El Paso High School one of the most beautiful high schools ever constructed, has quite a history. It was first named Central High School and it opened in 1884 as a two-story building at Myrtle Avenue and Campbell Street. It had 10 rooms and an enrollment of 222. In 1885 a high school was established on the second floor. The first high school graduating class consisted of two students, Kate Moore and George Prentiss Robinson.
Then, in 1902, El Paso had a solidly built high school at Arizona and Campbell Streets but it was nothing like what was to come.
A NEW EL PASO High School opened in 1916. It was such a magnificent building it has received many honors, architectural and otherwise, throughout its existence. It was often referred to as “The Lady on the Hill.”
The firm of Trost and Trost designed it and it was built at a cost of $500,000, an unheard-of amount for a high school in those days. The Greco-Roman features included marble floors, classical columns, classroom floors of hard maple and one of the first concrete stadiums in the entire country that could seat 12,000 people.
It was the talk of the country.
I’M TELLING you all this because there will be big doings at El Paso High School this coming week. It’s not only Homecoming Week but the grand opening of the EPHS Alumni Association Museum is scheduled. It will be held on Friday from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. It took four years of fundraising and construction but the museum became a reality.
The museum is located on the corner of Cliff Street and Virginia Street on El Paso High School property. If you plan to attend, RSVP to Araceli Almanza at 915-545-2246 by Sept 30, 2019
OF COURSE, there will be other festivities during the week. For instance:
Tuesday, October 1 – Discussion on safety issues with state representative Lina Ortega in the El Paso High auditorium.
Thursday, October 3 – EPHS Outstanding Ex luncheon at the El Paso Club at 5 p.m.
Friday, October 4 – Grand opening of the El Paso Alumni Association Museum from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., a pep rally in the C. D. Jarvis gym at 2:30 p.m. and a homecoming football game, El Paso High against Irvin High, at 7 p.m.
TRIVIA QUESTION: When was the last baseball game played in Ebbets Field, home of the Brooklyn Dodgers? Answer at end of column.
UTEP WILL also be observing Homecoming next week, and the UTEP Alumni Association also has big plans. For instance:
Thursday, October 3 – Meet and Greet at the Hilton Garden Inn, 111 West University Avenue, from 6 to 9 p.m.
Friday, October 4 – Bar-B-Que from 12 to 3 p.m. at the McCall Neighborhood Center, 3231 East Wyoming Avenue.
Saturday, October 5 – Round Table Summit at 10 a.m. at Union Building East on the UTEP campus, Pickaxe Tailgate Party at 2:30 p.m. at Kidd Field, UTEP vs. UTSA football game at 6 p.m. at Sun Bowl Stadium.
As a graduate of both El Paso High School and UTEP, I can hardly wait.
IT’S GOOD TO see Oscar Leeser and his Hyundai of El Paso dealership connected with the Sun Bowl again. The Sun Bowl Association has announced that one of El Paso’s best holiday traditions will now be sponsored by his dealership. It will be renamed the Oscar Leeser’s Hyundai of El Paso Sun Bowl Parade.
The parade will again be run on Thanksgiving morning along Montana Avenue. This year marks the 83rd edition of the longstanding parade. The contract is a two-year deal with the option of automatic renewal.
TRIVIA ANSWER: September 24, 1957. Ebbets Field was demolished on Feb. 23, 1960.
Veteran sports journalist, historian and author Ray Sanchez welcomes suggestions for his column. Contact him at (915) 584-0626, by email at rayf358@yahoo.com or online at raysanchezbooks.com.