We got new computers at The Reporter this week and I am so happy about that. Our new ones are so much faster than the old ones. We haven’t had new computers in over 10 years and we are excited about them.
The only way we were able to get them is because of the Milam County Small Business Grants offered by Judge Steve Young and our county commissioners Henry “Hub” Hubnik, Donald Shuffield, Art Neal and Jeff Muegge. The funds for these grants were provided by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
Like most businesses, The Reporter went through some hard times during the end of 2020 and beginning of 2021. I had to stop taking a paycheck for several months just so we could make payroll and I’m sure I’m not the only business owner in Rockdale to do so.
Things are so much better for us now and we made it through the tough times, but this grant certainly helped both The Reporter and over 100 other businesses in Milam County.
So the money from these Small Business Grants was so welcome. So thank you to the judge and commissioners. I will think of you every time I log in.
—kwc—
We’ve talked about something new, now let’s talk about something old. Last week I went to several RISD campuses to take photos of their Veterans Day activities. When I was at the high school ceremony I sat on the front row so I’d have easy photo access for everything going on.
As I was sitting there before everything started I happened to look up at the Royal Blue velvet drapes in the auditorium and they seemed very familiar to me.
So I posted a photo of them on my social media and some people thought there was no way they could be the same ones as when I was in high school from 1979 to 1982. Other people thought they were, indeed, the same ones.
Then something wonderful happened. Sarah Erskine Cleveland said she knew for a fact that they were the same ones that were there when she was a sophomore in 1964. And then she worked at the high school in the library for many years.
So I’m going to go out on a limb and say they are the original curtains from when the school opened in 1956. And they are holding up fairly well to be 65 years old. Maybe a little faded but who isn’t by age 65.
If I remember correctly the high school got air conditioning in either 1980 or 1981, so the curtains have mostly been in the AC since then. And mostly in the dark since 1956 since there are only small windows in the doors to let light in.
Whoever made the decision to buy those particular curtains made a very good investment. Can you imagine what it would cost to replace them now?
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