good_turns_for_serving_1

THURSDAY:10|20|05
THE DAILY NEWSPAPER FOR KATY
VOL 1
| NO 69
ASTROS WIN NATIONAL LEAGUE PENNANT, SEE 1B
TheThe
worldworld
FOUR
THINGS
YOU SHOULD KNOW
is ours
is ours
Good turns for serving
Season winding down
PAGE 3B
By PEARL K. CAJOLES
pcajoles@katycourier.com
When Matthew Ginn met
Claire Bieber, he made her cry.
“We were about 3, and I bit
her. But we’ve been friends ever
since,” Matthew said.
This past year, the 7-yearold second graders at Williams
Elementary strengthened their
bond as they spent more than
50 hours bringing art to at-risk
children and the elderly in Katy.
On Friday, they will receive the
President’s Volunteer Service
Award during the Katy ARTreach Heroes Among Us gala
luncheon.
They are the youngest Katy
recipients of the award, created
in 2003 by President George W.
Bush, to recognize those who
have made a sustained commitment to volunteer service.
What can you do?
October is Breast Cancer
Awareness month. See what you can
do to be aware.
PAGE 1C
‘A breath of energy’
Economy not bad
Most of the country managed
decent economic growth in
September and early October even
amid soaring energy prices from
hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the Fed
reported.
PAGE 5A
COURIER PHOTO/KERRI BESIO
Dottie Simmons watches as 8-year-old Matthew Ginn puts the finishing touches on a painting they worked on together.
They are the youngest
Katy recipients of the
award, created in 2003
by President George
W. Bush
On Saturday, the pair spent
their morning painting with
elderly residents at Katyville
Health Care Center in Katy
proper. Most patients are admitted to the long-term rehabilitation facility because of
old age and disease.
“Sometimes, they don’t get
visitors and they feel alienated.
Seeing the kids really motivates
them. You can see their moods
change because the kids make
them feel part of society again,”
said Freda Scott, Katyville activity director.
Matthew’s mother, Kim
Ginn, said the children’s handson enthusiasm helps refresh
their elderly companions.
“Some residents have limited sight and mobility,” Ginn
said. “The kids are like a breath
of energy for them.”
Claire and Matthew also
spend time working with children at the Katy Christian Ministries Domestic Abuse Center.
“My favorite part is working
with the little kids in the nursery. It makes me happy when
I help them with art projects,”
Claire said.
The younger, the better
COURIER PHOTO/KERRI BESIO
Partly cloudy with patchy fog in
the morning. Highs in the upper 80s.
South winds 5 to 10 mph. Tonight
will be partly cloudy with less than
a 20 percent chance of showers and
thunderstorms after midnight. Lows
around 60. South winds 5 to 10 mph
in the evening becoming west after
midnight.
CRHS
coach
arrested
Students
awarded for
volunteerism Williford
accused
of lewdness
Houston Youth Football and Katy
Youth Football leagues are winding
down their season in the final two
weeks of October. See how the
standings are shaping up.
WEATHER
50c
Nicholas Ginn, 12, and Ada Perez work on a painting together. Right: Lydia Cardoza watches as 7-year-old Claire Bieber
finishes the painting they worked on together.
Because of their ages,
Claire’s mother, Terri Bieber,
said they might not fully understand the concept of volunteering. However, they know
the importance of helping others.
“I think we’ve established
early in their lives that they
have the skill to impact those
— SEE STUDENTS 6A
By KEN FOUNTAIN
kfountain@katycourier.com
A Cinco Ranch High School
assistant football coach and
special education teacher has been
suspended following his arrest on
suspicion of peeping into a 16-yearold girl’s bedroom window.
Timothy
Williford, 31, of
Sugar Land, has
been suspended
pending
the
results of a Katy
ISD
internal
investigation,
Williford
according to KISD
spokesman Steve
Stanford.
According to Harris County
Precinct 5 Capt. Michael Crawford,
the girl, a Cinco Ranch student, saw
a man peering at her through her
bedroom window early Tuesday
morning. The girl told her father,
who went outside and confronted
the man.
“The father asked him what he
was doing. The man said he wasn’t
doing anything and drove away in
his car,” Crawford said.
The father took down the car’s
license plate and dialed 911. By the
time constables arrived, the girl had
identified the man as Williford from
her high school yearbook.
Crawford said police tracked
Williford’s license plate and
arrested him at his Sugar Land
home at midnight Wednesday.
He was charged with disorderly
conduct/public lewdness, a class C
misdemeanor.
“She was pretty upset,” Crawford
said of the girl’s reaction.
An employee of the Harris
County Precinct 5, Place 1 Justice
of the Peace Court said that a court
date has not yet been set.
Williford, a defensive tackles
coach, has been at Cinco Ranch since
2003, according to Stanford.
Efforts to reach Williford
for comment were unsuccessful
Wednesday.
Head football coach Don Clayton
said that Williford would not be at
this weekend’s game.
“All of us are shocked about the
happenings. We certainly hope that
the truth gets told and gets taken
care of from there,” Clayton said
during Wednesday’s practice.
Katy Courier sports writer R.J.
Cooper contributed to this report.
Williams, Beck among honorees at Saturday KISD event
Editor’s Note: This is the third in a series
of profiles of those who are the namesakes
of Katy ISD schools or facilities and will
be honored Saturday during the formal
dedication of the Leonard E. Merrell Center.
The ceremony will take place immediately
following the KISD and YMCA of Greater
Houston International Festival, 11 a.m. to 2
p.m. at the center, 6301 S. Stadium Lane.
INSIDE
By KEN FOUNTAIN
kfountain@katycourier.com
BUSINESS.............................. 5A
CLASSIFIEDS ......................... 6C
COMICS ................................. 5C
HOROSCOPE ......................... 5C
KATY LIFE ............................... 1C
LOCAL .................................... 2A
OPINION ................................ 4A
SPORTS .................................. 1B
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Ellen Beck
Dr. James Williams has seen
Katy grow from a small, largely
rural community into a sprawling suburb, and helped shepherd
the Katy school district from one
with a handful of schools to the
46-campus behemoth it is today.
Williams, who was born in
West Columbia but grew up in
Tomball, graduated from Southwestern University before attend-
ing the University of Texas Dental
School in Houston. He practiced
in Bay City before moving with
his wife, Patsy, and first daughter,
Laura, to Katy in 1961.
“I was looking for a place to
practice. I knew the town, and I
knew they needed a dentist because they didn’t have one,” Williams said recently in his home
in Old Katy. “There was only one
physician and I was the only dentist. Things have changed a lot.”
In 1967, several members of the
community asked the soft-spoken
Williams to run for an open seat
on the Katy ISD Board of Trustees. After taking his seat, he remained on the board for 18 years
before stepping down in 1985.
Three years later, he was asked to
run again, and served from 1988
through 1994.
Williams said the greatest issue
he and his fellow board members
faced during his tenure was the
district’s extraordinary growth,
which continues today.
“Katy was basically a farm community. There wasn’t anything but
farms and ranches until you got
to Gessner in Houston,” he said.
“When I first went on the board,
the enrollment (of the district)
was about 2,000 students. When I
left, it was about 25,000.”
All four of the Williams’ children attended Katy schools, and
one of his grandchildren is now a
student at Katy High School.
Williams, 75, maintained his
— SEE HONOREES 6A
COURIER PHOTO/KERRI BESIO
Dr. James Williams