Made With Love

Susan Polgar's column at the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal this week is a keeper. While I never played chess with my Grandpa Newton (I did not learn to play chess until I was 18, some 5 years after he died), we spent many hours together playing checkers and cribbage and listening to the Cubs and Braves on the radio. Sunday, February 01, 2009 Story last updated at 2/1/2009 - 2:13 am I recently received a beautiful letter from 10-year-old Holly Elizabeth Stone of Lubbock about her very special grandfather. I would like to share it with all of you. "It is Christmas Eve and my 6 cousins, my brother and I have just received a very special gift. Let me see ... I think I'll describe the gift and let you guess what this gift is. "The board is 28" by 28", and there are 32 game pieces on the board. There are two people playing each other at a time on one board, and they are in battle against each other. The game represents two countries in war. Do you know what I am talking about? "Well, if you don't let me tell a little bit more about the gift. Hmmm... there are 16 people to a country. Your most valuable people are your king and queen. The goal is to get the other king into a check mate or kill everyone else from the opposing country. If the only person that is left is your king, you win! Now do you know what I am talking about? If not, I'm talking about chess. The very special gift was a large wooden chess set made by my grandfather and hero, Winston Waggoner. "Winston Waggoner is a retired teacher. He taught high school Spanish in Dimmit and at Petersburg. He also taught elementary school in Friona and in Dimmit. He grew up with six siblings 10 miles south of Dimmit and ran a farm. He and his wife have moved to Lubbock to be closer to their children and grandchildren. His hobbies are wood working and drawing. He also carves ducks and other animals. "He was in the National Guard when he finished the first chess set in 1962. The other seven chess sets were started and finished after the year 2000. "In 1955, Mr. S.T. Newman, his high school principal taught him to play chess at the age of 17. When I asked him what his favorite part of making the chess sets was, he said 'I enjoyed making the men on the wood lathe.' "It took over 900 pieces to make all eight chess boards and pieces. He used a table saw, square, lathe, jigsaw, wood gouges, chisels, dremel, carving knives, and a hand sander to make the chess sets. The wood came from Arkansas along the Fouche River, where my great-grandfather cut down the trees. He used 12 different kinds of wood including cherry, ash, wormy white walnut, cedar, and Bois d'arc to name a few. The boards were designed with two different kinds of wood, for example my board and chess men are cedar and Bois d'arc. "My grandfather has taught most of the grandchildren to play chess. My favorite part of playing chess with my grandfather is when he laughs. I have enjoyed many hours of playing chess with him. The chess set is special to me and I will keep it forever."