Model Airplanes

Ron Thomson was a computer specialist who worked for a while in the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center.

Now, he works assembling model ships in a spare bedroom of his Tulsa apartment that he nicknamed “Shipyard South.”

“When I was a kid, I used to build model airplanes,” said Thomson. “I was in the Air Force. But, for some reason, I always wanted to build model ships.

“So, about 30 years ago, I started building ships. Now, in retirement, my hobby is sort of a full-time job.”

Thomson, a longtime member of the Tulsa Ship Modelers Society, has built approximately 25 model ships over the past three decades. He has models on display at the Tulsa Historical Society Museum and the Osage Nation Museum in Pawhuska.

Some he builds from scratch. Other he builds from kits. Either way, his models are the result of literally years of patience and persistence.

Some of his models are also on display at various offices around Tulsa. Others line the walls of three rooms in his apartment.

“It can take a couple of years to finish one of these ships,” said Thomson. “Every ship is different. But, a lot of time, it can add up to 2,200 hours or more. As you can imagine, there are a lot of very fine details that go into building one of these ships.

“This is not one of those projects that you start on Monday and finish on Friday. This is the kind of project you start on Monday and maybe you’ll

Article source: https://www.kpvi.com/news/national_news/tulsa-retiree-s-work-used-to-help-put-ships-in/article_422f2d2f-58f3-54dd-baa7-c6c3b87d675e.html

As the 2018 campaign comes to a close, the political arm of the Environmental Defense Fund has sent a mailer to homes in Texas’ 7th Congressional District saying that John Culberson, a Republican congressman, is “wrong for Houston.” As partial proof, it said he was “caught using campaign cash on collectibles, including Civil War memorabilia and fossils.”

“Caught” is an interesting word, since the nine-term incumbent, now challenged by Democrat Lizzie Pannill Fletcher, disclosed the memorabilia purchases, which he says he gave as gifts from his campaign. As for the fossils, his campaign insisted there were no such purchases — and said it only bought books and maps from a business that happens to also sell fossils. Critics have made a false assumption, the Culberson campaign told us initially.

We’ll look at both parts of the claim but will give away a bit of what we found right here: He bought fossil replicas.

If you wonder why an environment group would care about fossils and Culberson, the group noted that Culberson said in late summer that his purchases were for research into such things as paleoclimatology, or the study of climates before instrumental records were widely available, to help him better understand climate change. Environmental Defense Fund Action says that for all this studying, Culberson still refuses to accept scientific research on the matter. Culberson has said humans played a role in climate change but, as he told the Los Angeles Times in 2015,  “We just don’t have enough data or accurate

Article source: https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2018/nov/03/environmental-defense-fund-action/did-texas-us-rep-john-culberson-use-campaign-money/

Sherilyn Johnson unloads her arms of lesson materials after walking into Sweet Briar School, the sounds of playing children behind her.

model airplanes and a solar system hang from the ceiling. Maps, artwork and lesson plans cover the walls and boards. A bearded dragon basks in a terrarium.

“Our latest addition. Isn’t that great?” Johnson said, looking at the tiny reptile that’s the subject of a science project.

Located 12 miles west of Mandan, Sweet Briar School is a modern throwback to the many rural schoolhouses that once dotted North Dakota. And it’s showing no signs of slowing down.

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Enrollment at the two-room schoolhouse reached a record height this academic year: 22 students in kindergarten through seventh grade. There are no eighth-graders this year, the Bismarck Tribune reported.

Two kindergartners will join next year, further increasing enrollment. Students hail from 12 families, some within the school district, others open-enrolled. After eighth grade, they may attend either Mandan or New Salem schools.

Sweet Briar School Board President Travis Wolf, whose children, father and grandfather attended there as he did, said the one-on-one interactions between teachers and students allow for as good an education as anywhere.

Technology helps, especially with grant money available. The yellow stucco schoolhouse built in 1936 — the school dates to at least 1913 — has a ton of gadgets for its students. IPads. Chromebooks. Green

Article source: https://www.macon.com/news/business/technology/article220855375.html

Edward Lawrence Huddleston

Sept. 15, 1952-Oct. 18, 2018

Age: 66

Residence: Greeley

Edward Lawrence Huddleston, 66, of Greeley, gave himself into the arms of the Lord on Oct. 18, 2018. He was born in Upland, Calif., to Clayton and JoAnne (Maludy) Huddleston on Sept. 15, 1952.

Ed grew up a leader among the flock. With a booming voice and his unmistakable laughter, he was easily found amid the crowd. His gentle yet demanding demeanor made him easy to talk with. His passion for hunting and fishing encompassed many forms. At home, adrift on the gentle swells of the mighty Pacific Ocean, or lounging against the monstrous boulders atop the peaks of America’s mountains. A day in the sun or camping in the snow, Ed always made the best of what was put before him.

Many opportunities moved him throughout life from state to state. From California where he graduated from Fontana High School in 1970, on to Arizona where he became a renowned general contractor and loving father. Back to California and to the state of Oregon where he became the owner of Hudson’s Honey Farm as a beekeeper. From there to Michigan and ultimately to where his heart belonged. April 1996 was when Colorado claimed his love for the outdoors and his inner child found peace.

Soon after he met the love of his life, Kathi. Married in June 2000 they moved to Pagosa Springs and settled down for years of fun. Archery competitions, hunts and fishing trips kept them busy. Life brought Ed and Kathi

Article source: https://www.greeleytribune.com/news/obituary-for-edward-lawrence-huddleston/