Most people who are natives of Angelina County, or have worked here for any length of time, have heard the names.
Kurth. Temple. Trout.
Those three families had so much to do with the foundation and growth of our communities — particularly the cities of Lufkin and Diboll. Future generations might recognize the names, from street signs or buildings named after members of those families, but there was no easy way to remind local residents of what, exactly, our founders did to create the backbone of our local economy.
Until now. We are so grateful to everyone involved in the creation of the Lufkin/Angelina County Chamber of Commerce's Business Hall of Fame, from the chamber itself; Codie Jenkins, chairman of the Chamber's Promoting Business Task Force, and the other members of that committee; and Trey Henderson and the Pineywoods Foundation, which made the Hall of Fame possible. (Sponsors for the Chamber's Inaugural Business Hall of Fame Ceremony last week were the Lufkin/Angelina County Economic Development Partnership, Brookshire Brothers and First Bank & Trust East Texas.)
The Hall of Fame is in a great location — the Kurth Memorial Library in Lufkin — and now has its first three members: industry giants Ernest L. Kurth (1885-1960), Arthur Temple Jr. (1920-2006) and Walter C. Trout (1874-1947). More great men and women will be added to the roster as the years pass. We are just glad to know there will be a place for our grandchildren to learn a little bit more about how this community came into being.
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We hate to question a judge, but we do wonder about the shock probation sentence given Friday to a Trinity man whose horrific drunken driving accident in December 2007 caused the death of a 14-year-old Lufkin boy and serious injuries to other members of the boy's family. We feel the sentence is inappropriate and, if the San Jacinto District Attorney is correct, it's also invalid.
"You can't give deferred adjudication for intoxicated manslaughter," DA Bill Burnett said after visiting judge Chap B. Cain III sentenced Justin Sutton, 25, to serve 160 days in prison followed by 10 years of probation. "The judge was advised he couldn't do it but he did. The state will appeal that sentence and we'll go back for re-sentencing more than likely."
We hope that's the case. Sutton decimated the family of Eduardo Medellin Jr. when he, according to court testimony, drove with a blood alcohol level of .25 — more than three times the legal limit. His car crashed into the Medellins' Suburban on U.S. 59 north as the family was returning from a Christmas shopping trip to Houston. Edgar Medellin, 10, suffered a broken spine; Eric Medellin, 13, had to have his left leg amputated and may still lose his right leg; Emily Medellin, 5, broke her leg; and the children's mother, Angie, suffered a broken arm and unimaginable emotional pain.
Sutton also has a criminal record, for burglary of a building and possession of marijuana, so he knows what prison is like. We hope he ends up with a stiffer sentence, so that he — and everybody else who thinks it's OK to get behind the wheel of a car after drinking alcohol — can truly learn a lesson.
