Updated résumé

Tomie V. Parks

 tomie.parks@gmail.com

Triple Q Questions, June 2010-present, contract content provider
• Submit, edit and rewrite quiz bowl material for U.S. school districts
Taylor Daily Press, Dec. 2011-Jan. 2011, assistant lifestyles editor
• Generated quality news and feature stories.
Temple Daily Telegram, July 2006-February 2010, assistant lifestyles editor
• Generated quality news and feature stories.
• Stories consistently published throughout Texas via the Associated Press (See Appendix A).
• Managed content and design of daily lifestyle pages and weekend feature sections.
• Maintained online content for lifestyle section. 
• End-stage copy editor for daily and weekend feature sections. 
Galveston County Daily News, March 2005-May 06, editorial assistant
• Responsible for content and design of weekly Applause tab. Duties included writing feature stories, editing copy and maintaining community calendars
El Campo Leader-News, July 2004-January 05, reporter
• Generated news and feature stories for twice-weekly newspaper. Beats were crime, education, agriculture and religion.

Retired nurse gets dose of joy at clinic

By TOMIE LUNSFORD
Telegram Staff Writer

'You do what you can, when you can and all that you can because someday you might not be able to.'
That's the motto of Theda Maxfield, the 2010 Temple Community Free Clinic Volunteer of the Year.
'It's the way I was raised, and it's how I've lived my life,' she said.
It's also what makes Mrs. Maxfield a powerful volunteer.
'She is dependable,' said clinic director Connie Minnick. 'Every week, she's here until the last patient leaves.'
That dedication, Mrs. Maxfield said, is the stuff of a nurse.

Not all Christians celebrate prelude to Easter

By TOMIE LUNSFORD
Telegram Staff Writer

This time of year is about Lent.
And people are talking about 'giving up' stuff; it could be anything from meat to treats.
Those who follow the tradition know what its about. But to those outside the faith - like the TV host who recently mistook Vice President Joe Biden's ashes for a bruise - the rituals and traditions are a bit of a mystery.
To help explain the yearly occurrence, the Telegram did some research and compiled this list of facts about Lent.

Club thanks community volunteers

By TOMIE LUNSFORD
Telegram Staff Writer

Nothing shows love of community more than volunteer work.
The City Federation of Women's Clubs knows this to be true.
'Volunteering is what we're about,' said president Judy Scarborough at the City Federation's Feb. 9 meeting. 'We aim to do what we can when we can.'
That was her introduction to the club's annual distribution of the Community Volunteer Awards. The 2010 recipients are Federation member Jean Nolen of Temple and Shawn Shannon of Belton, the director of the Baptist Student Ministry at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.
'These two women are out in the community giving their time for the betterment of others,' said Aliceanne Wallace, co-chair of the Volunteer Award committee. 'They don't do it because they expect anything back. They do it because they enjoy the work and because they see value in it.'

Fashion show will focus on prom

By TOMIE LUNSFORD
Telegram Staff Writer

Prom can make or break a girl's high school experience.
So to help Bell County girls have the best prom they can, the upcoming Day for Women event will showcase the newest trends in prom wear.
'The most popular thing, by far, this year is the one-shoulder prom dress,' said Patti Halbert, owner of After 5 Formal Wear in Robinson. 'And the trend's not just limited to prom. It's showing up in dresses for other special occasions too, like holidays and birthday parties.'

Chinese new year comes roaring in

By TOMIE LUNSFORD
Telegram Staff Writer

Today isn't just about kisses between Valentines.
For the Chinese culture, it's the start of a new year: the Year of the Tiger.
'According to the Zodiac, Tigers are aggressive, courageous, candid and sensitive,' said Alicia Go of Temple, a woman of full Chinese descent. 'They are also emotional, willful and likely to rebel.'
These traits are, supposedly, good for boys born in the Year of the Tiger.
'But it's not good news for girls,' Mrs. Go said. 'The Chinese culture says that's bad luck.'
Luck, superstition and the lunar calendar are intertwined in the Chinese Zodiac. It's the astrology that makes it so.

Church plants roots on 'holy' highway

By TOMIE LUNSFORD
Telegram Staff Writer

There's a new church in town, and it's congregation hopes to become a part of the 'Highway of Holiness' that is Interstate 35.
'We wanted to be on the highway,' said the Rev. Gary Pemberton, pastor at Water Life Christian Center at 5106 S. General Bruce Drive in Temple. 'Not just because of the exposure, but because of what God is doing there. He wanted us to be on I-35.'
Pemberton's not alone in believing that I-35 has divine preference. In the 'Light of the Highway' movement that caught the media's attention in 2007, hundreds of people claimed I-35 to be the road referenced in Isaiah 35:8.

On my honor... Boys salute a century of Scouting

By TOMIE LUNSFORD
Telegram Staff Writer

A boy's not a Scout for the awards or weekly meetings.
'We're in it for the adventure,' said 18-year-old Bryan Walker of Belton Troop No. 153. 'There's camping, hiking, shooting - everything.'
The activities are numerous, agreed the older Dwight Jekel of Cameron, who was a Scout in the '50s and '60s.
'There's more than 120 merit badges a boy can earn by learning and doing,' Jekel said.
But that's not the real adventure.
'It's the growing up that happens in between,' Jekel said. 'You start as a boy and leave a man.'
He's seen it happen dozens of times, first to himself and then to the boys he led as troop guide.
'It never fails,' Jekel said. 'You watch a boy come in. He knows nothing and is scared of everything, but when, he leaves, he's competent, able and self-reliant.'
This magic is the crux of the Boy Scouts of America - and Monday, it will be 100 years old.