by Ray Sanchez©
The beautiful Lady on the Hill now has a beautiful lady at the helm.
El Paso High School, which was built in the early 1900s, is such a marvel of architecture with its marble floors and Greco-Roman columns that it drew raves throughout the country from its beginning. Locally, it was called the Lady on the Hill since it was located in what was then the high part of the city.
Last week, the first woman principal in the storied history of El Paso’s first high school, Kristine Ferret, was introduced to members of El Paso High Tigers Friends and Exes.
SHE WAS an immediate hit. Young, attractive and obviously well educated, she drew applause and cheers, especially when she said, “I’m honored to be principal of such a beautiful school with such a great tradition.”
True. El Paso High has produced some of the greatest graduates in the history of the city in all walks of life, including sports, during its 96-year existence.
Among its many accomplishments in sports, El Paso High School still holds the Texas basketball record for most state finals game appearances (eight) and most state championships (four).
MRS. FERRET, who had been principal at Ross Middle School, took over the El Paso High School post at the start of the year.
She’s a graduate of University of Oregon and is a big fan of the Ducks, who have had a lot of success in football recently. She participated in track in high school and is proud of having run in, and finished, a Portland Marathon in Oregon.
She and her husband, Juan Ferret, have three children, Joseph, Julia and Claudia, ages 8, 6 and 5 respectively.
“I’m very excited about my new position,” Mrs. Ferret told the Tiger exes. They’re pretty excited, too.
TRIVIA QUESTION: Walter Johnson recorded more than 3000 strikeouts while with only one team, the Washington Senators. Can you name one other pitcher who can make that claim? Answer at end.
THE FIRST nominees for induction into the El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame this year are in. They include four coaches (Roy Culberson, Steve Flato, Jimmy Melendez and Matt Simon), two athletes (Ruben Dominguez Jr. and Paul Pearson) and nationally renowned basketball official Bobby Dibler. Next nomination meeting will be Monday, Feb. 20, at 5:15 p.m. at First Christian Church, 901 Arizona Street. It’s open to the public.
SAD NEWS DEPT.: Raul Martinez, the popular sports director at KVIA-TV, is leaving next month to accept a job in a big market station in Denver.
KVIA-TV general manager Kevin Lovell: “Raul’s talent is matched by his great attitude and smile. I predict we’ll be seeing him on ESPN some day.”
UTEP HAS been holding some great promotions. “Noche Latina Night” on Feb. 4 was thoroughly enjoyable what with mariachis and a great acrobatic dunking act. This weekend, UTEP is honoring the 1992 men’s basketball team that reached the NCAA’s “Sweet 16” at Saturday’s men’s game while a 22-year breast cancer survivor will be honored by Susan G. Komen for the Cure of El Paso as part of “Breast Cancer Awareness Day” at Sunday’s women’s game. The survivor is Maria Ciaburri, wife of well-known media personality Tom Ciaburri. “I’m so proud of my wife,” Tom says.
MY CRYSTAL ball is bragging again. I heard it knocking in its drawer. After I took it out the obnoxious orb jumped up and down and hollered, “I told you the New York Giants could win the Super Bowl because coach Tom Coughlin is such a great coach and such a strong believer in conditioning!”
“Oh, shut up,” I said. I put it back in its drawer and slammed it shut.
ANSWER to trivia question: Bob Gibson with the St. Louis Cardinals, 3117