Archive for January 2012

National Security: Tebow Time

January 10, 2012 Editorials Comments Off

By Joe Boyles
Guilty — this is another one of my columns that doesn’t remotely deal with national security. But it’s my column and I have plenty of license, so here goes… Besides, this one is fun to write and requires no research.

The football world (any others too) is agog at the antics of Denver Bronco quarterback Tim Tebow. Of course, we Floridians (and Gators in particular) are well versed in the heroics of Tebow – two national titles, Heisman Trophy, 48 wins including four drubbings of the Seminoles (sorry about that ‘Nole fans), first round draft choice, etc.

Along the way, we learned that Tim is a remarkable young man off the field as well. The son of missionaries; born in The Philippines; the youngest of five children; home-schooled; honor roll student; devoutly Christian. In fact, he wears his Christian values on his sleeve … as missionaries should. Never pass up the opportunity to confess the faith of Christ crucified nor evangelize, especially when you do it by example. He continues to make annual pilgrimages to the Philippine orphanage his father founded.

Part of the Tebow legend is that when his mom Pam was pregnant with her last child, she developed a blood disorder from poor drinking water. Her doctor in Mindanao recommended a medical abortion to protect her fragile health. Pam and her husband Bob prayed about the decision and decided to put God in charge of such matters. She survived the pregnancy and gave birth … to little Timmy. Little Timmy is now all grown up at 6’3”, 250 pounds. God answers prayer.

Tebow is now in his second season with the Broncos. He took over as the starting quarterback after the fifth game when the rabid Denver fans demanded change. At that point, the Broncos were in the cellar of the AFC western division with a 1-4 record. Over the next eight games, Tebow guided the team to a 7-1 record and first place in the AFC West, with many come from behind, last second victories. The fourth quarter comeback heroics became known as “Tebow Time.” Bronco mania returned to Mile High.

All of this thrust Timmy (as his mother Pam calls her youngest) into the international spotlight even more than the bright lights of Gainesville had. His characteristic pose on one knee, head bowed, fist to forehead thanking God for strength and deliverance earned him plenty of attention … and ridicule from the likes of late night loudmouth Bill Maher.

Some have suggested that he is the “most polarizing figure in professional football.” I suppose that’s true if you consider the important figures of the Bible – Isaac, Abraham, Paul, Simon Peter, Andrew, Isaiah, to name a few. – polarizing. They certainly were two thousand years ago. Many of them were put to death for their outspoken beliefs, so they must have been polarizing. It’s hard to imagine a man of God as polarizing, but maybe he is. If so, it is a sad commentary of our times

Here’s a funny story about Touchdown Tim. Four years ago, I was on the board of directors of a Tallahassee non-profit crisis pregnancy center. At one board meeting, we were discussing a banquet speaker for an upcoming fund-raiser when our executive director chimed in. “I’m in contact with the mother of a University of Florida football player who just won a nice prize. His name is Tim Tebo.” I kid you not! Of course, the prize was nothing less than the Heisman, the most iconic award in sports. Before the letter of invitation went out, we corrected the spelling to Tebow with a w. Don’t believe me? Ask Mark Branham. He’s my witness.

Sunday, after the Broncos had backed into the playoffs with three consecutive losses, the luster seemed to have worn off Tebow’s halo. So what does he do? Puts the Broncos ahead of the defending AFC champion Pittsburg Steelers, and on the first play of overtime, throws an 80 yard touchdown pass to win the first playoff game in Denver in five years. That nifty play was seen by no less than 45 million viewers. Hail Tebow; the legend continues.

Incidentally, while we’re on the subject, here’s an interesting piece of trivia that might win you a cold one at the local sports bar. The Florida Gators have had three Heisman Trophy winners; all quarterbacks; all the sons of preachers. The uninformed skeptics will try to correct you by saying that Steve Spurrier’s father couldn’t have been a minister. Oh yes he was … in Johnson City, Tennessee. For the record, number two was Danny Wuerffel whose dad John was an Air Force chaplain. We served together at both Edwards and Eglin in the 1990s when Danny was chucking the ball all across the SEC.

Maybe the Broncos and their young quarterback are the recipient of divine guidance. I know that many fans in Denver are true believers; they demanded change and their faith has been rewarded. Miracles do happen. And to those doubters: “oh ye of little faith.”

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New Testament Christian School Teacher Retires After 20 Years

January 10, 2012 Around Madison, Education Comments Off

By Lynette Norris
Greene Publishing, Inc.
In the cafeteria of the New Testament Christian School, a table near the entrance was draped in a purple tablecloth and laden with decorations, gift bags and certificates of appreciation. In the kitchen, some of the faculty were busy getting the informal, impromptu lunch of chili and hot dogs ready; after having made her decision only a few days earlier, 20-year veteran teacher Glenda Hale was retiring from New Testament Christian School, and had requested no speeches and “nothing fancy” for the Jan. 5 occasion.

Preparing for her longtime friend and associate to retire was “very heart-wrenching,” said Elaine Doyle, Principal of NTCS, as she finished the lettering on a chocolate sheet cake.

“She has always been excellent at everything she did,” said Doyle’s husband Pat, pastor of New Testament Church. Speaking of Hale and all the teachers who work at NTCS, he added, “This is a sacrifice they’ve made every day.”
Glenda Hale began 20 years ago as a volunteer teacher with NTCS, only a few years after it opened in 1988, and before there was any pay involved. At that time, the school was so small, she taught students individually; now the students are in small classes.

Her husband William is from Madison, but Glenda came here from the Tampa area. She and her husband have two adult daughters, Charlotte, who is a graduate of NTCS, and Debbie, who lives in Tampa with the Hales’ two grandchildren. The couple also owns a beloved Doberman named Zeke.
Hale taught “little bit of everything” at NTCS, including math and Bible classes, but concentrated on history and English; she mostly taught the middle-school-to-junior-high level.

Adrian Peters, a 21-year-old recent graduate of NTCS and Florida State University, is transitioning into filling the vacancy left by Hale’s retirement. He had already been teaching two days a week at the school last semester, and Principal Doyle spoke very highly of him and his work.

As the students filed into the cafeteria class by class and grade level by grade level, a celebratory atmosphere grew. There were no speeches, but the fifth and sixth graders had prepared a very short skit, which they performed for their departing teacher.

At its conclusion, they all shouted in unison, “We love you, Miss Glenda!”

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Goliath And BeBe’s World At Rotary

January 10, 2012 Around Madison Comments Off

By Lynette Norris
Greene Publishing, Inc.
Goliath was an abused eight-year-old Great Dane who was in pretty bad shape by the time he made it to Nedra Wooley’s care, where he lived only another 18 months before passing away; BeBe was a sweet kitten who never grew very big. Described as “a sort of Down’s Syndrome animal,” a rare occurrence in the animal world, BeBe weighed only two pounds when she died.

When retired veterinary technician Nedra Wooley founded her animal sanctuary, she named it after the two animals who had made their “forever home” in her heart. Goliath and BeBe’s World, a no-kill animal rescue and sanctuary, came into being in St. Augustine in 2001.

In 2004, a woman named Lydia Claddock purchased 45 acres of land in Madison County and allowed the sanctuary to move here.

At the Rotary Club’s first meeting of 2012, Fran Charlson, who has been with Goliath and BeBe’s World for about a year, told the story of Goliath and BeBe’s World to date.

About 320 animals call the Sanctuary home. Most are not adoptable, either because of physical problems, like the three-legged dog, or behavioral problems, like the dog who digs his way out of every enclosure imaginable. But at Goliath and BeBe’s World, they can live out happy and healthy lives, sharing their 45 acre living space with horses, donkeys, goats, cats, other dogs, birds, even a couple of very large tortoises.

In the seven years the Sanctuary has been located in Madison County, they have spent nearly a million dollars in local businesses, tens of thousands at Dr. Lewis’s veterinary office alone. They have also purchased a tractor from a local dealer, bought thousands of dollars worth of feed from Upholds, and fencing and roofing material from Studstill’s. They also buy supplies from Creatures Featured and several other local merchants.

The Sanctuary helps in other ways, with animal control, accepting animals from Jamie Willoughby at times. Nedra Wooley pointed out that Goliath and Bebe’s World even benefits people who don’t like animals, by taking in those animals that would otherwise become nuisances if they remained at large and bred even more unwanted animals.

At the moment, the shelter does not have a formal adoption program in Madison County, but they would like to have one here in the near future; currently, animals that are adoptable are mostly adopted out through a program in St. Augustine. The shelter does do home checks, and there is an application process for adopting an animal from Goliath and BeBe’s World, so that the animals find the right “forever home,” where they will be a good fit with their new families rather than end up coming back to the shelter. Currently, the shelter has “about a 98 percent hit rate” with adoptions, said Fran Charlson, meaning that fewer than two percent are brought back.

Along with an official adoption program here, Charlson and Wooley would also like to start an education program in the schools, aimed at teaching responsible animal care and prevention of animal abuse.

Another hopeful plan for the future is a low-cost spay and neuter program.

At the present time, the plan is for the shelter to stay here in Madison, but, as Charleson stated, “it’s complicated.”

Lydia Claddock, the woman who owns the 45 acres of land, was arrested and indicted in a fraud scheme. She is currently out on bail, but Goliath and BeBe’s World has “kind of been left hanging.”

It was mainly because of this that Charlson got involved with the shelter about a year ago. With their major source of funding gone, the shelter had to begin a public relations and fundraising campaign.

So far, there has been enough in donations to enable them to keep all the animals fed and vetted. They would like to be able to buy the 45 acres at a foreclosure sale because it would be affordable, but first, the litigation mess surrounding the current owner has to be sorted out. If they cannot buy that particular 45 acres, perhaps there might be another 45 or 50 acres elsewhere in the county they could afford, or perhaps, someone else might want to donate some land.

Although the future regarding their present location is a little unclear at the moment, Charlson says that her work with Goliath and BeBe’s World “has been a wonderful experience,” and they will carry on. They have a fundraising plan for new facilities if need be, they have a business plan, and they have a budget.

They will continue their work to get the word out about the Sanctuary, and bring the adoption programs and the lost-cost spay and neuter programs and the school programs to fruition somehow.

They will also continue to provide Sanctuary for the animals that need a place to live out their lives in peace, and find “forever homes” for the animals with lots of love to give, animals who just need to find the right families to love them back.

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