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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 12, 1987)
Wednesday, August 12, 1987/The Battalion/Page 3 State and Local i issue of fiat ients nological ponsorec ~ams sott strong lem to ig more Nun commits herself to position as leader at hospital in Bryan Sister's choice of job surprises family, friends SummerMoonlightMovies udent$a:| o let our do not lean rig g/Utoedilki-i usl be sipm By Pam Tragesser Reporter _ When she first decided to join the 1 n I convent, Sister Gretchen Kunz’s ' shouldtt|family and friends didn’t think she o in his | would last. “My friends and family didn’t give me three months,” she says. Kunz not only stuck with her com mitment but also excelled in her housandil eclesiastic profession. She has served eateda ^ as P res *dent or administrator of St. , Hoseph Hospital and Health Center dent topij ^ B r y an for the last six years. . Only St. Joseph is a Catholic hospital dollars. I with a concern for the community, |specially the poor. The hospital is committed to help ing these people, keeping the hospi- 1 stocked with the newest technol- gy, having a good team spirit, aking all the ends meet and having a reputation for excellent and com passionate care, she says. 1 “It means keeping all the diverse lorces and departments pulling to gether as a team to accomplish the purpose of this institution,” Kunz says. “It involves empowering peo- Ble to grow so they can be more re sourceful.” I These diverse forces include the hospital’s board of trustees, the med al staff, the administrative team nd all the department heads, she rys. Aside from visiting with patients, Jiunz’s job involves planning, pro gram development and budgeting. And, as a member of the Board of Franciscan Services, Kunz visits the mother house in Sylvania, Ohio, about six times a year to attend meetings. But Ohio is more to Kunz than a place to go for conferences. I It was as a second-grader at St. James Parochial School in Toledo U coukk ^ at ^ unz ^ rst thoughts of be- ^ioming a sister. When she entered a Catholic high school, Kunz had several lay people, priests and seven communities of sis ters as teachers, she says. | And by this time in her life, Kunz Says she had a strong relationship a job wet with God. t “My parents and my teachers helped establish that,” she says. || Kunz also says she couldn’t help but think she was being called to Some kind of service within the church. | So after high school, she decided to give the convent a try. a * id curscc: ell-hot asp- : idn’t ty. It jus; I asked ttl >ended. ennesset Go Ahead, Ignore Your Teeth. ...They’ll Go Away. Sure, you mean to brush. After every meal. Only sometimes there’s not enough time. OK, a lot of the time there’s not enough time. At CarePlus, we understand. And we can help. We’ll examine and clean your teeth for only $29 cash -- including x-rays. That’s a $44 value. We’ll even accept your dental insurance up front, at our regular prices. So quit worrying about your teeth. And smile! CarePlus. Where quality health care is always convenient. CarePlus^ MEDICAL & DENTAL CENTER Southwest Pkwy at Texas Avenue 696-0683 696-9578 MEDICAL DENTAL Coupon "N INTERNATIONAL HOUSE <y RMfCAHES* , RESTAURANT V ./ Sister Gretchen Kunz, administrator of St. Joseph Hospital in Bryan, laughs with C.W. Lucas (left) Photo by Rodney Rather and Ben Fanette during her visit at the hospital’s outpatient center. Mon: Burgers & French Fries Tues: Buttermilk Pancakes Wed: Burger & French Fries Thur: Hot Dogs & French Fries Fri: Beer Battered Fish Sat: French Toast Sun: Spaghetti & Meat Sauce nningho;! r don’t v boy. d the mat je about ds with lit order totjP ° nce rents. eVWIfe sd. Web; ■ and ontf 1 ntskirtsol Kunz started looking around, the Sylvania Franciscan or der of nuns stood out precisely be- ■ I cause it is Franciscan, varatn j|p This attracted Kunz because she is OUt what, fascinated by St. Francis and his tea- : drivintt' c hings. ., 0 r Even today, her love for St. Fran- it WlulOli. c i s j s evident throughout her office. It to mm Wood carvings and pictures of St. Francis are displayed on her walls, niplainillj Although Kunz joined the Fran- theswell dscan Community, her parents were very much against the idea, espe cially her mother. 5 “She hated the idea,” Kunz says. “It took her about 10 years to get over hating the idea.” * Although her mother gave her a tough time, Kunz says it was an un usual kind of grace because it made ce on eait; ■ the tire oad map led my ait ist. The it me the i tinge oH oad ascofl lie and hit (AP) — At least four Texas coun- . J ties could be at the starting gate in to their the race to snare a pari-mutuel horse track if voters approve the issue at the polls on Nov. 3. erfortht Voters statewide will decide that e it to the? d' 1 )' whether county-option wa- •r,u il Bering should be allowed Texas, IrthatOt while voters in Blanco, Gillespie, in at least? Tarrant and Goliad counties also will be casting ballots on the issue locally. her stronger at what she set out to do. Kunz went through formation — what it means to be a nun — in what she calls “boot camp.” Here she learned what kind of commitments she had to make and what kind of relationship she should develop with God, she says. Formation, like learning, is a life long process, she says. The first years are probationary years, which begin with spiritual de velopment — learning how to pray, studying the Old and New Testa ments and learning about St. Francis and how he interpreted Christianity. Later, she learned about the spe cial vows that a religious woman takes and made them on a tempo rary basis, Kunz says. The three vows — poverty, chas tity and obedience — are called con secrated religious life, she says. “Everyone can be religious and live a religious life, and everyone is called to,” she says. The first vow, poverty, involves living a simple life. Sisters do not accumulate any money for themselves. Salaries accu mulated by sisters are sent back to the mother house in a combined check. In return, they receive health in surance, room and board and $45 per month for other expenses. “You make the little things in life count,” Kunz says. “Sitting on the patio in a rocking chair watching the moon, having a little glass of wine can be an awful nice thing to do in an evening.” Local Franciscan sisters have re ceived several gifts from people in the area, including a VCR and free movie rental coupons that they re deem occasionally. The vow of chastity is both diffi cult and rewarding, Kunz says. “Chastity means we have prom ised not to marry or enjoy any of the joys of the married, and that’s tough, too,” she says. “The up side to this promise is never to choose one per son, but be open to everybody. This was the Lord’s view as well as St. Francis’. Nobody is turned away.” The obedience vow includes sensi tivity to and awareness of needs of the community and the other sisters. Kunz’s sensitivity and community awareness shows when she describes how she felt when she was asked, at 47, to attend nursing school. “I really felt I would be a wonder ful caregiver,” she says. Kunz attended nursing school in Sandusky, Ohio, where she even tually earned her nursing degree. Kunz was a staff nurse, a charge nurse, supervising nurse and direc tor of nursing service for 10 years and did some in-service education work. After completing her second mas ter’s degree in health and hospital administration, Kunz was asked to come to Texas and become adminis trator at St. Joseph Hospital and Health Center. “You’ve got to be kidding,” Kunz replied when asked if she would come to work. Despite reservations about taking on the task and moving 1,300 miles from home, Kunz says she is glad she gave it a shot. And although Kunz already has been in Texas three years longer than she originally intended, she now has no plans to leave. 4 Texas counties give voters chance to decide pari-mutuel betting issue Gillespie, Tarrant and Goliad voted unanimously Monday to add the is sue to the ballot, with some officials citing cost savings as the reason for combining the two issues on one bal- said Commissioner O.L. Watson, who predicted stiff competition for race tracks if wagering is legalized. “There probably will be two race tracks built in North Texas — a “This will give Tarrant County the opportunity to get a jump on other counties and get a track here. ” — Tarrant County Commissioner O.L. Watson icate | A group of racing enthusiasts, ■teanwhile, appealed to the Harris County Commissioners Court Tues day to follow suit and get the issue Commissioners said they would consider the issue later this month. icMAiMaS b e f° re voters at the same time as the state referendum. are those of Ay :essarily reptc*; faculty or At'' ry newipipo iphy classes wfe trough Fridu ar holiday aisl 4 semester, Mvertising tt*| «d McDorali S43-4111. auon.TXliHiJ Jes to The ersity, College And in Sherman, members of the Texoma Horse Racing Assocation ended a four-week petition drive with enough signatures to put county-wide pari-mutuel horse rac ing on the Nov. 3 ballot. That would allow Grayson County residents to vote whether they want county-wide horse racing. Commissioners courts in Blanco, lot and others saying they wanted to be on the starting line for getting a track. A state racing commission would have to approve track permits in counties where the issue has been sanctioned by voters. The statewide referendum limits the number of race tracks to three in Texas. Only counties with a popula tion of 750,000 or more — or their adjacent counties — can qualify. “This will give Tarrant County the opportunity to get a jump on other counties and get a track here,” quarter-horse track and a thorough bred track,” Watson said. Tarrant County election adminis trator Robert Parten said the county could save up to $125,000 by adding the local issue to the state vote. Former Houston Oilers Coach Bum Phillips, a horse breeder, led the Harris County racing enthusiasts in appealing to the commissioners court to put wagering up for a local vote. Albert J. Poujoul, a longtime pro ponent of horse racing in Texas, said having both elections at the same time would save Harris County taxpayers $500,000, the cost of a separate local-option election. “People would much rather see horse-racing than taxation,” he said. Last March, the Texans for Eco nomic Development Committee said Harris County would reap $30 mil lion in annual revenues and 1,200 permanent jobs from a horse-racing track. The Texas Department of Agri culture has estimated that horse rac ing would bring $1.25 billion a year to the state’s economy and create 10,981 jobs. The Gillespie County Fair and Festivals Association asked its county commissioners to call for the elec tion. The group operates a race track in Fredericksburg, with seating for about 3,500, and schedules races for six days annually. Kim Schofield, secretary for the group, said the facility would be up graded if the pari-mutuel issues pass, but there are no plans to in crease seating. All You Can Eat $ 2" 6 p.m.-6 a.m. no take outs must present this August 31, 1987 I International House of Pancakes Restaurant 103 S. College Skaggs Center Something New! 4* Crepe Myrtle Cafe Authentic Country Cooking Wednesday Evenings All U Can Eat Bar-B-Que Buffet Friday Evenings 1 All U Can Eat Country Buffet ADULTS $5 87 CHILD $2 87 SENIOR $4 87 Served 5-9 p.m. HALF PRiefDpInTnGSPECIAL present coupon to recive 50% Off dinner buffet. Limit 1 coupon per person. Expires 9-1-87 In The Best Western Inn AT Chimney Hill 901 E. University Dr. 260-9150 :ids 6 OR UNDER FREE Spark Some Interest! Use the Battalion Classifieds. Call 845-2611