howeenterprise.com
Monday, July 13, 2015
Page #2
Howe still benefiting from Norman's leadership Norman. "They told us a long time ago that we could have the bell back, but we never could figure out how a bunch of women were going to get that bell back. There were some groups in there and some kids knocked in some of the panels and it was heavily damaged. One of our first goals was to try and get the foundation done and we started fundraisers." J.C. and Carrie Waller began to hold garage sales at the location weekly for five years in order to raise money for the structure. That money raised eventually became part of the $13,000 that just repaired the foundation last week. It only took 22 years to get it done, but it has finally happened.
Jean Norman in front of the old First Christian Church last week during construction The apple didn't fall from the tree as Jean Norman was born to Mr. and Mrs. Red Pope, who were also integral parts of their community of Bonham. Red Pope led the Bonham Christmas parade for nearly 40 years and was the best friend of the longest tenured Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Sam Rayburn and even rolled his cigarettes for him. As Red Pope was to Bonham is his daughter Jean Norman is to Howe.
building. Her, along with Carrie Waller, Norma Wallace, Linda Wall, M.E. Curtis, Dale Rideout, Karen Krantz and Scott Jones formed the Howe Historical Society back in late 1993 and their efforts actually focused on a historical home that was proposed to be torn down in order to build what is now the auxiliary gym next to the old 1938 Howe Schools building on Denny Street.
The Howe Historical Society that started in 1993 became left to Norman and Waller to maintain and the two that worked so hard to fulfill their dream just finally ran out of gas. "I kept it up until two years ago." said Norman. "I just got tired of dealing with the IRS and the yearly reports."
The money that the historical committee had sat in an account accumulating interest over the years in hopes of one day going towards the restoration of the church, but Norman admitted After their efforts were lost on the historic home, it seemed hopeless. they turned their attention to the old church on Recently, there has been much ado about the old the corner of O'Connell and Denny Streets. "We only still had that money because we First Christian Church, which is getting much could only have given it to a non-profit needed tender loving care and in stages of "The city had come in and took some of the organization." said Norman. "We desperately restoration. But it was Jean Norman and her molding and beautiful stuff including the bell out continued on Page #5 friends that first tried to renovate the historic of it so it was pretty well stripped." said
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