Texas A&M '12THMAN' license plate auctioned off for $115k, to be given to veteran

DALLAS, TX (KLTV) -

DALLAS (AP) - A Texas A&M "12THMAN" specialty auto license plate has been awarded to a Houston resident for a record winning bid of $115,000. 

According to ESPN, the winner, Tony Buzbee, an attorney from Houston, will be presented with the plates during the second quarter of Saturday's football game versus Alabama. Buzbee, who is a former officer in the U.S. Marine Corps, plants to give the plates to a decorated war veteran who graduated from Texas A&M.

"I'm not saying who it is yet, but I see him as a 12th man to our country," said Buzbee. "He did a lot more than pay $100,000 for a license plate."

Kim Drummond with Austin-based My Plates says bids stalled at about $42,000 at 11:45 a.m. Thursday. But a bidding war ensued that shot the price upward by the noon deadline.

My Plates, the state customized license plate contractor, auctioned off 10-year rights to the plate. The winner can renew rights to the plate after 10 years for $795.

The previous record for a specialty plate was a bid of $25,000 in January for "HOUSTON."

Copyright 20123 KLTV. ALl rights reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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East Texans mourn well known veteran

LONGVIEW, TX (KLTV) -

An East Texas man known as a champion for veteran issues has passed away.  Vietnam veteran William Perkins of Longview is remembered as the ultimate patriot. Flags at the VFW 1183 fly at half staff remembering the man who everyone knew as 'Perk'.

"I've been knowing Perk since 1958. William was the type of person , he was a father figure to a lot of men. When he was in Vietnam , he was a father figure to a lot of the kids over there. Veterans would tell him a hard luck story and he would reach into his pocket and give them 100, 200 dollars," says fellow Vietnam veteran and longtime friend Don Kinsey.   

Perkins died last night after a battle with cancer. But leaves behind a memory no one will forget.

"He had a presence about him. He would come up to you and let you know that he was your brother, and that you were welcome and you had a home," says fellow Vietnam veteran Marvin Ray Gibson. 

Perkins established VFW post 1183 in Longview, and never turned is back on a veteran. He helped start and commanded the Vietnam veterans of America 987 chapter and was a tireless worker for veterans issues. Perkins called all Vietnam veterans brothers.

"When he said brother, you were his brother. He spoke from the heart," says Kinsey.  

He said to others,  he left part of himself in Vietnam. And never forgot to help those who suffered the same.

"A lot of us are still there we haven't come home yet. He was struggling everyday to come back. Anybody he could , he would help. There's a lot of soldiers left on the battlefield that were fondly brothers to him and he still remembers them," Gibson says. 

Perkins was 68.

"I can't put it into words how much I'm going to miss him," Kinsey says.

A funeral service for William Perkins is set for Monday in Longview at Grace Hill cemetery at 10 am.

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Community helps veteran teacher recover after fire

CHAPEL HILL, TX (KLTV) -

An early morning electrical fire in a bathroom at Wise Elementary School led to canceled classes on Thursday. Officials said the fire started sometime between 1 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. Fortunately, no one was injured.

Debbie Griffin said this is her 29th year of teaching at the school.

"We're a family here at Wise, we're a family and we love each other," she said.

Love she was really feeling on Friday as teachers took the day off from their students to help her recover from the electrical fire that left her classroom covered in soot. Although the flames were contained to the bathroom, smoke damage and soot left four classrooms unusable for the time being. 

Griffin said few things from her classroom are salvageable .

"It was very devastating at first, but then you realize it's just stuff," Griffin said.

However, now 29 years worth of teaching material and her students' school supplies are gone.

"As a parent, I can't imagine having to re-buy my school supply list because it gets expensive, and in this economy these days people need help with their funds," said parent Lori Acker.

So, Acker, along with other Chapel Hill ISD parents and employees are donating supplies, something they said they are thankful they can replace.

"This could have been so much worse. As a firefighter's wife, this could have been out of control by the time fire department got here. Lives could have been lost in this and so He's blessed us completely, but also it shows the love and the support of the Chapel Hill family," Acker said.

"You know, the theme this year at Wise is "Whatever it takes," and that's what we are doing and these kids are troopers," Griffin said.

Troopers who remind her of what is most important.

"God puts blessings in front of you that during your daily life, you don't see them, but when something like this happens, God puts those in front of you and then you have to stop and tell him thank you," Griffin said.

If you would like to donate teaching supplies or school supplies, you may drop them off at Wise Elementary School's front office.

Griffin said glue, markers, paper, puzzles and anything else you may think a kindergartner could use would be great.

The Chapel Hill ISD PTO is also working on organizing a fundraiser for school supplies and monetary donations.

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