Neighborhood News: The Good And Bad

As far as my own personal neighborhood goes, well, I've got some good news . . . and I've got some bad news. Let's get the bad news out of the way first. Edna Nash, my neighbor from two houses down the street, passed away at the age of 85. She and her husband of 66 years, Ray Nash, lived on Frances Street, which T's into Gupton Lane in West Columbia.

The Nash's are great people and I'm really going to miss Mrs. Nash. I attended her funeral Monday morning at the Baptist church in Old Ocean, Texas, where she and Ray were longtime members. Ray had been a barber for many, many years in Old Ocean, and Edna was a retired school teacher. The Nash's moved to West Columbia after Ray retired and closed down his barber shop. A person could not ask for better neighbors.

Now for the good news, and it comes in a double dose. Sara and Kevin Polhemus are expecting their second baby later this year and they learned recently that they will be having another girl. Sara is the daughter of my cousin Steve Weems and his wife Rhonda. Steve and Rhonda are my next door neighbors on Gupton Lane.

Sara is pictured above with her 6-month-old daughter, Kinley Mae Polhemus. Sara and Kevin presently are living in Illinois where Kevin works. Congratulations to Steve and Rhonda for learning that they will soon be grandparents for the second time. Jack and Phyllis Gupton Weems had to try five times before they finally had Steve, their first boy baby after my cousin Phyllis delivered four consecutive girls. Sara is following her grandmother's trend!

I would also like to extend my congratulations to another member of my neighborhood who competed in the state track meet and graduated from high school back in May. Dexter Lewis Jr., the son of Dexter Lewis Sr. and his wife Pat, was the co-recipient of the Columbia High School boys track award at the recent CHS Spring athletic awards picnic.

Dexter, pictured at right, was a qualifier in the pole vault competition at the state track meet in Austin on the strength of his 14 feet, 6 inches best effort at the regional track meet in Corpus Christi. He did not finish in the top three in Austin but was very impressive just in reaching that plateau.

Dexter broke his own Columbia High School record at the Region IV Class 3A meet to qualify for state. His height of 14-6 broke the West Columbia school record he set in winning the District 26-3A pole vault event with a height of 14 feet and won the regional silver medal. Congratulations Dexter!

"I wanted to beat the school record since my freshman year," Dexter told The Brazoria County News prior to the state meet. "I was just in a zone that day. It was a crazy day. Everyone was jumping good." Dexter shared the CHS boys track award with his fellow 2009 graduate Christian Gerbich.