The Odessa American from Odessa, Texas • 14

2B ODESSA AMERICAN Sunday, February 10, 1991 1 IE ME Generic Model train lover puts his heart and soul into the hobby, craft The Associated Press mar McKim has a lot of jobs these days. Even though the Waco 72-year-old former owner of a local music store is retired, he says he has enough work to last a differences, he said. "By law, generics can vary as much as 20 percent from the trade drug. You've just got to know this drug and you've got to know the condition of the patient," he said. Consumers also should ask their pharmacist whether the generic drug is therapeutically equivalent to the trade drug prescribed, Pack said.

Public confidence in generics was lost during previous scandals in the FDA's generic drug division, he said. For the most part, Pack said, any scandals at the FDA have been cleaned up and he doesn't worry about the safety of using a generic today The generic drug industry came under fire in June 1988, when charges ranging from bribery to accepting illegal gratuities to racketeering at the FDA came to light. Since then, five former FDA employees have been convicted, including Marvin Seife, who was director of the agency's generic drug division. Also convicted were seven generic drug company executives, an industry consultant and three generic drug companies, the Associated Press reported. "Every product that there was a question about, they recalled.

As of today, there is not a drug on the shelf that has not been approved," Pack said. "That should put people somewhat at ease. Taylor said he believes that led to more stringent tests by the FDA on generic drugs. "Because of public concern, we go through additional reviews. What the common person is worried about is the bioavailability of the although they may not know that," Taylor said.

The bioavailability is the amount of time and rate it takes for the drug to be ingested and distributed throughout the body, he said. "If a manufacturer supplies generics to MCH, they must be able to supply the bioavailability information so we can do comparisons between the generic and the brand name standard," Taylor said. Generic drugs given at MCH not only receive approval from the FDA but also the purchasing group, wholesaler, medical staff, pharmacists and doctors, Taylor said. "I think we have to be careful to not give generics a bad name," Taylor said. "I think it's important the American public not be afraid, because generics will significantly reduce their health care dollars times generic equivalents will be as little as half the cost of the brand names.

If a generic equivalent is unavailable, a class substitute sometimes can be made with the physician's approval, he said. "That's a circumstance where the pharmacists check with the physician to see if we can make that substitute. It leads to a considerable savings," he said. John Murphy of Odessa's Glass Pharmacy said insurance companies also take advantage of the savings with generic drugs and encourage their use. Ten or 15 years ago, generic drugs made up a small portion of the inventory in the pharmacy, Murphy said.

In the last three or four years, the generic drug business has grown considerably. "Probably 25 percent of the drugs that go out of here are generic. But a lot of the new drugs don't have a generic equivalent. They're protected by patents," Murphy said. Customers continue to ask if the generic substitute is as good as the trade drug, he said.

The best answer to mat, Murphy said, is to tell them that every drug in the pharmacy has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. And when they consider the savings sometimes up to half-price most people opt for the generic, he said. "It's not always half. It's sometimes one-fourth or one-third. But generally, I'd say they're about less than half the cost of the trade name," Murphy said.

Pharmacist Randy Pack of Golder Pharmacy said between 35 and 40 percent of the prescriptions he fills are generic. "Some people are confused. There are a lot of people that don't have any idea of what generics are," Pack said. "The truth is that some of them are as good as trade drugs and some of them aren't. Consumers should be confident that generic drugs are safe, Pack said, but should check with their physician before filling a prescription generically "It depends on the exact makeup of the generic and the condition of the patient.

If it's a person that's very frail, a little deviation in their medication can cause a dramatic change. Then you want to avoid the generic," Pack said. Healthier individuals should be able to handle the als of his latest project: placing decals on and painting a couple of cars. His "pike," which is jargon for a model train layout, measures 16 by 23 feet and is mounted on benches. McKim uses a cart to position himself inside a large loop of track that he stands in the middle of.

"My wife got this cart for me and another one I use to work on the electrical wiringoinderneath it," he said. The larger loop takes trains through a tiny model of Quincy, on the pike's north end and passes a mural of California mountains along two walls. Under construction on the spike's south end is a model of the Tehachapi Loop, a railroad pass that climbs 75 feet around a mountain in the Tehachapi Mountains between Mojave and Bakersfield, Calif. McKim is building it from scratch tunnels, mountains and all. He started building the pike in 1970, as carpenters were closing off the garage and installing air conditioning and heating ducts.

Although the garage was finished long ago, McKim isn't near finishing his pike. "I had to have something other than just running it around in a circle," McKim said. lifetime. McKim is the president, engineer, conductor, brakeman, track layer and railroad car builder for the Waco and Northwestern Railroad a large model train layout in his garage-turned-workshop. "I guess I've always wanted to be engineer," McKim said.

"I tried to become an engineer before World War II. I was 5-6 and weighed 135 pounds and they just looked at me and laughed. After the war I should have gone back and applied again." McKim says he doesn't know how trains got in his blood, but it might have something to with growing up in Anaheim, where he watched Santa Fe and Southern Pacific trains shuffle to and from Los Angeles. "Since I am retired and I don't have a lot that I've got to do I enjoy doing this," he said. A look around his workshop confirms it.

Every corner and cupboard is filled with model railroading supplies, equipment, books and magazines. His workbench is cluttered with the materi Changes Report: Many inmates paroled wound a fraction of an inch from his heart arrived. The patient survived after Williams performed the first successful heart operation in the United States. Also featured in displays Saturday was Rita Dove, who at age 35 won the 1987 Pulitzer Prize for poetry. Dove, then an associate English professor at Arizona State University, was honored for a collection of 44 poems based on the migration of her maternal grandparents from the rural South to Ohio.

can inherit some of the things we learn and pass them on to our children," she said. Wyshanna is the daughter of Eddy and Joyce Spivey of Odessa. Exhibits highlighting dozens of black Americans covered the walls in Ector Junior High's front hall. Some figures, such as Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, are virtually ignored in U.S.

history texts, one display noted. Williams was a physician at Chicago's Provident Hospital in 1893 when a patient who had a knife Afternoon events included a black history quiz competition for junior high and high school students, a fashion show and a gospel hour. A 7:30 p.m.. show featured African dance, rap and piano music, tap dance, drama and soloists. Blanton Elementary School pupil Wyshanna Spivey, 11, said Black History Month is an important event for her.

"I think it's special because we Work that, someone has to be let out the back door. 1 he problem is that nobody is regulating who is getting out the back door." One inmate who was serving time for theft and aggravated robbery was free for three months before his arrest on suspicion of murder in the death of Ryan Coleman of Austin. Paul Mitchell Vallejo, 24, also is being investigated as a suspect in the December slayings of two Austin cab drivers. Carl Wayne Buntion was paroled on May 15, 1990. Six weeks later, on June 27, he shot Houston police officer James Irby during a traffic stop.

David Young, assistant director for pardons and paroles, said numbers are the driving force behind most prison releases. "Under a federal court order not to exceed 95 percent of capacity and threatened with fines approaching a billion dollars a day, we work diligently to select those inmates that pose the least threat to society to let go," Young said. "It's certainly a matter of arithmetic that if you have a certain amount coming in you have to let a certain amount out." AUSTIN" (AP) Texas prisons paroled four of every five eligible inmates during 1990, and one parole officer claims prison administrators "think only in terms of mathematics," a newspaper reported. State records show that 46,303 inmates were set free last year, including 42,163 on parole and 4,140 with mandatory supervision, according to a Saturday copyright story by the Austin American-Statesman. That means the ratio of paroled inmates jumped from slightly more than half of all eligible prisoners in 1989, the newspaper reported.

In addition to more inmates being freed, the profile of freed prisoners shifted from non-violent offenders to some serving time for rape, child molestation, armed robbery and murder. "They are releasing these people based on a numbers game rather than in terms of threat to community," said Pete Curran, a parole officer in Houston. "We take them into the front door and release them through the back door. "(Prison administrators) think only in terms of mathematics. Keeping the prison system at 95 percent filled," he said.

"For anyone who comes in above to secure their futures. Almost 60 percent said they wanted extra money, and 17 percent said they worked to help support their families. Some students listed more than one reason for working, Jacqui said. Waters said TCTA does not discourage students from working because many must help their families. "We don't want to discourage students from working," he said.

"The money that is brought into the family is valuable." Furr's manager David Ekman said the store works around high school students' schedules with advance planning. "School naturally comes first," said Ekman, who manages the store in the 4600 block of University Boulevard. "I never had a problem with it." Before he makes out a work schedule, Ekman checks with employees about what days they need off. "I just make out the schedule around them," he said. Also, others can be called to work if a conflict occurs after the scheduled is completed, he said.

Kerry Burleson, manager of Calico Cafe, agreed that it is not difficult to schedule around high school students' academic plans. "We don't hear much of it," he said, adding that some high school students employed by the restaurant work about 25 hours a week. "We schedule around them if they need to be off," he said. "But if they want to go to a concert or something like that, they have to find someone to work for them." illusion that I could pay for a car. I didn't think about the insurance or gas.

Rachael said when she worked about 25 hours a week at a Permian Mall store during the Christmas season, she found it difficult to complete household chores her parents wanted her to do and find time to study. She also was involved in choir and other clubs. Permian senior Heidi Gasaway, 17, said it was difficult to work during the Christmas season because she was taking finals at Odessa College. But she hopes to find another job this spring. "It probably wouldn't be that hard if I didn't have to study for finals," said Heidi, the daughter of Bill and Charlotte Gasaway.

Heidi said she wants to work to ensure she can go to college after graduating. "I just need to start getting ready for college because I don't think I can work then." OHS senior Tony Martinez, however, has a different strategy for planning for his future; he plans to get the grades to earn a college scholarship. Tony, the 18-year-old son of Esmeralda Romero, said he doesn't mind going without a car and money to buy a lot of clothes while he is in high school. In the Odessa High newspaper survey, about 20 percent of the responding students said they worked Death of Odessa, Lee Stevens of Victoria and John Stevens of Ben-brook; a daughter, Mary Liz Stevens of Odessa; two sisters, Lou Ella Jones of Corsicana and Bernice Yates of Jacksonville, and seven grandchildren. Hubbard-Kelly Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

years. Survivors include a son, Noel W. Williams of Odessa; four sisters, Claudine Cumby of Longview, Faye Hudson of Carthage, Johnnie Mae Swofford of Longview and Esther Stucker of Kilgore; two grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Kimbrough Funeral Home is in charge of Cisco arrangements. Hubbard-Kelly Funeral Home is in charge of local Water George Brown LUBBOCK Services for George N.

Brown, 57, of Lubbock are scheduled for 2 p.m. Monday at Resthaven Chapel with the Rev. Mark Scott officiating. Burial will be in Resthaven Memorial Park. Mr.

Brown died Friday at Lubbock Methodist Hospital after a lengthy illness. He was born Jan. 26, 1934, in Bennington, Okla. He married Tahwanah Brown Feb. 20, 1964, in Lubbock.

Mr. Brown moved to Lubbock in 1956. He worked for Rainbow Baking Co. for 17 years before moving to Hobbs, N.M. rin 1977, where he was sales manager for Roswell Baking Co.

Survivors include his wife; three sons, David Brown of Au-burndale, Fla. Edward Brown of Lakeland, Fla. and Jimmy Brown of Hobbs, N.M.; a daughter, Sabrina Hamm of Farmington, N.M.; a stepson, Robert McRee of Hobbs, N.M.; two stepdaughters, Cathy Rags-dale of Odessa and Bridget Stroud of Austin; two sisters, Faye Tomlinson of Lamesa and Anna Jo Carter of Breckenridge; 18 grandchildren; and two greatgrandchildren. Resthaven Funeral Home in Lubbock is in charge of Horace Hershey HEREFORD Services for Horace L. Hershey, 88, of Hereford are scheduled for 2 p.m.

Monday at Central Church of Christ in Hereford with Bob Weaver officiating. Burial will be in West Park Cemetery in Hereford. Mr. Hershey died Saturday at in Deaf Smith General Hosptial after a short illness. He was born Nov.

11, 1902, in Piqua, Ohio. He married Juanita Turner Sept. 10, 1929. She died in November 1987. Mr.

Hershey had lived in Hereford since 1929. He was a retired fanner, member of the Central Church of Christ, a Mason, Eastern Star member and was chosen pioneer of the year in Hereford in 1981. Survivors include three sons, Joe Hershey of Texline, Sam Hershey of Sulphur Springs and Homer Hershey of The Woodlands; a brother, Howard E. Hershey of Hereford; three sisters, Margaret Conklin of Arkansas, and Katherine Clegg of Por-tales, N.M., and Mary Ella Ricketts of Clovis, N.M.; seven grandchildren; and 13 greatgrandchildren. Gililland-Watson Funeral Home in Hereford is in charge of arrangements.

Oscar Williams CISCO Services for the Rev. Oscar Raymond Williams, 93, of Odessa are scheduled for 2 p.m. Tuesday at Kimbrough Funeral Home Chapel in Cisco with die Rev. John Williams officiating and the Rev. Gary Pettigrew assisting.

Burial will be in Oakwood Cemetery in Cisco. Mr. Williams died Saturday at Medical Center Hospital in Odessa. He was born April 12, 1897, in Carthage. He married Berchie Houston June 10, 1917.

She died Aug. 19, 1963. He later married Lorena Johnson in December 1963. She died Jan. 21, 1991.

Mr. Johnson was an Army veteran of World War I. He was a minister at the Church of God in Anderson, for over 60 I II Ml G.W. Stevens amounts and well below state and federal standards," he said. Oatus Roberts, assistant manager for the Mesa Underground Water Conservation District, created in January 1990, said the district was not aware of any severe water problems in Dawson County.

"But we only hired our director (Harvey Everhart) last September and began work then," Roberts said. "After this study, I'm sure we'll find that there are some water problems in the county. Vicki Carmichael, whose husband, J.E. Carmichael, has farmed cotton in Andrews County for the last four years, said well water at their home, about four miles west of Andrews, isn't that bad. "We drink it.

It's not that salty, but it's hard water and has a lot of minerals in it," she said, adding that the water has not worsened in the last four years. The couple's cotton is grown on, their land about 25 miles west of Andrews. "We don't use irrigation with the cotton, we dry-land farm," Mrs. Carmichael 'said. "The quality of the ground water wouldn't affect us that much." But the Carmichaels did have their well water tested last year when an oil company put in an injection well about 1 Vi miles from their home.

"We worry about that, and we tried to stop the (injection) well going in. But we were told (by our attorneys) that it probably would cost us thousands of dollars and we'd not be able to prevent it anyway," she said. "We had our well water here tested just in case anything comes up in the future. Ron Crumley, district conservationist for the Andrews County Soil and Water Conservation Service, said no major ground water problems were discovered during a recent study by the county. "In drinking water, dissolved solids were well below acceptable state and federal levels and there only are about 4,000 acres of irrigated farmland in the county, so that's not a big concern," he said.

"Overall, water in the county is good." Gary Walker, manager of the Sandy Land Underground Water Conservation District in Yoakum County, said water problems there are few. "We do have some areas that are slightly above listed standards, but our water is drinkable and safe," he said, adding that tests last summer showed several water wells contained sulfates and fluorides above recommended standards for drinking water. "We did find 800 ppm of sulfates in a few wells, but that's not going to kill you. You'd have to drink an Olympic-size swimming pool full at one time for it to even begin to hurt you," Walker said. On the average, wells in Yoakum County were found to contain about 4.25 ppm of flourides, Walker said, noting that acceptable levels are 4 ppm.

"That's only about 7 percent above what's acceptable," he said. "We're not alarmed at what we found." Neither is quantity a concern, Walker said. Winter-level studies showed only an average of 1 14 -feet decline in well levels. Hoelscher said he didn't believe West Texas counties faced insurmountable ground water problems. "The problems we have are from years before.

Most oil companies, farmers and ranchers today are environmentalists and conservationists. What "we all have to do is develop a method of discovering the problem and handling it before it gets out of hand, he said. "Our county, and all the others, can co-exist with the oil and other industries and fanners and ranchers, who need to use chemicals, if we look at the problems as everyone's, and solve them together. indication." More serious, he said, is the quality of Martin County ground water. During the summer of 1990, Hoelscher tested 246 water wells, of which more than 80 showed greater levels of chloride than the 300 parts per million recommended by the Texas Department of Health.

the highest levels of chloride were found in the far northwest corner of the county, where well water was found to contain as much as 4,824 ppm of chloride, Hoelscher said. He did not know if the chloride pollution was manmade or natural, but said he worked on the assumption that natural pollution does not spread. "It has done so already over the years and years it has existed," he said. "We believe this is a spreading plume of chloride pollution, most likely from past oil field production." But until further tests are made in about six months to a year, Hoelscher said, the speed or origin of the spreading will remain unknown. A number of other wells in the test area showed chloride levels of between 500 ppm and 1 ,000 ppm, a few as high as 2,000 ppm, he said.

Hoelscher said he used chloride as a "yardstick" measure to determine if Martin County had water quality problems. "That doesn't mean, though, that we don't have other pollution. We just haven't tested extensively for it," he said; He said he has tested 50 water wells in the county for herbicide and pesticide pollution and found two contaminated wells. "We found heptachlorepoxide, a pesticide, and DDT, DDD and DDE, all insecticides, but only in very small parts-per-billion Mass for G.W. "Steve" Stevens, 68, of Odessa will be said at 10 a.m.

Monday at St. Mary's Catholic Church with the Revs. Robert Bush and James Bridges officiating. Rosary will be said at 7 p.m. today at St.

Mary's Catholic Church. Burial will be at 3 p.m. in Millersview Cemetery in Millers-view. Mr. Stevens died Saturday at Medical Center Hospital.

He was jborn July 15, 1922, in Millers-view. He married Dorothy Jackson July 28, 1991, in Eden. Mr. Stevens was a retired shop foreman for Shell Oil Co. He was a member of St.

Mary's Catholic Church and a past member of Knights of Columbus. He was an Army veteran of World War II. Survivors include his wife; five sons, Randy Stevens, David Stevens and Daniel Stevens, all Jerry Lee Services for Jerry Lee, 50, of AAett ova nAfilifiA uyith VSmnlr Wilci-in Fnnpral niiwtnrs Mr. Lee died Saturday at Wilson Jones Ho ital in Sherman. i-.