30 Years of Diboll Free Press Clippings

One Year Ago

Thirty Years Ago This Week This week’s feature story spotlights the retirement of Temple-Eastex’s super salesman Otto Skinner, shown here with fellow salesman Ray Skinner. Skinner retired from the Temple sales force after 24 years with the company. The commodities trader states the best way to sell is to “keep in touch with people, and let the buyer do the talking- you listen until just the right time.” Skinner’s retirement plan is to catch up on fishing, hunting, traveling, play a little golf and spend more time with his beloved Polly, wife of 43 years. Diboll’s newest business, Tracielynn Photography opens full-time on Weber Street. The owner is Traci Lynn Gonzales.

The seats of Mayor Bill Brown and City Councilman Ricky Coleman and Larry Cook, who was elected last year to an unexpired term , are on the May ballot. Gary Mike Smith is running against Brown for mayor and Lewis Ivey has filed for council.

Diboll ISD trustees approve contract extensions for district administrators Thomas Sheppard, Marilyn Hankla, Mark Kettering, Daniel Lopez, , Craig Ruby, Kevin Mathis and Laura Kelly, Nikki Miller, Charlotte Morris, Janice Koether, Melinda Dover, Laurie Burton and John Burnett.

Ten Diboll High School Lumberjacks set to ink letters of intent for college football. Signees include Raphael Villanueva, Adrian Vasquez, Kenneth Curry and Kendall Jackson (Lon Morris College); Cornelius Polk and Eric Phipps (Sul Ross University); Jacolby Spencer (Sam Houston State University); Trey Loche (University of Houston); Alex Castillo (Texas A & M Commerce); and Jonathan Coleman (Rice University).

Diboll City Council after contentious discussion approves agreement with Diboll Youth Baseball for use of the city fields for five years beginning with this year.

Five Years Ago

Kaydee Burgess, representing the Livestock 4-H Club shows the grand champion steer at this year’s Angelina County Youth Fair. The steer sells for $6,300.

Diboll FFA member Ryan Whitworth shows his grand champion hog at the Angelina County Youth Fair. The hog sells for $1,200.

Burke Baptist Church celebrates its centennial birthday with fellowship, friends and food.

Former East Texans, David (Lufkin) and Louise (Diboll) Hales McCall are inducted into the South Carolina Square and Round Dance Federation Hall of Fame.

The board of directors of the Deep East Texas Council of Governments votes to support the reopening of the Abitibi Consolidated paper mill outside of Lufkin.

Huntington Middle School earns “Clean Campus Award” from the Angelina Beautiful/Clean organization as the cleanest middle school in Angelina County.

Allison McClain, Diboll Lady Jacks infielder, is named Most Valuable Player at the Ladies Tournament Championship in Beaumont.

Ten Years Ago

Texas Department of Transportation revises its plans for the U.S. 59 Relief Route around Diboll and it is no longer planning to include frontage roads for the by-pass project.

Maxcine Fuller, Diboll poet, visits Diboll Junior High School classes to share her award winning poetry.

Diboll High School basketball Coach Gary Martel is named District18-3A Coach of the Year; DHS basketball standout Cedric Vinson is named District 18-3A Most Valuable Player; and fellow DHS basketball teammates Carl Runner, Charles Runner and Jeremy Freeman are also named to the District 18-3A First Team.

The Huntington High School Highsteppers Dance team brings home 15 awards from the Lone Star Championship Competition held in Austin. April Ellington is the team’s director.

Lufkin High School varsity cheerleaders this school year are Kim Doyle, Kim Rich, Kim Sanders, Kim Moore, Amy Lazarine, Kayla Walker, Anne Castleberry, Megan Semetko, Leslie Kennedy, Tonisha Kiel, Natalie Hill, Christie Barrett, LeeAnne Friesen, Courtney Hale, Lakeshia Coleman, Ashlie Kegler and Coach Ellen Hollis.

Legendary Rock & Roll singing groups, The Platters and The Drifters perform at the Crockett Civic Center. The Platters are well known for such songs as, “Only You” and “The Great Pretender”. The Drifters are well known for “On Broadway” and “Save the Last Dance for me”.

Twenty Years Ago

Diboll Junior High School winners in the Diboll Beautification bookmark contest are sixth graders Jason Bearden, Terry Thornhill& Celsa Reyes; seventh graders are Misty Cook, Richard Sarmiento & Sharon Scarborough; and eighth graders Ray Fenley, Darla Ford & Christy Conner.

Diboll Historical Society is notified by the Texas Historical Commission that an official Texas historical marker has been approved for the old library building, located at 116 N. First Street.

Construction is about 70 percent complete on FM 819, which will link Angelina College with Loop 287 in Lufkin.

Lewis (Pop) Ward, who spent 38 of his years as an LHS teacher and supervisor, is honored with a continuing scholarship in his name. Ward taught math, algebra, physics, biology and chemistry at LHS.

Diboll High School varsity baseball team members this season are Hector Hernandez, Jamie Flores, Michael Shurley, Clint Wallace, Mark McGaughey, Chris Nash, Ruben Esteves, Eddie Hernandez, Alberto Morado, Willie Smith, Scotty Rayburn, Michael Fisher, Dustin Ford, coaches Chuck McKeon and Gregg Spivey and Head Coach Jeff Stifle.

Thirty Years Ago

The Diboll High School Lady Jacks track/field team members this season are Dianna Bane, Tina Evans, Martha Harris, Regina Miller, Connie Allen, Dessia Fowler, Deidra Johnson, Sylvia Mitchell, Lisa Williams, Carmen Levine, Cynthia Levine, Diane Rogers, Connie Ward, Pam Lewis, Cheryl Gordon and head track coach Carol Drake.

Lufkin State School celebrates its 18th birthday. The residential care facility for mentally retarded, is now serving 23 East Texas counties. Administration continues under the leadership of W.W. Beaver.

Texas National Bank of Lufkin pays $5.50 per pound for Brian Stevenson’s grand champion steer at this year’s Angelina County Junior Livestock Show. The big steer weighed in at 1,065 pounds, making the Hudson FFA student some $5,857.50 richer.

Representatives of Hospital Corporation of America reconsider their original site selection for the new hospital after complaints voiced by the Angelina County Medical Society. The new location will be a 20 acre site near the Gaslight Square Subdivision.

Friends gather in the fellowship hall of the First Presbyterian Church in Lufkin to celebrate the 50th wedding anniversary of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Shirley Daniel. The Daniels lived in Diboll in the 1940’s and 1950’s when they owned the and operated The Timberland Theater.

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