December 2024

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A look back at his glory days As we sit on the cusp of yet another Super Bowl, one Alpine local can lay claim to being a world-champion Super Bowl player in his own right. In 1958, an Alpine Fightin’ Buck named Robert “Bake” Turner graduated from Alpine High School and moved on to pursue higher education at Texas Tech College, now Texas Tech University, where he played college football, before being drafted by the NFL.

After a lengthy investigation, an arrest was made last Friday, July 5 by the Brewster County Sheriff’s Office in conjunction with numerous grass and brush fires that have plagued the area. David Matthew Neet, 44 of Alpine was taken into custody and charged with 20 counts of arson after investigations of the fires led to the discovery of incendiary devices at each of the locations.

The Alpine ISD Board of Trustees held their regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday, April 17 at the AISD administration building. Trustees Jimmy Morris and Joe Portillo were absent.

The Alpine Emergency Services Board (AESB) held its final meeting of 2024 on Thursday, December 19, at 5:30 p.m. All board members were present except Aaron Rodriguez, who joined remotely due to illness.

Johnnie Lois Tucker Chambers completed her journey through this life on December 19 in San Angelo. Johnnie was born September 28, 1929, on a ranch near Iraan in Crockett County —about a month before the stock market crash in 1929 that started the Great Depression. While her family was of modest means, they were ranchers and consequently never went hungry like so many did in that era. Her early life was full of adventure. When she was three years old, her family moved to what is now Big Bend National Park, first to the Mariscal mine and later to San Vicente. While they only lived in the Big Bend for about three years, that time of her life was precious to her. Her parents allowed her to roam freely as long as she came home in time for supper. After leaving the Big Bend, Johnnie’s family moved around to Alpine, Fort Stockton, Ozona, Sheffield, and Presidio – wherever her father could find work. This nomadic lifestyle wasn’t by choice, but it

Photo by Kara Gerbert .

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BLACKBERRY CAKE INGREDIENTS: For the Cake: 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened 1 cup granulated sugar 2 large eggs, at room temperature 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature 1 1/2 cups fresh blackberries 22 drops of dark navy blue food coloring (As needed) For the Blackberry Buttercream Frosting: 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted 1/4 cup blackberry puree (made by blending fresh blackberries and straining out the seeds) 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract Pinch of salt For Decoration (Optional): Fresh blackberries Lemon zest Mint leaves INSTRUCTIONS: Preheat the Oven: Preheat your oven to 350. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans or line them with parchment paper.