Tahoka, Texas, the county seat of Lynn County, is a small town of 3,000 souls. In spirit, it is bigger than the South Plains skies that crown it. Maybe it’s poor; the median household income is $42,000 per year. In spirit, family income only provides a glimpse into what makes a community work. Toughness, practicality and self-reliance matter, too, in the oldest town south of Lubbock on the South Plains. Many Tahoka Bulldogs, the school’s mascot, have assumed successful careers in diverse locations, occupations and pursuits of life. Phil Adams, a Bulldog and former chairman of the Board of Regents of The Texas A&M University System is currently serving his third six-year term as a Regent. Phil’s dad was Tahoka’s Ag teacher for years; his mom was a school teacher and counselor and lived out her life in Tahoka. Mr. Adams attributes his success in life to four Tahoka, Texas, values: home, church, school and work. Mr. Adams did not mention to me the importance of stewardship—it was probably too obvious. Tahokians care for what they have. After visiting 80 high schools in the Texas Panhandle and South Plains, in Tahoka I found the cleanest restrooms that I have ever seen. That finding provided a luminous look at the people of Tahoka. By comparison to more prosperous schools in more prosperous metropolises, stewardship of limited or scarce resources represents a fifth value on Phil’s list. Or, possibly, it is embedded in each of the Tahoka values: home, church, school and work. Many Tahoka Bulldogs, the school’s mascot, have assumed successful careers in diverse locations, occupations and pursuits of life. Phil Adams, a Bulldog and former chairman of the Board of Regents of The Texas A&MUniversity System is currently serving his third six-year term as a Regent. Phil’s dad was Tahoka’s Ag teacher for years; his momwas a school teacher and counselor and lived out her life in Tahoka. Mr. Adams attributes his success in life to four Tahoka, Texas, values: home, church, school and work. Many communities, particularly small communities, struggle to maintain their independent school districts in the face of declining populations, a lack of employment opportunities and increasingly sparse healthcare. Fiscal wherewithal is sometimes provided by windmills standing resolute against the endless West Texas skies. Billions of dollars in energy investments create tens of millions of dollars enabling smaller schools to build new facilities that empower hope for the future.
But enlightened stewardship is required.
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