by Ray Sanchez 01.19.14
While UTEP is celebrating its 100th year of existence this year El Paso High School is already getting ready to celebrate its centennial two years hence.
The El Paso High School Parents Teachers Students Association has launched a grand beautification project and one can already see some of the results along the Schuster Street entrance and on the corner of Schuster and Virginia streets. Members are also concentrating on selling tables, benches and trees for the campus.
Sports are not forgotten. “We are hoping to place the benches and trees in the front by the stadium and around the campus so that students have more places to congregate and there are better seating areas for the sporting events,” Patricia Jay, who is chairman of the project, known as “EPHS 100,” says.
OTHERS HEADING the project are PTSA President Monica Henschel, who has been actively involved with the project, and Ileana Kim, who is leading the student group which will work on beautifying the campus grounds.
Ms Jay adds, “The tables and benches will only be sold at present prices until March 1. We are trying to place orders to have the initial installation for this spring. The order form has a March 1 date but people don’t seem to notice that. We are planning to continue selling benches and tables until 2016 but we just don’t know at what price. We are worried about the shipping costs rising for the concrete tables and benches. The shipping is very expensive and we don’t want people to think that they can buy tables and benches next year at these same prices if we see a huge rise in shipping costs.”
AS YOU KNOW, El Paso High School has been recognized as an architectural marvel ever since it opened in 1916. It cost $500,000 to build, an astronomical sum at that time.
As a proud El Paso Highs ex, I’m willing to help. Are you?
TRIVIA QUESTION: Which team won the World Series in both 1975 and 1976? Answer at end.
LAST WEEK I told you about the father/son success story of Cliff and Casey Lambert at Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino. There’s another father/son combination that’s warming the heart there.
J. D. Barton raised and developed Bold Ego, the thoroughbred who went on to compete in Triple Crown races in 1981 and finished second in the Preakness. Now his son, Dallas Barton, is developing, or one could say has already developed, into one of the best trainers not only at Sunland Park Racetrack but throughout the Southwest.
Listen to this: A horse trainer is considered outstanding if he has a .15 win percentage. Going into this week Dallas Barton had won 223 races in 1040 starts for a .22 win percentage. Wow.
ONE OF THE nicest things about writing a book about history is hearing from people from the past. Following is the latest email. It’s from Mark Haarmann:
“I hope you remember me. I worked at KTSM covering sports from 1987-1990. My sister-in-law gave me a copy of your book, ‘(The Good, the Bad and the Funny of) El Paso Sports History’, for Christmas. I wanted to tell you how much I thoroughly enjoyed it! The sections that covered the late 80’s and early 90’s brought back many, many great memories of the time I had in El Paso!
“I think that outside of the late 60’s, that time may have been a true Golden Age for El Paso sports, and I was privileged to be a part of it. Thank you for allowing my wife and me to re-live those days. I hope all is well with you and my adopted hometown.”
Of course, I remember Mark Haarmann very well, and it’s responses like his that make all the hard work of writing a book worthwhile. Thanks, Mark.
ANSWER to trivia question: The Cincinnati Reds.