The Art of Giving

Welcome back. Friends. We all need them and when one of your best friends is C.J. “Pete” Silas, the Chairman and CEO of Phillips Petroleum Company from 1985-1994 and you are Glenn Cox his second in command good things can happen. If you weren’t around in those days, I can tell it was a magical time, not only for Phillips but also for every non-profit and church in Bartlesville and everywhere around the world where Phillips did business. I bring this small tribute to these fellows because following the death of his wonderful wife Glenn decided to move and sell their extensive personal memorabilia. The sale was conducted last week by Minuteman Auction Company and at Glenn’s request each person attending the sale was required to pay $20. All of these proceeds were donated to the Pete Silas Boys and Girls Club, raising almost $1,500 for their important programs. This is another reason that the residents of this area should never forget the generosity of people like Pete and Glenn. As long as my column runs, I will try to make sure that we always remember the men and women whose contributions of both time and money make our community such a special place.

While I was researching this story, I also learned from the owner of Minuteman Auction Company Wayne Vineyard that he is holding another sale on behalf of a prominent local man this weekend. Former State Senator Steve Martin is downsizing and Wayne said it would be a quality sale with many unusual items that Steve and his wife collected.

Also, on the local front, if you heard dozens of ambulance, fire truck and police car sirens last week going off it wasn’t a practice drill for a tornado, it was a celebration for a local celebrity’s recovery from COVID19. His name, as I’m sure many of you know him, is Mike Smith and a finer fellow you’ll never meet.

While I’m still traveling on the south coast of Texas as always when I come across a museum I stop. The nearby Texas Maritime Museum enlightened me about the history, not of Texas cowboys but Texas sailors. This museum takes you back in time to when the French and the Spanish landed here. You follow Texas maritime history not only in words but also in hundreds of displays containing artifacts from an era before the English colonies were established.

Present day life on the coast is part of the displays at the museum as well including information about shipping and off shore drilling in the area along with the role of big companies like Phillips66 in the coastal communities. I’ve been to many museums but none quite like this one. If you’re ever in the Rockport, Texas area, which lies just about thirty miles from Corpus Christi your time won’t be wasted visiting the Texas Maritime Museum.

Till next time, I’ll see ya down the road……………….

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