For a Tulsa native, Roger Van Horn made himself comfortable in the small town of Nacogdoches. Van Horn moved to Nacogdoches, TX after serving in the military for six years. Having the dream of settling down in a small college town made Nacogdoches the right spot for him.
Since his junior year in college, Van Horn had the passion to become a dentist and for 40 years he has practiced that profession. But being a dentist is not all that Van Horn wanted. He was president of the Jaycee of Nacogdoches and other civic organizations and worked his way up. In May of 2007 the city of Nacogdoches voted Van Horn mayor. Mayor Van Horn is now in his third term and says that he loves it.
Mayor Van Horn says that being mayor is a great thing. He has people always come up to him to talk and he loves to listen. Laughing about it, Mayor Van Horn said he likes when people randomly stop him at Kroger’s to talk to him. He said that being mayor is like a gift that he has to serve. It’s something that he enjoys. Mayor Van Horn spends about 3-4 hours a day and all day Friday on mayor stuff and the rest working on teeth.
According to Mayor Van Horn, being mayor can be fun but very frustrating. Running a strong manger commission government, which is when the mayor has his board to make the decisions with him for the city, can be difficult. Passing laws on smoking in public places, sidewalks and highway crossovers can make citizens upset at points. “ The thing that I had to learn as mayor was to set aside my philosophy,” he said. “I had to learn to put things aside for what’s best for Nacogdoches.” His hope was that the people have confidence in the process, that they listen and trust him. “Being Mayor is not about Roger Van Horn, It’s about the process!” said the mayor.
Mayor Van Horn was asked on his view of the students here at the university and he replied that it’s hard to get them interested. When running for mayor he was told to not worry about the student vote because they never vote. “I want students get involved more. Volunteer yourself more in your community,” he said.
After his term, Mayor Van Horn said that he doesn’t know what will come next. “I was offered manager of a dentist clinic to run it but I’ m still is undecided,” he said with a laugh.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
The Mayor by Megan Kelley
Nacogdoches was not on Roger Van Horn’s radar until his car broke down in front of a car dealership in the 70s. After staying a few days he and his wife headed back to Kansas City and decided then that Nacogdoches was the place for them. Van Horn shared personal and professional experiences Tuesday in an interview.
Van Horn opened his dental practice and has had it running for over thirty years. Most recently to be a part of the community Van Horn became mayor of Nacogdoches in 2007 and is now on his third term.
Being mayor many would think that he ran Nacogdoches. That is far from the truth. A strong manager committee governs Nacogdoches, Van Horn explained. The county is divided into four sections and each ward elects their own commissioner. Out of the commissioners one is elected to become mayor. As mayor he is the chairman of the city commission and the town is actually ran by the city manager.
Being mayor many would think they were paid. Van Horn said that his position is not a paying one. Not being paid would turn many people off, not Van Horn. His love for government and being able to help the community is conveyed in the smile he gave when speaking about the topic.
While Van Horn’s love for the community is easily seen he did share his frustrations. Living in a small town it is hard to bring in new ways to help revenue and he has had to watch his personal preference.
“I had to learn to set aside my personal philosophy for the city,” Van Horn said.
Van Horn had to learn that it was not about him. It was about the city and people of Nacogdoches.
“I had to learn to think what is best for the city of Nacogdoches,” Van Horn said.
Van Horn has learned to be tough when it comes to making decisions for what is best for the town and not individuals. People are not always the happiest with decisions the commission has made but Van Horn reminded us that they are out to help the community.
“You need to give all elected a shot, give them a chance,” Van Horn said. “It’s a tough job.”
As for what is next for Van Horn he is unsure. He said that at one point he committed he would stay in the mayor position for five terms if allowed. Even if not elected to five terms Van Horn has some idea of what he would like to do.
“I wouldn’t mind teaching. I love teaching,” Van Horn said.
Van Horn encourages young people to get out and be part of the community.
“I would tell you start right now being engaged doing something,” Van Horn said. “The quicker you learn to give a little of your time because somebody needs something you’ll find the rewards are great.”
Van Horn opened his dental practice and has had it running for over thirty years. Most recently to be a part of the community Van Horn became mayor of Nacogdoches in 2007 and is now on his third term.
Being mayor many would think that he ran Nacogdoches. That is far from the truth. A strong manager committee governs Nacogdoches, Van Horn explained. The county is divided into four sections and each ward elects their own commissioner. Out of the commissioners one is elected to become mayor. As mayor he is the chairman of the city commission and the town is actually ran by the city manager.
Being mayor many would think they were paid. Van Horn said that his position is not a paying one. Not being paid would turn many people off, not Van Horn. His love for government and being able to help the community is conveyed in the smile he gave when speaking about the topic.
While Van Horn’s love for the community is easily seen he did share his frustrations. Living in a small town it is hard to bring in new ways to help revenue and he has had to watch his personal preference.
“I had to learn to set aside my personal philosophy for the city,” Van Horn said.
Van Horn had to learn that it was not about him. It was about the city and people of Nacogdoches.
“I had to learn to think what is best for the city of Nacogdoches,” Van Horn said.
Van Horn has learned to be tough when it comes to making decisions for what is best for the town and not individuals. People are not always the happiest with decisions the commission has made but Van Horn reminded us that they are out to help the community.
“You need to give all elected a shot, give them a chance,” Van Horn said. “It’s a tough job.”
As for what is next for Van Horn he is unsure. He said that at one point he committed he would stay in the mayor position for five terms if allowed. Even if not elected to five terms Van Horn has some idea of what he would like to do.
“I wouldn’t mind teaching. I love teaching,” Van Horn said.
Van Horn encourages young people to get out and be part of the community.
“I would tell you start right now being engaged doing something,” Van Horn said. “The quicker you learn to give a little of your time because somebody needs something you’ll find the rewards are great.”
The Mayor by Blake Williams
The city of Nacogdoches Mayor Roger Van Horn spoke to an SFA class in his casual attire looking comfortable. He talked to us about the responsibilities of a Mayor and also a Dentist with a full-time practice in Nacogdoches since the 1970s.
Van Horn, when asked what he likes the most about being a mayor, answered, “You can really affect things in the community.” Being a mayor of a city does not mean that you have control of everything in that city but you are one vote, which means something, he said.
Mayor Van Horn, a native of Oklahoma, was introduced to dentistry in the 1970s after driving from Houston in which his car broke down, ”right in front of the car dealership” in Nacogdoches where he discovered that the city wasn’t so bad and was comforted by friendly people all around the city.
On his third term as being mayor he is getting better. “I was more qualified the second time then I was the first time,” he said. This is fairly normal to say because most people get better in time as they pursue through the years what they plan to excel in.
The one thing that Mayor Van Horn had to work on the most was being able to put his personal views aside for the good of the community. The one thing that he agrees with is the two-year term for mayor. “Having two-year terms is good for the city. That way if you didn’t like something your representative is acting then they will not be in office for four years.
Mayor Van Horn was an educational speaker towards the government in Nacogdoches in which he came off friendly and open with the listeners to their questions and gave sufficient amount of information.
Van Horn, when asked what he likes the most about being a mayor, answered, “You can really affect things in the community.” Being a mayor of a city does not mean that you have control of everything in that city but you are one vote, which means something, he said.
Mayor Van Horn, a native of Oklahoma, was introduced to dentistry in the 1970s after driving from Houston in which his car broke down, ”right in front of the car dealership” in Nacogdoches where he discovered that the city wasn’t so bad and was comforted by friendly people all around the city.
On his third term as being mayor he is getting better. “I was more qualified the second time then I was the first time,” he said. This is fairly normal to say because most people get better in time as they pursue through the years what they plan to excel in.
The one thing that Mayor Van Horn had to work on the most was being able to put his personal views aside for the good of the community. The one thing that he agrees with is the two-year term for mayor. “Having two-year terms is good for the city. That way if you didn’t like something your representative is acting then they will not be in office for four years.
Mayor Van Horn was an educational speaker towards the government in Nacogdoches in which he came off friendly and open with the listeners to their questions and gave sufficient amount of information.
The Mayor by Michael Garcia
A young man who was unsure of his career at the end of college is now serving the citizens of Nacogdoches, in more ways than one.
Walking into class was different than usual, a sophisticated older man stood in front of the class and not knowing who he was, it was apparent that he was going teach us a lot. Upon sitting in my seat a classmate told me who he was, “He’s the mayor” she said. It’s always excited to listen to people who are successful in their business or career field. To be able to learn from this man was going to be a treat.
Roger Van Horn, born in Tulsa Oklahoma, has been the mayor of Nacogdoches since May 2007. He is also a dentist with a full-time practice in Nacogdoches since the 1970’s. Knowing his accomplishments even made me more interested in how he became successful.
I’m not into politics or government in any way but listening to a man of his statue would help me gain knowledge of working in a high positioned job. When he began to talk, his good character gave me the notion that he wasn’t going to bore me to sleep. Hearing him talk about how the politics are in Nacogdoches it still kept me focused and interested, because he let us know how the people should help make the city function better. His humor on how meetings can be boring really made him seem more of a citizen than a politician trying to push the seriousness about working for the city.
Mayor Horn also gave good advice about reporting the facts on important issues the Mayor and the city deals with. He said, “Hold people accountable…they need to be,” when the media publishes false information. My idea of the mayor’s job is to run everything and to fix every problem the city is dealing with. It makes sense when he informs us that mayors have different jobs due to the size of the city. Texas has two types of government, which are strong management commission government, and strong mayor commission government. Nacogdoches has strong management commission government due to the small size of the city, and the mayor does not operate the city everyday but is chairman of city commission and runs the meetings. He also can put any issue on the agenda to discuss. Another important fact he taught us about how the city is operated is that the process of fixing issues is that nothing ever gets done in a timely fashion, which he said is a good thing. Every aspect of a problem can be examined with a solution that will help the people and the city. Money is a big issue and Mayor Van Horn tells us that every city wants money. It’s important because every city has needs, no matter how big it is.
Trying to steady my camera steady, it came to my attention that Mayor Van Horn has been talking for more than 20 minutes and I have yet to doze off to sleep. One piece of information I wanted to know was how much money a mayor makes a year. He talked about the difference from working as the mayor and as a dentist, and he informed us he lives off being a dentist. It’s noticeable now that being in a government isn’t always bringing in a lot of money. His position as the mayor is about serving the people and finding ways to make Nacogdoches operate better.
Being tempted to ask many questions about his life, the class understood that he may have other places to be, but one question that was asked by yours truly was, “How did you decide to be a dentist?” Being a dentist isn’t one dream or passion a lot of people have growing up. He said when he had the opportunity to be interviewed to work in the dentist field he was accepted and went along with the job. He later understood that he loves working with people.
Mayor Van Horn is a kind man who is in a position to give people relief that he will not hurt how the city is operated. I can see that he is very smart and very understanding of the people. All mayors need to have the servant’s heart the Mayor Van Horn possesses and I will happily vote for him to continue his position as mayor of Nacogdoches.
Walking into class was different than usual, a sophisticated older man stood in front of the class and not knowing who he was, it was apparent that he was going teach us a lot. Upon sitting in my seat a classmate told me who he was, “He’s the mayor” she said. It’s always excited to listen to people who are successful in their business or career field. To be able to learn from this man was going to be a treat.
Roger Van Horn, born in Tulsa Oklahoma, has been the mayor of Nacogdoches since May 2007. He is also a dentist with a full-time practice in Nacogdoches since the 1970’s. Knowing his accomplishments even made me more interested in how he became successful.
I’m not into politics or government in any way but listening to a man of his statue would help me gain knowledge of working in a high positioned job. When he began to talk, his good character gave me the notion that he wasn’t going to bore me to sleep. Hearing him talk about how the politics are in Nacogdoches it still kept me focused and interested, because he let us know how the people should help make the city function better. His humor on how meetings can be boring really made him seem more of a citizen than a politician trying to push the seriousness about working for the city.
Mayor Horn also gave good advice about reporting the facts on important issues the Mayor and the city deals with. He said, “Hold people accountable…they need to be,” when the media publishes false information. My idea of the mayor’s job is to run everything and to fix every problem the city is dealing with. It makes sense when he informs us that mayors have different jobs due to the size of the city. Texas has two types of government, which are strong management commission government, and strong mayor commission government. Nacogdoches has strong management commission government due to the small size of the city, and the mayor does not operate the city everyday but is chairman of city commission and runs the meetings. He also can put any issue on the agenda to discuss. Another important fact he taught us about how the city is operated is that the process of fixing issues is that nothing ever gets done in a timely fashion, which he said is a good thing. Every aspect of a problem can be examined with a solution that will help the people and the city. Money is a big issue and Mayor Van Horn tells us that every city wants money. It’s important because every city has needs, no matter how big it is.
Trying to steady my camera steady, it came to my attention that Mayor Van Horn has been talking for more than 20 minutes and I have yet to doze off to sleep. One piece of information I wanted to know was how much money a mayor makes a year. He talked about the difference from working as the mayor and as a dentist, and he informed us he lives off being a dentist. It’s noticeable now that being in a government isn’t always bringing in a lot of money. His position as the mayor is about serving the people and finding ways to make Nacogdoches operate better.
Being tempted to ask many questions about his life, the class understood that he may have other places to be, but one question that was asked by yours truly was, “How did you decide to be a dentist?” Being a dentist isn’t one dream or passion a lot of people have growing up. He said when he had the opportunity to be interviewed to work in the dentist field he was accepted and went along with the job. He later understood that he loves working with people.
Mayor Van Horn is a kind man who is in a position to give people relief that he will not hurt how the city is operated. I can see that he is very smart and very understanding of the people. All mayors need to have the servant’s heart the Mayor Van Horn possesses and I will happily vote for him to continue his position as mayor of Nacogdoches.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Keidrick Goss
By BRIANA GARLOW
Keidrick Goss, Ennis junior, came to SFA in hopes of finding a promising future with a great education and professional career in accounting. While attending his first year Keidrick became more interested in theatre then accounting.
Switch his major to Theatre made a dramatic change in his life caused him to love theatre even more in college. His major is very important on campus. These students take lots of preparation for the play productions, which can be very time consuming around a personal life of a student. He signed a contract in the beginning of the semester to have a great work ethic and perform in a least one-play production put on by the theatre department. In 2008 he was a part of the Downstage play of Defacing Michael Jackson as the character Red and Yellow. In 2009 he was part of the Ugly Duckling as Carol.
The 20-year-old biracial male has starred in many major performances in Turner Auditorium over the pass three years at SFA. Keidrick’s racial background consists of Hispanic, Black, and Indian descent. He comes from a very talented family of five siblings. He has been acting since middle school in many small productions. His oldest sister is a professional singer.
Kendrick plans to be a very well rounded actor like his role model, Will smith. “ I plan to move to Chicago or New York to become a actor or an acting coach.”
Keidrick is willing to make much more improvement in his career, although he is not trained in dance and has never been a part of an acting studio. He is look forward to learning more about his talent. “Theatre is what I want to do for the rest of my life”, he said.
Look forward to the theatre sensation wowing much more audiences around the United States.
,
Keidrick Goss, Ennis junior, came to SFA in hopes of finding a promising future with a great education and professional career in accounting. While attending his first year Keidrick became more interested in theatre then accounting.
Switch his major to Theatre made a dramatic change in his life caused him to love theatre even more in college. His major is very important on campus. These students take lots of preparation for the play productions, which can be very time consuming around a personal life of a student. He signed a contract in the beginning of the semester to have a great work ethic and perform in a least one-play production put on by the theatre department. In 2008 he was a part of the Downstage play of Defacing Michael Jackson as the character Red and Yellow. In 2009 he was part of the Ugly Duckling as Carol.
The 20-year-old biracial male has starred in many major performances in Turner Auditorium over the pass three years at SFA. Keidrick’s racial background consists of Hispanic, Black, and Indian descent. He comes from a very talented family of five siblings. He has been acting since middle school in many small productions. His oldest sister is a professional singer.
Kendrick plans to be a very well rounded actor like his role model, Will smith. “ I plan to move to Chicago or New York to become a actor or an acting coach.”
Keidrick is willing to make much more improvement in his career, although he is not trained in dance and has never been a part of an acting studio. He is look forward to learning more about his talent. “Theatre is what I want to do for the rest of my life”, he said.
Look forward to the theatre sensation wowing much more audiences around the United States.
,
Briana Garlow
By Keidrick Goss
Briana Garlow, Mesquite sophomore, has her own clothing line. She is partnering with a friend to pave a new way in the clothing world.
The clothing line is called JB Jeans, which consists of shirts and jeans now but she plans on adding more items in the near future. “We plan on launching more urban gear, we want to be the new entrepreneurs”, says Briana when talking about the direction in which her clothing line is going. She is partnering with her friend Joe Rayson to bring both the male and the female sides of fashion into her line, “he knows what the guys want and I know what the girls want.” The clothing from the line is in the beginning stages right now with a release date planned for Feb 2010.
Along with the clothing line, Briana has other big dreams for the future. She auditioned for the Real World with hopes of getting in, and she is a radio personality. “I’m an all American radio personality”, says Briana in reference to the many years she has been a personality on the radio.
Briana’s radio name is Shorty Breezy and can sometimes be heard on 88.5 FM KEOM, “I don’t know where it’s gonna take me, but I hope it will take me far.”
Briana Garlow, Mesquite sophomore, has her own clothing line. She is partnering with a friend to pave a new way in the clothing world.
The clothing line is called JB Jeans, which consists of shirts and jeans now but she plans on adding more items in the near future. “We plan on launching more urban gear, we want to be the new entrepreneurs”, says Briana when talking about the direction in which her clothing line is going. She is partnering with her friend Joe Rayson to bring both the male and the female sides of fashion into her line, “he knows what the guys want and I know what the girls want.” The clothing from the line is in the beginning stages right now with a release date planned for Feb 2010.
Along with the clothing line, Briana has other big dreams for the future. She auditioned for the Real World with hopes of getting in, and she is a radio personality. “I’m an all American radio personality”, says Briana in reference to the many years she has been a personality on the radio.
Briana’s radio name is Shorty Breezy and can sometimes be heard on 88.5 FM KEOM, “I don’t know where it’s gonna take me, but I hope it will take me far.”
Ambreishia Lewis
By Savannah Sowell
How do students who attend private schools really feel about their strict stipulations? Ambreishia Lewis, Dallas sophomore said, “I went to a private school my whole life, from kindergarten through twelfth grade.”
Lewis attended an Episcopalian private school. “We broke the rules all the time, our senior year we ran that damn place.” When asked about the cost of tuition Ambreishia said it was “$10,000 a year” to attend her private school in her high school years.
For two years growing up Ambreishia had to balance her private school education with something many high school students do not. “I was a caretaker in my home because I lived with my grandparents," she said. Having to balance her studies with cooking and cleaning for her grandparents and younger brother helped instill valuable skills in Ambreishia that will be useful to her later in life.
She says that because of this she is still very close with her grandparents and refers to herself as a grandma. “I go to bed early, anything that happens after two a.m. is trouble," she said.
After graduating from her private school, Lewis enrolled at Stephen F. Austin
State University and is majoring in radio and telvision production. “When I first
came to Nacogdoches I was like what is this? This is crazy, there is only one street here,“ she said.
Since moving to Nacogdoches she has became fond of the small town life Nacogdoches has to offer. “My dream is to work for the Dallas Cowboys,” she said,so hopefully Ambreishia will be relocating back to her roots in Dallas after concluding her education at SFA.
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