Well, we made it out to the museum Tuesday. Since cameras aren't allowed, I decided to sketch all of this from memory.
Before I add the photos, I'd like to say that I made it a point to get everything there that was related to any Southeast Texas football team. Unfortunately, there were four things we missed because there was no way we could get the shots without getting caught by a museum employee. The first two were in the area immediately to the left of the entrance called "Bragging Rights," which is a diner set-up with a bunch of football posters and buttons you can press to hear fans of six different schools talk about their teams over the years. We were one of the schools that had a recording, and the second item in that area was a 2009 Nederland poster on the wall (the only Nederland item in the exhibit). The third missed item was a plaque and TV screen about a third of the way into the exhibit that mentioned Mid-County Madness as the state's fiercest rivalry and several important events in the histories of Beaumont, Hebert, French, South Park, Forest Park, Charlton-Pollard and Ozen. The fourth item was another plaque across the hall from the TV screen that was part of the "Texas High School Football Timeline" and mentioned the attendance record we set at the 1977 state championship. I basically left the exhibit slapping myself in the back of the head for missing these four things, but hopefully someone else will make the trip to Austin and get the missing shots.
So, without further adieu, here's what we managed to get:
We get there and what's the first thing we see? 2010-2011 PN-G Drum Major Seth Beaugh and the Indian Band on the cover of the exhibit's brochure. You can't tell it from the photo, but a close inspection of the brochure reveals that this shot of the band was taken at last year's Livingston game. As a former PN-G band member, this was a very proud moment.
When you leave the first section of the exhibit (which is the area where we missed all of those shots), you come into a section that talks about mascots. The centerpiece of this exhibit is Jimmy Girouard's Indian Spirit uniform from the 1964-1965 school year.
Standing in front of the uniform and its showcase and looking to your left, you'll find a picture of Mr. Girouard in full Indian Spirit dress dancing down what is today known as A-Hall at the high school, a picture of 2010-2011 Indian Spirit Brandon Provost dancing on the field in the Alamodome, and a plaque denoting the importance of the Indian mascot to PN-G, West Texas High School and El Paso Ysleta High School.
As you look at these displays, you'll notice something along the wall to your right that every PN-G fan everywhere should recognize: the letter, certificate and seal of the Cherokee Nation presented to our school in 1979.
As you move out of the mascot section and into the next section, you'll find an exhibit dedicated totally to spirit organizations (bands, cheerleading squads, drill teams, etc.). In this section, you'll find a PN-G Drum Majorette Headress on display and a station where six different songs can be played over the loud speakers. Wanna guess which PN-G crowd favorite was among those six songs?
This was another proud moment for a former Indian Band member.
The last section of the exhibit is a tribute to the fans, media and communities that have showcased high school football in Texas for decades. In this section, you'll find memorabilia, news articles, a television set programmed to play some famous plays from Texas high school football history, and a bookcase filled with books dedicated to some of the most famous teams in Texas. Among them, of course, was a copy of Dr. John Buck Ford's
Down Trails of Victory: The Story of Port Neches-Groves High School Football.
In the same section of the exhibit, you'll find a plaque dedicated to long-time Texas high school football fan and Orangefield native Bennie Cotton:
... and some Port Arthur Momentos:
Folks, PN-G was the best represented of any school in our area, if not the state. Other SETX schools were mentioned here and there, but PN-G was showcased for the entire state to see. I even met a fellow PN-G grad (c/o '63) that's lived in Austin since her UT days and still showed up wearing purple and white to take pictures of the exhibit and show her grandson what PN-G is all about. Most schools were lucky to have one item on display - some lucked out and got two - but PN-G had six separate items in the exhibit. I know exactly what 15PNG meant when he said he walked out glowing with pride. If you get a chance to go to Austin and see it, go - it's worth every penny.
Topic: PN-G and Texas State History (Read 1718 times)
