Monthly Archives: July 2018

local news

It’s Sixth ‘Avenue,’ not Sixth ‘Street’

AMARILLO, Texas — My wife, son and I spent some time this afternoon strolling along Historic Route 66, which was decked out with displays, booths, food vendors and classic cars.

We had a good time looking at displays and catching up with old friends.

OK, now for the nit-picking part of this blog.

I want to clear the air on the thoroughfare that is known as Historic Route 66. It happens to be Sixth Avenue.

And yet … I keep hearing locals refer to it as Sixth Street.

I keep asking myself, um … why?

Does “Sixth Street” roll off the tongue more smoothly? Does it sound cooler than “Sixth Avenue,” which is how the city has platted the thoroughfare.

I don’t mean to be a griper. I just want to set the record straight on the street that so many of my Amarillo friends misidentify with no apparent or outward knowledge of the right-of-way to which they are referring.

Hey, my wife and I don’t live here full time any longer.

Please don’t think ill of me. I’m just seeking a bit of home-town accuracy.

I will conclude with this: Sixth Avenue was packed and it looked to me like a lot of folks — a lot of whom likely came from some distance away — were having a wonderful time.

Even in this summer heat!

local news

USS Arizona still gets earned reverence

A social media acquaintance of mine has voiced an objection to the placing of a USS Arizona artifact eventually at the Texas Panhandle War Memorial.

She believes the Arizona is too sacred a place — a resting place for more than 1,000 U.S. servicemen — to be taken apart for display in other locations.

I will disagree with all due respect to this person.

I happen to endorse the idea of placing this artifact at the War Memorial. I also happen to agree with her that the USS Arizona — a World War I-era battle wagon that was sunk by Japanese bombers on Dec. 7, 1941 — is a sacred place.

But the ship’s hulk that rests on the bottom of Honolulu harbor isn’t being dismantled. It isn’t being taken apart. The sailors’ remains are still interred with the superstructure that sank during the attack. Thus, they haven’t been disturbed.

The USS Arizona serves to remind all Americans who came along after the Second World War of the sacrifices made by those who served in harm’s way.

We all can rest assured, in my view, that the War Memorial board — along with Randall County Judge Ernie Houdashell, who engineered the delivery of the Arizona artifact — will ensure that it is displayed with all due respect and reverence.

As for the ship’s hulk that will serve forever as a reminder of the “date which will live in infamy,” it remains a sacred place.