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287 CONTRIBUTORS’ VITAS Francis Edward Abernethy, Distinguished Regents Professor Emeritus of English at Stephen F. Austin State University, was Secretary -Editor of the Texas Folklore Society from 1971 to 2004, editing or co-editing over twenty volumes of TFS publications in his thirty-three years of leading the organization. Len Ainsworth deals in rare and collectible books on Texas through his Adobe Book Collection. This allows him to read some, buy some, sell some, trade some, and keep some back for later. An emeritus professor and vice-provost of Texas Tech University, he continues to follow the trials and occasional triumphs of Red Raider and Lady Raider sports teams. Scott Hill Bumgardner is a real estate consultant, retired Houston cop, grandpa, rancher, writer, and professional storyteller. He has served several terms as president of the Houston Storytellers Guild, and has been a member of the Houston Rodeo Speakers Committee since 1991. His foundation in historical tales and cowboy poetry has taken a turn for the outlandish. Funny, far-fetched tales keep falling out of his head. The lighter side of his nature keeps the audience on the edge of their seats as his fun, actionpacked tales come roaring by. Jennifer Oakes Curtis is an author, a storyteller, and a life-writing consultant. Although she lived in Houston for more than twentyfive years, she currently resides in Pennsylvania, but is still frequently in Texas visiting her children and grandchildren. Robert J. (Jack) Duncan has taught at Collin College and Grayson County College and has worked in staff positions at Collin College and Richland College. He was President of the Texas Folklore Society in 1980, and is a life member of the Texas State Historical Association. Jack is a widely published freelance writer, in both scholarly and popular periodicals, including Reader’s Digest. For the past dozen years he has worked as a writer/editor/researcher for Retractable Technologies, Inc., a manufacturer of safety needle medical devices in Little Elm. A lifelong learner, Jack continues to frequently take graduate courses at UNT in a variety of disciplines. He has lived in McKinney most of his life, and he is married to his high school sweetheart, the former Elizabeth Ann Harris; they have two sons and five grandsons. Jack and Elizabeth have been active members of the Texas Folklore Society for more than forty years. Courtney Elliott is from Alvin, Texas, and is a junior Agricultural Leadership and Development major at Texas A&M in College Station . She became a member of the TFS as a freshman at San Jacinto College South Campus. Her personal involvement in rodeo competition and serving as Miss Jasper Lions Club Rodeo, Miss Texas High School Rodeo Region 7, Miss Rodeo Austin, and Miss Rodeo Texas Teen inspired the topic of her paper entitled “The Legacy of Bill Pickett, The Dusky Demon,” which was presented at the 2012 TFS meeting in Abilene. Jenson Erapuram received his associate’s degree in business administration from San Jacinto College, where he was a member of the honors program and the Walter Prescott Webb History Society . He is currently .pursuing a bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration at the University of Houston-Clear Lake, where he serves as the community service chair of the National Society of Leadership and Success, the largest student organization on campus . He enjoys spending extra time serving the community through volunteering with organizations such as Healthcare for the Homeless —Houston and Crossroads: Community Partnership for Youth. Lee Haile has been a member of the TFS since 1981, when he gave a paper on folk toys while still in college. He graduated from Texas A&M in 1982 with a degree in entomology (bugs). He lives 288 Contributors’ Vitas with his wife Karen in the hills of western Bandera County, where he is building his home using all native stone and wood that he has sawed in his sawmill. He is a woodworker, musician/singer/songwriter , writer, folklorist, and nature guide in the Hill Country. He has been the Folk toy maker at the Texas Folklife Festival for the last twenty-six years. He is still enjoying life! L. Patrick Hughes is currently trying to figure out the vagaries of retirement after thirty-six years as a professor of History at Austin Community College. He is a past-President of both the Texas Folklore Society and the Texas Oral History Association, and former board member of the East Texas Historical Association. Sue M. Friday’s “Hemphill: Revisiting Small Town Texas” is her fourth article...

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