|
Aaron H. &
Sonia Simon Family
Haskell
Simon
Haskell & Freda Simon Family
Moise Simon
Simon
Family Ranch |
||||
|
|
||||
|
|
||||
|
|
||||
|
August 29, 1932 - August 26, 2020
Haskell L. Simon, 87, of Bay City, Texas passed away on August 26, 2020. He was born August 29, 1932 in Bay City, Texas to the late Aaron Simon and Sonia Simon.
Haskell graduated from Texas A&M and served in the army where he retired with the rank of captain. He wore many hats in his long life, including engineering, rice farming, cattle ranching, and running a restaurant. Haskell served with distinction on many local boards and was noted for his tireless work on water conservation in Texas. He was known for his dedication to the community and loyalty to his friends.
He was the loving brother of Beatrice Simon Franzel (Gerald), and cherished uncle of Dee Mintz (Steven), Michael Franzel (Sue) and Aaron Franzel (Ellen). Beloved great uncle, colleague and friend to many.
Taylor Bros. Funeral Home
“I’m sure they told you that if you asked me the time, I’d tell you how to build a watch,” the old man said, chuckling.
Saying Goodbye to a Friend Who Shared
Wisdom With Me
“This is Haskell Simon…” perfectly capturing his South Texas drawl.
Bay City Sentinel, September 3, 2020
Haskell Simon Honored by LCRA
AUSTIN - Haskell L. Simon, a Matagorda County rice grower and widely respected authority on Colorado River water issues, and the late Lady Bird Johnson were inducted into LCRA's Walk of Honor Tuesday.
Several Matagorda County residents - including three former county judges - were on hand to see Simon and Lady Bird given individualized plaques that will be permanently placed, recognizing their efforts on behalf of the Colorado River, at LCRA's Austin headquarters.
Addressing about 130 people who attended Tuesday's dedication, LCRA board chairman Ray Wilkerson said both Simon and Mrs. Johnson deserve more for what they've accomplished.
"But this is our highest honor we can bestow," he said.
Previous inductees are Congressman J. J. "Jake" Pickle, Tex Robertson, Henry Umscheid, Fritz Engelhard, Gov. John Connally Jr. and Quentin Martin.
Simon is the only living person inducted on the Walk of Honor.
Simon is a longtime advocate for interests of the Colorado River, a rice farmer since the 1970s and a local and regional leader, LCRA General Manager Joe Beal said.
"I once heard someone say that Haskell Simon must have been born with Colorado River water running in his veins," Beal added.
"Since childhood he has understood and appreciated the important role the Colorado River plays in the economic wealth and welfare of his native Matagorda County and how the river affects the health of the coastal ecosystem and the wildlife there."
Beal likened Simon to a secretary of state, who for decades has gone about his own personal form of shuttle diplomacy as a friend of the Colorado River.
"Through his efforts, he has built bridges like an engineer, but they were not brick, mortar and metal.
"They were people-to-people bridges. Along the way, he has made friends of his adversaries," Beal said.
"In Matagorda County, he is known as the go-to guy for information on rice, the Colorado River, groundwater, coastal bays and estuaries and beaches and sand dunes."
Beal praised Simon for volunteering his time - over decades - on issues ranging from upstream and downstream water use, water quality and supply, rice farming and other agribusiness, the environment and wildlife.
Simon collects information and diverse opinions by speaking to people in a way that requires a response, and then he listens to everyone's concerns, LCRA's general manager said.
"People might have guessed that Haskell was going to be a guy who saw both sides of any issue by looking at where he got his college degrees.
"His bachelor's of mechanical engineering came from Texas A&M University, while he earned his master's degree at The University of Texas at Austin. Now here is a man who knows conflict," Beal said, drawing laughter.
Another speaker was John Dickerson, who represents Matagorda County on the LCRA board.
He read statements from County Judge Nate McDonald and Bay City Mayor Richard Knapik noting Simon's contributions to his native county. Neither was able to attend.
Dickerson described Simon as a "humble man who doesn't seek recognition for what he has done.
It's like Simon took an oath "to help, serve and protect the Colorado River," Dickerson said.
Matagorda County Precinct 2 Commissioner George Deshotels introduced Simon, before his plaque was unveiled.
Beal said that Deshotels and Haskell Simon worked together for 15 years on issues that affect Matagorda County, in particular the Colorado River.
Praise for Simon and his leadership on river issues also came from LCRA board member Linda Raun of Wharton County.
Former Matagorda county judges Bert Huebner, Loy Sneary and Greg Westmoreland were at the ceremony, along with Precinct 4 County Commissioner David Woodson and Precinct 1 Justice of the Peace Robert Matthews.
Beal said that Mrs. Johnson was ahead of her time as an environmental leader, showing the country how important clean water and air and natural beauty are to the public good.
Mrs. Johnson's daughters, Luci Baines Johnson and Lynda Robb, attended the event along with other Johnson family members.
"Long before we heard the term global warming, Lady Bird knew there were flower beds to plant and roadsides to clean, and parklands to develop, and wildflowers to cultivate, and neighborhoods to revitalize," Beal said.
"She realized that everyday Americans must be taught to see that natural beauty is our greatest resource and must be protected if we are to thrive as a culture and as a healthy world in the future," he added.
"We know her as the 'Environmental First Lady,' a name that came to her after Lady Bird's Bill, also known as the Highway Beautification Act of 1965, was passed by Congress as a result of her national campaign for beautification of the national interstate highway system."
For more information about the induction ceremony for Simon and Mrs. Johnson, go to LCRA's Web site, www.lcra.org.
Bay City Tribune, November 14, 2007
Making a Living on the Colorado River
Water is Essential to Rice Farming
Editor's Note: This is the second of an ongoing series taking a look at the rice industry in Matagorda County.
BAY CITY - A bloodline flows through Matagorda County.
No, it's not just generations of families, but 300 miles of canals that keep the heart of the county beating.
Water flows through the canals that feed the land in abundance, helping the growth of a new beginning - the first crop of rice each year. Rice farmers understand the importance of water.
The water provided by the Lower Colorado River Authority has won the respect of many farmers like Haskell Simon, who has devoted most of his life to keeping the bloodline of water flowing.
"Water is an important part of life in this area," he said. "Without it, our industry would not exist."
It is the economic life blood, he said.
Simon has farmed about 100 acres with his business partner Billy Mann since 1980.
He owns one of the smaller rice farms in the area, he said, but understands the importance of water Simon has dedicated countless volunteer hours to water issues and water boards for the county.
Simon is part of the LCRA 2010 Water Management Plant advisory committee, which will spend the year working to provide input on how to improve water management strategies and address needs in the basin, including those of cities, industry, agriculture and the environment for the Lower Colorado River Authority.
Flowing Water to County
Having water each rice season is an essential part of farming and obtaining a water contract from the river authority is important.
In Matagorda County, the industry brings in about $25 million directly from the sale of rice.
The LCRA makes about $5.5 million from the sale of water - $3.8 million from agriculture and $1.7 million from industries.
The river authority provides water from the Highland Lakes to customers with annual contracts.
"Nearly all the water used by farmers in Matagorda County is provided by us," said Robert Cullick, spokesperson for the Lower Colorado River Authority.
Their contracts depend on the amount of rice they want to grow, said Kyle Jensen, manager of water operations for LCRA.
In 2009, agriculture in Matagorda County used roughly 198,000 acre-feet of water for irrigation. That number jumps to almost 275,000 acre-feet or 31 percent of LCRA's service when industrial uses are added, he said.
An acre-foot of water is enough water to cover an acre in a foot of water, or enough water to provide a family of five with water for a year. It is 325,851 gallons.
Power plants like South Texas Project Electric Generating Station have a long-term contract with LCRA, allowing the company to divert up to 102,000 acre-feet of water annually from the Colorado River to replace water used in plant cooling.
This allows for run-of-the-river water usage.
In the past 20 years, the nuclear plant has not requested firm water from the river authority. This is due in part to its 7,000 acre reservoir that provides and recycles water.
The plant actually diverted 72,646 acre-feet from the Colorado River to the Main Cooling Reservoir in 2009, said Buddy Eller, director of communication for South Texas Project.
"It is important to note that the nuclear plant diversion followed a drought which started in 2008," he added.
Farmers faced a near cutback in 2009, when an extreme drought impacted rice farmers.
The drought was compared to the drought of record, a decade-long drought from 1947 and 1957.
Last year the Highland Lakes were at 42 percent capacity after 20 months of an as intense drought the region had ever seen.
Lake levels were being predicted to be below a trigger point, which meant a cut off of water to downstream farmers in the Matagorda, Wharton and Colorado counties.
"Thanks to heavy rain there was no need for curtailment," said Simon.
Heavy rains last year were enough to replenish the lakes and the region's water supply.
"It is a challenge," he said. "Because we have to share water and we must learn how to use it wisely."
Water is the economic lifeblood of the county, said Simon.
River runs through
When rice farming began in the county more than 100 years ago, farmers used water from the Colorado River.
Rice farmers used manual labor that included mules and horses to carry the water for farming.
Because farming was easily wiped out by flooding, Simon said by the 1930s, the Highland Lakes were created and the LCRA was created.
The river authority was also created for the conservation of water, he said.
When it is time to get the water to the farmers, Jensen said, it takes seven days for the water to flow from the Miller dam to the Bay City pumping facility.
Because so many canals are involved in the transportation of water, it may take an additional three days for the water to arrive at the end of the canal system.
Once the water reaches its destination, water is released from the levees that hold the water.
For an average 300-acre rice field, it may take about a week for fields to flood the required two to four inches.
Streaming to the Future
The Lower Colorado River Authority has kicked off the process of updating the Water Management Plan, which includes management strategies to address needs in the basin, including those of agriculture and the environment.
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality gave the LCRA three years to complete the update. So far, the LCRA's board of directors proposed a shorter timeline to complete the process.
The Water Management Plant governs the operation of the Highland Lakes to meet the needs of major water users throughout the river basin. The plan prescribes how to allocate water during water supply shortages.
During a severe drought, the plant directs for a cutback of interruptible water supplies so that water will be available for basic.
"We have never interrupted rice farmer water, but we know, the more there are firm demands on the river, the more likely there is that farmers will be interrupted," Cullick said.
Demand for water is good for the next 25 years, he said.
A plan has been developed to move forward and make sure there will be adequate water 100 years from now, he said.
The challenge now is to find a balance on how to develop additional water plans for the use of agricultural needs and industrial needs, he said. "Water is essential, it is important for the growth of the county," Simon said.
"Conservation is the key element for providing for the future of our water," he said. "It is our liquid gold."
Victoria Advocate, October 1, 2010
Simon Chosen ‘Man of Year’ in Agriculture
Bay City’s Haskell Simon was honored with the District 11 Man of The Year in Agriculture Award by the Texas County Agricultural Agents Association at its recent annual meeting.
Simon is a lifelong resident of Matagorda County, but his influence goes far beyond his home county.
Simon started his agriculture career early, working at the family cotton gin where his goal was to work his way up to the job of running the suction pipe that pulled the cotton out of the trailers and send it to the gin stands.
He never made it because his father put him to work on the farm instead.
Simon always has been a community-minded leader.
He was president of his Bay City High School senior class and went on to earn a mechanical engineering degree from Texas A&M University in 1953.
While at A&M, Simon was in the Corps of Cadets’ Texas Aggie Band.
Simon served in the U.S. Army Field Artillery active duty and reserves from 1953-1960, attaining the rank of captain.
After his service, Simon returned home to start his agriculture business as a farmer and rancher.
He farmed rice and ran feeder cattle for many years.
Simon continued his role as a leader on his home turf by serving on many boards, including the Matagorda County Hospital District, Bay City Community Education Advisory Council, the Matagorda County Appraisal District, president of the 100 Club, and others.
Simon’s biggest impact for the region and the state has been on the issue of water.
Simon saw the need to get involved in how water was managed in Texas long before many even realized it was an issue.
His work with the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) and the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) influenced the way surface and ground water is handled in Texas.
He served with the advisory and focus group committees for the TWDB, LCRA, and the General Land Office.
Simon was there when the TWDB began discussing ground water districts as a management tool for ground water.
Later he led the way with educational meetings to inform his local community that culminated in the creation of the Coastal Plains Groundwater Conservation District.
Simon was served as a director and president of the district since its formation.
On the surface water front, he served in many capacities with LCRA and TWDB, including serving on the LCRA water managements plan advisory committee, executive director—Lower Colorado River Valley Federation – vice chairman Region K. Regional Water Planning Group and many others.
Simon’s direct involvement in several projects did result in positive outcomes for agriculture.
These included production of an award-winning video/DVD on the environmental merits of rice production, obtaining substantial funding for the TAMU Rice Experiment Station from LCRA for developing a new water efficient rice variety and conducting a workshop that included federal, state, environmental, chemical industry and agriculture interests after agricultural chemicals were blamed for causing Dolphin deaths on the Texas Coast.
The conclusions indicated that agriculture chemicals were not the cause, but rather the deaths were caused by a marine virus.
Simon had been recognized in many ways for his contributions, including being included in the LCRA Walk of Honor with the likes of former First Lady Lady Bird Johnson.
Bay City Sentinel, August 6, 2015
A Texas Farmer on Harvey, Bad Planning and Runaway Growth
|
