NEEDS A HOME

Beeren is a male Australian shepherd mix. He's sleek and shiny, with gorgeous eyes and a calm disposition. He is interested in everything and everyone around him.

He is neutered, about 2 years old, and ready to go to his new home right now. He also has two brothers who are ready for adoption.

Meet Beeren and other animals in need of a home at the Brazos Animal Shelter (www.brazosanimalshelter.org) at 2207 Finfeather Road in Bryan. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays.

CHARITY

The St. Joseph Foundation of Bryan recently received a donation from Watercrest at Bryan, a new community for active adults.

"Healthy living is an extremely important aspect to the Watercrest community," said Judy Emley, resident activity director for Watercrest. "Because of that focus, we hope our contribution to the St. Joseph Foundation will help the hospitals give their patients everything they need and deserve."

The new mission of the St. Joseph Foundation is to educate the community as well as gather charitable donations for all of the health care facilities supported by St. Joseph Health Systems.

With the monetary contributions given to the foundation, new research can be conducted and care like that seen in big metropolitan hospitals can be available at the St. Joseph Health System.

Watercrest at Bryan is near the corner of University Drive and Boonville Road. Visit www.watercrestbryan.com..

TEXAS A&M

* Local professor Teruki Kamon (above) recently gave a lecture on the physics research he conducts worldwide to 200 Japanese middle-schoolers in the Sado school system, located on a small island in Japan.

Kamon works at Texas A&M University in the department of physics and at Kyungpook National University in the Republic of Korea. His work also involves Fermilab in Chicago and CERN in Switzerland.

Originally from Japan, Kamon wanted to share with Japanese students his story of receiving a global education and now working in a global research field.

Kamon also helps teach science to youth locally through his involvement in the College Station school district's Saturday Morning Physics gatherings for the past year.

Through the weekly meetings, he joins other A&M faculty in teaching students as old as high school age in plain English about physics through lectures and hands-on experiments. The group was started in 2006 by professor Ralf Rapp, and since then has enjoyed increasing popularity. Some Saturday Morning Physics students have continued on to study physics at A&M.

* Craig Blakely, dean of the Texas A&M Health Science Center School of Rural Public Health, and Jim Burdine, assistant dean for public health practice at the school, served as guest editors for the current issue of the Journal of Primary Prevention, focusing on community-based participatory research and community health development.

The theme issue highlights the work of the School of Rural Public Health Center Community Health Development and several other Prevention Research Centers, designated and funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Ciro Sumaya, professor at the School of Rural Public Health, and Eduardo Simoes, director of the CDC's Prevention Research Centers Program, co-authored a commentary on community engagement and collaboration. Other authors include Blakely, Burdine, Ken McLeroy, Monica Wendel, Angie Alaniz, Heather Clark, and former students John Prochaska, Keith Perkins and Shawta Sackett. Additional research centers represented in the journal issue are the University of Arizona, University of Michigan and SUNY University at Albany.

* Dennis Perrotta, associate professor at the Texas A&M Health Science Center School of Rural Public Health and associate director of the National Center for Emergency Medical Preparedness and Response, has been appointed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to a committee charged with outlining the roles and contributions epidemiologists can make in disaster response operations.

Perrotta recently participated in a workshop with participants from approximately 22 states and is currently working with the committee on a document of best practices in disaster epidemiology.

HIGHER EDUCATION

* Kate Eileen Stipanovic of Bryan has graduated cum laude from Texas Woman's University in Denton with a bachelor's degree in nursing. Stipanovic is a graduate of Bryan High School.

* The following Brazos Valley students have earned a degree at the University of North Texas in Denton: Bryan residents Maria Angelica Ramirez in interior design and Elizabeth Titus in English; and College Station residents Zachary Michael Honea in radio, television and film, Thilini Surangi Rathnayaka in music and Jeffrey Wayne Taylor in general studies.

* Keri Wood, a sophomore marketing major from College Station, earned a place on the Chancellor's List at the University of Arkansas in recognition of her 4.0 grade-point average.

Amanda Moquin, a second-year law student from Franklin, was named to the Dean's List at the law school at the University of Arkansas for earning a minimum 3.0 gpa.

TRIATHLON

Local resident Abby Ross finished 3rd in the Houston Kiwanis Kids Triathlon that occurred on July 10 in Houston.

The event included a 50 meter swim, a 1-mile bike ride and a 1/4-mile run.

CLUB NEWS

* Members of the Laureate Alpha Alpha chapter of Beta Sigma Phi held an end-of-year dinner party at the Lemon Wedge in downtown Bryan. Members discussed summer plans, and some secret gifts were delivered.

Attending were Margie Billingsley, Jane and Bob Cohen, Marcia and Gary Drost, Mary Dudek, Mary Ann and Raymond Gaylord, Sherry and Gary Kovar, Kathy Pilgrim and Michael Green, Rosemary Shaunfield, Denise and Jim Wood and Sandra and Gale Wood.

2010-11 President Connie Moss sent her good wishes to the group. Plans for Beginning Day will be set for late August.

Member and Chef Denise Wood owns the Lemon Wedge with her husband, Jim. Denise led a tour of the Lemon Wedge, including the kitchen. Members enjoyed a meal and dessert before parting for the summer.

* The Mary O'Neal McCuistion Chapter of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas met recently at the Bryan home of member Mary Kathryn Briggs. Thirteen people attended.

The theme of the chapter meetings for 2010-11 is Exploring Historical Sites in the Brazos Valley. However, at this meeting, chapter member Ruby James presented details of the service of her ancestor, Stephen Franklin Sparks, in the fight for Texas independence. Sparks was a hero of the Battles of San Jacinto and Bexar.

NAVASOTA

The city of Navasota held a ground-breaking ceremony recently to kick off construction of the Navasota Municipal Building, at 200 E. McAlpine St.

The building, which is designed to resemble the city hall that was constructed in 1903 and demolished in the 1950s, will include a clock tower, which also was the prominent feature of the 1903 building.

"This is a momentous occasion in the history of the city of Navasota, and we appreciate the support of the citizens for this project" said Mayor Pro-Tem Peter Canney.

Mayor Bert Miller echoed the appreciation for the support from city residents.

"What a great project for our city," Miller said. "We are moving into the future while honoring the past, and at the same time increasing our customer service by combining the City Hall operations, Public Works offices and the Police Department under one roof."

Jeff Gerber and the team from PGAL Architects worked to incorporate many facets of the old building into the new one. They studied the colors of the brick and roof, as well as the arched design of the doorways and windows.

The estimated cost for the construction of the 28,000-square-foot building is $6.8 million.

The municipal building is only a portion of the project, which will include new parking, demolition of the old police department and City Hall, and replacement of streets and sidewalks in the area of the new building along Holland, McAlpine and Farquhar streets, along with streetscape improvements in the area.

The estimated cost for the entire plan is close to $11 million dollars.

GIRL SCOUTS

Members of Girl Scout Troop 9178 recently presented the Brazos Animal Shelter with a $150 donation.

The money was earned through the annual cookie sale. Troop members involved included Sarah Marek, Lacey Hawthorne, Britney Scott, Holly Johnson, Aubrey Hay, Emily Hay and Allie Vollentine.

PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION

Lauren Ingram, who practices public accounting in Houston, was recently awarded her CPA certificate at a ceremony in Austin. Her father, James D. "Jim" Ingram IV, and grandfather, James D. Ingram III, are both CPAs in the Bryan-College Station area and were on hand for the presentation.

Also at the event, James Ingram III was recognized for 50 years of licensure as a CPA in the state of Texas.

YOUTH LEADER

Hunter Beck of Bryan was chosen to participate in the National Student Leadership Conference on Sports and Entertainment Management this summer at Fordham University.

The conference includes specialized workshops and classes designed to foster leadership skills through hands-on activities meant to provide students with a glimpse of a "day-in-the-life" of a prospective career. Facilitators include leading professionals and professors from top colleges.

Guest speakers will offer Beck and the other participants the chance to meet with and learn from recognized leaders. Past special guest speakers include Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, CIA Director Michael Hayden, and Supreme Court Justices Anthony Kennedy, David Souter and Sandra Day O'Connor in addition to senators, representatives, governors, ambassadors and leaders in a variety of fields.

HOSPICE AUXILIARY

Hospice Auxiliary Brazos Valley Inc. inducted new officers in May. Officers for the 2010-11 year are: President Helen R. Cluck, Vice-President Anne Hazen, Secretary Elaine Mies and Treasurer Susan Childs.

Meetings are open to the public and to prospective members, and will take place at 10:30 a.m. on the fourth Wednesdays of September, October, January, February, March and April at the Pebble Creek Country Club in College Station.

Featured monthly programs will be followed by short business meetings. Members and guests also may reserve a catered noon lunch at the country club, and those enrolled may participate in an afternoon of Party Bridge following the meetings.

The Auxiliary is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the support of Hospice Brazos Valley. Its primary missions are to provide financial support to Hospice Brazos Valley, promote community awareness of the Hospice mission and to promote fellowship and educational programs for members.

Fundraising events include bus trips to Houston and Austin for shopping and fellowship, which are open to the public. The Auxiliary also sells note cards, ceramic Hospice angels, and holiday wreaths. Last year, the organization provided more than $18,000 to the hospice.

NATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP

Damani Felder, a 2010 home-school graduate, has been awarded a Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholarship in the amount of $24,000.

The scholarship is underwritten by Goldman, Sachs and Co. and will help Felder attend Texas A&M University this fall, where he plans to double major in the programs of Business Honors and Business Management at the Mays Business School.

Felder also hopes to be a walk-on to the Texas A&M football team and become what would likely be the first home-school graduate in A&M history to make the team.

More than 4,000 applicants sought the Jackie Robinson scholarship this year alone, with only about 200 reaching the interview stage. Of those interviewed, between 40 and 50 students were awarded scholarships. Recipients must earn an SAT score of at least 1,000 and submit five essays, totalling 10,000 words, along with one letter of recommendation.

Felder was named a semifinalist in May and interviewed before a panel of six successful business and civic leaders in Houston with about 14 other semifinalists.

He described the interview as "lengthy, as well as challenging."

For the next four years, the foundation will financially sponsor Felder to attend its annual networking weekend over spring break, which teaches business rules and etiquette and allows attendees to meet individuals such as Bill Cosby, Hillary Clinton and Jackie Joiner Kersey.

FIRE DEPARTMENT

Chief Joe Ondrasek, a 28-year veteran of the Brazos County Precinct 4 Volunteer Fire Department and fire chief since 1992, has been elected secretary to the board of directors of the State Firemen's and Fire Marshals' Association. The elections were held during the association's annual training conference last month in Corpus Christi.

The 134-year-old group is one of the largest trade associations in Texas.