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Kathie Cox
SUMMERSVILLE BOOKENDS
The countdown is on! Summer Reading 2025 at all Texas County Library branches is almost upon us! Registration takes place June 2 through 7. Parents can stop in during that week at any branch to … more
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OZARKS RFD: Another time, another country
Sixty years ago I was a 17-year-old high school senior in what now seems another time and country. Indeed it was another century and an era just 20 years removed from World War II, and my life … more
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8th District town hall meeting draws 150
To the editor: About 150 people turned out for a town hall meeting in Rolla on April 22 hosted by Voters for Informed Action. Veterans, farmers, teachers and many others spoke about how the … more
Chris’ Corner: There Is no finish line
It’s been an interesting few weeks for me. Two events, seemingly unrelated, have stirred up a lot of reflection about my life. The past, the present, and what still lies ahead. Life, after all, … more
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MANAGING EXPECTATIONS: Revisiting ‘Sunscreen’
As a proud member of the Class of ‘99, to whom Baz Luhrmann’s musical adaptation of columnist Mary Schmich’s “Wear Sunscreen” piece for the Class of ‘97 in the … more
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Chris' Corner Growing back into my allergies?
May is freshly here, and for me, that means the annual battle against allergy season is about to kick into full gear. Like clockwork, the pollen levels rise, the trees bloom, and I start to feel the … more
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LIVE AND LEARN It is myth that good fences make good neighbors
"Good fences make good neighbors" is a quote that is often misused.  The phrase is normally used to justify building a fence and keeping neighbors at arm's length. But that was not the … more
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I had another column written for this week before Mother's Day; then I came across this photograph of Mom (Hazellee Daly Hamilton) and her crew. It’s one of the few pictures I have of the entire family, and probably the most honest representation of who we were at home on our farm near Elkland. Taken in the fall of 1979 — the year after I became editor of the Buffalo Reflex, this spontaneous snapshot captures the raw essence of Mom and her close-knit band of boys as most everyone saw us. At the far left is Russell, back for a few days from his new home in New Mexico, where he was an emerging artist. Between me (in the middle) and Russell is our youngest brother, Stephen, a student at Southwest Missouri State University, and behind Mom is David. I think he was either a farm hand or a sawmill worker at the time. And then there’s Dad, Harold Hamilton — farmer, fisherman, hunter and all-round patriarch of the clan. Now, Mom may appear here to be a typical Ozarks farm wife and mother, but she was never “typical.” When not corralling her boys, Mom was a medical technologist, second in charge of the lab at Cox Medical Center in Springfield, while Dad was ahead of his time, too, as a stay-at-home dad. This image could be a bit misleading, too, if we appear as a bunch of backwoods outlaws. In fact, Russell and I, along with Mom, had college degrees, and Dad was just a few hours shy of one. Stephen was headed in that direction, too. David was the sole self-avowed “good ol’ boy.” I think Mom’s pride in all of us is evident here in the twinkle in her eyes. She and Dad agreed we were the best crop that farm ever raised. Over the years I’ve included everyone in this picture in one or more of my columns. Now you get to see them as I knew them. Only David and I remain today. Stephen died in 1980, Russell in 2014, Dad in 2005 and Mom in 2008. Even the farm is gone, too. Truth be told, I don’t need this picture to fondly remember Mom and our crew, but it tells our story better than me.
OZARKS RFD Mom and her boys
Kathie Cox
SUMMERSVILLE BOOKENDS
Do you remember as well as I do? The small library seemed even smaller by the dark paneled walls. Wrinkled brown and orange carpeting, obviously unpadded, covered the concrete floor. Unfinished … more
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How I learned to cook
When I was a boy, most mothers taught their daughters how to cook. My mom would have liked to do the same, but for one drawback  — she had no daughters, just boys. The eldest of … more
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Kathie Cox
SUMMERSVILLE BOOKENDS
Thanks to many helpers, our Friends of the Library’s annual Plants & Books Sale on Saturday was a great success. About $200 were added to the Friends’ treasury to be used for … more
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Checks and balances at a tipping point
To the editor: Americans are divided on many issues, but most Americans value our democracy. What makes the United States a great country is our government with three co-equal branches. It … more
Commentary: Learning from our failures
Author and leadership coach John C. Maxwell once said, “Fail early, fail often, but always fail forward.” If you look back and see areas where you fell short, take time to consider the … more
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Thank you, Edwin Woolsey
To the editor: Edwin Woolsey provided valuable, informative comments about tariffs in his commentary, “Trouble with tariffs, a historical perspective” published in the April 19 … more
Eat crow while it is young and tender
The idiom “eat crow while it’s young and tender” may sound unusual, but it has an interesting meaning. I first learned it from my friend Bob Roberts in Springfield (he grew up in … more
This is what we do
It’s been a wild few months here in the Ozarks — tornadoes, storms, flooding. We’ve seen it all lately. And while the floodwaters didn’t quite reach the chaos of 2017, they … more
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Trouble with tariffs, a historical perspective
Regarding the new reciprocal tariffs, I have a genuine concern that many people are blindsided by political hype. I am afraid that soon after the April 2 "Liberation Day," we are going to discover … more
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Two orange men at a wooden table pondering a problem together.
What do we know about Elon Musk and DOGE?
To the editor: Our group from Missouri’s U.S. House District 8 is very concerned about the recent activities of Elon Musk and the so-called Department of Government Efficiency he leads. … more
MANAGING EXPECTATIONS
Well, hey there, stranger! It’s been a couple weeks, how are ya?  Shoot, we’ve had tornados and hail and torrential rains. That sunshine and calm breeze was sure nice last … more
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What I used to eat, but don’t now
When I was a boy, dinner and supper were much different from today. We didn’t have pizza, tacos, burrito, cashew chicken or Chinese stir fry. I’d heard of them, but didn’t know … more
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