Mayor John Cook, Where's my Apology? Texas vs the Nation?

Texas vs the Nation?
Who cares, who cares?
Well, I'll admit I did care.
I cared a lot!
I cared enough to go out and purchase a ticket
to watch this college showcase game
and root for our Texas boys.

Now?
Well, let's just say...
I'm all about this:
The City of El Paso vs Mayor John Cook!


Mr. Cook, this butt's for you.....

As I sat there in the Sun Bowl stadium, doing my part for this cause, I heard the disparaging comments on radio 600 coming from our disgraceful politico head honcho yet again. Mayor Cook should be ashamed at how poorly his tourism development works. He should be ashamed that his head is so far up his rear he cannot look himself in the mirror and see that this event should have been hyped by those who are paid to do so. Who dropped the ball? Really?

So, the mayor spends the evening before the game discussing the future of this event, only to find that he is the individual who is severely lacking when it comes to supporting our city. How much time did he spend previous to February 5 discussing advertising, hype, tourism and the like with Hansmire etal? Talk about epic fail...John Cook, you owe me and the other people who supported this game a huge apology. I saw so little about this game in Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, or ESPN magazines, not to mention the lack of hype online. The EP Times managed to get some hype going during the week of the game, but where's the year round advertising? Where's the blurb in the AAA Texas guide for events in El Paso? Where do we see El Paso Tourism doing the job it is paid to do?

I was so ticked off by Cook's and other's comments on the radio, that I left the game during the 3rd quarter. My husband was hard pressed to calm me down after that. I'm still fuming mad about this

...and another thing!
When UTEP prevents us from parking on their property to attend sporting events held on their property, what are they saying to us? When tickets are advertised at one price, and $5.00 surcharges are added to that price, what are they saying to us? Service charge for me to drive over to the box office on campus and stand in line to buy a ticket? That really chaps my hide!

UTEP is notorious for double booking or overlapping events at the Sun Bowl and the Don, or having sporting and concert events occuring on the same days. It never works out well, and some aspect is going to suffer for it. Of all the idiotic moves, scheduling this event on a UTEP basketball game day is injurious to UTEP basketball and to the city, as seen in this fiasco.

To schedule it the day before the Super Bowl is adding insult to injury. Planning a Super Bowl party is a highlight of the year for many folks in the USA, and it costs money! Discretionary funds to see a game like Texas vs the Nation won't come so easily at a time like this, when there's beer, sodas, smorgasbords, snacks and betting pools to contribute to.

As to the comments about this town not having what's needed to attract an NFL team...Just look at how many families sport their $100 football jerseys every Sunday. From the littlest kids to the adults, they're all sporting their colors for the NFL.
Texas vs the Nation is not the NFL.

I was really looking forward to see Trindon Holliday run like the wind, and glad to see his abilities were not hampered by the Nation's defense. Having UTEP's Cornelius "Cornbread" Brown named MVP was icing on the cake.


Maybe this game won't be back in El Paso next year, and I will be sad to see it go. Certainly, Mayor Cook will not be back again when his term is over, and that's a change I'll embrace with open arms.

Centennial of the Mexican Revolution

For events scheduled January 2010--May 2010
City of El Paso Museums and Cultural Affairs

Pass of the North (Juarez/El Paso) History
GET A FREE EDUCATION

Ask anyone today about what they know of the Mexican Revolution, and you'll find a lot of misinformation, speculation, and or dumbfounded stares. Seriously, ignorance runs the gamut. Ignorance on the subject runs through my own brain, and I have been fighting to get it out of there. It is too much to take in at once, this Mexican Revolution. I did attempt to read the Katz book on just the subject of Pancho Villa, but I fell at least a thousand pages short. I'll have to get back on that one when I have a year to kill. Sometimes when discussing this Revolution I'll hear comments about how there is a need for another Mexican Revolution. Right now. Others will tell you it is actually going to happen some time in this 100th Anniversary year.

An uprising of the oppressed people right here along our border? Again? What did the first one really accomplish if indeed there is to be a second? The more I've read, the more interested I become in this history of ours, yet it is often felt as a sore which I cannot nurture. What has passed is done, and tomorrow is another day, not meant for me to dwell on. I decide now, in this moment, to cease thinking of that perilous past in relation to the perilous future, instead listing some local history events for your own consideration. Learn something. I hope I can.

These are ongoing free events at El Paso Museum of History, UTEP, El Paso Downtown Public Library Border Heritage Center, with more to come.

Welcome


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Lectures


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LECTURES
The Mexican Revolution in the Greater El Paso Borderlands

The El Paso Museum of History, with funding from Humanities Texas, presents the second in a series of lectures that will highlight events of the Mexican Revolution.

The Significance of the Borderlands in the Mexican Revolution: A General Overview--January 21, 2010, 7:00 p.m. Presented by Dr. Oscar Martinez, University of Texas at El Paso.

Booker T. Washington in El Paso during the Mexican Revolution--February 18, 2020, 7:00 p.m. Presented by Dr. maceo Dailey, University of Texas at El Paso.

The Experiences of Children during the Mexican Revolution--March 25, 2010, 7:00 p.m. Presented by Dr. Yolanda Leyva, University of Texas at El Paso.

Each lecture is held at the El Paso Museum of History located at: 510 N. Santa Fe, El Paso, TX 79901. An R.S.V.P. is suggested for each event. Cost to attend the series is free. For more information contact Sue Taylor (915) 351-3588, taylorsl@elpasotexas.gov

Exhibits


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EXHIBITS

Pancho Villa and his involvement with the Mexican Revolution--
February 2010. The Border Heritage Center of the El Paso Public Library will display its rare book collections and periodicals from the Cleofas Calleros Collection: Cabalgando con Villa: Illustraciones de Luis Sanchez; Historia Grafica de la revolucion, among other Spanish titles. The exhibit is open to the public during library hours and is free. The Border Heritage Center is located in the Main Library at 501 N. Oregon St., El Paso, TX 79901. For more information contact Marta Estrada at (915) 543-5440.


Children of the Revolution--
March 2010. The Border Heritage Center of the El Paso Public Library will have on exhibit a Soldadera in costume along with photographs from the Mexican Revolution. The exhibit is open to the public during library hours and is free. The Border Heritage Center is located in the Main Library at 501 N. Oregon St., El Paso, TX 79901. For more information contact Marta Estrada at (915) 543-5440.

¡Viva la Revolucion! The Money of the Mexican Revolution--
March 18, 2010. The El Paso Museum of History hosts a traveling exhibition from the American Numismatic Association Money Museum. The bilingual exhibit features actual coins and currency produced across the Mexican States during this tumultuous time period. The exhibit is open to the public during library hours and is free. The El Paso Museum of History is located at 510 N. Santa Fe Street. This exhibit is free. Visit the Museum's website at www.elpasotexas.gov/history. For more information contact Barbara Angus, Curator at (915) 351-3588 ext. 7009.

The Stanlee and Gerald Rubin Center for the Visual Arts Presents:

Up Against The Wall: Posters of Social Protest*
April 15--August 7, 2010. Rubin and L Galleries: Stanlee and Gerald Rubin Center for the Visual Arts at UTEP. An invitational exhibition that features a group of international graphic designers who use posters to engage important contemporary and social issues. The exhibition raises awareness about the role of graphic design in spreading the ideals of the Mexican Revolution. This bold and colorful display of 100 posters from a group of 12 high-profile graphic designers highlights the power of design to engage people in creative thinking about world problems.

Solidarity and Struggle: The Politics of Graphic Design in Mexico during and after the Revolution*
April 15--August 7, 2010. Project Space: Stanlee and Gerald Rubin Center for the Visual Arts at UTEP. The exhibit showcases historic posters from Mexico's foremost political workshop, Taller Grafico Popular borrowed from the collection of the University of New Mexico Art Museum. These will be on display alongside several copies from 1911-12 of the illustrated political magazine El Hijo Ahuizote from Special Collections at the Library of The University of Texas at El Paso.

*Opening Reception for Up Against the Wall and Solidarity and Struggle
Thursday, April 15, 2010, 5:00--7:30 p.m.

For more information contact the Stanlee and Gerald Rubin Center for the Visual Arts, The University of Texas at El Paso at (915) 747-6151or via email: rubincenter@utep.edu. Visit their website at: http://rubincenter.utep.edu


Educational Events


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EDUCATIONAL EVENTS

The XV Contemporary Mexican Literature Conference (2010): "The Mexican Revolution in Contemporary Literature"
March 4--6, 2010. This annual event will focus on the impact of the Mexican Revolution on diverse literary and cultural manifestations produced in contemporary Mexico. cholars from the U.S., Mexico, and other parts of the world will meet at the University of Texas at El Paso to present papers on these issues. Panel discusiions will take place at the Thomas Rivers Conference and will be open to the public. The XV Contemporary Mexican Literature Conference is sponsored by BorderSenses, the Revista de Literatura Mexicana Contemporánea, and the Department of Language and Linguistics at UTEP. For additiional information please contact: Willivaldo Delgadillo at wdelgadillo@utep.miners.edu. (915) 747-7043 or visit www.utep.edu/rlmc

5th Annual Teacher Institute--Teaching the Mexican Revolution
June 25--26, 2010. The two-day teacher workshop will feature workshops with experts and tours of local sites significant to the Mexican Revolution. The Center for History Teaching & Learning at The University of Texas at El Paso invites all grade K-12 educators, including teachers, librarians and media specialists, and technology coordinators in public, public charter, private, or religiously affiliated schools, as well as home schooling parents. The Institute will take place at the El Paso Museum of History and is free. For more information contact (915) 747-5878 or visit www.utep.edu/chtl


Films


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FILMS

100th Anniversay of the Mexican Revolution Film Series

The El Paso Public Library presents the special film series. All films begin at 6:00 p.m. and are held at the Main Library located at 501 N. Oregon St., El Paso, TX 79901. Admission is free. For more information please contact Mike Payan at (915) 543-5446 or Gloria Aguilar at (915) 543-5412.

Old Gringo (1989)
January 13, 2010. A famous aging and dying American writer goes into Mexico to capture some of the anarchy that was revolutionary Mexico. (119 min.)

And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself (2003)
February 3, 2010. Hollywood makes a deal with Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa to film his war and recreate his life, but he is rather shrewd and manipulates the media instead. (112 min.)

Zapata: Amor en Rebeldia (2003; in Spanish; 1st half of mini-series)
March 3, 2010.
Zapata: Amor en Rebeldia (2003; in Spanish; 2nd half of mini-series)
March 4, 2010.
Features the life of Mexico's revolutionary hero Emiliano Zapata who works for the son-in-law of the dictator Porfirio Daz. He is in love with the daughter of a wealthy land owner and Zapata realizes that their relationship cannot be a lasting one as they face many problems. (258 mins.)

The Frozen Revolution (1973)
April 7, 2010. Mexico: Documentary presents a comprehensive socio-historical analysis of Mexico, and of the government's failure to live up to the promises of the revolution. (65 min.)

Mexico: Revolution and Rebirth (1999)
May 12, 2010. Tells the story of the Mexican Revolution that was waged by Pancho Villa, Emiliano Zapata and others, and the modern nation that was born plus the problems that face the nation today. (50 min.)

Museum of History screening:

Mexico Revolution Sites in El Paso, Volume 1
Saturday, March 6, 2010, 2:00 p.m. The El Paso Museum of History in cooperation with Jackson Polk will present a free screening of Capstone Production's video Mexico Revolution Sites in El Paso, Volume 1. The video features a walking tour with historians Leon Metz and Fred Morales of sites in El Paso that figured prominently in the Mexican Revolution. This event is free and open to the public. The El Paso Museum of History is located at 510 N. Santa Fe Street. For more information please contact Sue Taylor at (915) 351-3588 or taylorsl@elpasotexas.gov



Stakeholders


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That's Not My Fault

The other day I mentioned that I caught a catch phrase from Willie Cager. He likes to say "That's not my fault". I found that rather hilarious, and now it's stuck in my head, like all the other trivia stuck in there.

Let me start this little story from the beginning...

About 4 years ago I was out book scouting and ran across this 1966 Flowsheet from the University of Texas at El Paso. There was our famous coach and


NCAA winning team, and I could not have been more excited to find such a gem. Shortly thereafter, Dan Wetzel's book came out and of course,I had to have a copy, so I purchased one at the UTEP bookstore and had Don Haskins sign my book and my Yearbook, and got a personal and in depth glimpse of just what the man thought of all the hullabaloo. I loved hearing him tell stories. I appeared on Fox news to tell my story about how I acquired this yearbook, and how that 1966 game is one of my earliest memories, since I was 4 years old when my father had us all cheering for the Miners.

Before I knew it, all of these major events were being announced about Glory Road the movie; the players, and the actors were all coming to town, a big to-do for the movie premiere, etc. The dollar signs began to flash before my eyes.


I knew I could get signatures, if I was persistent, and I could then sell my wonderful yearbook to the highest bidder; that's what I do, sell books. I then got very sick with the flu (I rarely get sick), and had no desire to go anywhere that week. I claim that I don't believe in karma, but maybe somebody was trying to send me a karmic jolt.

Later that week I learned that there would be a huge gathering of these basketball stars at the Sunland Park Barnes & Noble. I took some aspirin, blew my nose, and drove to the west side. I purchased a few more copies of Glory Road for friends, and stood in line to have Wetzel and Haskins sign them. I then began the wait for the players to begin trickling in. I was approached by a curious El Paso Times reporter who wanted to know more about how I got this Yearbook. I told him about my forays into garage sales, and thrift store hunting. I then told him I was going to attempt to get all of the players signatures in the yearbook. He points out a tall gentleman to me as Jerry Armstrong, so I ask him to pass the 66 Flowsheet to this tall man, and ask him to sign it. I'm quite embarrassed to say that the signature was not of Jerry Armstrong, but of Steve Tredennick (class of '65). My heart sank. No offense to Mr. Tredennick, who is hardly at fault for honoring my unusual request to sign a Yearbook which he did not even appear in!

I thought to myself, self-you got what you deserve. Everyone and their mother was trying to cash in on this Glory Road craze with signed books, shirts, basketballs, Wheaties boxes and the like. You name it, there was mass signing going on. Damn if that karmic jolt had not morphed right into a thunderclap!

I came to the conclusion that I had lost sight of what made this item so special in my own life. The history, the youthful memories, cheering for something I knew so little about, and the creation of a basketball fan at the tender age of 4.

There we were, at Loma Terrace elementary school (around 1970?), when Willie Cager, fresh from his degree in education, shows up as Physical Ed. teacher, and we were in awe, just in awe of him. UTEP basketball was a very big thing to me, from 1966 on. It was exciting to stomp our feet on those wood bleachers in Memorial Gym. Witnessing the masterful coaching and great players that came through UTEP who played their hearts out. I still can't believe I played pool one time with Don Haskins, at the Back Door Lounge on Mesa, where I worked back in the days when he was still coaching. He would tell me "little girl, I don't want you to embarrass me" whenever I would beg him to shoot a game with me. "Just one game!" I would say. "I know I'm no challenge, but please!" I would implore. One day he indulged me, and was nice enough to let me break. Of course he proceeded to slaughter me with sinker after sinker, within a few short minutes, if it was even that long. I played pool with Don Haskins, and got to hear his stories. He was a very funny man. That's all that really mattered.

I took my books home from the Barnes & Noble that day, and thought no further of signatures, or capitalism where Glory Road was concerned. I thought, instead, who deserves to have this yearbook?

Who, indeed? I became convinced that most of those players from the 1966 team could not afford to purchase a yearbook. I knew then that I needed to go on a mission to find out who I could give this yearbook to. Mr. Cager was my first choice. I knew of his philanthropic efforts for children's causes here in El Paso, and the fact that he continues to be active with Loma Terrace programs, and the Willie Cager Foundation. I wanted him to have his college yearbook, if he didn't already have one. After a few attempts to contact him and a dead end conversation I had with somebody I cannot even name, because I don't keep good records and I am rather addle-brained, I just forgot all about this. The 1966 Flowsheet sat on a shelf gathering dust for awhile. Every so often I'd think about it again, call the Cager household to hear a fax machine buzzing in my ear, and I'd let it slip away yet again, until I'd see Cager at a UTEP game, and there I'd go again...telling myself to do something, but forgetting all about it just as quickly as it would take to drive home from the game.

Which brings us to June 8, 2009. I had just received my new phone books, and called that same home number, and heard that same fax machine. I got online and looked for the Willie Cager Foundation again, and called the number there to a direct "Hello, hello" from the man himself. Finally, I had arrived. It was a quick trip to YISD, and I told Willie the story of my cheering at a black and white television along with my father and brothers, our childhood pride of having him as a coach at our school, my capitalistic endeavors, my dismay at things gone wrong, my realizations of what was right, and my interest in helping him preserve his legacy, with that errant signature serving as a reminder to something. Something-but I'm not exactly sure what. We talked and laughed for hours, and I truly enjoyed that time spent with him.

I am overjoyed to know that Willie has his yearbook now. Of course he could never afford it in 1966, but "that's not my fault." It has reached it's rightful owner, and I know it never really belonged to me.