Old Settler’s Parade Marshal Announced

The Nueces Canyon Chamber of Commerce would like to recognize this year’s Grand Parade Marshal Yolanda Fernandez of Del Rio. Fernandez has been honored with distinguished honors for a teacher in the State of Texas as Department Head and English teacher at Del Rio High School.
She received the HEB Excellence in Education Awards 2011-Lifetime Achievement-Secondary Teacher and A&E Television Award winner for 2010-2011 for the Creative Ideas from Our Teachers Contest.
Fernandez is married to Eduardo R. Fernandez and has two children. She has 38 years of teaching experience and has taught a variety of classes in Del Rio since starting there in 1980.
Yolanda will serve as Grand Parade Marshal of the 50th Old Settler’s Reunion on August 6th at 10 a.m.

Royalty Named For 50th Old Settler's - By: Sondra Madden

The Nueces Canyon Chamber of Commerce is honored to present the Royalty for the 50th Annual Old Settler’s Reunion, Tommy and Mary Lou Ward of Camp Wood, Texas.
This year’s 50th OSR celebration is special and the couple selected as King and Queen, Tommy and Mary Lou Ward, are the ideal choice.

They have roots tied to the Nueces Canyon. Mary Lou’s maternal grandfather, Daniel Shaw Stovall, was one of the early Baptist preachers. His wife, Ida Mae McCook Stovall, pioneered into the Canyon from East Texas. On the paternal side her grandparents, L.A. (Bud) and Mary Jane Field also found their way to the area. Tommy’s grandmother, Mary Ward, is included in the list of folks that chose to make this beautiful area their permanent residence.

The Ward’s have three children and all reside in Texas, Collette Bryant of Kerrville, Monte Ward of Camp Wood, and Hollis Ward of Edinburg. Five grandchildren and four great grandchildren round out their immediate family.

Tommy and Mary Lou both grew up in the Canyon, and were High School sweethearts, despite the fact that one was a Wildcat (Camp Wood) and the other was a Billy Goat (Barksdale). Soon after their wedding in 1951, they attended a football game with Barksdale and Camp Wood being the rival teams. They sat on opposite sides of the field, each yelling for their alma mater. This “incident” cut the honeymoon period short as they did not speak for several days after the game. Sixty years later, they are still wed and happy, which leads us to assume that someone learned the art of compromise.

The Wards have earned their living in various and interesting ways that include a cedar company, several restaurants, a septic tank business and managing Wes Cooksey park. At present Tommy divines for water. Over the years he has found water for hundreds of wells as far out as Langtry, down into Old Mexico, and throughout the surrounding area.

They are civic minded individuals, so these sixty years have been spent working with the school, AHMATA, EMS and at present are on the board of directors for the Senior Citizens Organization with Mary Lou serving as Vice President. They are members of the First Baptist Church of Camp Wood.

Both Tommy and Mary Lou have hobbies. Hers are crochet, writing, collecting earrings and working with the AWANA program at FBC. Mary Lou is one of the biggest Spurs fan in the county, and spends part of her time cheering for her favorite team. Tommy loves to fish, hunt arrowheads and game. They share a common hobby of collecting lace edge pink Depression glass and over the years have amassed a collection that according to an Antiques Road Show appraiser, was the largest she had ever seen.

The Wards are still very active, so keep your eyes open and when you see a flash pass by, be sure to wave at the new King and Queen.

The Wards will be honored on Saturday, August 6, 2011 at the 50th Annual Old Settlers Reunion in downtown Camp Wood in Lindbergh Park right after the parade.
The Nueces Canyon Chamber of Commerce also congratulates them on their 60th wedding anniversary that same weekend.