Purcell has lost one of its best with the death of Joe Ellis.

On top of being one of the nicest men you will ever meet, Joe contributed to Purcell in numerous ways.

One of his biggest contributions was his twice a day venture to the Purcell Train Depot to welcome the Heartland Flyer both coming and going when the train began making its way to and from Fort Worth June 15, 1999.

The crafty Santa Fe Railroad  veteran loved the railroad and played a huge role in Purcell over the years by opening the depot for the morning and evening runs.

For his tireless work over the years Ellis was named the Purcell Citizen of the Year in 2007.

Loyal with a capital L summed up Joe especially for his Kansas Jayhawks and Purcell Dragons.

He faithfully attended Dragon home games for years.

When he was named Citizen of the Year, he received a special personal congratulatory letter from Jayhawks Coach Bill Self.

Purcell lost a good one with his passing.

jdm

Snow is so inconvenient.

You have to brush off the vehicles before you can get your day started.

Then there are the sidewalks to clear off and all the other fun things that go along with it.

That brings me to the point.

City of Purcell Street Department crews and ODOT crews are to be commended for the job they did clearing streets and highways after the nearly five inches that fell here last Thursday and into Friday.

Thanks for your yeoman’s efforts.

It’s appreciated.

jdm

As I was walking into an area  gym for a basketball game the other day one of those monster pickup trucks was parked near the entrance.

The wheel wells were up to my waist but it made me think about those poor people who recently died in the wheel well of a passenger airplane.

What a horrible way to go.

You have to wonder how they made their way onto the aircraft in the first place.

But don’t they know those planes go to between 33,000 and 41,000 feet where there is little or no oxygen.

In addition to the near zero oxygen is the extreme cold.

Just sounds awful.