accidentally fell to his death
on the rocks along the track.
A few weeks after the acci-
dent the railroad settled with
the survivors, paying out the
huge sum of $73,000. Papers
of the time marveled at the
speed with which the GH&SA
railroad dealt with the claims.
Corporate America, then as
now, often dragged their feet
in paying claims for damages
to their customers, but this
high-profile case demanded
immediate action. One local
said his mother wouldn’t ride
the train again after the acci-
dent. The railroad worked to
dispel that fear to maintain
ridership.
It is interesting to see how
local folktales differ from the
actual truth. Willie Banner
was a baby in 1902 and based
his story on what he had heard
from others. Eventually, the
tale became so twisted and
exaggerated that it hardly
resembled the true account.
But the art of storytelling has just enough embellishment to
keep your listeners coming
back for more.
History
requires detective work.
As a sad footnote to this story, 92
years later, in 1994, Mast Curve
was the location of a fiery collision
of two freight trains that lead to the
demise of Sanderson as a railroad
Division Point and the exodus of
employees to other locations, which
caused dwindled population in
Sanderson and shuttered many of its
100-year-old businesses.
what we are up to in the class-
room. We have our own
Facebook page that showcases
students’ work. We have thou-
sands of followers! Social
media both helps build stu-
dents’ confidence and pro-
motes their work. They
LOVE having their art posted
on the page and seeing all of
the comments. The internet
also makes it possible for stu-
dents to enter competitions
and showcase their work in
places that they didn’t have
access to before.
The total support of the
superintendent, the school
board, my principals, and the
students’ families, has allowed
this to happen. They have
given me the freedom and trust to let these kids spread
their wings and fly. It is amaz-
ing to be a part of this pro-
gram. The kids here are fami-
ly-oriented, good kids. We are
99.9 percent Hispanic, and
many of our students come
directly from Mexico. Some
have had to leave their fami-
lies in Mexico to come (legally,
of course) to school in Texas
and get a better education.
Often, they do not speak
English, and language can
become a barrier. In fine arts,
this is not the case because
music, art, and dance are uni-
versal languages.
The students have found a
place where all can succeed
and excel—no matter where
they come from. We have
had so many success stories
from the fine arts department
here. We have had artwork displayed as far away as the
Saatchi Gallery in London,
England. One of our high
school art students won the
Congressional
Art
Competition. Her artwork
hung for a year in the
Capitol, Washington, DC.
Our students have won and
placed in state and national
art competitions over the past
several years. Many have
gone on to become practicing
artists in their own right over
the years.
Besides all of this hoopla
and exposure, do you know
what the best part is? We
have so much fun in class
together. The students make
me laugh every day. That is
why I show up at school and
always find my job enjoyable
and rewarding.
continued from page 24 Edinburgh behind the college
bagpipe band, on the way to summer camp – a stirring feel-
ing of national pride.
continued from page 4
British Army. That did not
materialize but my passes in
national exams helped get me
into Oxford University, my
next stop.
Five years at Fettes College
was a toughening regimen for
me. I did not benefit much
from the sporting fetish since I
broke a knee in my early
years. The teaching was
sound, and the school was not
beset by the snobbery and elit-
ism of some English public
schools. The highlight of my
five years was not graduating
but marching in military uni-
form through the streets of
A LPINE G UEST Q UARTERS
Neighborhood News
!"
Happy Third Anniversary
Phoebe & Howdy
January 1
•
Happy Birthday, Lee
Love, Big Sis & Mom
January 18
•
Happy Birthday Mi Amore Señor Scott....
Much Love, Lou
February 8
•
Happy 72nd Wedding Anniversary
Mom and Dad
February 10
Love you always...Your children,
grandchildren and great grandchildren
•
Happy Birthday, Bri Guy!
Much love, Big Sis
February 10
•
Happy Valentine’s Day, Bear
Much love ~ The Kid
•
Remembering Nancy Lee
February 18
•
The kittens say Happy Birthday, C.G.
February 26
•
RIP, Lee
Love, Big Sis & Mom
March 14
Spacious • Downtown Alpine
Walk to Amtrak
Reservations online at:
AlpineGuestLodging.rocks
or at Airbnb.com • 432-230-2735
Send your short greeting to publisher@cenizojournal.com.
Deadline 2/28/18.
First 10 received will be published.
Cenizo
First Quarter 2018
27