Visitors to Martin High School (and here) may not have or take the opportunity to see history in its display cases.
I've never paid much attention to the trophies in the display cases. Finally during TAKS this week I went back in time almost three generations (88 years, to be exact) to see some of the activities students
participated in during the early- to late-1920s.
In fact, it was Mr. Flores, our English teacher who was looking closely at old trophies in Martin's "B" building, in a display case near rooms B109 and B110, and called me over. Even though I've had bathroom duty many times in that same hallway, I've seen the old trophies but have never looked at them.
There are many beautiful old cups, large, small, and tiny -- and silver- and bronze-colored -- showing the discoloration of age, as they sit gathering dust inside the display case. The beautiful engraving on the cups or their bodies is something we don't see any more.
He and I started talking about how Laredo High School (as it was called, located in the building that is now La Posada Hotel) must have been, and how the story of the school has grown since the it was moved to its present location (1937).
There's the giant, partly silver, partly corroded, cup the Patrick Henry Club won in 1925 and the Thomas Jefferson Club won in 1926, 1927, and 1928. The aging cup sits, unnoticed, at the far left of the display case at eye level.
What were the purposes of these clubs, we wondered. I wonder if they were community service clubs like
Quinta Essentia (which Mr. Flores sponsors), or if they represented debate teams, sports teams or even classes -- was the Patrick Henry Club composed of seniors and Thomas Jefferson of juniors?
I also wonder, were they boys only, girls only or a mixed group? How about the students themselves who joined? How did they do in life? Do we have their descendants in class? Would the descendants know anything about their ancestors who won the trophies? (Would they even care?) t would be fascinating to find out!
Then there was the Girls Interclub Contest. The Allegro Club won the trophy several times starting in 1923. The Nike Club was the bottom-most engraving we could see, having won it in 1927. Allegro is a musical term, while Nike is the goddess of victory.
Now, I wonder, were these literary clubs, musical groups or sports teams. Who was on them? What types of contests did they compete in? How did these young woman do in life? Do we have their descendants in class? (Do their descendants know anything about their ancestors who won this cup?)
The Daiches Trophy was awarded for girls extemporaneous speech. There was too much discoloration on the cup for me to easily see the engraving, plus the engraving was not at a good angle for viewing. I was unable to see the year it was awarded, or to whom.
The trophy was pretty small. Was it somebody's individual award, or given to a team of students? Was there a boys extemporaneous speech contest also? How did these young people do in life? Would their descendants care whether or not their ancestors won a trophy at a speech contest?
And, why was it called the Daiches Trophy? Was there a school at the time named Daiches? (Either the current school or a now-closed school with that name?) Did a member of the family give the trophy and/or sponsor the contest? Where was it held? What time of the year? Were the results in the
newspaper? Just a lot of questions arise from that small trophy. And these questions burn in my mind.
I got a look at another small trophy, also discolored with age, from a winning WBCA float in 1942. Then the bell rang and the school day got off to its usual start with the Pledge of Allegiance and the Pledge to
Texas.
All of this gives rise to another blog ... about our beloved VMT. Will people three generations in the future be able to look back at our school? Will they have the same questions I have? (Or will VMT go the way of the
former "Yellow School" (known as "Escuela Amarilla"?)
My mind races so I'll stop to think, then write some more.
(Note. This proposed blog has not yet been written.)