7 minute read
Texas History Minute:
poisoning, but no one made the connection between the reports of illness and the odorless natural gas supply the building was using March 18 started as a typical day More than 500 students attended, along with 40 teachers At around 3:05 PM, as the day was winding down, Lemmie Butler, a respected shop teacher, innocently turned on the sander in his classroom as he had many times before
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A spark flew
And the gates of hell opened
The spark ignited a cloud of natural gas that destroyed half of the building in an instant Desperate parents rushed to the scene, digging through rubble with their bare hands Police and firefighters were overwhelmed Local oil workers brought heavy moving equipment and torches to cut through the debris. Within the hour, Gov Jimmy Allred sent Texas Rangers and emergency services to New London
The new Mother Frances Hospital (which still exists) was scheduled to open in nearby Tyler the next day but opened early to accommodate the injured from New London Volunteers came from across the state and neighboring Louisiana
The death toll, including teachers, was put at 319
In the aftermath, the school district was exonerated. More than 70 lawsuits were filed against the district and Parade, but Judge Robert T Brown, ignoring law, precedent, and evidence, dismissed them all In one moment, an unfeeling and uncaring judge prevented any possibility of anyone ever being held accountable for the worst school disaster in American History Hundreds of families were devastated, and one judge decided that business would proceed as usual No justice was ever served No one was ever convicted, and neither the school district nor the gas company nor anyone else responsible ever had to pay a dime
School superintendent W C Shaw, whose son died in the blast, resigned and left New London
Texas passed important new safety regulations in an emergency session later in 1937 These laws included a requirement that an odor be added to natural gas in case of leaks The Engineering Registration Act was passed to ensure that engineers would be licensed and that only qualified personnel could run gas lines Fire drills in schools are now required; and all public buildings must have doors that open outward, all in light of the tragedy
The school was soon rebuilt A memorial was placed near the site in 1939, listing the names of all those who perished A museum across the street from the explosion site opened in 1998, curated by a survivor The tragedy has been the subject of several books and documentaries, including When Even Angels Wept (2009), a firsthand account told by survivors The physical wounds healed, but for hundreds of families and an entire community, the hearts remained broken
Monday, January 16, 2017
Howe Bunting Donated by Howe Mercantile, Georgia Caraway
Vintage Flower Garden Decoration Donated by Trudy Whitney, Howe Mercantile
Handcrafted Bird Feeder Donated by Cindy Puckett, Howe Mercantile
Franz Blue Magpie Porcelain Sugar Jar with Cover Donated by Robyn Lee and Graham Phipps, Denton
Antique Tiger Oak Dining Table with 5 leaves & 6 chairs Donated by Tamela and Scott Shadden
Baked item Donated by Mary Stonebarger
Christmas in April A tree full of 12K gold trimmed handblown Egyptian ornaments Donated by Georgia Caraway, Howe Mercantile
CASH DONORS
$500 Waldo Funeral Home
$250 Tod Corbin
$204 Tim Diamond Bicycle Raffle result
$100 Marie Curtis, Sandra Zulawski
100 % tax deductible auction items
Silver Cross Pen Set (pen and pencil) Donated by Grace Johnson, Tulsa OK
Silver Cross Pen Set (pen and pencil) Donated by Grace Johnson, Tulsa OK
Pheasant Print, Two (2) Handpainted Stone Pheasants, and Pheasant Enamel Figure Donated by Vanna Ingram, Denton
The Palm House Painting Donated by Bev and Larry Rodriguez
Landscape Painting Donated by Bev and Larry Rodriguez
Caravansary II Print Donated by Bev and Larry Rodriguez
Print Donated by Bev and Larry Rodriguez
Califormia King 8-piece Comforter Set Donated by Nancy Thomas
Four (4) Framed English Hunting Prints by H Alken Donated by Oscar Blankemeyer
Large Lighthouse Print by Warren Kimble Donated by Oscar Blankemeyer
Small Lighthouse Print Donated by Oscar Blankemeyer
Handmade Pair King-size Pillowcases Donated by Tina Stambaugh Cox
Handmade Pair Standard-size Pillowcases Donated by Tina Stambaugh Cox
Metal Table with Inlaid Beveled Glass Sofa Table Donated by Karen Gerleman, Tom Bean
Handcrafted Chisel and Punch Cross with Key Donated by Lyn Sawyer
6-month Business Card-size Ad in Howe Enterprise Donated by Howe Enterprise
2-month Half-page Ad in Howe Enterprise Donated by Howe Enterprise
One-Dozen Cupcakes Donated by Mama Suzy’s Sweets & Eats
Tips, Tools, & Techniques Donated by author Georgia Caraway
Black Lacquer Display Case Donated by Madge McDade
Pewter Candlesticks Donated by Grace Johnson, Tulsa OK
Pair of Pewter Mugs Donated by Grace Johnson, Tulsa, OK
Lead Crystal Bowl Donated by Howe Mercantile, Georgia Caraway
Handpainted Bread Box Donated by Donna Pelkey
Basket of Goodies for Wedding or Anniversary Donated by Baskets & Buckets by Diamond, Howe Mercantile
“V Wall” Framed Photograph In and About Howe Donated by Mark Hansen
Photography
Pecan Praline Cake with Caramel Crème Icing Donated by Mama Suzy’s Sweets & Eats
Autographed Book Uncle Andy’s: A Faaabbbulous Visit with Andy Warhol by his nephew James Warhola Donated by Georgia Caraway
Handcrafted Woven Copper Wire and Bead Cross Donated by Jennifer Anne McGovern
Bulldog Pillow Donated by Georgia Caraway, Howe Mercantile
Cut and Etched Glass Bud Vase Donated by Brett Jones, Texas Home Emporium
Autographed Book The Orphan Syndrome by Dr Nick Eno Donated by Watt Wealth Management
Basket of Paris Items Donated by Howe Mercantile, Georgia Caraway
Large Egyptian Blown Glass Perfume Bottle with 12K Gold Trim Donated by Howe Mercantile, Georgia Caraway
Italian Cream Cake Donated by Jean Norman
$50 Ray Selby, Elliott and Carrie Simpson, Wanda and ND Moses, Handgun Instructors of Texas
Current raffle item is a black and gold quilt made by Tina Stambaugh Cox and tickets are $1 each at Howe Mercantile
IN KIND DONORS
Howe Mini Storage
CW Flooring of Denton, 4 chandeliers
CW Flooring of Denton 4 light sconces
Howe Historical Society, crystal chandelier
Boyd Dunn, services, construction supervisor for church restoration
City of Howe, services
Brice Harvey, bbq cook
Janie Finney, banners and signs
Don Anderson, auctioneer
Anna Anderson, auctioneer clerk
Howe Enterprise, advertising
Van Alstyne Leader, advertising
Herald Democrat, advertising
Donna Wormsbaker, beans for BBQ dinner
Bev Martin, bread for BBQ dinner
Georgia Caraway, sausage for BBQ dinner
Mary Stonebarger 8 dozen cookies for BBQ dinner
Oscar Blankemeyer, sausage for BBQ dinner
Mama Suzy’s Sweets and Eats, 8 doz sugar cookies for dinner
Howe Fire Department, use of building for BBQ dinner
Michelle Walker and Howe Mercantile, table decorations continued from page 1 more experienced other performances get inside their head
"You just have to do the best your team can do and hopefully have the best outcome " said Ansley There were teams that were really good and you have to cheer them on too because all in all, we are all cheerleaders and you want to see the best team to win and you want just the opportunity for cheer in general to compete You're excited for whoever wins "
In Class 3A, 61 teams competed and 15-20 are allowed to make the finals The judges selected 19 and Howe came up just short of the finals Howe's performers were in the top 20 until a misinterpretation of a dance routine sank them out of the hunt Breaking down the routines into three categories of "crowd leading, "fight song", and "band dance "
"For us, it was tough because it's all brand new for UIL and it 's new to us " said Kirby "The description of what they were looking for was vague and more of an interpretation After our first two performances, we were in the top 20, but our band dance kicked us back "
Kirby thinks the judges were seeking a more scaled back routine whereas the HHS cheerleaders are advanced in moves She feels like the experience of knowing what judges are looking for will help future teams in years to come.
"Their biggest fear was the response that they would get from their peers at school when they came home without a medal " said Kirby "They have so much heart that they don't want to be a let down to the school or the community We fought for a long time to be able to compete instead of just being known as the ones who stand on the sidelines and try and get the crowd to cheer back My girls want to be more than that so it was a big deal for us "
Kirby pointed to the behind the scene things that is often overlooked Each cheerleader is required to have 20 hours of community service completed before tryouts
"They think that we give out goody bags to the football boys and they don't realize that the money doesn't come from the school We raise that money to be able to do those things for them We spend time decorating the whole town which takes two days " said Kirby "They just see us that one night a week, but we're doing community service because I want these girls to learn that it's more than cheer You have to learn to give back to the community"
But it was the experience of getting to go that will stand out for the cheerleaders They stayed in a nice hotel and were treated to dinner at Babe's Chicken Dinner House in Frisco
"Probably 80 percent of them hadn't been in a hotel that nice." said Kirby "Most had never been to Babe's It was an experience that they will never forget "
If you're a taxpayer, don't be alarmed, the parents kicked in enough money for the girls to be able to have such an experience together The district had a certain allowance for the trip that took care of necessities
For every Howe cheerleader that has ever wanted to compete, you were truly represented with a conscience understanding of the importance of the moment
