Jerlleen Cowling went peacefully to be with her Lord on March 18, 2013, at her home in Nacogdoches, Texas, after a 6-month battle with cancer.
She was born to Homer Russell and Willie Mae Green Russell on June 27, 1937, in Nacogdoches, Texas. She graduated from Central Heights High School in 1955.
A Celebration of Life for Mrs. Cowling will be held Wedensday, March 20, at Pleasant Hill Missionary Baptist Church on FM 2864 in Nacogdoches with visitation at the church beginning at 1:30 p.m. and service to follow at 2:30 p.m. with Pastor John Spurgeon officiating. Burial will be in the Pleasant Hill Cemetery.
Pallbearers will be Craig McNease, Michael McNease, Carl Russell, Jimmy Russell, Carlton Russell, and Stan Cowling.
She is survived by her loving husband, Truman Cowling of Nacogdoches; sons, Kenneth McNease of Spring, Texas, and Keith McNease of Johnson City, Texas; daughter, Marlene Tiedt of Bastrop, Texas; Mr. Cowling’s children, Stan Cowling of Grand Prairie, Brenda Sitton of Frisco, Texas, and Lisa Derenthal of Bellaire, Texas; brother, Tommy Wayne Russell and wife Martha of Nacogdoches; sister, JoAnn Trotter of Nacogdoches; grandchildren, Craig, Michael, Shawn, Marlissa, Cherilynn, Britton, Teri, and Amy; great-grandchildren, Kaitlyn, Madison, Hailey, Zack, Kagan, and Symphony; aunts, Yvonne Terrell and Iva Hamilton, both of Nacogdoches; and a host of other family and good friends.
She was preceded in death by her parents; husbands, Bill McNease and Dwayne Birkes.
Arrangements are under the direction of Cason Monk-Metcalf Funeral Directors, Nacogdoches. Online memories and condolences may be offered at www.CasonMonk-Metcalf.com.
Obituary: Jerlleen McNease Birkes Cowling
March 17: NPD Crime Report

This is a complete list of reports responded to by the Nacogdoches Police Department
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March 18: Sheriff Office Daily Activity Log

This is the report from the Nacogdoches County Sheriff’s Office that list the reports from 6 a.m. of the previous day to 6 a.m. of the listed day.

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March 17: Sheriff Office Daily Activity Log

This is the report from the Nacogdoches County Sheriff’s Office that list the reports from 6 a.m. of the previous day to 6 a.m. of the listed day.

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March 18: Nacogdoches County Booking Report

This is the report from the Nacogdoches County Jail that lists the arrests made from 6 a.m. of the previous day to 6 a.m. of the listed day.

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March 17: Nacogdoches County Booking Report

This is the report from the Nacogdoches County Jail that lists the arrests made from 6 a.m. of the previous day to 6 a.m. of the listed day.

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TENTH ANNUAL EASTER EGG HUNT AT MILLARD’S CROSSING HISTORIC VILLAGE
Hippity-Hoppity – The tenth Annual Easter Egg Hunt at Millard’s Crossing Historic Village will be here soon, arriving along with the Easter Bunny on Sunday, March 24, at 2:00 p.m. The event, co-hosted by Nacogdoches Junior Forum and Millard’s Crossing, provides lots of fun for children 12 and under, along with family and friends. As always, the Easter Bunny will make a spectacular appearance.
Children should bring their Easter baskets, and parents are welcome to bring lawn chairs or blankets so they can relax on the grounds as the fun begins. The delightful afternoon begins with egg-in-spoon races and other games as pre-hunt activities while people are arriving. Visitors can also shop the Country Store for vintage toys and games, musical instruments, clothing, books and T-shirts. At 2:30 the egg hunt begins. Children ages five and under will get a head start; then ages 6 through 12 will join the search for candy-filled eggs hidden around the Village. Parents are advised to bring a camera for taking pictures of their children with the Easter Bunny. Free lemonade and water will be served by Nacogdoches Junior Forum and attendees can purchase a raffle ticket for the very special Easter Egg Hunt prize.
“This is always a picture perfect event since it comes at a time when many of our flowers are in bloom and the grounds are covered by a carpet of wildflowers,” says Susie Lower, Village Director. “ Millard’s Crossing provides such a lovely, peaceful setting for this activity and is conducted in the spirit of an old-fashioned Easter Egg Hunt. The big difference is we now use the candy stuffed eggs instead of the hard boiled dyed eggs we used to have.” Laughing, she continued, “as I recall, those home-dyed, partly smashed eggs we hunted for , were not very appetizing and usually went uneaten. Perhaps plastic eggs, in this one very rare case, are probably an improvement. As children, we definitely preferred the candy to real eggs!”
Millard’s Crossing Historic Village is located at 6020 North Street (US Business 59 North), one half mile north of Loop 224. Parking is available just inside the gate or at the flea market next to the Village. Admission fee at the gate is $2.00 per person, both adults and children, with proceeds going toward supporting the many programs and operations of the Village. For more information, call 936-564-6631.
NPD AWARDS BANQUET HELD RECENTLY

The fourth annual Nacogdoches Police Department Awards Banquet was recently held at Lanana Hall in Nacogdoches. Awards were presented to individuals for outstanding achievement by the Department. L-R Jonathan Adams, Detective of the Year; Lt. Dan Taravella, Chief’s Officer of the Year; John Allen, Officer of the Year; Adrian Nichols, Chief’s Community Member of the Year; Brian Eggebrecht, Special Operations Officer of the Year; Josh Maisel, Patrolman’s Choice Award; Sarah Massengale, Communications Operator of the Year, Christy Diaz, Civilian Employee of the Year and Wyatt Henderson, Chief’s Civilian Employee of the Year.
Blueberry Golf Bash is April 12
The 16th Annual Blueberry Golf Bash offers business and community leaders an opportunity to network during the day of friendly, fun competition. The tournament is set for Friday, Apr. 12 at Piney Woods Country Club. Title sponsor is MyPlates.com – Etech. The event is produced by the Nacogdoches County Chamber of Commerce golf bash committee led by co-chairs Trish Holt, Etech, and Ben Wright, Texas Farm Products.

Pictured from left are Golf Bash co-chair Trish Clayton, Etech; General Manager Ted Smith, Piney Woods Country Club; and Chamber Vice Chair Special Projects & Fundraisers, Jessica Henderson, Hospice of East Texas; standing on the PWCC balcony overlooking the golf course. (Photo by Kelly Daniel)
Tournament meals are provided by Piney Woods Country Club, Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers and Appleby Sand Mercantile Cafe.
“Along with PWCC Pro Shop gift certificates that will be awarded to the top placing teams, golfers will enjoy other competitions including the Academy Sports & Outdoors Putting Contest, a Curtis & Clark Energy Services $30,000 cash prize Hole-in-One Shootout, MyPlates.com Driving Range contest, Longest Drive, Closest to the Pin, and a fun award will be presented to the team ranking 16th in the tournament,” Henderson said.
Sponsorships are available for business marketing and additional team benefits. Entry fees begin at $400 per team for 18 holes of golf, riding cart if needed and two meals. Deadline for team registration is Apr. 5.
Find more event information in “Hot News” at www.nacogdoches.org or contact the chamber at 936-560-5533 for raffle item donation and goodie bag contributions.
The Blueberry Golf Bash raises funds that the Nacogdoches County Chamber of Commerce uses to provide services to members, newcomers and Nacogdoches visitors.
World-famous trombonist to perform at SFA, discuss gender perspectives
World-famous trombonist Abbie Conant will bring her 600-pound quadraphonic sound system to the campus of Stephen F. Austin State University when she performs in concert at 7:30 p.m. Monday, March 25, in the newly refurbished Music Recital Hall in the Wright Music Building.
The subject of a chapter in journalist and author Malcolm Gladwell’s New York Times Bestseller, “Blink,” Conant will also participate in the International Views on Gender roundtable discussion on campus scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 26, in LAN 142, during which time the roles of men and women in different societies and cultures will be discussed.
“My students and I are very excited to work with a trombonist of this caliber,” said Deb Scott, associate professor of trombone at SFA. “Over the course of several days, she will teach many lessons and masterclasses for us. She is a very creative performer who incorporates theater in her music. It is rare to see this kind of performer in Nacogdoches.”
For the Monday night concert, Conant and Osborne will present their 2013 spring tour of internationally celebrated multi-media work, “Music for the End of Time,” which showcases concert-length work for trombone, video and quadraphonic electronics whose six movements are based on St. John the Devine’s Book of Revelation.
“Our goal has been to explore the new dimensions of performance art and create substantial, meaningful works for the trombone,” according to Conant.
Conant, professor of trombone in Staatliche Hochschule fuer Musik in Cologne, Germany, received her bachelor’s degree from Temple University, studied at Yale University and then received her master’s degree from the Juilliard School and a master diploma from the Staatliche Hochschule fuer Musik. She has been solo trombonist for the Royal Opera in Turin, Italy, and for the Munich Philharmonic. The International Trombone Association described her as being “in the first rank of world class trombonists.”
Osborne, noted author and composer, is well known for his activism for women in music and has written many articles about the social and political influences of symphony orchestras. In 1998, he was recognized by the International Alliance for Women in Music for his services to women in music.
Conant and Osborne have toured in more than 155 cities in America and Europe to great critical acclaim for Osborne’s compositions.
Tuesday night’s roundtable discussion, sponsored by the Gender Studies Program at SFA, will feature a number of other individuals in addition to the guest performers who will discuss international perspectives on gender. Among them are Sadia Cheema, graduate student from Pakistan, Fatime Karagama, undergraduate student from Cameroon, and David Rex-Galindo, assistant professor of history at SFA from Spain.
Tickets for the concert are $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and $2 for students. For tickets or more information, call the Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu.



