Spending the better part of six decades editing and publishing country newspapers, as penned here before, includes enough seven-day work weeks that trips to my hometown were quite limited. Those trips almost never included a Friday night, much less a Teague Lion football game, including the biennial homecoming that is my hometown school’s tradition.
And, frankly, this particular trip was a Friday-Sunday occasion, but we skipped the game to spend some quality time with family. However, we got a full homecoming dose on Saturday. First, there was lunch with my three younger brothers and their spouses.
We dined at The Grill, owned and operated by a pair of THS grads — Linda Nichols Huffman and James Edward Huffman (he said he’d sue if I used his younger-days nickname). But I will say, Hip-Hop (just a hint), that your food is always good. It’s certainly better than a certain fast-food place where we supped once years ago with my mother and stepfather, Homer Barger, where Homer demonstrated why he always brought his own fly swatter since the establishment didn’t provide them to diners.
We were joined by nephew-in-law, Eric Edwards. Eric is the offspring of a guy, Jimmy Lee, who was three years ahead of me in school and a tough center in both football and basketball. Eric is married to Chris Ann (Kiss Ann, the way her younger sister, Charlotte, used to pronounce it). Kiss Ann was dog-sitting an ailing family pup. Charlotte is a new grandmother (whaaattt!!?), and brought the latest addition in the clan, granddaughter Faith, to lunch.
Oh, yeah. The parade. Joining the band, the themed “Texas Traditions” produced a variety of pageantry from a floating domino parlor to a well spewing what else but orange oil to a traveling What-A-Burger. And, the parade was absolutely superb. There were several score of floats, convertibles, vintage autos and such in the procession.
As I said, the homecoming is biennial and I don’t believe there’s a town two or three times Teague’s size (4,500 and change) that outdoes the Orange and White. Forget the Blue, Mr. Superintendent and/or Mr. Principal. Ex-students (all sober, I swear) voted overwhelmingly Saturday night to chop Ol’ Blue, which some unnamed leader arbitrarily added a few years back. If Mr. Misguided had been there Saturday…well, let’s just say the O&W crowd was in a surly mood over that third color. Their response was definitely “blue”, though. Oh, and you TeaSips shouldn’t be flattered. Our “orange” is bright and beautiful, not “burnt.”
My dear high school/college jitterbug partner, Martha Lou (Lou-Lou) Hunt, dashed across the parade street to give me a BIG hug and to have our picture taken together.
At the Saturday night dinner, seating was arranged by class year. Since it’s a small school and was significantly smaller when we were attending in the early 1950s, our 1955 bunch shared a table with 1956 and still had a vacant chair. David Cobb and Nancy Roberts Cobb, Billy Ray Moseley plus my Life Mate and I, represented the 1955 class. David, Bill and I are the THS products.
David was a long, tall, loping end on the football team and he and Nancy reside in Teague. Billy Ray hit the trail for California almost immediately after graduation and stayed until he retired and came back to Valhalla — Freestone County Texas — a few years ago. He did settle in our county seat Fairfield, and arch rival of home Teague, but he still bleeds Lion Orange.
Unfortunately, many of our class have gone on to their reward in an Orange and White heaven. We started that 1954-55 senior year with 39 and about three dozen graduated. Within five years of graduation, the number had been reduced by15 percent and, as is normal, time has slimmed the total considerably in the ensuing six-plus decades.
Of course, I’m obviously still pounding on the keyboard every day but it’s as much for enjoyment as anything.
Hope to see you around for a couple more decades.
Willis Webb is a retired community newspaper editor-publisher of more than 50 years experience. Webb worked all over Texas during those 50 years.
