Now that the Warriors’ Weekend has concluded for one more year and the sand sculptures are being taken down, it’s time to meet the artist, Gloria Fric aka The Dragon Lady.

A citizen of the world, as she describes herself, being born in Japan, educated in France, Germany and all over the United States, Gloria finished her schooling in Victoria, Texas. Returning to Victoria when her father retired after being stationed earlier at Foster Field, her family then became a vibrant part of that community. Gloria graduated from high school in Victoria, and has remained a part of her graduating class by composing a newsletter to her classmates informing them of upcoming celebrations and news of other classmates.

Gloria is a beach lady, never happier than when she is walking on a sandy area, watching the waves crash and roll, turning her face to the sun and smiling with joy. And her love of many beach days gave to her the artistry that she gives to others today. Gloria said that as she was walking the beach at Port Aransas one day, she saw a sand sculpture being formed. Stopping to talk and gaining more information, she decided that she wanted to learn more about carving in sand and creating a figure. Luckily she had made the acquaintance of several artists in this genre, and each were more than happy to share with her their knowledge and guidance.

And then, later Gloria started working on her own special design and figure, a dragon of almost 30’; thus her adoptive name of The Dragon Lady. Entering the Texas Sandfest Contest held yearly in Port Aransas, she has captured both first and second places to the delight of her friends and family.

Being a member of an Air Force family, contributes to her interest in sculpting military scenes for our community. Additionally, her work and dedication to thanking returning military veterans evolves from seeing the scene her husband was exposed to when returning from Viet Nam, as many were during that period. Her ideas for the figures she designs and carves come from all fields of information; i.e., scenes from television, studying areas of the internet, suggestions from friends, photographs and news stories; everywhere. Gloria has given to our community her talent for the past six years, and we can only hope that she will be able to do so for a longer period of time. Port O’Connor is so very grateful for your talent and time and we look forward to the coming year.

Meeting Gloria you are struck by her very expressive face, conveying her warmth and congenial attitude; there are no strangers for her. She has very warm dark eyes, a constant smile, and a blond ponytail that is always moving. THIS LADY SPARKLES!

A fish fry and auction is being planned for Saturday, Sept. 6, 2014 to help Freda (Ragusin) Howard as she continues the ongoing battle for her health. Anyone who would like to assist in staging this benefit is asked to contact either Veronica Ragusin at 361-648-6583; Beverly Clifton at 361-220-1583; Dawn Ragusin at 361-550-2371; or Sylvia Martinez at 361-648-1954.

Fishermen are also urged to please donate your fresh fish filets for the fish fry. Please contact Billy Ragusin at Clark’s Dock.

A bank account has been opened in Freda’s name at First National Bank in Port O’Connor to help defray medical expenses in her fight against lung cancer. Checks should be made out to: FREDA HOWARD and can be dropped off at one of four branches in POC, Port Lavaca, Seadrift, or Victoria or mailed to: First National Bank, P.O. Box 399, Port O’Connor, TX 77982.

Get your Fight Freda Fight bracelet at First National Bank, Port O’Connor or at Captain G’s (8th & Adams, POC) for a $20 donation.

Thank You and God Bless!

July 28, 2014 will be the 100th anniversary of the start of World War I, also called the “Great War”, which lasted from July 28, 1914 to November 11, 1918. World War I was one of the deadliest wars in history, an estimated nine million soldiers were killed; the total killed including civilians exceeded fifteen million, which was the minimum estimate. The aftermath of World War I saw Europe forever changed and the seeds for World War II planted.

World War I initially started when Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie were killed in the city of Sarajevo by a group of assassins from Serbia. Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, and a chain reaction followed, with many countries, either by treaty obligations or by choice declared war on one another. The war drew in all the world’s great economic powers, which were assembled in two opposing alliances; the Allies and the Central Powers.

 

The countries involved on the “Allied” side included France, Russia, Italy, Serbia, Montenegro, Romania, Belgium, Greece, Portugal, Japan, the United States, and the British Empire. The British Empire at the time included the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, India, Newfoundland, New Zealand, and South Africa. The United States entered World War I on the Allied side in 1917, while Russia withdrew from the war by signing a peace treaty with Germany in 1917 after the Russian Revolution.

The “Central Powers” consisted of the countries of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire. Austria-Hungary consisted of modern day Austria, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and the Ukraine. The Ottoman Empire consisted of modern day Turkey, Israel, Syria, Jordan, and other parts of the Middle East and Africa.

Ultimately, more than 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, were mobilized in one of the largest wars in history. By the end of the war, which the Central Powers lost, four major imperial powers; Germany, Russia, Austro-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire, had major government changes or ceased to exist. The maps of Europe and Southwest Asia were redrawn, with several new nations created. The League of Nations was formed with the aim of preventing a repeat of such a deadly conflict, but ultimately failed, contributing to the conditions for World War II some 20 years later.

World War I ushered in a great number of technical advances in warfare, including airplanes, poison gas, tanks, and the widespread use of machine guns. While a submarine had been used previously to sink a ship during the American Civil War, World War I saw the submarine make its mark on history as German submarines sank almost 5,000 Allied ships.
In upcoming issues of the Dolphin Talk I’ll be writing about the different weapons used, some of the large battles fought, United States involvement in World War I, and some of the soldiers who fought in World War I.