January 2025

The Alpine Fightin’ Bucks basketball team closed out non-district play this season with a hardfought second half on the road over the Buena Vista Longhorns, setting the stage for a thrilling start to their district campaign against the Tornillo Coyotes and a hard-fought game against a formidable Presidio team.

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“The true purpose of the arts education is not necessarily to create more professional dancers or artists. It’s to create more complete human beings who are critical thinkers, who have curious minds, who can lead productive lives.”

Last fall, Sul Ross State University received an impressive $7.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education, a signifi cant win for higher education and regional development.

Paul Roger Olsen of Alpine died Wednesday, January 8, in Midland. He was born on January 28, 1933, in Audubon, Iowa, the son of Lois (Mead) and Peter Olsen. Paul grew up in small-town Iowa and, after graduating as a Political Science major from the University of Iowa, served in the U.S. Army. He was stationed in Butzbach, Germany, where he and newlywed Nan (Bray) started a family. In 1959, Paul and Nan returned to her hometown of Austin and would later separate.

Ross David Burling, a lifelong citizen of Alpine, passed away peacefully in Boerne on January 8. Ross was born May 29, 1961, the youngest of six children born to J.B. And Peggy Burling. After graduating from high school, Ross attended Sul Ross State University. Ross enjoyed hunting, fishing, and target shooting with his three brothers, and was a good shot. He spent many happy times fishing with family at Lajitas. Ross worked during high school at The Hut and Sonic, eventually becoming the manager of the Longhorn Steakhouse. Later, he was in charge of food service for Brewster County Jail. While there, he graduated from the Police Academy and became a Deputy Sheriff, working as a detention officer and dispatcher. Ross was retired from the Brewster County Sheriff’s Office.

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Agencies, universities seek $24.6 billion in new funding The Texas Senate’s chief budget writer said state agencies and higher education institutions have requested nearly $25 billion in funding as the legislative session gets underway. State Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, told The Dallas Morning News that the requests for new money reflect the growing functions and purposes of state agencies that serve the public.

The Museum of the Big Bend at Sul Ross State University has been nominated for the second straight year in USA Today’s 2025 10Best Readers’ Choice travel awards. The museum won the award in 2024. An expert panel selected the Museum of the Big Bend as a contender for Best Smalltown Museum, a new category, according to a press release from USA Today. The contest allows four weeks to vote for the museum of your choice at https://10best. usatoday.com/awards/ travel/best-small-townmuseum2025/ museumof- the-big-bend-alpinetexas/. You can vote once a day for the run of the contest by visiting the SRSU and Museum of the Big Bend Facebook and Instagram pages, or by going directly to the link above. Voting ends Monday, February 10, and the winner will be announced on 10Best on Wednesday, February 19. The museum has previously received a “Top Western Museum” award from True West magazine. For more information, email Director John Klingemann at john.klingemann@sulross.edu.

The Big Bend Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas will hold this month’s program on Saturday, January 18, at 1 p.m. in the Alpine Public Library’s AEP room.