Page 11 - Sanger Herald 12-20-18 E-edition

Lifestyles
SANGER HERALD • 3B • THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2018
TJ Cox wins a seat in Congress and talks about his agenda
Sanger
By Mike Nemeth
Sanger Herald
TJ Cox, the Democratic challenger elected to Congress from California’s 21st congressional district, spent much of his time in the days after his confirmation to the highly contested seat getting his staff in order, preparing the transition of regional offices from former U.S. Rep. David Valadeo and soaking in all the information required of his incoming freshman class.
In one of the final state races to be determined, Cox received 57,239 votes, or 50.4 percent, to Valadao’s 56,377, or 49.6 percent, with
Mike Nemeth / Sanger Herald
TJ Cox speaks prior to a forum in Sanger on Oct. 15.
100 percent of precincts reporting, according to RealClear Politics. Cox ran as the underdog. And early after election day, Valadao appeared he would return to Washington, D.C. with a comfortable margin of victory.
But politics and early results, in this case, proved deceiving. Cox’s share of uncounted ballots outpaced Valadao’s, and the challenger kept narrowing the divide as the weeks continued past Nov. 6. Then on Dec. 6, Cox thanked Valadao after the incumbent congressman called to concede the election.
“As the congressman
knows well, it is a great honor to be chosen to represent the people of the 21st District in the House of Representatives,” Cox said in a press release. “We will work together to ensure a smooth transition for our constituents. I’m looking forward to getting to work on making a positive difference in the lives of our hard-working families.”
Cox visited Sanger on Oct. 15, attending a forum held by Radio Bilingue and moderated by KQED’s California Report at the Sanger Woman’s Club. Valadao had been invited but declined to attend. Cox drew about 60 people and talked about how he would
apply his engineering credentials to help fix the central San Joaquin Valley’s pressing water problems. And he addressed a host of other issues, including creating living wage jobs, providing health care for residents, addressing the problem of helping those with dementia, establishing a “clean” Dream Act, bringing vocational trades back to schools and emphasizing the training of future workers and investing in communities.
Cox said investments should be in people and “not a hand out but a hand up.”
See Cox, Page 2B
Frazier finds his words in song
By Mike Nemeth
Sanger Herald
Mason Frazier stepped up to the microphone, oriented himself in front of a crowd of a couple thousand teachers, administrators and classified employees and began to sing.
His voice filled the Coach Dean Nicholson Gym at Sanger High as he belted lyrics of "The Star- Spangled Banner” without hesitation, hitting all the notes. And as he completed Francis Scott Key’s final line, his audience erupted in applause.
“He brought tears to my eyes and to the eyes of many of my friends,” said Angela Hernandez, his grandmother, of Frazier’s Aug. 15 performance before the General Session of the Sanger Unified School District. The assembly took place the day before classes started.
Many were similarly moved because Frazier doesn’t talk much. Conversations he participates in can be heavily one-sided.
Frazier stutters. His condition is pronounced. It’s hard for him to say exactly what he’s thinking without substantial delay.
Unless he’s singing.
“After singing at the district meeting, I felt double excited because that was my first standing ovation,” Frazier said in a text. “As for my stuttering, it makes me feel uncomfortable. I usually try not to say anything.”
The National
‘Joy to the World’
I love the Christmas season for many reasons. Remembering and welcoming the birth of the savior Jesus Christ. The joy of giving and receiving gifts from the ones I love.
But I find special delight in the sounds of Christmas especially the music. My Christmas season would hardly seem complete without the singing of “Joy to the World,” the most joyous of the carols.
You might not know that Isaac Watts, its author, never intended it to be a Christmas carol at all. Rather, it was a part of his “Psalms of David Imitated,” published in 1719, which contained paraphrases of
Mike Nemeth / Sanger Herald
Mason Frazier sometimes has trouble getting a few words out, but he can belt out the lyrics of the national anthem.
Because it was still early in the year, Warneke talked fundamentals. Posture. “Nice and tall,” he said. He told them to adjust their lips for the appropriate sound. They ran through exercises. They repeated them, working to perfect the communal sound. Warneke talked about projecting a raw sound from within.
And not sounding like Kermit the Frog, although Warneke did a pretty good imitation.
The workout as the group learned Hans Leo Hassler’s hauntingly beautiful choral masterpiece “Dixit Maria” appeared as intense as any head football coach Jorge Pena gives his athletes. And in keeping with that analogy, the guy sitting next to Frazier looked like a linebacker, dwarfing his smaller classmate. He was clearly a bass singer.
Classmate Hunter Jackson, Frazier and a handful of others peeled off from the main group to practice a piece of the song. Jackson and the rest treated Frazier no differently than anybody else. All focused on the task.
“He’s a normal dude,” Jackson said. “He has trouble talking. But when he’s singing, he’s awesome.”
After class, Frazier and I stood in front of the class watching students hurry to their next subject. By appearances, the big old reporter with glasses was the one who stood out. Mostly I talked and he
See Singer, Page 2B
resemblance to phrases of his great oratorio, “The Messiah,” first performed in 1742.
“Joy to the World, The Lord is come. Let earth receive her King! Let every heart, prepare Him room!” Let’s continue to celebrate the real reason for the season!
Sources for this account come from Kenneth W. Osbeck’s “101 More Hymn Stories. Michigan,” US: Kregel Publications, 1985.
Pastor Sam Estes is city advance director and facilitates the Sanger Community Task Force that meets the first and third Tuesdays every month. He can be reached at pastorsam51@gmail.com.
Stuttering Association defines stuttering as a communication disorder, one that involves disruptions, or “disfluencies,” in a person’s speech. People who stutter also often experience physical tension and struggle with their speech muscle as well as anxiety, embarrassment and fear of speaking. The association says about 4 percent to 5 percent of people experience stuttering at some time during their childhood, and for some it can continue into adulthood.
many of the Psalms in New Testament language.
Did you notice that this carol omits references to shepherds, angelic choruses and wise men? Isaac Watts (1675-1748), is universally acknowledged as “The Father of English Hymnody.” He has earned the title, not because he was first to write English hymns, but because he gave impetus to hymnody and established its place in the worship of the English church.
The birth of Watts to a dissenting deacon and the daughter of a Huguenot refugee was followed by 14 years of persecution and hardships for the entire family. Perhaps this suffering was responsible
Jane Fraser, president of the Stuttering Foundation, said a bunch of reasons contribute to why people can sing but have trouble talking.
“There’s no word retrieval involved (in singing),” she said. “You don’t have to find the right word. He knows those lyrics ahead of time. ‘Oh, say can you see by the dawn’s early light.’ He knows those words. And research shows having a rhythm helps.”
Frazier, 18, joined his school’s choir as a
sophomore. He’s now a senior.
“That’s why singing is so important,” he said. “I am with a group of people who are singing with me. I don’t feel different, and I’m singing at the same pace as they are. Music and singing is a great communicator for me.”
Sanger High choir director Dan Warneke said Frazier just adds to richness of character in his class of vocalists. “We are different in all kinds of ways, but we’re just here to enjoy music,” he said.
Warneke said Frazier sings in a quartet and has no fear of interacting with the other students. “Sometimes he will have to share something with the class,” Warneke said. “You just give him time.”
On that particular morning, Warneke then began working with his choir. Students sat in their appropriate places, altos to the left, sopranos to the right and tenor and bass in the middle. And Frazier sat with the bass and tenors. Thirty six students attended.
“Joy to the World” is the “imitation” of the last half of Psalm 98 and was first called, “The Messiah’s Coming and Kingdom.” Watts transformed the old Jewish psalm of praise for some historic deliverance into a Christian song of rejoicing for the salvation of God that began to be manifested when the Babe of Bethlehem came “to make his blessing flow far as the curse is found.”
This is one of the most joyous hymns in all Christendom because it makes so real what Christ’s birth means to all mankind. The music to which the hymn is sung was adapted by Lowell Mason and is attributed to George Frederick Handel and bears
PASTOR’S CORNER
for Watts’ ill health, for he grew only to a height of just over 5 feet and was weak and sickly all his life.
father was pastor. There was no stopping him from then on.
When Watts began to preach several years later, his congregation sang the numerous songs that seemed
Though weak
in body, the boy
was strong in
mind and spirit, and early in life showed promise of poetic capability. After one Sunday morning service, Watts, then 15 years old, complained of the atrocious worship in song. One of the deacons challenged him: “Give us something better, young man.”
His answer was ready by the evening service and was sung that night in the Independents’ meeting, Southampton, where his
Pastor Sam Estes
to flow from his pen like a river. In 1707, the accumulation of 18 years was published under the title, “Hymns and Spiritual Songs.” The river continued to flow, and in 1719 his “Psalms of David Imitated” was published, not as a new paraphrase of David, but as an imitation of him in New Testament language.
It was as though the Psalms burst forth in their fulfillment at last.