From Fort Sam to Panola College

After church services on Sunday, March 25, I drove more than 300 miles to New Braunfels. The next morning I enjoyed a great walk through the historic downtown. For the first time I was able to tour the 1898 Romanesque Revival courthouse, which was the subject of a Texas Historical Commission renovation a few years ago. At mid-morning I made the 30-minute drive south to Fort Sam Houston, pulling into the parking lot at the golf clubhouse. I've been to the clubhouse three times in the past couple of years. It's a convenient meeting place, because it's adjacent to the base, but visitors don't have to go through the trouble of securing admission to the military post.

Comal County Courthouse

Fort Sam Houston Golf Club House

This time I had been invited to be the lunch speaker at a meeting of the Retired Officers' Wives and Widows Club. The last time I had been asked to speak at Fort Sam Houston was to a meeting of retired officers. Of course I couldn't resist talking about Sam Houston and his 1836 campaign which climaxed at San Jacinto. Sticking to the Sam Houston theme with the ladies, I discussed his three wives, with special attention to the love of his life and mother of his eight children. We enjoyed an excellent meal, and the ladies seemed to enjoy the domestic story of Houston's life.

I returned home that evening, because I had an appearance on the campus of Panola College on Tuesday. Bill Offer now heads the history department at Panola. Several weeks ago he asked me to join him for an onstage interview for students and the public. When I asked Bill what information I needed to provide him, he smiled and reminded me that he was a retired Shreveport police captain and was an old hand at interrogations. Bill joined the Panola faculty a few years ago, and he has been an energetic and innovative force in the classroom. He has organized a History Club, and every year I've had the pleasure of interacting with Bill and his club in one event or another, so I was happy to await my "interrogation" by a history-minded cop.

It turned out that Bill wanted to talk about the office of State Historian and about the 70th anniversary of Panola County Junior College, which first enrolled students for the spring semester of 1948. Bill advertised the event as "An Evening with Bill O'Neal."  About five o'clock on Tuesday afternoon I brought a number of props to the Q.M. Martin Auditorium. Bill had reserved the Auditorium from Karen King, head of the Drama Department, who assigned several of her students to the event. They arranged two chairs and microphones and decorations on the stage, and when I showed up with a couple of bags of display items they quickly produced a table for me. The event was scheduled for 6:15, and as the crowd began to arrive I introduced myself to the students and visited with old friends from the community. By starting time an audience of just over 200 had gathered.

Panola College Auditorium, Larry McNeill in the foreground

Jasmine Rhan, a lovely young lady from the Drama Department, introduced Bill Offer and the State Historian. Jamecia Taylor, a student of Bill's, opened the proceedings with an appropriate musical selection, "The Yellow Rose of Texas." Bill had several questions prepared for my "interrogation," then he asked me ten questions that he had selected from 140 questions submitted by his students. Later I illustrated my account of State Historian activities with items I've accumulated during my travels, producing some laughs from the audience. I also was pleased to introduce to the crowd Larry McNeill, who secured creation of the office of State Historian from the Legislature during his term as President of the Texas State Historical Association. Larry and his gracious wife, Rose, now live in a country home they have built near Tenaha, and it was a delightful surprise to me that they had come to the event.

Jasmine Rhan

 



Jamecia Taylor singing "Yellow Rose in Texas"

With Bill Offer

 The students seemed impressed at the role Panola College had played in sponsoring a significant statewide academic appointment, and when the program hour ended I was asked to pose for photos with a number of students. Bill Offer later told me that student response to our program/interrogation had been quite positive, and I was glad indeed that I had an opportunity to take part in a campus activity.