Talk of the Neighborhood highlights Central Texans’ achievements.

* Applause *

* Beta Sigma Phi chapters Laureate Gamma Epsilon, Preceptor Eta Eta and Preceptor Kappa Phi honored their sweethearts earlier this year with a brunch at the Hamilton House on Austin Avenue. Beta Sigma Phi is an international cultural, service and social organization.

Sweethearts (pictured above) are Betty Winn and Janda Hill from Preceptor Kappa Phi, Eolior Yokus from Preceptor Eta Eta and Sandy Swanson from Laureate Gamma Epsilon.

* Grady Bonner Jr. of Mart was recognized by the Texas AgriLife Extension Service as the first African-American to be certified as a Texas Master Gardener in McLennan County.

Before moving to Central Texas, Bonner volunteered with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Wichita Falls and began gardens for two clubs located in public housing and other sites in the most impoverished areas of the city. He received numerous accolades for that work, including a Junior League Lighting the Way Award and the Governor’s Volunteer Award.

* Retired Lt. Col. Golda T. Eldridge, a business consultant at McLennan Community College’s Small Business Development Center, was named the Veterans Small Business Champion of the Year by the Dallas/Fort Worth District Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Eldridge was chosen from among nominees throughout 72 counties in Texas for his work to increase business and financial opportunities for veterans.

* Attorney Susanne C. Seré of Lone Star Legal Aid, which has a Waco office at Ninth Street and Austin Avenue on the seventh floor, received an Impact Award from the State Bar Poverty Law Section

Seré was championed for her efforts to help those affected by Hurricane Ike obtain housing.

The managing attorney at the Waco office is Cheryl Swanton. Baylor law professor David Swenson is a member.

* Class Acts *

* Reicher Catholic High School students who placed at the state TAPPS (Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools) academic competition in Austin were:

Kaleb Ryle, 1st place in solo acting, 3rd place in prose interpretation; Christine VanPelt, 2nd place in number sense; Lizeth Salazar, 3rd place in Spanish; Alex Simpson, 3rd place in computer science; David Moody, 5th place in poetry interpretation; and Maggie Martinez and Kaleb Ryle, 5th place in duet acting.

Placing in the art competition were:

Bo Yeong Chung, 2nd place in printmaking; Katie Polansky, 2nd place in computer generated design; Lyndon Auclair, 2nd place in photography-digital process; Haley Black, 4th place in computer generated design; Mahek Vellani, 4th place in art history; Alyssa Sheedy, 6th place and honorable mention in graphic design; and Dani Owens, honorable mention, mixed-media 2D.

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