Category: Health & Lifestyles

Birth Announcements, Engagement Announcements, Feature stories and photos about local residents in Devine, Natalia, Lytle, Bigfoot/Moore areas. Also special features on the latest research and healthcare trends.

“Revival comes to Devine by Train!”

Devine Depot – March 1909 – visiting Rev. F.M. McConnell of Longview leaving Devine by train after conducting a revival at the First Baptist Church

HOMETOWN HISTORY: Devine, Texas 1909

By Nancy Ehlinger Saathoff – Devine Historical Committee
In the early 1900s, train travel on the railroad was a big deal in Devine! The Devine Depot was the “get-on and get-off” point for people visiting or leaving; and often times a group of family, friends, or business people would wait at the depot for them to arrive or take them to the depot and give them a “send-off” when they left. In early 1909, what the train brought to Devine was Reverand F.M. McConnell for a Revival for the Baptist Church!
Being a Christian community, visiting ministers were welcomed enthusiastically throughout our town! Rev. McConnell, assisted by evangelist singer H.L. Spark, were very busy during the several weeks that they were in Devine! They led revival prayer meetings in the mornings and the evenings, going from house to house, and in various parts of the town in the afternoon! Yes, they were very, very busy!

March 1909 Baptism at Coker Tank near Devine

Although there is not a lot of information about the Revival itself, it must have been a huge success because it resulted in a large number of people, young and old, being baptized in the local *Coker Tank (stocktank/pond). It was reported that 1000 to 1500 people, regardless of religious affiliation, attended and witnessed the baptism of 47 people! Thirteen others were baptized at a later date. Some of the last names of the people included Redus, Fullerton, Long, Evans, Williams, Slater, Goslin, and more. *Coker Tank was located on the Coker Farm “north” of Devine, which in 1909 was probably somewhere along what is now Coker Ave. That special day in March of 1909 was memorialized in history by a photographer, Mr. Martin, who photographed the group at the baptism. (photo shown).
Rev. McConnell (photo shown) had left a few weeks earlier than the baptism, but his work was done in Devine, and it was left to the leaders of the church to tend to the new members of their flock! So, it was back to the depot for Reverand McConnell’s “send-off” back to Longview! It is fortunate that Mr. Martin also photographed that day, when Rev. McConnell, who had come in by train, left Devine by train; but not before making his mark on the hearts of sixty newly baptized people in Devine, Texas.

Retired Volunteer Fire Chief Walker laid to rest

The community gathered to celebrate the life of first responder Michael Russel Walker, retired Fire Chief 8120 of Devine, Texas who passed away at the age of 65. Emergency first responders from all over South Texas came to pay their last respects on Saturday, July 27 as he was laid to rest from Primrose Funeral Chapel.
Michael served his community as a firefighter for over 45 years, and worked on pipelines for almost 50 years. Before coming to Devine, he’d served for 25 years and retired as Fire Chief at Fairchild VFD in Needville, TX. He dutifully served as Fire Chief here in Devine before retiring in March of 2021.
During Chief Walker’s time in Devine the DVFD updated the building, and even began the first responder medical response organization. He loved doing what he did and taking care of his family and community and protecting them. As a volunteer, he drove the first responder unit home and was usually the first one on most scenes.
Michael also knew his way around the grill. Grilling was his passion, and it showed. He was the head cook of Firewalker Cookers Competition BBQ Cook-Off Team for 5 years. His other passions in life was the love for his family, his beloved wife Carla and selflessly helping people. His time in the service was a living testament to his care and compassion towards his community. 
Michael was a true hero and volunteer.

HOMETOWN HISTORY: More than meets the eye

It once attracted business from all over the area, drawing in farmers who would bring their crops to be processed and shipped out here on the railroad.

Historians and local leaders are hoping, if it can be renovated and re-purposed, it may once again draw business and breathe new life into Devine just as it did in the early 1900s. Experts in economic development have pointed out how many thousands of people enjoy the historic Pearl Brewery development and the economic boost it provided to SA.

By Nancy Ehlinger Saathoff, Devine Historical Committee
Often the value of something lies more in its’ history than in what currently “meets the eye”.
The iconic Tower of the old “MILL & ELEVATOR” building in downtown Devine, Texas still stands as a tall landmark representing the Agricultural Heritage of Devine and the surrounding areas; but it means much more than that! Devine was built as a railroad town in 1881, but grew into an agricultural community, especially after the building of Medina Dam in 1911, and the irrigation canals. As years and decades passed, times, things, and people changed, but the Tower stood through most of our town’s history.
But this Tower represents more than just “what meets the eye”. That Tower has seen tons of grain flowing down pipes from the grain reserves to the silos and into railroad cars to be shipped to sell at markets. That Tower has seen wagons, and truck loads of cotton, corn, onion, and watermelon crops waiting in line to be weighed and then delivered to markets or farms. The Tower has seen years when there was much less grain and feed for livestock because of droughts.

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Contract with Fire Dept. to enforce code compliance in Devine

By Butch Cook
City of Devine Mayor
For the first time since September 2022, we are reinstating the quarterly newsletters to better inform our citizens of what is going on in our fair city. Staff will be mailing these newsletters to every household and business that receives city utilities. For daily updates please join and follow our Facebook page at “City of Devine City Hall; visit our website at cityofdevine.org; and for emergency notifications, sign up for I-Info at http://r.i-info.com/rc/arc. As always, our official newspaper, The Devine News, prints all of our press releases and does a great job covering our
city council meetings.


VFD to handle code compliance and inspections
The City Council has approved a contract with Devine VFD to handle code compliance and inspections for the city. This replaces the current practice of using a paid city employee within City Hall for inspections related to new construction, remodeling, electrical and plumbing. We have been using Bureau Veritas, based in Kerrville, for many years, but enforcing code compliance has been problematic. Since 2015, only two code compliance officers have stayed with the city for longer than a year and this long-term agreement will help solve that issue. The VFD will have adequate and certified personnel of staff to stay on top of things. The city also benefits financially from the agreement and the money that went to Kerrville will now stay in our community to enhance the VFD operation.
Citizens will notice an increase in the enforcement of city codes which have existed for many years but lacked sufficient manpower for enforcement.

The first priorities of our city are always safety and security concerns, along with trash, brush and bulk garbage items being placed in the city right-of-way for weeks at a time – sometimes immediately after our scheduled pickups. Many people in town assume they can place brush and bulk items on the curb when convenient for them, but that is not the case.
We have an agreement with Republic Services for quarterly brush pickups and two annual bulk pickups at well-publicized time frames with 10-day windows. It is the citizen’s responsibility to place their items at the beginning of the 10-day time frame, and if not done in time, the citizen is
expected to take other measures or move the items back onto their property until the next pickup. Bulk items can be disposed of year round on Saturdays at the county yard on Hwy 173 just past the high school for a nominal fee, but the county does not accept brush.
Properties in violation will be contacted by mail for compliance and if issues are not resolved within the allotted time, the owners will be cited to appear at Municipal Court. The City and Devine VFD intend to be consistent across the board in the enforcing and removing the unnecessary eye sores.
The next scheduled times for brush and bulk pickup for the City of Devine are August 12-16 and October 7-11, 2024 According to a recent survey of our citizens through our Communities as a Startup (CASU) initiative, the importance of city appearance rated near the top of community aspirations, affecting quality of life and economic development; it’s a straight forward problem we can solve.


Water System Improvements
The City of Devine is excited to announce that it now has three fully operational water wells to better handle the city’s needs. Not too long ago the city was down to one operational water well, which is a precarious situation.
Most recently, the Bain Well and its storage tank have been refurbished. The water tests have met requirements, and it is now contributing to our water supply. Aside from the increased volume benefit, the Bain Well draws from the Carrizo aquifer and reduces our reliance on the Edwards aquifer, and the subsequent fees we pay for our allotted acre feet – which
are substantial.
Our twin wells on 1343, that pull from the Edwards aquifer, have also been refurbished as close to new as possible. Backup generators for both wells are being installed and will help avoid outages caused from lightning strikes and freezing weather.


Spring Election Results
Congratulations to the newly elected Councilmen from the spring election: Jeff Miller is the new District 3 representative winning by a margin of 36-15, and Ray Gonzales won his race with a turnout of 23-5 in District 1. Both bring a lot to the table and it’s already been a pleasure working with them the last two months.

Also, special thanks to Stacy Pyron and Flipper Vega for their service on the City Council and stepping up for the challenge of public service, which quite often is a thankless job.


Food for Thought
Please keep in mind that all of the representatives on your City Council, including the Mayor, also reside in Devine, and each shares the same concerns and aspirations as many of you – streets, parks, sidewalks, economic opportunity, etc., and if there were easy solutions, there
wouldn’t be any problems.

America’s Independence Remembered at Four Corners

Thanks to the Current Events Club for placement of US flags and patriotic signage at Devine’s 4 Corners to celebrate our nation’s 248th birthday!
Club members Alma Horvath and Martha Wall, along with Wall family members George (Grandpa Coach), daughter Kate Johnson and her children Trip, Josephine, and Frank, and two of Laura McGill’s children John and Avery, worked together to set up the display.

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You affect your home and auto insurance costs

Each insurance company uses many factors to calculate what they charge a customer.
Some factors are about you, your home, or your car.
For home insurance, common factors include:
Your home’s age.
How old your roof is and what it’s made of.
Where you live.
The cost to replace your house.
Your claim history.
Your credit score.

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Health Unit News

Naloxone: Evidence-Based Training

I wanted to share some training that we sent out to our public health volunteers. UT Health San Antonio provides an online training to educate the workforce and public about the Texas opioid crisis. In this training you will also see how to administer Naloxone and how you can order free doses if you want. I say Naloxone but most people still use the term Narcan, which is a brand name and that’s ok. There are more formulations now, so I will stick to the generic name. Some of our volunteers have done the training and said they feel more confident about the issue. Some have ordered the free naloxone and feel more confident if they needed to use it.

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DHS Class of 1974 to Celebrate 50th Reunion in November

Devine High School Class of 1974 representatives, Loretta Word Geyer, Deanna Howard Kempen, Glenda Chant Allen, and DExSTA members, mailed letters to their classmates with information about their upcoming 50th Reunion activities that will take place on Homecoming weekend, Nov. 8-9, 2024. Included in the letter will be information about other Homecoming events organized by the Devine Ex-Students Teachers Association. If you are in the class of ’74, be on the lookout for your letter and contact your class reps above for more information, and make your travel plans now to be in Devine on Nov. 8-9 for the DEVINE HOMECOMING 2024!