I wish that the TCU kids would tell us what TCU was like back in the day. To me is was a place only the rich and famous attended. I followed their football team every year… even now.
I remember a quarterback named Sonny Gibbs who went on to play professional ball. I watched Ross Montgomery, Cliff Hoffman, and… remember Denton? Denton was also known to many as Glenn Whittington. He was the only person who I know that went to TCU on a scholarship aided by Doc Dodson.
The girls who went to TCU are numerous, and I will let them write stories…. Diane, Margie, Victoria, and many more. TCU must have been fun.
The closest my family ever came to attending TCU was my #3 son, Jamey. He sold TCU all its food supplies and concessions from Cisco Foods.
Well, I hope TCU has a storyteller. Scott Rogers where are you? I don’t want to pass on without hearing at least one good story about this dream school I’ve only seen on TV!
John (left) and Bruce (right) McElligott July 1956
I joined the swim team at age 6. I swam at the old Pagoda Pool and despite my age, I was placed in the 12 year old age group. Yes… I did come in last! I swam in that age group until I was 9 years old at which time the Midland Aquatic Team (MAC) formed and was coached by Wade Whatley. My brother, Bruce, always swam breaststroke. I swam everything including butterfly, backstroke, freestyle, and individual medley relay. This is also where I met Doug Russell and Bill Wood. Both of these guys became famous. Doug was not only a High School All American, he won the Olympics. Bill became a great quarterback at MHS and later a successful attorney.
I was a member of the team up to the age of 12. When I was 12, I was able to set a few records. That same year, I also lost my first race. After setting a national record in butterfly, I ate lunch and quickly lost the same lunch during the finals. That afternoon I came in 3rd beaten by the future All State swimmer from Austin and Doug Russell.
Listed below are some of the members of the MAC: Bucky, Mary and Jerry Herndon Tom, Bruce, John McElligott Brownie, Marcia, Anita and Alan Queen Simone and Roger Walker Bob and Bill Connery Penny and Mike Gerdis Scott and Cherry Adams Olin Davis Larry Parks Wayne Kaiser Margie McCall
Now Margie and I swam in Amarillo at a meet at one point. She sent me a news article about the meet. Perhaps she can be tracked down in Dallas along with her little brother, Archie.
Following my 12 year old swim days, I left the team and concentrated on baseball and school. I was starting at Alamo and ran into Coach Don Foglesong, who was my PE instructor. He was built like a little gorilla without all the hair and could do anything a gorilla could do, including running and flipping from stand point. Coach Foglesong was an Olympic diver and tumbler. He recruited John Duff and myself to be tumblers for Alamo. We did an exhibit at the MHS auditorium. I did ok, but Duff jammed his neck and that is all I remember. The Donald had just finished his Masters Degree somewhere , and was an amazing coach at Alamo.
Well 9th grade ended, and I ran away that summer. When I came back, Coach Foglesong was the new coach of the MHS swim team. He recruited me at once. Doug Russell was two grades behind me so I had some breathing room. I also ran into Jodi Givens, who became my mentor. Jodi was a senior, a football player and swam butterfly with a dolphin kick. Well , Jodi taught me how to do the dolphin kick followed by the double dolphin kick. This is when I started keeping up with Jodi, and came close to beating the Odessa High “fly guy” at district the next year. Jodi was a godsend for my career in swimming.
More to come!!
John McElligott 1956John McElligott 1956John McElligott 1956
First of all, the bus ride from Terminal was an hour trip since Mr. Harris, the bus driver, had to drop off the high school students first at MHS. Then, we were taken to the far side of town to Austin Junior High. The population was 50% Hispanic, 10% Terminal Termites, and 40% mixture of Marylander’s and Ranch kids. The latter came from as far away as Pegasus Road some 50+ miles away. Now these Ranch Kids were the best, but there were also the kids of oil field workers and supervisors.
One I remember was Paul Shepard, and of course Billops (named after the Gas Station his parents ran just past the Texan Drive In Theater). Just to put is simply, it was a haul to get there and back every day. My saving grace was I went out for football and my parents picked me up after practice. If interested, look for the details under Jimmy McClendon RIP story I wrote so that I don’t repeat myself and I can rest my short little fingers.
Well this is a story that began when I became a quitter. I quit Pony League baseball, and only one good thing came from that decision. I made up my mind that I would never quit or give up on anything again. This decision has held true almost 100% of my life except for allowing a few women in my life to urge me to quit. I did not fight it to any great extent (in my mind).
So, I began digging septic tanks in Odessa in mid May of 1960 for $20 a hole. Well it took me 3 days to complete one hole. I took my money that Thursday and put it in the top drawer of my dresser. Well Saturday morning my money was gone! I told my mother and she said she used the money to by me a new pair of dress pants. I was angry like I have never been…ever…even to this day. (Oh by the way, I wore those same dress pants up until 1969 at Baylor).
I woke the next morning, packed a small black plastic bag, and put some change in my pocket. The total was 30 cents. It was still dark when I walked out to Highway 80 and started hitchhiking.
Club 15 for a Terminal Termite like me, with only one pair of dress pants, was like dying and going to heaven. I remember the first time I saw Dennis Grubb. I was in the 9th grade at the C15, and I was on my tiptoes trying to get cheek to cheek with Cathie Blackaller. Dennis, with his short stature, was looking under some beautiful blonde’s armpit and he winked at me. Well, I did not know Dennis then, but thought he was doing an ear move on her chest just as I was on Cathie’s cheek. Boy oh! Boy! I thought this must be love! So, I took my photographic memory back to 4th grade with Susan O’Neil and then 6th grade with Janet Seawright and decided that Club 15 was the real deal!
Now do you remember that feeling when you tall guys had your cheek on the 5 foot nothing good looking girl like Lynne S. ? Well, for us shorter guys it was the upper chest or tiptoeing to the chin or the cheek. What a buzz it gave me! I also remember when I looked up at Jimmy Mac (McClendon). He was cross-eyed dancing with the queen of the Hop, Cathy C. So, Club 15 was like dying and going to heaven every Friday Night.
Click below to listen to “Let It Be” by The Beatles
Be glad you can remember these Midland friends and shed a tear knowing they are gone. Or be like some of us and smile because of the memory of their life. Memories come to some of us by closing our eyes and to some by a picture and also a written memory. All serve to remind us that they lived and we documented what they left.
Your heart may ache because you can’t see them but if you close your eyes think deeply of them you can often see them and that will make you smile. This smile keeps you happy so you can live another day and remember all the friends who we knew and who tasted the water in Midland Texas.
Lt to Rt John Braun, Star Man (John McElligott), James Dunn, Rocket Man (Gere Gaige) This is the relay team that won the 1962 Texas Relay event. We were in the 7th lane since we qualified last for the finals. Thanks to Rocket Man turning on his boosters and passing a little gas at the finish of his back stroke. Never seen Gere go so fast.
Just a bit more information… none of us knew that we were All Americans until Harry Miller told us almost a decade later. WOW.
Written by John McElligott 6/18/2020 and Re-Posted 1/18/2021
George Washington Carver High School Location 1300 East Wall Midland, Texas U.S. Type | Public Nickname | Hornets, Texas State Champions Football & Basket Ball 1961 & 1963
Education for the black children of Midland started in 1931 within the Greater St. Luke Church. In 1933, the first public school for blacks was built at the location that would later become Carver Junior-Senior High School and eventually Carver Cultural Center. After the death of George Washington Carver, the school was renamed in his honor. In 1949, enrollment reached 550, and in 1950 a six-room brick building was raised, which included a gym, an auditorium, a book room, dark room, and was the beginning of generations of students and athletes and families that became memorable.
George Washington Carver (1860s[1][2] – January 5, 1943) was an American agricultural scientist and inventor. He promoted alternative crops to cotton and methods to prevent soil depletion.[3] He was the most prominent black scientist of the early 20th century. Apart from his work to improve the lives of farmers, Carver was also a leader in promoting environmentalism.[5] He received numerous honors for his work, including the Spingarn Medal of the NAACP. In an era of high racial polarization, his fame reached beyond the black community. He was widely recognized and praised in the white community for his many achievements and talents. In 1941, Time magazine dubbed Carver a “Black Leonardo”
Carver was a place that I never saw personally, but have recently read about it’s name sake and remember a baseball pitcher named Marshall King. He was 6 feet tall when I was 9y/o playing for the Mac’s in a practice game. They kicked our butts and I struck out 3 times. In addition later in the 60’s we played pony league ball all together. Later the leagues were all mixed and included our Mexican classmates as well. The big story about Carver is they won the 1961 Texas State Football Championship the first in the history of Midland. In addition in 1963 our Black Brothers won the Texas State Basketball Championship. Keep in mind they did it with hand me down equipment!!
However, Carver was still separate from Midland High and Lee High till around 1968 when the transfer started. Only Seniors remained at Carver for that last year. So we need to find some transfers from that era and ask them what they think. Where is Billy Godwin when you need him since everyone on the other side of the tracks new him well. Billy never had an enemy except when the Canadians kicked him out of their country for reasons that are still top secret.
The only class I went to everyday was typing…. and boy, I could type fast! Problem was, I could not (and still can’t) spell. I got a 60 word per minute pin at the end of the year.
I, along with WG, Conrad, Gene Clark and many others, skipped classes almost everyday. I quit going to History class except for exams, and made a B in the course. I had to “wing it” in Science, but managed to pass the first semester. Swimming started and Coach Fogelsong said we had to attend all classes and keep a C average to stay on the team. The workouts were hard, and were 2 times a day, one in the AM and the other started at 3 pm in the afternoon. We were worn out at the end of the day.
Memories by John McElligott , Don Patteson and Mike Morris
John McElligott:
Head out to Pecos and down to the mountains. There you will see lots of irrigation canals and the largest swimming pool ever. This is where a 7 year old kid became Starman.
Balmorhea, the pool, is where we would would float down the canals all the way to the town of Balmorhea. Walking all the way back was hard, but worth the trip since my mom had sandwiches made and ready to eat along with a jar of jalapenos.
