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WELCOME TO WHAT'S HAPPENING IN GRAND PRAIRIE.
I'M GEORGIA CLEMSON, AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OF YOU VIEWERS.
AND WE HAVE SOMETHING REALLY EXCITING, NOT JUST A NEW YEAR.
WE HAVE A FABULOUS NEW SET FOR YOU.
THE FIRST SHOW THAT WE'RE GOING TO BRING YOU TO TODAY IS GOING TO BE THE HISTORY OF HOW IT'S HAPPENING IN GRAND PRAIRIE, GOT STARTED, AND WE'LL BE BRINGING YOU SOME KEY PLAYERS THAT PLAYED A ROLE, A VERY BIG ROLE IN MAKING THIS SHOW HAPPEN.
SOME FACTS ABOUT IT'S HAPPENING THAT YOU MAY NOT KNOW IS IT'S THE LONGEST RUNNING TV SHOW OF ITS KIND IN TEXAS ON THE AIR SINCE 1981 AND STARTED ON STORE CABLE PUBLIC ACCESS.
WE HAVE RECORDED MORE THAN 1000 EPISODES.
IT'S NOW AVAILABLE ON SPECTRUM GOVERNMENT CHANNEL STREAMING ONLINE AND ON DEMAND ON YOUTUBE AS PART OF OUR SPECIAL SHOW, WE HAVE GUESTS WHO HELPED US GET IT STARTED FROM THE VERY BEGINNING.
AND WE HAVE WITH US MR. CHUCK EDWARDS.
CHAD, I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S BEEN 40 YEARS THOUGH.
AND, UH, IT'S SO EXCITING TO HAVE YOU HERE.
AND OF COURSE WE HAVE HISTORY PERSONALLY.
WE GRADUATED TOGETHER FROM GREGORY HIGH SCHOOL.
I GO GOPHERS RIDE, GO GOPHERS.
AND, UH, BUT WE HAVE SHARE THIS HISTORY WITH, IT'S HAPPENING IN GRAND PRAIRIE.
AND OF COURSE, UM, MS. RUTHIE JACKSON.
WAS, UM, PART OF THE VERY BEGINNING.
AND TELL US HOW THAT GOT STARTED, CHUCK.
WELL, I WAS REALLY KIND OF CAUGHT OFF GUARD BECAUSE, UH, THE CITY MANAGER'S WIFE, KATHLEEN JOHNSON, UM, SAID, CHUCK, AS PART OF THE CABLE FRANCHISE AGREEMENT, WE HAVE USE OF THE STUDIO AND CAMERAS AND ALL THE EQUIPMENT, AND THEY'RE OBLIGATED TO TRAIN US ON HOW TO USE IT FOR PUBLIC ACCESS.
AND, UH, I HAD MADE ARRANGEMENTS FOR THEM TO COME STORE CABLE TO COME AND TAPE, UH, A CONCERT OF THE COMMUNITY BAND.
NOW, PLEASE UNDERSTAND, THERE WERE ONLY ABOUT 11 PEOPLE IN THE AUDIENCE.
AND WE HAD A STAGE FULL OF MUSICIANS.
UH, IT WAS THE TWO CAMERAS SET UP, AND WE MOVED THE MIXER FROM, UH, DICKY ROAD DOWN TO THE EARL TOM KILL THEATER AT SOUTH GRAND PRAIRIE HIGH.
AND WE TAPED, UH, THIS COMMUNITY BAND, UH, CONCERT.
THEY, I MEAN, THEY JUST, LIKE YOU WERE AT, UH, MYERSON OR SOMETHING, THEY WERE FADING IN AND OUT AND DOING A GREAT JOB.
AND AFTER IT WAS OVER WITH, I ASKED, UH, TRACY DAVIS, WHO REPRESENTED STORE AT THAT TIME, I SAID, I UNDERSTAND THAT WE CAN DO LIKE A WEEKLY NEWS SHOW FOR GRAND PRAIRIE EXCITEMENT.
AND SHE SAID, WHEN DO YOU WANNA START OF THE CITY? SO SHE WAS AWARE OF THE CLAUSE AND THE CONTRACT, AND, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE GONNA WORK THROUGH THIS.
AND IMMEDIATELY I WAS SET BACK ON MY HEELS.
WHO CAN I GET? WELL, I DECIDED TO GET MRS. GRAND PRAIRIE, AND I CALLED ON RUTHIE AND I SAID, HERE'S WHAT WE GOT.
IT'S GONNA BE LIKE A, A NEWS PROGRAM.
AND OF COURSE, RUTHIE WAS INVOLVED IN SO MANY THINGS YES.
AND SHE STARTED SO MANY THINGS.
ALL OF THESE PROJECTS NEEDED PROMOTION BECAUSE WE HAD A NEWSPAPER THAT SOME PEOPLE READ, YOU KNOW, IT WAS VERY LOW CIRCULATION.
AND THAT WAS ALL WE HAD FOR NEWS.
SO THERE WAS A CLEAR AND PRESENT NEED FOR SOME TYPE OF SHOW LIKE THAT.
SO WE DECIDED WE'RE GONNA DO THIS WEEKLY TV SHOW.
IT'S LOCAL, JUST ON THE CABLE, YOU KNOW, AND, UH, WE JUST, WE'RE GONNA TELL PEOPLE KIND OF WHAT'S, WHAT'S HAPPENING.
IT'S HAPPENING IN GRAND PRAIRIE.
AND THAT'S WHERE THE NAME CAME FROM.
UH, I THINK YOUR MOM CAME UP WITH A, WELL, WE'LL JUST CALL IT THAT.
IT'S HAPPENING IN GRAND PRAIRIE, AND
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I THINK, I'M NOT SURE, BUT I THINK IT WAS ONE OF THE LONGEST RUNNING THANKS TO RUTHIE, ONE OF THE LONGEST RUNNING CABLE TV PUBLIC ACCESS SHOW IN THE COUNTRY.AND, UH, AS WE'VE CONTINUED IT, SO IT WOULD STILL HAVE THAT TITLE, WOULDN'T IT? STILL UP THERE.
WELL, THAT IS VERY EXCITING, AND THAT HISTORY IS SO IMPORTANT.
UH, CHUCK, WERE YOU PRESIDENT OF THE ARTS COUNCIL AT THAT TIME? GRAND PRAIRIE ARTS COUNCIL.
SO THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS THAT KATHLEEN REACHED OUT TO YOU, BECAUSE THOSE WERE SOME OF THE FEW PROGRAMS THAT WERE HAPPENING IN GRAND PRAIRIE AT THE TIME.
I REMEMBER MILDRED WALKER STARTED THAT.
THEN YOU WERE THE NEXT PRESIDENT, THEN I WAS THE NEXT PRESIDENT.
SO THE ARTS COUNCIL, UH, PLAYED A PART IN THAT AS FAR AS YOUR ROLE.
BUT WHEN YOU AND MOTHER STARTED THAT MM-HMM
AND DID SHE ARRANGE THE GUESTS? UM, ALL OF THE COMMITTEES AND, AND CLUBS THAT SHE WAS IN WERE PUT ON ALERT, YOU'RE GONNA BE ON THIS SHOW, THIS.
AND, AND SO WE STACKED UP THE TALENT FOR SEVERAL WEEKS IN ADVANCE.
UM, THE TROUBLE IS, AFTER A WHILE, EVEN THOUGH WE HAD A, AN IMMENSE MINT, UM, AREA TO DRAW FROM AS FAR AS TALENT, WE RAN OUT AND WE WERE THINKING, OKAY, WHO, WHO CAN WE GET NEXT WEEK? SO EVENTUALLY WE TURNED IT INTO A BIWEEKLY SHOW.
AND, UH, AND THAT WAS WHY, BECAUSE THE TALENT JUST, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, WE WERE USING VOLUNTEERS FROM SOUTH GRAND PRAIRIE AND GRAND PRAIRIE HIGH SCHOOL, THE RADIO AND TV, UH, CLASSES.
WE HAD YOUR KIDS IN THERE, YOU KNOW, AND, UH, IT WAS A VOLUNTEER THING.
BUT, UH, WE HAD SOME GOOD TIME.
AND I THINK I NEVER REALLY REALIZED WHAT WE WERE DEALING WITH UNTIL WE WENT AND DID REMOTES.
THE REMOTES ARE THE THING THAT, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE RECOGNIZE.
OF COURSE, WHEN YOU HAVE SOMEBODY WITH A TV CAMERA ON THEIR SHOULDER AND A LADY WITH A MICROPHONE IN HER HAND, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE REALIZE, OH, THAT'S THAT IT'S HAPPENING.
BUT, UH, I, I REMEMBER, I, I GOT THE IDEA OF HOW POWERFUL THIS TV WAS WHEN WE WENT INTO BONHAM ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DURING LUNCHTIME, AND AS SOON AS WE WALKED THROUGH THE DOUBLE DOORS OF THAT CAFETERIA, IT WAS DEAD SILENCE.
THOSE KIDS JUST COULDN'T BELIEVE THAT THE TV'S HERE, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, YOU JUST, YOU JUST REALIZE THAT MAN.
AND, AND, AND NOBODY SAID ANYTHING.
WE JUST MOVED IN, YOU KNOW, AND RUTHIE KIND OF, UM, PERKED EVERYBODY BACK UP AGAIN.
BUT THE REMOTES REALLY MADE IT.
UH, WE DID THE, UH, POLICE AUCTION, WHICH WAS A LOT OF FUN.
AND, UH, THE CHILI COOKOFF OUT AT TRADERS VILLAGE.
AND, UH, MY FAVORITE WAS WHEN WE WENT, UH, TO THE LBJ RANCH AND GOT TO INTERVIEW NOT ONLY LADY BIRD, BUT, UH, LINDA, ROB AND ELIZABETH CARPENTER.
AND ELIZABETH CARPENTER WAS LBJS PRESS SECRETARY.
AND SHE KINDA RAN EVERYTHING SHE TOLD WHEN THE BARBECUE WAS GONNA START AND SO ON.
BUT THAT WAS THE BEAUTIFY TEXAS VOLUNTEER WORK THAT THEY DO IN COUNCIL THAT RUTHIE WAS INVOLVED IN.
AND WE GOT TO MEET 'EM, INTERVIEW 'EM, AND I CARRY AROUND THAT PICTURE OF ME AND, UH, LADY BIRD AND RUTHIE ALL THE TIME.
SO YOU MADE SOME REALLY GOOD PERSONAL MEMORIES AS WELL.
AND, UH, CHUCK, THAT WOULD BE PROBABLY THE MOST MEANINGFUL THAT YOU HAVE IN YOUR MEMORIES, BUT MM-HMM
WAS THERE ANYTHING THAT WAS KIND OF, UH, UNUSUAL OR FUNNY? OH, YEAH.
AND, AND, UH, RUTHIE WANTED HIM TO COME AND BE THE TALENT ON THE SHOW.
AND, AND SO, UM,
HE COULDN'T THINK OF ANYTHING TO SAY, YOU KNOW? AND HERE IT WAS WITH VERY DISTINGUISHED GUY, AND HE, AND WORKING WITH RUTHIE, WE PRIDED OURSELF ON, WE DON'T DO RETAKES, WE JUST GO RIGHT ON THROUGH.
WELL, HE INSISTED THAT WE RETAKE THAT, THAT LITTLE OPENING SEGMENT, BUT THAT, IT WAS JUST KIND OF FUNNY WHEN I LOOKED BACK ON IT.
JUST TELL 'EM YOUR NAME, YOU KNOW? RIGHT.
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YOU HAVE GREAT MEMORIES, AND I KNOW THIS WAS, UM, IT'S FUN GOING DOWN MEMORY LANE.AND, UM, YOU KNOW, GEORGIA, THE, THE MOST SIGNIFICANT THING.
AND AT ONE TIME I HEARD THAT THE DALLAS HISTORICAL SOCIETY, THE DALLAS COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, WANTED, UH, THOSE TAPES TO MAKE A COPY FOR ARCHIVES IN DALLAS COUNTY BECAUSE OF THE VALUABLE ORAL HISTORY THAT THEY REPRESENTED.
AND, UM, IN TALKING WITH DON JOHNSON EARLIER TODAY, HE, HE WAS SAYING THAT THOSE ARE NOW BEING ARCHIVED SO THAT OUR GRAND PRIX CITIZENS ARE GONNA BE ABLE TO JUST PICK AND CHOOSE AND GO INTO THE ARCHIVES WITH THEIR COMPUTER AND WATCH THOSE SEGMENTS THAT THROUGH THE YEARS.
UH, ACTUALLY, WE WENT BACK AND, UH, RESEARCHED SOME OF THE BLACK HISTORY MM-HMM
AND, UH, OTHER THINGS SUCH AS THAT.
AND THEY'RE ALREADY AVAILABLE, AND WE'VE SHARED THOSE, AND PEOPLE ARE JUST DELIGHTED TO GET THOSE MM-HMM
UH, THAT HAVE RELATIVES THAT HAVE PASSED AND THAT THEY HAVE THAT HISTORY.
I THOUGHT IT WAS FUN, AND I THOUGHT IT WAS EXCITING.
BUT I DIDN'T REALIZE THE VALUE OF IT UNTIL NOW.
UH, YOU KNOW, THE, THE KIDS, UH, I REMEMBER LESLIE CRABTREE AND JOHN DOTY.
JOHN DOTY STARTED WITH US, UH, AS A VOLUNTEER AND WENT ON TO RUN THE, UH, CHARACTER GENERATOR FOR CHANNEL EIGHT NEWS.
YOU KNOW, I, AND, AND I CAN SAY THAT RUTHIE AND I HAD A PART IN MAKING SURE THAT THE KIDS HAD A PLACE TO PRACTICE THEIR TALENT.
TOVAR WAS RIGHT THERE, AND I REALLY, REALLY APPRECIATE HIM.
DON ROPER AND, UH, TRACY DAVIS, UH, AND ROB WILLMAN, ALL THOSE FOLKS WENT, UH, TO, UH, TOGETHER TO MAKE SURE THAT WE, WE HAD A SHOW THAT KIND OF STUCK WITH IT.
CHUCK, THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THESE GREAT MEMORIES AND FOR BEING HERE FOR US TODAY TO RECAP AND REMEMBER.
SO, UH, WE APPRECIATE YOUR BEING HERE AND ALL THAT YOU INVESTED IN THIS SHOW.
GRAND PRAIRIE IS CHANGING THE SCHEDULE FOR GARBAGE AND RECYCLING PICKUPS STARTING OCTOBER 2ND.
GARBAGE PICKUPS NORTH OF WARRIOR TRAIL WILL BE ON TUESDAY AND FRIDAY.
GARBAGE PICKUPS SOUTH OF WARRIOR TRAIL WILL BE ON MONDAY AND THURSDAY, AND RECYCLE PICKUPS WILL CHANGE TO WEDNESDAY FOR THE ENTIRE CITY.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE NEW PICKUP SCHEDULE, VISIT GPTX.ORG.
WELCOME BACK AND WELCOME TO OUR NEXT GUEST.
TODAY WE HAVE DON ROPER AND MR. LEWIS TOVAR, WHO WERE VERY IMPORTANT PEOPLE IN THE VERY BEGINNINGS OF IT'S HAPPENING IN GRAND PRAIRIE, AND CONTINUE TO, UH, HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH THAT.
SO, DON ROPER, UH, WHY DON'T YOU GET US STARTED AND WHAT, WHAT YOU CONTRIBUTED TO IT'S HAPPENING.
WHEN I STARTED IN SUMMER OF 1981, RIGHT OUTTA SCHOOL, AND ROB WILLMAN HAD STARTED ABOUT A MONTH BEFORE ME.
SO THEN HE GOT ME ON, UH, WHERE I WOULD GO TO DESOTO, AND THEN I WOULD COME INTO GRAND PRAIRIE, BOTH RESTORE, AND THIS WAS ONE OF THE SHOWS THAT WAS DONE WEEKLY, WAS THIS PARTICULAR SHOW.
AND IT'D COME IN HOW MAYBE IT WAS RUN CAMERA OR RUN AUDIO OR RUN GRAPHICS OR THE END.
THERE WAS TIMES WHERE WHEN I WOULD HAVE TO DO ALL AT THE SAME TIME.
UH, WHEN WE WERE IN THE MAIN STUDIO, WE DIDN'T HAVE THE CREW AND STUFF, SO YOU OF COURSE, UH, HAD TO DO A LOT OF THINGS.
AND YOU HAD, UH, KNOWLEDGE OF MS. RUTHIE.
YOU KNEW MS. RUTHIE BEFORE THIS EVENT.
I BELIEVE Y'ALL'S FAMILIES CAME IN 48, THE SAME YEAR THAT MY FAMILY.
AND THEN THIS WAS A NEW THING FOR YOU AND MS. RUTHIE, OF COURSE, CARRIED ON WITH IT'S HAPPENING IN GRAND PRAIRIE AT THAT TIME.
AND AT WHAT LOCATION WERE YOU? THIS WAS AT THE DICKIE ROAD.
WELL, WHAT, WHAT DO YOU THINK IS ONE OF THE MOST OUTSTANDING THINGS THAT YOU REMEMBER DURING THOSE TIMES? MY FAVORITE THING WAS A VIDEO WE DID AS A SPECIAL FOR, I BELIEVE IT WAS BEFORE IT HAPPENED.
GRANDPA, IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN, OR IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN AT THE SAME TIME, BUT IT WAS BASICALLY SHOWING SHOTS AT THE HISTORICAL THING THAT SHE WOULD DO EVERY YEAR FOR GRAND PRAIRIE.
AND THEN AT THIS TIME, YOU, UH, CABLE COULD NOT, WERE NOT ALLOWED TO GET A LICENSE FOR MUSIC,
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SO IT WAS OKAY TO USE ANY KIND OF MUSIC YOU WANTED.SO I TOOK A LOCAL GROUP, CALICO, FROM THE SIXTIES AND SEVENTIES, I BELIEVE THEY WERE ON, AND TOOK THEIR SONG, COME ON DOWN TO TEXAS, AND THEN MADE A VIDEO OF A HIGHLIGHT VIDEO USING THAT SONG FOR THE END OF THAT PARTICULAR SHOW.
THAT WAS MY FAVORITE THING THAT WE EVER WORKED ON, UH, DURING THOSE YEARS.
AND DON, UH, YOU CONTINUE TO USE THOSE SKILLS AND THE THINGS THAT YOU LEARNED BACK THEN IN YOUR JOB TODAY, DON'T YOU? YES, MA'AM.
I DO TRAINING VIDEOS, AND NOW WE DO SOME MARKETING VIDEOS ALSO FOR KIERA COPIERS, UH, AND PRINTERS AND FOR TECHNICAL PEOPLE THAT ARE, THAT GO FIX 'EM, BUT ALSO FOR THE, THE END USER NOW, BECAUSE THEY SELL 'EM ON AMAZON NOW, LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE, THEY DECIDE THERE'S MONEY, WE'RE LEAVING ON THE TABLE, LET'S GO SELL SOME OF THE SMALLER MACHINES ON AMAZON.
SO YOU'VE GOTTA TEACH THE END USER HOW TO DO CERTAIN THINGS WITH A OTHER COPIER.
SO YOUR SKILLS ARE BEING STILL BEING USED.
AND, UH, TELL US, FIRST OF ALL, TELL US WHAT YOUR JOB IS TODAY.
I AM, I'M THE, UH, I WORK IN THE TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT OF THE GRAND PRAIRIE SCHOOL DISTRICT.
I'M ALSO THE, THE VIDEO BOARD DIRECTOR AT THE GOPHER WARRIOR BOWL.
I, I TAKE CARE OF EVERYTHING, ALL THE AV ASPECTS OF THE GAME THAT INVOLVE THE VIDEO BOARD.
SO I'M, YOU KNOW, I'M THERE PRETTY MUCH FROM THAT GAME DAY, FROM SUN UP TO SUNDOWN, TAKING CARE OF EVERYTHING.
AND THE HISTORY THAT YOU HAD WITH IT'S HAPPENING HAS PAID OFF FOR YOU ABSOLUTELY.
YOU KNOW, THE, THE SKILLS THAT I LEARNED AND THAT, THAT WAS THE MAIN THING IS THAT I LEARNED SO MUCH ABOUT PRODUCTION, ABOUT CAMERAS, ABOUT DOING SHOWS, AND IT JUST TRANSLATED OVER TO WHAT I'M REALLY KIND OF DOING RIGHT NOW AS WELL.
'CAUSE, 'CAUSE I'M DEALING IN, I'M DEALING IN VIDEO CAMERAS.
I'M DEALING HOW, HOW TO, YOU KNOW, TAKE SHOTS.
UH, IT, IT JUST REALLY KIND OF JUST EVOLVED INTO, INTO WHAT I'M DOING AS WELL.
NOW, LOUIS, TELL US YOUR HISTORY WITH GRAND WITH IT'S HAPPENING IN GRAND PRAIRIE.
I, UM, I WAS PART OF THE RADIO TV PROGRAM AT SOUTH GRAND PRAIRIE, AND IT WAS PART OF BILLY DONNA'S CLASS, UM, SOMEWHERE AS A STUDENT? AS A STUDENT, YES, YES.
AND IN MY SOPHOMORE YEAR, BACK IN 83, THAT'S WHEN THEY STARTED USING STUDENTS OR, YOU KNOW, TO DO, TO, DO, YOU KNOW, RUTH, THESE SHOWS? I HAD NO IDEA WHO RUTHIE JACKSON WAS.
YOU HAVE, THEY SAY WHAT YOU, WHY, WHAT YOU, AND IT WAS, IT WAS IN THE END OF THE DAY.
YOU KNOW, TAKE YOUR CAR AND GO DRIVE OUT.
AT THAT POINT, YOU COULD TAKE, YOU DON'T NEED BUSTING OR ANYTHING.
WE, WE TOOK OUR CARS UP TO THE CABLE OFFICE, SPEND THE AFTERNOON HELPING THESE, HELPING THIS PROGRAM.
AND, AND THAT'S, THAT'S KIND OF WHERE IT ALL STARTED.
AND I DID THAT FOR ALL THE WAY PROBABLY THROUGH THE END OF MY SENIOR YEAR, UH, WHERE I CAME IN AND EVERY, WAS IT EVERY TUESDAY, UH, THEY HAD, WE HAD SHOWS GOING ON, AND I JUST MA I MAINLY RAN CAMERA.
I REALLY ENJOYED DOING, DOING THAT, DOING THAT KIND OF WORK.
AND IT JUST, YOU KNOW, IT WAS REALLY, REALLY INTERESTING TO SEE, FOR ME, DOING SOMETHING WHERE YOU SAW AN END RESULT LIKE THAT ON TV.
AND THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT REALLY ATTRACTED ME,
UH, UH, STORE CABLE WAS SOMETHING PROBABLY PRETTY NEW TO THE, UH, SOCIAL ASPECT OF THE DAY.
IT, YOU KNOW, PUBLIC ACCESS TV WAS, YOU KNOW, THAT WAS THE REALLY THE BEGINNINGS OF PUBLIC ACCESS TV.
UH, IT WAS, YOU KNOW, IT WAS RUTHIE SHOWS.
IT WAS SOME OTHER SHOWS THAT THAT ALSO, UH, CAME FROM THAT AS WELL.
AND, UH, IT WAS JUST, IT WAS A, IT WAS A, IT WAS A GOOD TIME.
IT WAS, IT WAS A FUN TIME TO, TO BE A PART OF THAT AND TO SEE THAT, YOU KNOW, IT KIND OF IS EVOLVED NOW INTO ALL THESE PODCASTS RIGHT NOW.
THIS WAS THE BEGINNING OF, OF HOW TO DO THESE TYPE OF SHOWS.
UH, YOU KNOW, SO, NO, IT WAS, LIKE I SAID, IT WAS, IT WAS A REALLY A, IT, IT DIDN'T FEEL LIKE WORK.
IT DIDN'T FEEL LIKE STUDENT HOMEWORK OR ANYTHING OF THAT NATURE.
JUST FELT LIKE WE WERE HAVING FUN.
UH, WELL, THOSE ARE YOUR BEGINNINGS.
AND WERE YOU CONNECTED? DID YOU CONTINUE TO STAY CONNECTED TO IT'S HAPPENING FOR THE YEARS TO COME, AND HOW DID THAT COME TO PASS? MM-HMM
AND I, AFTER I, UM, AFTER I GRADUATED, UH, BACK AND THEN, YEAH, I GRADUATED AND A COUPLE YEARS LATER, ABOUT 87, THEY NEEDED SOMEONE TO COME AND, AND HELP 'EM.
AND SO I CAME IN AS A PART-TIME EMPLOYEE.
UH, AND THEN PROBABLY A COUPLE YEARS LATER, I LEFT, I LEFT AND, UH, TOOK A JOB UP IN ARLINGTON, UH, ARLINGTON TELE CABLE.
AND WHERE I CONTINUED TO USE THOSE SKILLS AND TOOLS, BUT MORE ON A, ON A, LIKE
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A LIVE SPORTING EVENT.I DID A NUMBER OF LIVE SPORTING EVENTS AT THE GO FOR WARRIOR AT GO FOOTBALL AT THAT POINT.
UH, BUT, BUT I, UH, I TOOK ALL THOSE SKILLS AND WENT AND WENT TO ARLINGTON, AND THEY NEEDED SOMEONE TO HELP WITH FOOTBALL GAMES AND BASKETBALL GAMES.
AND I DID THAT THERE, AND STUDIO, STUDIO REMOTE.
I KEEP LOOKING AT DON BECAUSE THIS, DON KNEW DON, YOU KNOW, WAS, HE WAS, HE WAS ONE OF THE MAIN TEACHERS FOR US ON HOW TO, HOW TO, YOU KNOW, HOW TO DO THESE THINGS.
SO, AND THEN I CAME BACK IN 95 TO, TO GRAND PRAIRIE, TO CONTINUE TO, UH, TO DO RUTHIE SHOWS AGAIN AND, AND TAKE AND MANAGE THE STUDIO.
AND, UH, WHEN DID YOU START WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT? UH, I STARTED IN OH FIVE, SUMMER OF OH FIVE.
BARBOSA NEEDED, THEY NEEDED SOMEONE TO COME IN TO HANDLE ALL THE AV, AND THEY KNEW I HAD HAD THE, YOU KNOW, THEY KNEW OF ME BECAUSE OF MY, ONCE AGAIN, MY WORK ON, ON IT'S HAPPENING IN GRAND PRAIRIE.
AND SO IN OH FIVE, SUMMER OF OH FIVE, I WAS HIRED ON AND AT THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AND WHERE I AM TODAY.
THAT IS SO EXCITING TO HEAR IT FROM, UM, THE ASPECT THAT YOU HAVE MM-HMM
AND YOU, BOTH OF YOU HAVE JUST BEEN HUGE KEY PLAYERS IN THIS SHOW AND, UH, HAVE KEPT IT GOING.
AND WE APPRECIATE YOU ALL SO MUCH.
IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANT TO ADD BEFORE WE YEAH, YEAH.
JUST, UH, WE TALK ABOUT MEMORIES AND THE ONE THING THAT STICKS OUT TO ME IS WE RECORDED ON SEPTEMBER 11TH, AND THAT WAS A VERY MEMORABLE SHOW THAT, THAT WE HAD.
I, IT WAS, IT WAS THE MOR IT WAS THE DAY OF THE RECORDING, THE DAY OF THE TAPING THAT YOU NORMALLY HAD NO REGULAR SCHEDULED TUESDAY TAPING.
AND AFTER, AFTER WHAT HAPPENED IN THE MORNING, I CALLED RUTHIE AND I SAID, YOU KNOW, THE BUILDING IS SHUT DOWN.
I SAID, DO YOU WANNA JUST RESCHEDULE FOR ANOTHER DAY? AND SHE GOES, NO, I, I DON'T, I SAID, I'M NOT LETTING THIS SHUT ME DOWN.
SO I GO, WHAT DO YOU WANNA DO? HE GOES, WE'LL BRING PEOPLE IN THROUGH THE SIDE DOOR AND WE'LL DO THE SHOW.
AND SO I ALWAYS KIND OF REMEMBER THAT IS THAT, IS THAT, YOU KNOW, RUTH RUTHIE WAS VERY HEADSTRONG ON GETTING ON, GETTING THE SHOW DONE.
SHE WAS EXTREMELY COMMITTED TO DOING WHAT SHE COULD EVERY, EVERY WEEK, YOU KNOW, GETTING THE SHOW DONE.
SHE, SHE ALWAYS DID HER PART OF, YOU KNOW, EVEN IF GUESTS COULDN'T SHOW UP, SHE WOULD TRY AS HER HARDEST TO FIND GUESTS OR TO, OR TO, YOU KNOW, SOMEHOW PUT, PUT THAT 30 MINUTES TOGETHER, MAKE IT HAPPEN.
AND IT WAS JUST, SHE WAS AMAZING IN HOW SHE INTERVIEWED.
SHE, SHE WAS, SHE WAS ABLE TO GRAB, GET INFORMATION OUTTA PEOPLE THAT, THAT, THAT WERE HESITANT.
AND SHE KNEW EXACTLY HOW TO GET THAT OUT OF THEM.
SHE WAS A REALLY A GOOD, SHE WAS A REAL GOOD INTERVIEWER.
AND I'VE ALWAYS TAKE, I'VE ALWAYS TAKEN THAT FROM, FROM THOSE SHOWS.
I'VE LOVED WATCHING HER DO THAT AS WELL.
AND SHE MADE PEOPLE FEEL VERY COMFORTABLE AND SHE WAS VERY GOOD AT IT.
AND ALSO, LIKE THE FACT SHE DID NOT HAVE A SCRIPT.
SHE WOULD HAVE LIKE BULLET POINTS.
AND THEY WERE, EVERYTHING WAS A BULLET POINT, BUT SHE KNEW WITHIN THOSE BULLET POINTS THE QUESTION THAT SHE NEEDED TO ASK THAT, THAT GUEST TO MAKE THEM, TO MAKE THEM COMFORTABLE MM-HMM
AND TO MAKE SURE THAT SHE GOT, THAT SHE GOT, GOT THE INFORMATION, GOT THE INFORMATION THAT ANSWER THAT SHE NEEDED FROM THEM.
BECAUSE I, THERE WAS SOME VERY ROUGH INTERVIEWS AT TIMES WHERE, AND YOU KNOW, I THINK, UH, CHUCK EDWARD SPOKE EARLIER ABOUT THAT, WHERE IT WAS HARD GETTING, GETTING ANSWERS RIGHT.
BUT RUTHIE KNEW EXACTLY WHAT TO DO AND HOW TO GET THAT, GET THAT ANSWER FROM THEM.
THAT WAS A GIFT AND A TALENT, AND SHE DID IT WELL, SHE VERY, YEAH.
THANK Y'ALL SO MUCH FOR THESE WONDERFUL MEMORIES.
ANYTHING ELSE THAT YOU WANT TO HIT? NO, THAT WAS, LIKE I SAID, THAT'S, THAT WAS A GREAT TIME THAT WELL, Y'ALL DID A GREAT JOB.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
THANK YOU, GENTLEMEN FOR BEING HERE.
WE KNOW YOU ARE KEY PLAYERS IN THE HISTORY OF IT'S HAPPENING IN GRAND PRAIRIE.
WE THANK YOU AGAIN FOR JOINING US TODAY, AND THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US TODAY.
I'M GEORGIA CLEMSON, REMINDING YOU IT'S HAPPENING IN GRAND PRAIRIE.