Posts Tagged ‘El Paso High School Tigers El Paso’

28 Jun

El Paso High Seeks Help, Names 2015 Ex

Posted by EL PASO SPORTS in El Paso Sports, Ray Sanchez. Tagged: , , , , .

By Ray Sanchez 06.18.15

Help! My alma mater, El Paso High School, needs assistance.

The beautiful “Lady on the Hill,” as the school has been called, is getting ready to celebrate its 100th anniversary next year and Michael Montes, president of the school’s alumni association, has sent out a call for alumni to provide, as he put it, “your ideas, input and talents.  What would you like to see be part of your Centennial?”

He says the centennial committee needs:

* Researchers to find archives in the Museum * Researchers to find alumni and classmates * Webmaster for Alumni webpage * Writers for our monthly newsletter * Help with Social Media * Graphic Designeramadaflores

If you have any thoughts, contact Anna Mares for details at annamares@aol.com or email your ideas to that address.

 

I DO HAVE one tidbit of information to offer. Or rather, Nancy Hamilton, a classmate of mine at UTEP and a co-worker on The Prospector then, does.

A couple of years ago I wrote that Kristine Ferret was the first female principal at El Paso High School.

Wrong. Mrs. Ferret is the only woman principal at the school since the present building opened 99 years ago but the very first principal at the high school in 1885 was a lady named Emma Seabough.

Let Mrs. Hamilton, a historian who has authored several books, explain. She wrote:

 

“I ENJOYED your column about the EPHS lady principal.  However, in researching ‘The Rise and Growth of Public Education in El Paso,’ Elaine Lewis Morrell’s MA thesis of 1936 for the University of Texas, I find that we had some earlier lady principals.

“In 1885-86 a high school was established on the second floor of the Central School with Miss Emma Seabough as principal … There was no graduating class that year. In 1886, Miss Ella B. Meekins (later to become Mrs. G. H. Wilkins) became principal and held the position for a number of years.  She was assisted by the superintendent, who taught mathematics, and Miss Fannie Echols and Mrs. Leigh Clark, who taught English and Latin.

“There were two pupils in the graduating class of 1887. Mrs. Morrell taught at Austin High when I was there in the early 1940s.”

 

IT’S GOOD to set the record straight.

Oh, and let me inform you that El Paso High School has picked its Outstanding Ex of 2015. And what a selection!

It’s the remarkable Amada S. Flores, president and CEO of MST Consulting, Inc., dba AIM Construction, Inc.

In a business where few women seek success, she took a small investment and great work ethic and built it into a multi-million dollar construction firm.

 

SHE WAS HONORED by Major Gl James L. Terry with a certificate for outstanding workmanship and renovation at Fort Bliss in 2010. Also in 2010, AIM Construction was chosen by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce as a Future 15 Company. And in 2012, she was chosen as Minority Contractor of the Year.

Then, in 2013, her firm was chosen as Texas Minority Business of the Year.

Now she will be honored by her high school.

A 1963 El Paso High School graduate, she has been involved in many projects at the school through the years and is currently co-chair with Sandy Aaronson for the Tiger Friends and Exes tiles project.

”I will continue to work and make ourselves available where needed to make our Centennial a smashing success,” she says.

 

OKAY, SO WHAT does all this have to do with sports? Well, not much except that sports figures have been chosen as Outstanding Exes before, including, to name a few, Jim Paul, Jerry Rubin, Jimmy Rogers Jr., Sammy Schneider, Wimbledon champion Dick Savitt (last year) and an old, creaky sports writer (the year before last).

Besides, hey! Spare me. El Paso High School is my alma mater.

9 Feb

El Paso High Tigers of Old Speak Their Minds

Posted by EL PASO SPORTS in El Paso Sports. Tagged: .

Imageby Ray Sanchez 02.02.14

Recently I wrote that one of the nicest things about being a writer, especially of books, is that you get to hear from people out of the past. I had two more such experiences in the space of a couple of days last week.

The first contact was from Ramon Orona, who was the post man on one of the greatest high school basketball teams ever to come out of El Paso. That was the 1947 “Flying Tigers” from El PasoHigh School that won the state championship. They were dubbed the “Flying Tigers” by Bob Ingram, who was sports editor of the El Paso Herald-Post at the time, because it was the first high school team to fly to the state tournament in Austin and at the same time honored the American squadron that became famous during World War II and was also named “The Flying Tigers.”.

 

PERHAPS ORONA, now 84 years old and living in East Texas, had just read my book, “The Good, the Bad and the Funny of El Paso Sports History,” or maybe had been reading about happenings at his alma mater, El Paso High School. Whatever, he called me on the phone and said he wanted me to write something that had been bothering him for decades and wanted to get it off his chest.

“Bobby Parra and Robert Mena on our 1947 team never got the credit they deserved,” he said.

Orona and Jose “Pepe” Palafox made the all-tournament team but Orona says, “Bobby and Robert were key players on the team. Whenever I got a rebound I knew exactly where they were going to be and they were always there for me to get the ball to them. They set the tone for our team. I returned the following year but they had graduated and I really missed them. I had been wanting to tell you this for many years and I’m glad I’m finally doing it today.”

I could almost hear a sigh of relief.

 

OTHER MEMBERS of the 1947 Flying Tigers, coached by C. D. Jarvis, were Pete Gonzales, George Mengel, Stanley Blaugrund, Morgan Broaddus, Ray Esquivel, Eddy Jabolie, Robert Avina and Richard “Chief” Montoya. They finished the season with a 22-1 record.

I had just returned from service in the Army and lived through that memorable season. Its catchy nickname seemed to make the team a little extra special.

I’m happy to give voice to one of its greatest members.

 

SOON AFTER Orona’s call I got an email from the daughter of the editor of the El Paso Herald-Post during Orona’s time, Ed Pooley.

Ann Pooley Boylan, EPHS class of 1951, wrote:

“I’ve read two lengthy columns about the EPHS (centennial) celebration and have yet to find out how to donate/buy, etc. something for the event!  Maybe it has shown up somewhere else, as I’ve been out of town a good bit lately. I would like to support my (also) Alma Mater in some way if you’d let me know, or put it in another column before it’s too late.  Congratulations on your award. I hope to see the book soon.”

 

OOPS. SORRY for the omission, Ann. I’ve been told by the folks handling the centennial celebration to direct people to their website, http://www.tigerptsa.org/.  It has all the details for this project on it.

I can’t express what a thrill it was hearing from Ann. After all, her father took a big chance on approving my hiring as the Herald-Post’s first full time Hispanic writer in 1949.

I still regard him as one of the greatest editors in the history of El Paso newspapers. He was tough as nails, never backed off from anyone and always stood up for the little guy.

Keep those calls and emails coming, folks.