Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883

The elephant in the college classroom

"Half of that goes to the bank for your college fund!"

That's what my father told me in the 8th grade, when I got my first paycheck for waking up at 5:30 a.m. to ride my bike a few miles to Cool Springs Driving Range before school, where I plucked golf balls for a dollar an hour.

My dad had six kids to feed on a single income, after all. Paying my full college tuition bill was never going to be...