Palestine, Texas
Keldon Shepherd
Sam Houston State University
Texas Rural Internship Summer II 2013
Keldon Shepherd
• Institution:
Sam Houston State
University
• Classification: Senior
• Major: Sociology
• Minor:
Criminal Justice
• Hometown:
Houston, Texas
Outline
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My Internship Experience
Community Differences
The History
Tasks
Shadowing
Projects, Resources and Importance
How It All Applies
Internship Experience
• I enjoyed my internship experience and was
able to take a lot from it.
• I met many influential people within the
community.
• I learned about small town politics,
economic development, marketing,
business interactions and professionalism.
Community Differences
Palestine, Texas
Houston, Texas
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Apart of Harris County
Population in 2012: 2,160,821 (100%
urban, 0% rural).
Population change since 2000:
+10.6%
Estimated median income in 2011:
$42,877 (it was $36,616 in 2000)
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Apart of Anderson County
Population in 2012: 18,516 (98%
urban, 2% rural).
Population change since 2000:
+5.2%
Estimated median income in 2011:
$34,094 (it was $30,497 in 2000)
History
The Texas legislature established Anderson
County in 1846. At that time no community
existed at the stipulated center of the
county, so Palestine was established. The
City of Palestine can trace much of its
heritage to the development brought by the
railroad and the many men and women
whose livelihood was the railroad.
Tasks
I stepped in at
Palestine Economic
Development
Corporation and
took over day-today operational
needs like accounts
payable and general
office work.
Shadowing
• Chief of Police, Robert
Herbert gave me the
opportunity to shadow
one of his officers for a
day.
• I shadowed Officer
Tinsley and got to see
the intake process
between juveniles and
adults.
Projects, Resources and Importance
Project # 1: Christmas In July
• Christmas in July was a 12-day city-wide
promotion to support local businesses and
bring tourists in town.
• I assisted with event setup, marketing and
attended city functions.
• The goal was to get people out into the
community to engage in city activities.
Pictures
Pictures
Projects, Resources and Importance
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Project # 2: Podcast
I was given the task to create a walking
podcast tour of historic Main Street.
I spent hours filming, editing and
cataloging short videos.
I completed three short videos which will be
posted to the city YouTube channel.
The goal was to get tourists to have a look at
attractions in the City of Palestine.
Pictures
Pictures
Applications of Education
Sociology
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Big Cities
More crowded/noise
More diversity
More economic
opportunities
More private
Depersonalized
Less friendly/busy/in a
hurry
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Small Towns
Everybody knows
everybody and
everything
Rely more on the good
oh boy system (who
you know)
Less diversity
Neighborly
caring/trust more
Applications of Education
Sociology
• Suburbs
– “The best of both worlds”
– Has a small town feel with big city opportunities
However, the city offers more opportunities and freedom.
– Intellectuality prospers
• Small towns and education
• Produces a brain drain
• Most educated people do not come home
Applications of Education
Sociology
Sociological Theory:
• Durkheim
– The causes of suicide are found in social factors rather
than individual personalities.
• Altruistic suicide
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suicide committed for the benefit of others
seen more in smaller towns
there tends to be too much integration
one has a lack of individuality (can not be themselves)
one might have a high peer/family presence
Applications of Education
Criminal Justice
Myth: The types of crimes committed in Urban areas
differ from those in Rural areas.
Palestine even though a smaller city compared to
some of the Metropolitan areas, deals with types
of crimes committed that are universal. Although
the police force may not be as large, they still
share the same responsibilities as larger towns,
just on a smaller scale.
A Special Thanks To:
• The Texas Department of Agriculture
• SHSU Center for Rural Studies
• The PEDC Team
• The Palestine Community