During the Class 4A Regional Finals in which the 2007-08 Hereford Whiteface football team was in hot pursuit of a state championship but lost, it was brought to my attention that the Lady Whiteface Cross Country team had already won state and that we did not recognize it in our last fall newsletter. Well, sometimes news from the Texas Panhandle to the Dallas-Fort Worth area travels much too slowly. And Texas high school football always gets that frenzied attention, which means that other sports can get lost in the news cycle. So it's most appropriate to recognize and congratulate the young ladies who won the State 4A Cross Country title last fall, which is the third year in a row for this outstanding accomplishment.

As a former high school and college track athlete myself, I have great admiration for such feats - especially in cross country. It takes a great deal of mental discipline and toughness - not to mention physical conditioning, endurance, and strength.

So hats off to cross country coach Ray Baca for another great year. Hats off to Hereford's Abby Metcalf and Ashley Mason who ran outstanding times in the state meet. And hats off to the entire Hereford Lady Whiteface Cross Country team for bringing to our Alma Mater this wonderful accomplishment, making us all so extremely Hereford proud!

From the Editor - Lee Mays (Class of 1970)

Carmelita and I have been married for 26 years. We met at WT when I was finishing my graduate work and she was completing her BBA. We passed each other in the parking lot one day, got to visiting, decided to car pool, and the rest, as they say, is another story! PS, Carmelita never used her BBA. She was immediately jealous of my teaching schedule, so she went back to Panhandle State to get her teaching certificates in Business and Spanish.

We have two children. John (age 25) is a 1st Lieutenant in the US Army. He is the chemical officer for the 1st Ranger Battalion, currently stationed at Hunter Army Airfield, Savannah, Georgia. He has just returned from his first tour in Iraq. Grace (age 17) is a senior at Bryan High School. She has been involved in just about everything imaginable - dance team, student council, United Way, honors program. Her long-term plans are to pursue medical studies after her undergraduate work at Texas A & M.

It was Hereford, Texas during the Sixties when the Whiteface Band, under the direction of Ben Gollehon, was winning all of those state UIL Sweepstakes - year after year. It was a time of innocence where Hereford had the Star Theater, "the drag" - which was between Arrowhead Drive-Inn on one side of town, and A & W Root Beer on the other. (Staying innocent in Hereford was real easy back then, huh. There was nothing much else to do but drive your car along the drag!) And who can forget The Corral, which was located across from the high school and owned and operated by Gerald and Annie Jo Wilson and daughter. The Corral was the place for students to get snacks, sandwiches, "humdingers" (a brownie ala mode), and pomegranates - yes, pomegranates!

S & H Green Stamps were a part of our lives back then and could be found at Hereford's food stores like Coopers, Taylor & Sons, and Piggly Wiggly. The stamps also were given at filling stations and other shops. Shoppers were given stamps based on the dollar amount of their purchase. Collect enough of them and face licking them and sticking them into collectors books (a pastime often given to amuse children), and the shopper could claim valuable prizes from the local Green Stamps Store, which was on Hereford's downtown Main Street, or through the catalog.

Back in high school, he was known as "Percy Mays". But today he likes being called by his middle name, Lee. But some thirty-two years ago, a copy of a custom-made album was taken to an Amarillo Christian radio station by a friend attending WTSU in Canyon who asked the disc jockey to play it on air. That was the beginning. Soon other Christian radio stations in Texas and Oklahoma latched on and songs like "Shine Your Love" and "A Love Affair" made their way into the hearts of many.

It's was an accidental discovery while browsing the Internet that Lee learned of a Japanese R&B and soul gospel enthusiast who purchased a used copy of his private label album through the on-line auction site, EBay. The winning bid - more than $160.00.

The most noted song on the album has been the title song, "Shine Your Love". It was the #1 most requested song on Amarillo's Christian radio station, KWAS FM - and remained #1 for eight straight weeks during the Spring of 1976. That song also received airplay in Lubbock, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Oklahoma City, and Atlanta.

In 1978, the song went nationwide when Word Records in Nashville re-recorded "Shine Your Love" as the family gospel group, The Cruse Family remade it as their single. With the help of Lee's (Percy's) composition, the group won a Dove Award for Best Contemporary Album of the Year for their album titled, "Transformation" on Canaan Records.

If you live in San Francisco then you're paying over $4.00 per gallon for gasoline. If you're in Amarillo it's at $3.35, and in Euless, Texas it's at $3.24 per gallon. Americans are digging deep to pay for auto fuel and truck drivers have recently demonstrated against the high price of diesel by forming convoys and blocking major streets and highways with the hope that the President and Congress will come up with a remedy.

Depending on where you live, you can find the best prices this summer by locating service stations and convenient stores selling the cheapest gas with information provided through the Internet. Simply click onto the link below, enter your zip code, click "GO", and save!

In conjunction with the Hereford High School's Homecoming 2008, Hereford Class of 1968 will hold it's 40th Class Reunion on Friday & Saturday, September 26-27 in Hereford, Texas. Plans at this time are tentative, but the group will attend the Hostile Herd's football game on Friday night, September 26. On Saturday, plans are to have activities relating to Hereford's Independence Day Celebration. Later that evening, a dinner and dance is booked at the Hereford Country Club.

Reunion registration will be at the Holiday Inn Express where rooms have been blocked at special rates for the Class of '68. A meeting will be held on May 6, 2008 to finalize the Fall reunion plans. For more information on the reunion, class members are asked to contact Nancy Hollingsworth at 806- 364-0265 or 364- 6641. The '68 reunion email contact is: chfatboy@sbcglobal.net.

"Cheats & Tricks" written by Lonny Coffey (Class of 70)

One of the things I have been sure was going to happen was how the big banks are going to be exposed during this time of upheaval in the business. The big boys will try to come off as innocent and not part of the problem but the reality will be once all the dust settles that they (in my opinion) were as much to blame if not more so than anyone else. Sure the originators are just as guilty but the greed motive by the big banks fueled the wreck in my opinion.

I ran across an article written by Barry Ritholtz who is Chief Market Strategist for Ritholtz Research, an independent institutional research firm. He "claims" that JP Morgan/Chase sent out a memo instructing their mortgage brokers on how to get questionable loans approved by their system.

Hereford High School Class of 1958 will hold it's 50 Year Class Reunion in Hereford, Texas on Friday & Saturday, July 4-5, 2008. The reunion will be held the same weekend of the Hereford's Independence Celebration Weekend and Fireworks Show.

The two-day reunion will begin on Friday evening at the residence of classmate Sandra Story Saul in Hereford. On Saturday morning July 5, the group will meet to participate in the Independence Day Celebration parade with their own class float. There will be a banquet Saturday evening at the Hereford Senior Center. For more information, contact Mr. Fred Lookingbill at 1-806-647-7619.

We've designed a way in which you can remember and honor your deceased classmates, schoolmates, parents, and/or teachers. It's with the "I Will Remember You" sponsorship on the Hereford High School Alumni Association's web site. Today, personal computers and the Internet are such a major part of our everyday lives. It is now a convenience for you to go to the alumni website's Memorial page at any time, glance at a photo of a fallen classmate, and honor them with your memory. All funds raised from the "I Will Remember You" Sponsorships will go towards a college scholarship which will help a graduate from Hereford High School Class of 2008. The cost for each sponsorship is $50. To become a sponsor please click onto the link below. To sponsor a deceased classmate or friend, call Lee Mays at 817-267-2608 or email at info@herefordalumni.com.

If you're a graduate of Hereford High School Class of 1988 then class reunion activities starts as early as Thursday, September 25, 2008 when the Homecoming Parade hits the streets of Hereford for those who live close or wish to come to town early. However, the twentieth year reunion officially begins on Friday, September 26 at 7:00 PM at the Hostile Herd's homecoming game at Whiteface Stadium.

Saturday's activities are tentative at this time but the planning committee is working on a golf tournament and a family picnic. A barn dance at the Top O' Texas Barn with both a Disc Jockey and live music is planned along with a sit down meal and program on Saturday evening, September 27. As plans are being finalized, classmates are asked to check the Class of 1988's web site for updates which can be linked from Hereford ISD's web site. You can also click onto the link below.

Hereford's alumni has been given an unique opportunity to reconnect and stay connected with classmates, schoolmates, and friends through Hereford Independent School District's web site. Through the web site's Alumni Page Listings, each alum can offer up a short personal bio and list current and updated information including home address, email address, and phone numbers. In a world in which Baby Boomers are recreating themselves with career changes and moving from place to place, it's nice to have a vehicle where you can let your classmates know where you've settled. Now it's easy for you to be found by your classmates. Simply click onto the link below to register online TODAY.

Since it's been announced that the Hereford Chamber of Commerce has combined the annual jubilee celebration weekend with the Fourth of July festivities, several of Hereford's class reunions have been scheduled for the weekend of the Fourth. This goes for Hereford Class of 1998, which will celebrate their 10th Year Class Reunion on July 4-5, 2008.

The reunion is kick off with "Meet The Family Night" cookout at the Hereford Aquatic Center Park/Pavilion on Friday, July 4. On Saturday, the group will participate in Hereford's Independence Day Parade as all members present will ride in the parade and later have a designated area to gather in Dameron Park. Saturday evening there will be dinner and entertainment at the Knights of Columbus Hall. For more information on the reunion, email: briar1998@live.com or click onto the link below.