Dulles Junior Varsity Football Team, 1965

I played on the Dulles Junior Varsity Football team in 1965.  We had an undefeated season as you can see from this page I scanned from the '66 Viking yearbook.  

One of my team mates was Carlisle Holland, #65 in the middle row.  His mother, Pete Simpson, taught at Dulles and wrote an ode to the team in celebration of its successful season.  I think it's terrific.  Unfortunately, I didn't sign it, and I don't know why.  I remember seeing it back in '65, but for some reason I didn't get to sign it.

 

 

Texian Market Days at the George Ranch Historical Park

Last weekend, I attended Texian Market Days for the first time.  It's an annual event (each October) at the George Ranch Historical Park south of Richmond on FM 762.  The Park is a treasure local residents often overlook.

As you'll see from the following videos, Texian Market Days is a living history festival focused on 4 eras in our local history: the 1830s, 1860s, 1890s, & 1930s.  I've posted videos of other events at the Park.  They have a changing schedule of events, so check out the Park if you and your family want a taste of local history.

Link to 5-1/2 minute video of recent Texian Market Days at the 1930s ranch complex.

Link to 5-1/2 minute video of recent TMD at the 1860s prairie home site.

Link to 3 minute video of recent TMD at the 1830s stock farm site.

 

Anna Muehr Rae, SLHS '43

My thanks go to Judy Harrington Diamond (SLHS '59) for sending me this information on the recent death of an old Sugar Land resident.  

 

Anna Muehr Rae, 86, departed this world peacefully Wednesday, October 3, 2012.  She is preceded in death by her parents, John and Rosa Muehr, her husband, Milton Rae, brother Leo Muehr, and sister, Marie Dunkerly.  She is survived by her brother, Alton Muehr; her daughters, Margaret Sullivan and husband John, and Linda Tollett and husband Jesse; her grandchildren, Tiffani Brooks and husband Trey, Dawn Hawthorne and husband Jason, Trey Sullivan, Nathan Tollett and wife Marlene, Jessica Grizzaffi and husband Chris, and Lauren Tollett; her great-grandchildren, J.T. and Harrison Hawthorne, and Sullivan Brooks.

Born in Schulenburg, Texas on January 11, 1926, her family then moved to Sugar Land, where she was raised.  After the war, she met her future husband Milton at a bus stop outside his barber shop in Houston.  They were happily married for nearly 60 years. She spent over 20 years in retail and retired after working at both Battlestein’s and Bealls.  A talented seamstress, her hobbies included all types of needlework.  She was a longtime member of St. Christopher Catholic Church until she moved to Friendswood and attended Mary Queen.  Anna was a loving wife, mother, and grandmother, and her priorities were her God and her family.  She was generous and kind, funny with a sharp wit, and a Christian example to others. She will be greatly missed.

The Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 12:00pm Saturday, October 6, at St. Luke the Evangelist Catholic Church, with visitation one hour prior to the mass, starting at 11:00am.  Interment will follow at Forest Park Lawndale Cemetery.

The family would especially like to thank Jackie Jeane and Darlene Mitchell for their help and friendship, as well as the staff of Houston Hospice for their care of Anna these last two weeks.

In lieu of usual remembrances, memorial contributions in Anna’s name may be made to Houston Hospice, 1905 Holcolmbe Boulevard, Houston 77030, or to the charity of your choice.

 

A Short Video, "Richmond: Where History Meets Opportunity"

I saw this short video on Richmond and thought it well worth posting.

Link to video "Richmond: Where History Meets Opportunity"

 

A Houston Post Article On Sugar Land's Growth Projections in 1962

I'm not certain how I collected this article, but as you can see it was published in The Houston Post on November 11, 1962 -- almost exactly 50 years ago to the day.  I checked on Sugar Land's and Fort Bend County's actual census figures over the intervening years.  

Sugar Land Population

 In 1990 (I couldn't find 1987): 33,712
 In 2012: 81,700

Fort Bend County Population

In 1987: 200,000
In 2012: 600,000

The photo doesn't have a caption, but I presume that is Bernard Johnson with Tom James (President of Sugarland Industries) and Bill Little (then Mayor of Sugar Land).

 

Sybil Fowler's Brief Paper on the Ellis Plantation

 

T. C. Rozelle collected several short research papers by local historians covering various topics.  Syb Fowler wrote this one on the Ellis Plantation.  I don't know the date she wrote it.  Actually, I don't know when Mrs. Fowler died; probably, sometime in the 1970s or early '80s.

Notice a couple of things she says in the last paragraphs.  First, the Ellis plantation home moved to the tiny community of Imperial, Texas (on the south bank of Oyster Creek opposite Constellation Park) before eventually moving into Sugar Land (next to the refinery) in 1909.  T. C. made a note in his files that the move from Imperial, Texas (about 3 miles) required teams of oxen using 40 logs as rollers. I presume the Eldridge family lived in the home when it was sited at Imperial, Texas.  

Ellis Plantation Home next to Imperial Refinery.  Served as W. T. Eldridge family home til 1929.

Second, notice that she lists occupants after the Eldridges moved from the plantation home to their 'modern' home at the east end of Lakeview in 1929.  The Albritton family took over the home in 1931 and ran it as a cafe-boarding house until 1962/3.  I regret that I never went into that home.

 

Sybil Fowler's Short Paper on Sugar Land Schools

This is another of Syb Fowler's short papers that T. C. saved.

I noticed I made a mistake last week.  Hansel Addison, the only member of Sugar Land High's first graduating class in 1919, was a young woman.  I had mistakenly thought Hansel was a young man.  I wonder why her parents didn't name her Gretel?

  

Galveston Tribune Article from 1925 Promoting Sugar Land

W. T. Eldridge and the Kempner family promoted Sugar Land heavily in the 1920s.  They were building up the community to attract families and a permanent workforce to their new company town.  T. C. Rozelle saved a full-page article that appeared in the Galveston Tribune in March of 1925.  I've clipped just a few items from it and posted them here.

It's hard to make out the handwritten date, but I think it's March 21, 1925.  The Char House doesn't appear in the photo, so this guess seems reasonable.

As I said, they wanted to attract families and a permanent, stable workforce.  The sugar business was seasonal and depended on transient labor for many years.  Kempner and Eldridge wanted to run the refinery year round with multiple shifts, so they needed a permanent workforce.  They thought a model community would attract the kind of people they wanted.

They saw the town's schools as a core element of their ideal community.

This next short clipping explains the sugar mill and the refinery operations.  They closed the mill around 1928, when sugar was no longer grown locally.  All of the refinery's raw sugar was imported.  From 1928 onward, Imperial Sugar was a sugar refiner only. The clipping goes on to list some of the other industries in town.  Eldridge and the Kempners were always interested in other money-making endeavors.

 

KILT's Weird Beard

Russ Knight (actually Russ Moore) AKA "The Weird Beard," died recently.  Here's a short article with an obituary from The Houston Chronicle.  (Check out his intros for The Beatles when they played at the Coliseum.) 

I remember the Weird Beard well.  He moved from Dallas to KILT in the winter of '64.   He worked at Gordon McLendon's Dallas station before transferring to KILT, so they had a big promotional campaign for a few weeks prior to his arrival.  They had a jingle that said, "The Weird Beard's coming, the Weird Beard's coming ...."

I listened to him a lot.  Here's a clip from one of his shows.  I was surprised that he left KILT in 1966.  I thought he was there a lot longer than that.  He had a fan club at Dulles, as you can tell from this picture in the '67 yearbook.  [My thanks to Tommy Laird (DHS '67) for the scan.]

KILT had another disk jockey named Jim Wood.  He wasn't a shock jock (which didn't exist then), but he liked to 'push the envelope.'  He pulled a prank (and caught a lot of flack) when he told kids to put their radios in their open windows and turn them up as loud as possible.  When they were ready, he then said, "THIS IS THE POLICE.  WE'VE  GOT YOU SURROUNDED.  COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS UP."  He fooled enough people throughout Houston that there was a mini-firestorm.  After a series of incidents, KILT eventually fired him.  Here's a tape of one of his shows from 1964.
 

UIL Marching Band Contests from the Past

The wind was blowing in the right direction Saturday morning, so I could hear the UIL marching band contest at Mercer Stadium.  Actually, all I could hear were drums, but it brought back old memories.  I have a few clippings from contests back in the 1960s.  I think most, if not all, of these clippings came from Linda Hagler Mosk (DHS '68) who was member of the Dulles band, as was I.  

Since these contests precede our freshman year, Linda's sister Dian ('65) must have saved them.  In our day, the contest was always at Katy.

1961

1963

1963

1963

Dulles Senior Spotlight, Spring of 1968

Linda Hagler Mosk (DHS '68) sent me this scan.  It shows a Senior Spotlight from the Viking Shield in the spring of 1968.  For those of you who don't know or remember, The Fort Bend Mirror ran the Dulles student newspaper (the Viking Shield) as a regular feature during the school year.  They also ran the Lamar Consolidated student paper.

Judy Sciba ('68) was editor of the Shield that year.

 

A Photo of the 1st Floor Hallway at Dulles in 1965

Linda Hagler Mosk (DHS '68) let me scan this newspaper photo, which must have come from the Viking Shield in the old Fort Bend Mirror.  It shows the 1st floor hallway at Dulles High School in 1965, I think.  If so, there was just one 1st floor hallway then.  Linda's older sister Dian ('65) and Carol Waldrop ('65) are identified in the picture.  I can identify several others.  Erik is out of view on the right.

 

Late 1960s FBISD School Board

My thanks go to my first grade teacher, Maxene Gary, for giving me the following picture of the Fort Bend ISD School Board in the late 1960s.  It's a little odd because one school board member is missing, and the missing member would provide a clue for the date. 

The members shown in this picture served several consecutive terms with one seat changing.  In one term, a man named Whatley was on the board.  In another it was Dr. Wheeler, and in another it was C. T. Renfrow.  

Back: Bruce Edwards, Sr., Antonio Arriaga, Bill Little.  Front: Tony Cangelosi, Kenneth Landin, Herbert Shelton.

Sugar Land High School's 1919 Commencement Exercises

I found this program in T. C. Rozelle's archive.  Sugar Land High School's first graduating class in 1919 had one student, Ansel (or Hancel) Addison.  I assume Ansel is a boy.  I also assume they had a rather 'informal' and brief ceremony since he was the only graduate.  

Some of the participants are members of the junior and sophomore classes.  Others must be young adults living in Sugar Land at the time. 

I looked for details about the short play, "Oh, For A Man," but found very little. Its author may be Susan Glaspell, a long-forgotten, New England author.

 

Texian Market Days at the George Ranch Historical Park

October 27th is the date for Texian Market Days at the George Ranch Historical Park south of Richmond.  If you're interested in living history festivals, particularly those with local flavor, click here to view the Web site for further information.

 

Sugar Land High School Graduation, 1932

Last week, I posted a photo of Sugar Land High School's 1932 graduating class.  Afterward I searched through my archives and found a program from their graduation ceremony.  It comes from the Rozelle collection.  

Click on the image to view the 4-page program.

 

Photos of the Space Shuttle During Its Recent Visit to Houston

My thanks to Louise Nichols Gau (DHS '64) and Marsha Krause Smith (DHS '68) for sending me these photos of the Space Shuttle as it made a farewell visit to Houston on September 19th.

Click on the image to view the photo album.

 

The Original Triumphs

I want to thank my classmate Linda Hagler Mosk (DHS '68) for allowing me to scan these images from her scrapbook.  I think 1968 was Don Drachtenberg's first year to teach at Dulles High School.  If I remember correctly, his subjects were Civics, Economics, and World History.  

Anyway, Linda had the foresight to get his autograph.  Don was a celebrity teacher because he was also a member of The Triumphs.  Actually, he is still a member because the band is going strong to this day.  Check their Web site (www.originaltriumphs.com) for show dates.
 

Old Rice Stadium

For many years Rice Institute football (along with the Houston Buffs) was the big sports entertainment in Houston.  Many Sugar Land football fans drove into Houston on Saturdays to watch Rice play all the old SWC schools plus non-conference rivals like LSU.  Anyone of my generation or younger knows the current stadium which was completed just before the 1950 season.  

The old stadium (1912-1949) stood at the intersection of Main and University, just across from Ye Old College Inn, Bill Williams Restaurant, and what was to become the Medical Center.  Here are a couple of photos of the old stadium from Rice University's photo collection.  I'm uncertain of the dates, but I think they were taken in the late '30s, when Rice had a formidable team.

FYI, Rice is celebrating its Centennial this week. 

(Added comment) That's South Main St. running from the top right corner to the middle left of the picture.  As you can see, there's no Medical Center, yet.  In the second photo South Main runs from the middle right to the middle top of the photo.  I believe Hermann Hospital is the large white building at the top right. (I'm wrong; I can tell that's not Hermann Hospital. It's Palmer Episcopal Church.)

Photo from Rice University collection

Photo from Rice University collection

  

Uncle Bert Lynn, Host of Looney Town on KPRC

I don't recall where this pictures came from, but I may have found it on the Facebook page, "Southwest Houston - Do you remember when ... ?"   If you're a Facebook subscriber, you may want to check it out.

Uncle Bert Lynn hosted a kids' show on KPRC TV in the 1950s.  It was called "Looney Town."  I vaguely recall watching it.  One of my classmates has told me she was on the show.

I found this comment on another Web site about Houston history: 

"That sailboat place inbound between Park Place and the South Loop was and still is Lynn's Sailboats. It was opened and owned for a good many years by the late Bert Lynn, who owned Lynn's Music Shop on Telephone at Park Place and was also Uncle Bert Lynn on KPRC TV's Looney Town in the mid '50s. That was an afternoon kid show a lot like the show Kitirik did on channel 13.

As this person indicates, Bert Lynn had the misfortune of competing with Kitirik.  She beat him hands down.
 

2012 Fort Bend County Fair Video

Click here to view a 7 minute video of this year's Fort Bend County Fair parade.  I shot it from the McFarlane House across from the old Court House.  The parade started in Richmond at the intersection of Highway-90A and 5th Street.  It proceeded down the highway to Jennetta Street in Rosenberg.

The parade was over 1-1/2 hours long, so you're seeing just a small fraction of it.
 

Dulles High's Class of '62 Celebrates It's 50th Anniversary

The 1962 graduating class of Dulles High School celebrated its 50th anniversary with a reunion on September 29th.  I don't know where they convened, but it looks like they had a good time.  My thanks go to Mary Delmar Crochet (DHS '62) for sending me these pictures.  I've included a couple from the '62 Viking yearbook for old time's sake.

Mr. & Mrs. Rickey Allen

Mary Louise Court, Virginia Ramirez, Joyce Hodge, &  Sadie Maiorka

C. T. Renfrow & John Henry Martin in front. Richard Norman, Ray Miller, Rusty ?, & Bill Broughton.

Dr. & Mrs. Pat Gibbons - Our old teachers are aging well!

Sugar Land High's Class of '32

I want to thank Robin Roberts for sending me this photo.  It's the earliest SLHS class photo I have.  Her father, Clarence Roberts, graduated in this class.  He is the second from the left on the front row.  I haven't been able to identify any other people, but that may be Tom Greenwald also in the front row.

Here is a list of the class from the official SLHS roster: Lois Enquist, James Feuhs, Jessie Fuller, Tom Greenwald, Annie Mae Hargrove, Ida Belle Abernathy Loper, Geneviere Lisenby McCool, Mac McCullar, Claire Mebane, Charles Middlekauf, Janie Loper Milling, Mary Loper Minze, Clarence Roberts, Josephine Schrieber, Leroy Starr, Pauline Stephenson, and Justine Thompson.  

 

The roster lists 17 classmates although 16 students appear in the photo.  (Maybe someone missed the picture ceremony, which appears to have occurred in the new gym on Lakeview.)
 

Houston College Football Team in 1919

I found the following photo in the Houston Area Digital Archives (HADA) of the Houston Public Library.  HADA is a selection of the Library's photos available online.  While searching through Frank Schlueter's photos I found this one of the 1919 Houston College Football team.  Houston College was eventually renamed Texas Southern University.  

This photo was probably taken on the campus of Jack Yates High School, which is located on Sampson Street between TSU and U of H.

(Houston Area Digital Archive/Houston Public Library)

Sisters Nola Hughes & Nora Blair Retire in 1959

I want to thank Cherryl Hughes Fikes for providing these scans.  Cherryl is the granddaughter of Nola Hughes.  I believe Buddy Blair has told me his mother Nora and Cherryl's grandmother Nola were twins.  Since they both retired in 1959, I think my recollection is correct.

As the articles state, Nola was a long-time Sugar Land telephone operator.  Mrs. Blair worked in Sugar Land's grocery stores for many years.  I'm not sure in which local newspaper these articles appeared.

 

Here is a picture of the sisters at the Industries retirement banquet with other '59 retirees.

 

Sugar Land Pair Win La Conga Cup in 1940

I posted this picture 2 years ago when I found it in a scrapbook my grandmother Kelly kept.  I spoke with Betty Friend Cordes a few weeks ago on the phone.  I want to talk with her again.  I hope I can get more information on this story.

The article says the dance contest was tied in with the Mickey Rooney - Judy Garland movie, "Strike Up The Band," which was released on September 20, 1940.  Rooney & Garland danced "The La Conga" in the movie, so local kids were given the challenge of performing the new craze in a contest at The Plantation Room on South Main not far from Playland Park.

If I'm correct about the date, Betty was a 17-year old senior at Sugar Land High School.  Arthur 'Skeet' Guenther was a 16-year old junior.

 

A video tour of the Central Unit near Sugar Land

I want to thank Bob Husbands for organizing our tour of the Texas Prison System's old Central Unit on September 21st.  Many of you know the State is selling the property.  (No deal is imminent.)

A group (including myself) interested in seeing the site took this specially-arranged guided tour.  I'd never been on the property, much less toured the prison, so I'm very grateful for the chance to see and video it.

Link to 1st Part of the Video

   Skip to tour of 1st Main Building

   Skip to tour of 2nd Main Building

Link to 2nd Part of the Video

   Skip to Solitary Cell Block

   Skip to Horse Trough

   Skip to Dog Kennel

   Skip to Warden's Home

   Skip to Residential Streets
 

Rosie Theis-Turner

This is a repost from Betty Ann Jenkins Williams's Facebook page.  Betty Ann is a member of the '71 Class at DHS.  Many of you will remember the Jimi & Jack Neal family, including their children David (DHS '67), Henry (DHS '69), and Emily (DHS '71). 

As Betty Ann says, no donation is too small.

Betty Ann and Rosie.

This is a long read, plus please take the time......It was 6 weeks yesterday that mother passed away from the complications of a broken hip and pneumonia. I am not really sure why I didn’t post at the time but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. With the help of my family, we were able to keep her at home where she belonged. I miss her terribly but know she is healed, happy and walking perfectly!

I believe in taking a sadness or loss and trying to turn it into something positive. When mother passed, we asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Rosie Theis-Turner Recovery Fund. Rosie is currently in treatment for a reoccurrence of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

Rosie attended FBISD schools and is now a teacher at Drabek Elementary. Rosie is the daughter of Emily Neal (Dulles class of 71), the niece of Henry Neal (Dulles class of 69), and the grand-daughter of Jimi and Jack Neal longtime Fort bend teachers. She is on a leave of absence while going through her treatment. Next week she is scheduled for a stem cell transplant, using her own harvested tissue. Her recovery is moving forward, but she is in need of prayer and financial assistance as she will not be able to return to work this year.

Please consider making a donation to the Rosie Theis-Turner Recovery Fund at http://hope4rose.webs.com/. Checks can be sent in care of Jill Cope, 1515 Tillman, Richmond, TX 77476.

No donation is too small and all are very much appreciated. God Bless you all.

  

Richmond Celebrates Its 175th Birthday

On Saturday, September 15th, the City of Richmond celebrated its 175th anniversary with a day-long street festival.  I've produced a 15-minute video of the event for the Fort Bend Museum Association.  I thoroughly enjoyed the festivities.  I hope they repeat this type of event in the future.

Click here to view the video.

 

"Jaybird - Woodpecker Saga" by Bruce Kelly

My brother gave a presentation to the Fort Bend County Historical Commission last month.  His topic was the Jaybird-Woodpecker War that erupted in Fort Bend County in 1889.  I videoed the presentation, but the audio didn't turn out as well as I wanted.  Nevertheless, I've posted this 24-minute version for those interested in this era of local history.

The good news is Bruce is giving the talk at Richmond's 175th birthday celebration on September 15th.  I believe he's giving it at 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm at the Masonic Hall on Morton Street.  (I can confirm the details if you're interested.)

(Update) I got this message from Bruce: "My Jaybird presentation is scheduled from 3:15 to 4:15 on Saturday (at the Masonic Hall)."  

There are other speakers on different topics.  I'll try to get them today and post the schedule tonight.

Link to Jaybird-Woodpecker presentation Part 1 (13 mins).

Link to Jaybird-Woodpecker presentation Part 2 (11 mins).

 

A Man On A Horse -- Lakeview Drive in 1929

I've seen several copies of this picture in different archives.  A. J. Shields is the man on the horse, but I can't find any information on him.  I've always assumed he was a construction supervisor, but I could be wrong about that.  Neither he or his family are listed in the 1929 Sugar Land telephone directory.  

Regardless, you get a fine view of the eastern section of Lakeview Drive as it was being developed in 1929.  Someone could probably take a print of the picture to the street today and determine exactly where the camera was placed.  (It's pointed eastward from a point somewhere near the midpoint between Wood Street and Eldridge Road.)  

You can see KPRC radio's transmission towers in the distance (to the right).  They were located at the transmission station on what was then called KPRC Road but is now known as Eldridge Road.  You can just see Eldridge's home in the distance behind the construction shack.

Unloading Sugar at the Galveston Docks

I found this undated photo in T. C. Rozelle's scrapbook.  It dates from the early 20th century and shows stevedores unloading sacks of raw sugar on the Galveston docks.  The picture has extremely fine resolution, so you can (almost) read the no-smoking sign on the warehouse, pick out the crane operators on the ship, and clearly see the dollies they used to cart the bags from the ship to the warehouse.   I think those were 200-lb. bags of sticky, raw sugar.

Notice the ship in the back is much, much larger than the sugar freighter in the front.  I'm not sure what type of cargo it was carrying -- possibly cotton?

Houston Chronicle Restaurant Ads, 1964

J. R. Gonzales recently  posted this image on his blog, Bayou City History.  It shows restaurant ads from an undated edition of The Houston Chronicle from 1964.  

It brought back some memories.  My family patronized Del Monico's, the Clear Creek Inn, Gaido's, Weldons' cafeteria, and Youngblood's (the Bissonnet location).  I've heard of other restaurants on this page, but I don't think we ever ate at any of them.