Another fund raising event is right around the corner for the Port O’Connor Lions Club! With the great success of their Ice Cream Social and Bingo, the Club is encouraged to offer for your enjoyment, a Spaghetti Supper and Bingo on March 5th at 6:00 p.m. at the Port O’Connor School Cafeteria.

Lions Clubs are all about service to others. Worldwide, Lions are recognized for their service to the blind and visually impaired. This service began when Helen Keller challenged Lions to become “knights of the blind in the crusade against darkness” during the 1925 Lions Club International Convention.

Today Lions extend their commitment to sight conservation through countless local efforts, as well as their International SightFirst Program and Lions World Sight Day. Lions also collect and recycle eyeglasses for distribution in developing countries year-round.

In addition, Lions make a strong commitment to young people through youth outreach programs. The Port O’Connor Lions Club is working on sponsoring free eye testing for every student in the Port O’Connor Elementary School this year.

So, mark your calendars: Saturday, March 5, 6:00 p.m.: Good food, bingo with prizes and family fun!

Guests began arriving an hour before the scheduled starting time. Everyone was greeted by Brenda Smith at the door of the Community Center for the 16th Annual Sweetheart Banquet. First Baptist Church has sponsored the banquet each year and enthusiasm begins to hit a fevered pitch when Valentine’s Day approaches.

The Community Center was beautifully decorated by Grady Jean Clark and Kathy Yearwood, assisted by the Church Fellowship Committee. Beautiful red hearts and tulips were arranged on each table with red, blue, and chartreuse colored table cloths.

To begin the program, Brother Marcos Gohlke, Pastor, blessed the food. The Church men and youth were decked out as waiters and each had bright red aprons. The dinner was served and included a charcoal broiled rib eye steak, red roasted potatoes, green beans, tossed salad, rolls, dessert, iced tea and coffee. In fifteen minutes everyone was served. The Church youth continually checked to see that everyone had plenty of coffee and tea.

Brother Marcos thanked all the guests for coming and personally thanked all those responsible for planning the banquet, selling tickets, purchasing and cooking the food and serving the food. Everyone gave a big applause for the service the young people provided.

Doyle Adams began the program with the introduction of special guests – all couples in attendance who have been married 50 years or longer. The couple in attendance who have been married the longest (64 1/2 years) was Howard and Evelyn Lewis. The couple married the shortest length of time, at six months, was Aaron and Roxanne Ochoa. Both couples received special gifts.

The time arrived for the exciting presentation of this year’s “Citizen of the Year” award. This year’s recipient of this coveted award is Bill Tigrett. Doyle Adams presented the award to Bill and read the engraving on the plaque:
Presented to Bill Tigrett
Port O’Connor
Citizen of the Year

For your total commitment, hard work, initiative, enthusiasm and dedication to the people of Port O’Connor for many years
For being a supporting force in the Chamber of Commerce and all of its many activities
For the unequaled enthusiasm and participation in the many annual Port O’Connor activities and a major contributor to the “Dolphin Talk”
Thanks for your organizational skills and a “Can Do” attitude in successfully getting projects accomplished.

May God Bless You.
Port O’Connor
First Baptist Church
February 10, 2011
After the award, there was a drawing for Door Prizes. Door prizes were won by Debbie Michalek, Pete Garza, Velda Allen and Tom Ekstrom.
Everyone joined in singing “Let Me Call You Sweetheart” and it could be heard all the way to “downtown Port O’Connor”.
Brother Marcos Gohlke introduced the night’s entertainer, Professional Auctioneer John Sick. John Sisk kept everyone in “stitches” with his candor. His singing voice and choice of songs were outstanding.
As the evening neared it’s end, John exhibited his auctioneering skills by auctioning off one of Biddie Hileman’s famous Coconut Cakes. The high bidder at $200 was Arnold B. Gordon and his wife, Keiko. The funds will be used to offset some of the banquet expenses.

Comments on the “night of entertainment” were: “Great”, “Outstanding”, “This was the best one!” I have to admit, the 2011 Sweetheart Banquet has to rank pretty close to the top!
Congratulations to Bill Tigrett on being selected “Citizen of the Year” and thanks to all who made this annual event a memorable one.

The Alamo is known world-wide, and certainly the most visited historical site in Texas is the shrine itself. But it might come as a surprise to some as who the caretaker might be.

If you guessed a lawyer from Liberty, Texas, you would be right. Of course, that was in March 1836 and his name was William B. Travis. While in Liberty, Colonel Travis was the proverbial thorn in the side of the Mexican commander of Fort Anahuac, Juan Bradburn.

Because of Travis’ activity there, Bradburn had him and his law partner, Patrick Jack, jailed in Fort Anahuac for an incident regarding their representation of run-away slave owners from Louisiana. This and other factors were part of the prelude to the War of Texas Independence. In fact, it brought on the Battle of Velasco in 1832 on the mouth of the Brazos River (now known as Surfside or greater Freeport, Texas).

Later, after a serious conflict with Mexico in the Battle of Gonzales, General Sam Houston realized General Santa Anna’s overwhelming odds against Travis and his too few men in the Alamo. He ordered Travis to destroy the mission and retreat. Instead, Travis drew a line in the sand and stated he would defy Houston’s orders and stay to fight for the honor of Texas. A common grave is nearby for his charrred remains and those heroes who stayed with him. The same fate was with Fannin and his troops at Goliad.

The Alamo property in subsequent years was reduced to the mission chapel and the remainder of the barracks. From this wretched and crumbling historical artifact would rise a humbling example of the pride of Texas. Today, you might see lines of school kids and visitors from all over the world listening to walking lectures in five different languages, including Vietnamese.
If you guessed that the State of Texas is in charge of the Alamo, you might be further surprised that you would be wrong. Texas does own the property and the structure of the Alamo in San Antonio, but if it were not for a certain group of ladies in Texas, there is serious doubt that this magnificent icon would exist today.

A group of ladies now known as the Daughters of the Republic of Texas (DRT) were instrumental in handing over the property through a sale with a covenant that the DRT would remain in custody of the Alamo and would operate the Alamo research facility, library, and gift shop without interference, in so many words. They also have their own police force numbering over twenty officers that are in charge of security 24/7. So, don’t think of messing with the DRT or the Alamo.

This is how it happened: Around 1892, Adina Zavalo, a citizen of San Antonio and a great patriot of Texas, convinced Clara Discoll (of Driscoll Hotel fame) to enter into an agreement to buy the Alamo property with her own money from the owners, a grocery company. She did so and immediately agreed to sell the property to the State of Texas. Texas also acquired some of the title from the Roman Catholic Diocese. In 1905, the entire Alamo property was given over to the safekeeping of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas. Thus, with the covenant of operational responsibilities in the lap of hundreds of DRT volunteers and Alamo personnel in their employ, it remains so today. The Alamo of Texas in San Antonio has sprung into a modern day miracle of efficiency and a symbol of honor.

Further reflection of the sincerity of these great ladies is the sign they placed over the entrance door of the mission and the Shrine of Texas which reads: “Gentlemen, please remove your hats.”
-Bob Jamison is a columnist, book author, and has been known to tell a story or two. jbobalong@yahoo.com

The Alamo fell on March 6, 1836, four days after Texas Independence was declared. Reuben Marmaduke Potter was a resident of Matamoros at that time. Through visits to the site and interviewing eyewitnesses, he put together an account of the battle which was published in the Magazine of American History, January, 1878, titled “The Fall of the Alamo”.

The principal eyewitness from whom he acquired much of the information was Juan N. Seguin of San Antonio, who had been an officer of the garrison up to within six days of the assault.
You can read Capt. Potter’s full account on-line under “Mission San Antonio de Valero” on the Texas A&M website.

Capt. Potter’s moving poem, Hymn of the Alamo, is printed on page 5 of this Dolphin Talk issue.

Hymn of the Alamo

By. R.M. Potter
“Rise, man on the wall, our clarion’s blast
Now sounds its final reveille;
This dawning morn must be the last
Our fated band shall ever see.
To life, but not to hope, farewell!
Yon trumpet’s clang, and cannon’s peal,
And storming shout, and clash of steel,
Is ours, but not our country’s knell!
Welcome the Spartan’s death–
“Tis no despairing strife–
We fall! We die! But our expiring breath
Is Freedom’s breath of life!”
“Here, on this new Thermopylae,
Our monument shall tower on high,
And ‘Alamo’ hereafter be
In bloodier fields the battle cry.”
Thus Travis from the rampart cried;
And when his warriors saw the foe,
Like whelming billows move below,
At once each dauntless heart replied,
“Welcome the Spartan’s death–
‘Tis no despairing strife–
We fall! We die! But our expiring breath
Is Freedom’s breath of life!”
They come—like autumn’s leaves they fall,
Yet, hordes on hordes, they onward rush;
With gory tramp they mount the wall,
Till numbers the defenders crush–
Till falls their flag when none remain!
Well may the ruffians quake to tell
How Travis and his hundred fell
Amid a thousand foemen slain!
They died the Spartan’s death,
But not in hopeless strife–
Like brothers died, and their expiring breath
Was Freedom’s breath of life!

The Texas Declaration of Independence was framed and issued by the Convention of 1836 at Washington-on-the-Brazos. As soon as the convention was organized a resolution was introduced for appointment of a committee to draw up a declaration of independence. Richard Ellis, president of the convention, appointed George C. Childress, James Gaines, Edward Conrad, Collin McKinney, and Bailey Hardeman to the committee. Childress was named chairman, and it is generally conceded that he wrote the instrument with little help from the other members. In fact there is some evidence that he brought to the convention a proposed declaration that was adopted with little change by the committee and the convention, a view which is substantiated by the fact that the committee was appointed on March 1 and the declaration was presented to the convention on March 2.

The Texas edict, like the United States Declaration of Independence, contains a statement on the nature of government, a list of grievances, and a final declaration of independence. The separation from Mexico was justified by a brief philosophical argument and by a list of grievances submitted to an impartial world. The declaration charged that the government of Mexico had ceased to protect the lives, liberty, and property of the people; that it had been changed from a restricted federal republic to a consolidated, central, military despotism; that the people of Texas had remonstrated against the misdeeds of the government only to have their agents thrown into dungeons and armies sent forth to enforce the decrees of the new government at the point of the bayonet; that the welfare of Texas had been sacrificed to that of Coahuila; that the government had failed to provide a system of public education, trial by jury, freedom of religion, and other essentials of good government; and that the Indians had been incited to massacre the settlers.

According to the declaration, the Mexican government had invaded Texas to lay waste territory and had a large mercenary army advancing to carry on a war of extermination. The final grievance listed in justification of revolution charged that the Mexican government had been “the contemptible sport and victim of successive military revolutions and hath continually exhibited every characteristic of a weak, corrupt, and tyrannical government.”

After the signing of the original declaration by fifty-nine delegates, five copies of the document were dispatched to the designated Texas towns of Bexar, Goliad, Nacogdoches, Brazoria, and San Felipe. The printer at San Felipe was also instructed to make 1,000 copies in handbill form. The original was deposited with the United States Department of State in Washington, D.C., and was not returned to Texas until some time after June 1896. In 1929 the original document was transferred from the office of the secretary of state to the Board of Control to be displayed in a niche at the Capitol, where it was unveiled on March 2, 1930.

-From the Texas State Historical Foundation