Fallout From Good Friday...

Yes, this is Easter Sunday. This day carries great religious significance for Christians the world over. Easter weekend is special. Good Friday is special to all who hold that day to be holy. In my opinion, more people think about the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ during this period than any other time of the year.

But wait a minute. Something is wrong here and I am not referring to Easter or Good Friday. Rather I have in mind the fact that last year on Good Friday, the machines moved in and began knocking down the South Park High School building, one of the most beautiful edifices in all of Beaumont and surrounding region. As a result, that inspiring structure, listed as a State of Texas historical landmark, no longer exists. Since I am a SPHS Greenie ’53, this is a double insult. Moving in on a religious holiday and destroying a stately historic building that did not need to be destroyed are the leading components of my displeasure.

I am not going to dwell upon all of the shenanigans pulled by Carroll Thomas and Company, sometimes referred to as Butch and his Cronies. The main reason I stay away from joining in that fray is because I prefer to keep the tenor of this column out of the stench of underhandedness and outright fraudulent activities as evidenced by the BISD school board. Should you take offense at the foregoing comment then so do I. Let the record speak for itself. I realize that CT is an intelligent man. I will give him that. But this is what makes it so confusing. A smart man should not function as he functions. I have heard that in some cases, PhD stands for “…piled higher and deeper.” This is my opinion but also is fodder for another column. Yes, another column where I will let my hair down and write what I think.

Although I now live in the Little Rock area, I have numerous friends in and around Beaumont who keep me posted on the news and views of what I call affectionately the Plague of Beaumont. I verify information by reading the Texas Education Agency web site and the online minutes of the BISD school board meetings. Anyone disagreeing with the slant of this essay also should read the aforementioned resources.

Yet from all of this, a bright star arose from the pit of chaos. The South Park High School Heritage Association (SPHSHA) was started years ago by Pat Gilbert, Mary Frances Freeman and others interested in preserving the memories of SPHS. When the school became a ninth-grade campus, a schoolroom adjacent to the school library was dedicated to housing the memorabilia. Later, as the Good Friday demolition of the building began, others rose to the occasion. Miriam Cade Nichol, Mike Getz, Reg Garner, Gene Van Meter and others moved the SPHSHA (museum) to another location. Gene Van Meter owns a building located at 505 W Florida. Gene has dedicated the use of this building to housing the historical facts and records of SPHS.

Following are a few of the items and articles collected and housed in the new SPHSHA museum:

Graduating Gowns, band blankets, uniforms, and shirts, cheerleader jackets, choir jackets, trophies (basketball, football, tennis, track, baseball, golf, volleyball, bowling, literary, etc.), yearbooks ranging from 1915 to 1986., collection of Greenie Gushers (school newspaper), Beaumont Enterprise/Journal articles covering sporting events, social events and columns of interest to all Greenies and surrounding communities.

Then there are items for sale such as South Park T-Shirts, caps and necklaces, SP coffee mugs and cups.

Here is my new slogan:

“Brick and mortar may experience demise,

But Greenie Spirit never dies.”

Winston Hamby

Win Hamby@gmail.com