KILGOROUND
BILL WOODALL

T H AT WACKY, FUN- LOVING Dave Kucifer is at it again.

MANY of you - especially the folks at First Baptist Church of Kilgore - remember Dave and Shirley from their time here. Dave was the publisher of the News Herald and Shirley was a busy, contributing volunteer member of the Hospital Auxiliary.

DAVE tried to retire when we bought the News Herald almost 7 years ago, but retirement didn't work for Dave. So they moved off to Navasota when Dave found gainful employment as publisher of The Examiner.

HE turns 73 (is that supposed to be a secret?) next month and is retiring again - will they or won't they return to Kilgore - and in celebration of either his birthday or his retirement, Dave went skydiving.

A TERRIFIC picture of Dave, with his skydiving "tandem" attached to his back like a carbuncle, was published last week in the Texas Press messenger, the newsletter of the state press association.

NOT all of Dave's photo-

genic smile was a result of the wind pressing against his face.

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THE Smiths, the Mobbses and the Brogoittis put together an impressive presentation last week to introduce their new privately-funded business and industrial park.

KILGORE is fortunate to have folks who will venture $12 million - with another $25 million or so to go.

LLOYD Bolding's comment as the presentation was getting started: "There sure is a lot of good stuff happening here right now." He's right; this is a pretty good time to be in Kilgore.

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WE DON'T know how your grandson did at his first piano recital, but ours performed Wheels On The Bus flawlessly.

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A COST-of-fuel story: the mill that has been supplying the paper on which we print recently told us (a week before a shipment of paper was expected here) that they are no longer delivering in Texas. The cost of diesel is accelerating so fast that they simply cannot adjust their surcharges quickly enough to cover their costs.

DO YOU have a cost-of-fuel nightmare to recount? Send it to us (editor, Box 1210, Kilgore) and let us publish it as part of a collection of anecdotes.

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BLOWING out birthday candles today are Scott Smith, Angie Wood, Cindy Duncan, Yolanda Howard, Clemmie Lewis, Kevin Roach, Jessica Evonne Hooks, Heather Ross, Charles "Buster" Sanders.

HAPPY wedding anniversary to Kenneth and Kathryn Hudgins.

CELEBRATING Memorial Day and birthday concurrently are Joe Lee Powell Jr., Janet Wilbourne, Luke Lollie, Jo Ann Sullivan Harvey, Jesse Hamilton, Tammy Leanne Renshaw, Jackson Walker.

AND happy anniversary Monday to Lee and Virginia Adams, Derek and Beverly Price, Brenda and Clifton Edney, Mike and Amelia Free.