I was also able to create things I never thought were possible. Learned the proper terminology, different ingredients,” she said. “You also get to learn about exquisite cuisines that you can’t get here in the Valley or ever thought of.”

Valdez’s future plans are to move to another job so that she can learn different types of cooking and broaden her skills. She hopes one day she can open her own restaurant.

“This has been very rewarding. I had the most rewarding experience my first time as a chef,” she said. “Something a lot people who just graduated wouldn’t be doing. I want to just keep learning.”

Wendlanden said though Valdez has been successful, the wrong impression that many students have is they think they will instantly work as a chef after graduation. Students also assume all they do is cook in the program. However, Wendlanden said they have exams, projects and students are required to take regular core classes as well.

“When the graduates leave here and if they are really interested in working as a chef they are able to be greatly successful,” he said. “We believe in them greatly. Some you see at the H.E. B. Cooking Connection doing demos, talking to people about meals, or find them in the restaurants.”

Desiree Reyes, a current student in the culinary program, enjoys the classes and hopes to become a pastry chef one day.

“It’s super fun. You learn a lot and get to eat it,” she said laughing. “We learn to make things that you thought were difficult. You learn how to cook. Who doesn’t want to learn that?”

The STC culinary program wants to continue to attract more students and help those who want to extend their passion of food and cooking.

“The biggest achievement for us is when we get to see our students succeed,” said Wendlanden. “The student becomes successful and moves up in the industry they love, it’s a rewarding feeling for all of us.”

FUMC celebrates its 100th anniversary

By Kathy Olivarez

MISSION — When Rev. C.W. Godwin arrived here, there was not a single Methodist church, but the demand was vibrant among settlers. Godwin got the authority to establish a church here Nov. 12, 1909.

The first official church service was held Nov. 21 with eight members attending. This weekend, the First United Methodist Church of Mission celebrates its 100th anniversary, boasting its current membership and the work church members have done in the community.

Godwin took a donation for a church building and raised $350. On Nov. 24, a contract for a church to be housed in a 24-foot by 60-foot building with an alcove was let. The cost of the building without the seating was $669. The seating and the organ raised the cost by another $185. By the time the church was completed, membership had risen to 14 members.

The Sunday school program for the church was officially organized Jan. 10, 1910. The minutes of that first meeting read, “He who reads these lines in future will remember that this is pioneer work and no sinecure. Men and women did not come to this Valley to do church work, and it is hard to identify even the Methodists.”

The church continued to thrive in 1913 when Rev. E.A. Hunter took over as pastor of the church for a year. Church trustees and general membership decided to sell the building, which had been outgrown, to the Mexican Methodist Church. A temporary church, referred to by members as “the tabernacle,” a small building used as a temporary place of worship after the original church was outgrown and before a new church could be built.

The Woman’s Society was active during these years with a major source of income coming from the weekly feeding of the local Rotary Club. The sanctuary, built in 1925, had a kitchen and dining hall in the basement.

With the money earned, they bought the pipe organ that served the church for many years. They made contributions to Scarritt College, which was known for training leaders for the United States and other countries who served the church throughout the world.

During the Great Depression, from 1921 to 1941, the First Methodist Church of Mission had problems. With crop prices down, the farmers of the area had difficulty getting enough money for their crops. Families were poor, and church giving dropped to such a level that the bank threatened to foreclose on the lien against the church. Dedicated members met night after night to pray and plan a way to save the church.

During the pastorate of Rev. Allen G. Roe, 1939-1944, the church paid off all of its debts.

Ground for the current sanctuary was broken March 8, 1964. The sanctuary featured Mediterranean-Revival style architecture and faceted glass windows filled with Christian symbolism. The glass was faceted and cut like a diamond to allow the light to shine at different intensities. Members of the congregation gave the windows as memorials to loved ones. The first service in the new sanctuary was held April 25, 1965.

When the church celebrated its golden anniversary in 1959, it had a total of 667 members. The church had an air-conditioned sanctuary, and a two-story education building.

It was during the 1960s that the First Methodist Church officially became the First United Methodist Church when the Methodist denomination joined forces with the United Evangelical Church to become one denomination.

In 1976, the old church sanctuary built in 1925 was torn down and replaced with the present fellowship hall. A cornerstone from the old church was discovered that had the names of all the children on the “cradle roll,” a reminder of the early days of the church when a name on a cradle roll could be considered proof of birth when applying for a birth certificate.

Community Outreach

As the church grew, so did its service in the community. Ardie Vance (Nelson), who was youth director, started Mission Service Project, a program designed to help those who were unable to get government assistance for home repairs. Vance got the idea after taking a youth group for a summer work camp held the Appalachian Mountains in 1981. She realized the need was just as great at home and spent the next year creating the Mission Service Project. Each year, groups of teenagers from churches around Texas and some from other states gather to spend a week under the Texas sun weatherizing homes, re-roofing homes, replacing doors and window screens, painting and making other minor repairs to the homes of those who were unable to do the work themselves and could not get other assistance.

At times, the program has expanded to include college students on break and Winter Texan groups who want to be of help.

Although Vance left the church and returned to Minnesota, where she married Walt Nelson and had a daughter, Sarah, before returning as a youth minister, and assistant pastor, the program continued and is now in its 27th year. It has become a community project with several local churches participating.

Duane and Shirley Melton began the outreach program, Dinner with Friends, which provides a Friday outing for the neighborhood. The event provides an opportunity for less fortunate people to have a balanced meal. Several homeless people attend regularly. It gives others in the neighborhood an opportunity to join in the fellowship with residents of the neighborhood.

Jim Timmons, who has managed the program since 2004, said about 150 people participate in the dinners weekly. Many of the families have since joined the church.

The second outreach program that started in 2001 is a food pantry also started by the Meltons. Each week, those in need from the neighborhood can come to the church where bags of food containing cans of fruits, vegetables and meats and bags of pasta or rice are prepared to be given out.

Some of the food is purchased through the Rio Grande Valley Food Bank at a cost of $0.16 per pound. Currently, about 120 bags of food are given out each week. Shirley Melton said the program attracts many senior citizens.

Programs such as English-as-a second-language are designed to help local residents learn English. There is now a Spanish Sunday School class and the Vacation Bible School attracts children from all over the neighborhood. Melton says many of the families who are involved first came to the church for Dinner with Friends or the Food Pantry.

The current pastor is Rev. Charles Baskin. During his tenure the sanctuary has received a facelift by enclosing the front to create a visitor welcome center. The outreach programs have been continued and a remodeling of the fellowship hall kitchen was also done to accommodate the meals.

During its 100th year, the First United Methodist Church is a church in transition. From a frontier church in the 1920s, to an active church serving a largely Anglo population, with all sorts of activities including Woman’s Society and its Mother’s Day Teas, Bible Schools, Sunday picnics, large active youth groups and a variety of children’s programs. Today, the church has become an outreach church that looks around to see where it can be of the most help to the community.

As part of their celebration, invitations were sent to many former members. On Saturday at 7 p.m., the celebration will include singing of favorite hymns from the Cokesbury Hymnal. On Sunday, there will be two services at 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. After the second service, a luncheon will be held at the Mission Community Center.

The church is selling a commemorative plate for a $15 donation that features the church as it looks today. The names of all the pastors who served the church are written around the rim. A book with the history of the church and memories collected from members will be available for a suggested $5 donation.

Valley honors fallen soldiers Wednesday

By Kathy Olivarez

McALLEN — Several local cities across the Rio Grande Valley will participate in the unveiling of a new wall that honors local military personnel killed fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan on Veterans Day, Nov. 11 at the Veterans War Memorial of Texas.

The community and local veterans are invited to attend the ceremony honoring the newest casualties of the war, including Alton’s SSgt. Bradley Espinoza who was just laid to rest Oct. 29, and the Valley’s latest war casualty, Sgt. Fernando de la Rosa of Alamo who died Oct. 26 in Afghanistan.

The war memorial is located on 29th and Galveston streets on the east side of the new McAllen Convention Centre near Ware and the frontage roads. The ceremony will start at 10 a.m.

This ceremony will also remember all the veterans who have served in the military services, said Col. Frank Plummer, USAF (Ret.), but it will especially honor the 35 military men from the Rio Grande Valley who have been killed in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Their families, who will be present at the ceremony, will also be recognized. Three black granite walls nine and a half feet long and seven feet high have been dedicated to the memory of these heroes and their families. Photos and citations of each soldier are inscribed on the three walls and will be unveiled during the ceremony. During the ceremony the families and loved ones will be presented a red rose on behalf of the nation. A family representative will be escorted to the wall with the rose, which will be placed on the white cross at the base of the wall below their loved one’s photo.

At the conclusion of the reading of the citation, a military ceremony will accept these walls. The new walls join with the walls of the other 1.3 million men and women who have died in all the wars and conflicts.

These walls are inscribed with the pictures and citations of the sons of the Rio Grande Valley. The ceremony will close with a 21-gun salute, a moment of silence, taps and prayer.

The Veterans War Memorial of Texas began construction in 1999 to honor and remember the 1.3 million American military men and women who have died in all the wars and conflicts.

The 35 soldiers honored at Wednesday’s event are from across the Valley, from as far as Los Fresnos and Brownsville to Alton.

In Pharr, the city will host its 14th annual All America City Salute to Veterans parade, which will be held Saturday at 4:30 p.m. on Polk Avenue to Cage Boulevard. Following the parade, the city will host a fireworks display at the PSJA Stadium at 709 Gore St.

Stories of valor to be told at STC’s Pecan Campus Library

McALLEN — On Nov. 10, the stories of three servicemen will be told when South Texas College hosts a screening of the film “As Long as I Remember: American Veteranos,” by Director Laura Varela. The film will be shown at 7 p.m. at STC’s Pecan Campus Library Rainbow Room, located at 3201 W. Pecan in McAllen. The event, which includes a reception after the screening, is free and open to the public.

The movie documents the experiences of visual artist Juan Farias, author Michael Rodriguez and poet/performance artist Eduardo Garza. The film takes the audience through the lives of these brave men, examining the role art plays in the sorting of their memories, post-traumatic stress syndrome, activism and the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

More than 80,000 Latinos fought in the Vietnam War, and a staggering 15,000 of them died in battle. Those who survived brought home unique experiences and memories of what it was like to serve in one of the longest battles in U.S. history.

“We are very proud to present this screening to commemorate Veterans Day and to showcase the contributions servicemen made in shaping the cultural fabric of our nation,” said Esther Garcia, STC library specialist and event coordinator. “We hope the public will seize the chance to learn more about the role Latinos played in the Vietnam War and what their lives were like after they came home.”

Director Laura Varela and author Michael Rodriguez will be in attendance at the event. Varela is a San Antonio-based documentary filmmaker and media artist whose work as a storyteller is shaped by her roots growing up on the U.S./Mexico border in El Paso, Texas. Her work navigates between ideological, cultural, linguistic and physical borders through the use of film and contemporary art installations.

For more information about the event, contact Esther Garcia at 872-6485 or egarcia10@southtexascollege.com.

All propositions pass in constitutional election

Voters approved each of the 11 propositions on the constitutional election ballot this week, providing colleges a chance at becoming research facilities and veterans with hope of the construction of a new hospital.

Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa on Wednesday thanked voters for their support on two issues he worked on; he was a sponsor for two propositions.

He helped sponsor Proposition 8, which will allow the state to invest money and resources to assist and partner with the federal government and private sector to build veteran hospitals and clinics to provide health care to veterans.

"It is our duty to provide military veterans with the medical care they deserve,” he said in a statement.

Seventy-five percent of voters were in favor of the proposition.

The second proposition he sponsored was Proposition 9 that protects the right of the public, individually and collectively, to access and use the public beaches bordering the seaward shore of the Gulf of Mexico.

"Proposition 9 makes the Texas Open Beaches Act a part of the Texas Constitution,” Hinojosa said. “With so much development taking place on Texas' coastline, I feel it is important to clarify our right to enjoy public beaches in Texas."

Seventy-seven percent of voters approved the proposition.

The biggest outcome of the election was Proposition 11, which focused on eminent domain. Eighty-one percent of voters were in favor of setting limits to eminent domain. The proposition prohibits the taking, damaging, or destroying of private property for public use unless the action is for the ownership, use, and enjoyment by the government, but not for economic development or enhancement of tax revenue purposes, and to limit the legislature's authority to grant the power of eminent domain to an entity.

Colleges looking to become top research facilities were granted that chance with the passing of Proposition 4. Fifty-seven percent of voters were in favor of using $500,000 in state funds to create a fund that will help seven Texas colleges get recognition as Tier One research universities.

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