3/15/26

MAIL CALL
from Janis Hamilton Lee in Port Neches Mark & I went on a two-week NCL cruise in January. It was a great trip with the Broussards, Hatfields, O’Banions, Risings, J. Castilles & D. Castilles. Two couples that couldn’t make it were the Nicholas’ & Mandels. We’ve been friends for 45-55 years & there’s about 380 years of marriage between the seven couples. We all went to TJ, Bishop Byrne, PNG or SFA. Our classmate, Peggy Edwards and husband, Glen Hatfield ’66, was on the trip, also. We left Galveston & stopped at eight ports.


markjlee@yahoo.com


*(Maybe some of you that take part in “mission” trips to help others could drop us a story about them. I know Kenny Bragg and Betty Bernauer & Ron Waedemon do these trips)*

WEBSITE DONATIONS
Donations were received from classmates, Patricia “Patti” Chisum Bryant and Janice Huebel Slaughter. THANKS!!! Also, Linda DeCuir McFadden made donations in memory of classmates, Russell Melancon and Allen Baldridge.

Ways to DONATE to the Website:
Write a Check made out to:
Linda McFadden
Send to:
Linda DeCuir McFadden
7699 Boardwalk
Lumberton, TX 77657
Or
Venmo
User: Thomas-Jefferson68
lindadmcfadden@yahoo.com

MR. NEDERLAND 2026 WINNER
Congratulations to our classmate, Craig Melancon, who was recently honored and awarded this title.

(I know many of you know the following history but is interesting to revisit it.)
A CITY BORN on the RAILS: HOW PORT ARTHUR BEGAN
(borrowed from The Lighthouse (the Museum of the Gulf Coast magazine)
Port Arthur is unusual among Texas cities. It wasn’t founded because of a natural harbor, fertile farmland, or a growing frontier settlement. It wasn’t an old trading post waiting to be rediscovered. Instead, Port Arthur exists because one railroad builder with an unconventional streak pointed to a blank stretch of shoreline and insisted that a city could thrive there. That builder was Arthur E. Stilwell, and his Kansas City, Pittsburgh & Gulf Railroad—later known as the Kansas City Southern—became the spark that transformed an empty Gulf marshland into a planned community with national significance.
Stilwell was ambitious, imaginative, and sometimes controversial, but he understood the power of transportation better than most. In the 1890’s, he envisioned a rail corridor that would link the manufacturing centers of the Midwest directly to deep water on the Gulf of Mexico. This wasn’t a modest idea; it was a bold attempt to reshape American trade routes. He believed that if he could build a railroad to the right spot on the coast, a port city would naturally grow around it. Stilwell wasn’t looking to support an existing town—he wanted to create a new one.
When surveyors pushed his line southward, they passed miles of sparsely settled prairie before reaching the shore of Sabine Lake. There, Stilwell chose his endpoint. No city existed at the site—not even a proper road network. Yet he ordered the tracks laid anyway. In a very real sense, the railroad arrived first, and the city blueprint came after. Streets, businesses, and neighborhoods were drawn around the iron rails that cut through the wilderness. Once the last spike was driven, the transformation began. Rail access brought workers, merchants, land speculators, as well as entrepreneurs almost overnight. Hotels sprang up to serve new travelers coming down the line. Warehouses and docks followed. This new railroad provided something unique the landscape alone never could: connectivity. It tied Port Arthur to Kansas City, Omaha, Chicago, as well as the broader American interior. Goods could flow south to the Gulf and beyond to global markets, and people flowed in to seize new opportunities.
This railroad-driven momentum set the stage for everything that followed. The port facilities expanded rapidly because rail freight justified the investment. Early industries planted their roots in Port Arthur for the same reason: the tracks guaranteed a steady supply of materials and a dependable route for finished products. When the oil boom ignited, refiners found Port Arthur irresistible. The combination of deep water and reliable rail transport made the city a natural hub for shipping petroleum across the country and around the world.
More than a century later, Port Arthur’s geography still reflects its railroad origins. Industrial districts trace old rail corridors. Port operations sit where Stilwell first imagined maritime commerce. Even the city’s early neighborhoods align with the routes laid out for workers who came down the line.
Before Port Arthur had a port, it had a railroad—and that railroad made everything else possible.

A FEW MEMORIES OF MY ELEMENTARY YOUTH
• Walking on the railroad tracks behind our house in Lakeview
• Hanging a skate key around my neck and roller skating on the sidewalks at the elementary school
• Circus in first grade (I was a tightrope walker at Travis)
• Girls’ past times: paper dolls, pick up sticks, playing school, jacks, jump rope, blue birds
• Playing cowboys & Indians
• Hide and seek
• Visiting with Travis classmates at each other’s homes (Janice Hebert, Georgia Peterson, Dwight Larson, Allen Baldridge, Jimmy Schexnayder, Sara Little, Gilsey Viator, Charlotte Pace and more)
• Staying out until dark
• Playing with all the neighborhood kids and even staying over to eat sometimes

Now, you make a list or send me your memories to add to the next update. Next time I might do memories of JUNIOR HIGH times. Doesn’t it make you smile?

NEWS FROM THE HOMEFRONT
Well, the Winter Olympics was a welcome treat. It at least gave us something else to chose from on television. Murphy and I went to College Station to watch our granddaughter, Drew, in the musical ANNIE. It was a quick trip but always fun to catch up with her when we can. Great show. It was put on by the Theatre Company of Bryan/College Station. She will be auditioning for Shrek, the MUSICAL to be held starting the end of May. The next visit to College Station will be for her senior ring ceremony and celebrations to be held April 9-11. We have rented an Airbnb for the weekend. Our first time! We just returned from a week vacation with a tour group to West Palm Beach, FL mainly for attending 3 Astros spring training games. It was a lot of fun being up close and personal and getting many autographs. The weather was beautiful but can get a little hot in the stands this time of year. The trip was pretty much drama free except my ankles and feet had daily swelling (they never do), and mainly back issues were rough due to so much walking and steps and stairs. I did bring my cane, thank heavens. My neuropathy was so so. My balance isn’t great, and I almost fell on the escalator trying to carry two small suitcases and getting on at the same time. I got frisked at security at the airport even though I told them I had metal in my knee and shoulder. The Flagler Museum in Palm Beach is amazing. It is worth the visit. Spring Break was going on the same week. Oh, wow! 36 hours after returning home, Murphy woke up with excruciating pain in his right lower side. We called the EMTs and headed to Christus St. Elizabeth’s ER in Beaumont. After several hours, I had to stay in the waiting room due to lock-down because of a stabbing nearby, the results showed kidney stones and some nodules on his adrenal glands. He initially thought it might be his appendix. He is feeling better now. Fingers crossed. Our annual family crawfish boil in Fulshear is coming up this weekend. It is always fun to see family members from across the state and, also get to eat some scrumptious food.

ARTICLES and STORIES
Don’t forget to scroll ALL THE WAY DOWN on the FRONT PAGE of the WEBSITE to read the following:
• Mr. Nederland 2026 awarded to classmate, Craig Melancon
• What Happened in 1949
• What Happened in 1950

SUPPORT
Kay King Young
Jan. 22
A note from Kay on FB
This is my Prayer this Morning after my fantastic report from my Lymphoma Doctor ……….
Jesus I come before You with a heart overflowing with gratitude. Thank You for Your mercy, Your healing hand, and Your constant presence through this journey. Thank You that the lymphoma has not grown in almost two years, that there is no swelling in any lymph nodes, and that the dysplasia was successfully removed. I am grateful for my Gynecologist that talked me into a surgery to give my body a fighting chance, and for the strength You have restored to my body. My blood counts are the best they have been in three years, and I praise You that my immune system is strong again and fighting as You designed it to do. My lymphoma doctor said that Marginal zone lymphoma is often driven by chronic inflammation and removing the source can absolutely calm or even reverse the process. So, I am praying for that total healing.
Lord, I thank You for the peace You have given me and for guiding me to the Cancer protocol You placed on my heart and being able to tolerate all those pills. I know every good report comes from You. You are the Great Physician, and all glory belongs to You.
I also want to thank my dear family and friends. Your prayers, encouragement, and love have meant more to me than words can express. I truly believe your prayers have helped carry me through, and I am deeply grateful for each of you who lifted me up before God.
May this testimony bring hope, strengthen faith, and give all honor and praise to You, Lord.
God is good—always
kaykingyoung@yahoo.com
12256 Emerald Mist Ln.
Conroe, TX 77304

Rhonda Carleton Richey (wife of Bill Richey)
Recovering from emergency appendix surgery in January.
rrich@gt.rr.com
3695 Woodway Dr.
Orange, TX 77630

Ronnie Abate (husband of Joyce Marceaux)
On hospice care at home for multiple medical issues
Abate.joyce@yahoo.com
6305 Marble Falls Dr.
Lumberton, TX 77657

Dianna Caillier Lewis
Health Issues
912 E. 6th St.
Port Arthur, TX 77640

Debbie Borres Desmond
Leukemia remission
Desmonddebbie353@gmail.com
503 37th St.
Nederland, TX 77627

Johnny Vasquez
Dementia
Rose Vasquez Prejean
639 Ridgewood Dr.
Port Neches, TX 77651

Charlie Fontenot
(a note about his fight with prostate cancer)
I am finally off all meds and stopped injections. I am still on 3-month check-ups, but the last one was with good numbers. I am blessed. My sweet wife, Becky, even after surgery, hasn’t had much relief with her back and legs.
cajunfont@aol.com
412 Brookdale
League City, TX 77573

Charline Valenciano Allen
Assisted living for dementia
Jhargrave77@yahoo.com
8695 Medical Center Blvd.
Port Arthur, TX 77640

Diane Barker Foreman
Multiple medical issues
dianebforeman@gmail.com
5541 Garfield
Groves, TX 77619

Billy Caldwell
Health issues
bgcaldwell@outlook.com
12092 Woodbrook Dr.
Conroe, TX 77306

Linda Coates Conde
Serious health issues
2106 Lee St.
Nederland, TX 77627

Kirk Abshire (husband of Phyllis Fett)
Acute lymphocytic leukemia and acute myeloid leukemia
Doing well
pabshire@yahoo.com
605 Fence Post Pass
Cedar Park, TX 78613

Randy Landry
Health issues
Rlandry1@camtel.net
2204 Rosebud
Nederland, TX 77627

Linda Wappler Turner
Recovering from motorcycle accident. Staying with one of her sons while mending.
Mrswizard1@yahoo.com
5523 Walnut Glen Ln.
Rosenberg, TX 77471

Ernie (Castaneda) and Ron Bullion
Ernie suffers from NASH (Non-alcoholic statohepatitis)
She has to make several visits to the Methodist Hospital for tests.
Ron had a hip replacement on January 7th. He had a 21 day stay in rehab. After coming home and beginning to recover with therapy, he fell and dislocated his hip 7 weeks after his surgery. He had to be transported to the surgeon’s office where they did an outpatient procedure to put his hip back into place. He now has to wear a large leg splint for 6 more weeks and still use a walker.
(I feel that cards, texts, visits and/or any help with dropping off food could go a long way to helping their moral. It is very hard for each to help the other at this point until Ron can recover more.)
1950tinab@gmail.com
6215 Marble Falls
Lumberton, TX 77657

CONDOLENCES
(CLASSMATE Obituaries are in the MEMORIAL section)
Classmates gone too soon

Russell Melancon
July 17, 1949 – Jan. 27, 2026
(Thanks to Kathy Melancon Perio for sharing his death notice.)

Robert “Allen” Baldridge
Sept. 18, 1949 – Mar. 9, 2026
xbaldridge@hotmail.com
Wanda Baldridge
1618 Pineview Lane
Hideaway, TX 75771
(Oh, how this hurts my heart! Allen moved to Lakeview after attending DeQueen Elementary. He was 10 years old. He moved to the 5100 block of 8th St. and I lived on the 5000 block of 8th. We were in the same class at Travis Elementary. We became BEST BUDDIES almost immediately. We hung out after school, summers, went to Lakeview Swimming Pool, visited each other’s homes, carpooled to Woodrow, and hung out while attending TJ. Allen, Terry Watson and David Williams were constantly either at my house or we were together often. We played ping pong in my garage until late at night. They loved my dad’s cajun cooking, especially his duck gumbo. My mom called them my bodyguards. Then, in college, Allen and I double dated with our soon-to-be spouses that we both met at the Newman Catholic Center at Lamar. Our families stayed in touch and visited through out our lives. This hurts sooooo much. We made great memories while being friends. Friends and buddies for 65 years! I miss him already. RIP)

Classmate Obituaries are in the MEMORIAL section or link

OTHER DEATHS
(The obituaries for the following listed are found in the OBITUARY section)
v Steve Hicks
Feb. 24, 1950 -- Jan. 7, 2026
Steve attended PA schools for many years before moving to Beaumont.
(Thanks to Bill Horton for sharing his death notice.)

Marilla Miller
Feb. 13, 1929 – Feb. 5, 2026
(mother of James Miller)
Millerfrancis@sbcglobal.net
2514 Post Oak Dr.
Orange, TX 77632

Kathleen “Kitty” Lyons
May 27, 1926 – Feb. 26, 2026
(mother of Carolyn Lyons)
2636 Galleon Ave.
Port Hueneme, CA 93041
(Thanks to Ernie Castaneda Bullion for sharing her death notice).

Now, you have homework. First, contact classmates and old friends mentioned in this newsletter. It might even refresh some old friendships. Also, send me some ELEMENTARY memories. We will do JUNIOR HIGH another time. I would love to add those comments and messages to my next newsletter. I can always use someone else’s insight. Don’t forget to drop me names for the SUPPORT list. I don’t always get to read FB every day to find info. Hopefully you won’t have any news about classmate or family deaths, but don’t forget me if you do.

Stay in touch and contact a classmate,
Linda DeCuir McFadden
lindadmcfadden@yahoo.com
www.tjhs1968.com