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Friday, January 20, 2012

Houston Live Stock Show & Rodeo


I've been researching the Houston Live Stock Show & Rodeo.  I had no idea the Dew family of DeWalt was so instrumental in managing the show back in the 1930s.  They organized rodeos on their various ranches (including DeWalt) before the Houston Fat Stock Show began in 1932.  

By the way, that was its original name. Here's a lengthy article about the history of the event.  It explains the name change as the rodeo became more prominent & 'fat stock' no longer projected the right image.  It's lengthy, but you may want to look at the pictures. Click on the image below to access the article.
 
 
Here's some raw film KTRK shot of the 1959 rodeo.  Notice there are several additional clips in the row of thumbnails below the video window, including video of trail rides.  I recall several of my friends riding in one of the trail rides.  I also recall seeing a couple go through Sugar Land on Highway-90A.
 

SLHS Campus Chatter, January 11, 1929


T. C. Rozelle's archive included several copies of the Campus Chatter, Sugar Land ISD's student newspaper.  These excerpts come from an issue published on January 11, 1929.  The main article on the front page was a seasonal greeting from Carrin Foreman, Superintendent of Schools & sister of famed defense lawyer, Percy Foreman.  This is sort of a poignant, considering 1929 wouldn't be a good year.  The stock market crash occurred in October, but the depression actually started during the summer when commodity prices fell precipitously.

   
Basketball was the big topic in other front-page articles.  The Gators defeated Richmond in a home game the week before.  (I have no idea where they played since the gym wasn't built until 1932.)  The same article said the Gators were going to Houston to play Milby and to Wharton to play the Tigers in the coming week.  I like the humorous final paragraphs which said the new uniforms were 'the berries.'  (I wonder who Cobbler was.)


This next article covers news from the colored school.  It wasn't named M. R. Wood at that time.  I'm not sure when it took that name.  (I don't recognize any of the names listed among the PTA contributors.)  Their girls basketball team would play Rosenberg in the coming week.


These ads made up the last page of the issue.

   

Wrapping Up The Sugar Land Gators' 1951 Football Season


Before the holiday hiatus, I posted the results of the Gators' 48-0 victory over A&M Consildated in their regional championship game.  Sugar Land claimed its first UIL Class B region title with that victory.  They'd win their second regional championship against Hempstead the following year.  (I posted the game film a few months ago.)

I have a couple of items about the December football banquet that drew the season to a close.  Notice that J. T. King spoke.  He was an assistant coach at The University of Texas at the time.  I remember him as the head coach at Texas Tech University.


Also notice that Morris Frank was the master of ceremonies.  He was a well-known & well-liked Houston sports writer for The Chronicle whose career went into the '70s.  He was from Lufkin & known as the Sage of East Texas.

Anyway, he wrote a humorous column about his experience at the banquet.  He also wrote a thank you letter to T. C. Rozelle, Quarterback Club President.  The column & letter appear below.
 

Imperial Crown from January, 1968


I want to thank Leon & Bettye Anhaiser for letting me scan this issue of Imperial Sugar's monthly employee bulletin, The Imperial Crown published in January, 1968.  The main article conderns the annual Awards Banquet.  Retirees in that year are Alex Freeman, McKinley Martindale, Emily Hauerland, Albina Krcha, Mary Lou Latham, Mary Coburn, Mary Hauerland, Arcola N. Salter, Vlasta M. Fatheree, Manuel Sanchez, Lorenzo T. Sanchez, R. H. Harris, William Garnoski & L. E. Bourg.  

Employees who died in 1967 were honored at the banquet: E. E. Saeger, I. H. Kempner, George Andre, S. J. Loper & O. W. Enquist.

Notice the Weather Watch block -- 1967 was a dry year.


 
 
 

Imperial Awards Banquet Photo from 1970s


My thanks go to Buddy & Billie Blair for letting me scan this picture.  I don't know which year it comes from.  I could check against the Imperial Awards Banquet Programs I have, but I'm too lazy.  I'm reasonably sure it comes from the late 1970s.  Regardless, it shows John Binford, Otis Maynard, Hugh Williams, Jeff Jerrell & Buddy Blair.

I worked at the Power Plant as a summer hire during my college years, so I knew Otis & Jeff, as well as, Eddie Lubajosky, Donald Brooks, Jesse Sims, Freddie Warmke, Don Williams and several others.  I enjoyed working there.