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November 13, 2011
WOLF CREEK HERITAGE MUSEUM NOTES by Virginia Scott MUSEUM NOTES We are enjoying this calm pleasant weather with visitors who are out enjoying the fall colors and visiting museums,local sites, ole homesteads,etc. We thank each of you for visiting the museum. This is the last week, you can view the photographs of the Lipscomb County 4-H club. The photographs taken by the club are interesting and colorful. The ones on display at the museum are of the museum and the view of the photographer is fun and different. The full exhibit is on display at the extension office at the courthouse. The exhibit is well worth the trip. We are still cleaning and rearranging the exhibit supplies and archives and in doing so we decided to put our ceramic Christmas tree on display. We usually observe the Thanksgiving rule but since we will be closed during December, we voted to have it up during November. So if you need encouragement for the holiday spirit come see our little tree. If you are Christmas shopping, remember our gift shop has great books!!!! HISTORICAL MUSINGS We have received more information on the Doodlebug that I will save for future musings. We have also received a copy of 1930 annual from the Plains School from Byron Deal of the Frank and Edith Balch Deal family. This is the forward to the Plains annual which still applicable today: "Yesterday the Panhandle of Texas was only a broad undeveloped prairie with uncivilized Indian, howling coyotes, and majestic bison roaming over the plains. Today these prairies are being transformed into fields of golden wheat, and cities, and schools, and churches are being founded. Tomorrow will depend upon those who are now in school. In this progress Plains School will play a part. This is a record of this year's progress. It is the hope that the Plains will recall happy school day memories, class mates and teachers." There were three members of the school board, two teachers one, Charles S. King, who served as principal and his wife, Helen L. King, primary teacher. One sophomore, one freshman, five seventh graders, one sixth grader, three fifth graders, three fourth graders, two third graders, four second graders, and three first graders. The annual has a photo of each and a note to Leo Meier who was a freshman and owner of the annual. The family has given us permission to reproduce the annual so if you want a copy, they will be available in the gift shop. On November 13, 1947, John Hill Westbrook, the first black student to play varsity football in the Southwest conference, was born in Groesbeck, Texas. In 1965 he enrolled at Baylor University and tried out for the freshman football team as a running back. Despite racially motivated harsh treatment from some teammates and coaches, he earned an athletic scholarship. On September 10, 1966, in the fourth quarter of a game against Syracuse, Westbrook became the first black to play football in the Southwest conference. He ran for lieutenant governor of Texas in 1978 and received 23 percent of the vote in the Democrat primary. In 1983 Westbrook died in Houston at the age of 36. Enjoy the week! |
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