Emails regarding "Friend" can be sent here: friend@ballingernews.com

In Memory of George M. Mosier, Sr.- A True Friend of a Friend
5/16/2011

Meet Me At The Top~Help Me Come Home!
3/25/2011

Let's Do This!!
3/9/2011
“Friends of the Ballinger Indian Statue” are asking for your support to accomplish their current fundraising effort.  “Friends” have a donation based fundraiser on Facebook that you can find at this link...http://bit.ly/eiPtAY 

The highest amount possible that can be raised is $2,000. If you are interested in being a part of the effort, the starting donation amount is $10.00 and can go up to whatever you feel good in giving. The current amount raised is $290 and your donation can be tax deductible being that “Friends of the Ballinger Indian” group is a Non-profit 501c3 organization. We are $13,000 away from completion and with a little help from a bunch of “friends”, $2,000 of that amount can be taken care of easily and quickly! Thank you to those who have already made a donation and thank you to those who will in the future. Together, we can and we will bring Friend home! 

You can also check out our first couple of YouTube videos about our friend at these two links..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5h_T5uvpWQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZvrRanAVr4

Friends of the Ballinger Indian Statue Receives Texas Historical Foundation Grant
2/27/2011 -News Release by The Texas Historical Foundation
AUSTIN, Texas—At its most recent meeting, the Texas Historical Foundation, a 57-year old preservation organization, awarded a grant to the Friends of the Ballinger Indian Statue organization in Ballinger.

The THF funds will go towards the casting and installation of a replica “Friend, the Indian” statue, which was originally one of many copies created to advertise Wirt-Franklin gas stations in the 1930s in Texas and Oklahoma. Placed in Ballinger City Park in 1939, the statue was a gathering place for local youth and a photographic focal-point for commemorating personal milestones in the lives of residents up until the 1950s when destroyed by vandals.

Bill Wright, a THF board member from Abilene, praised the Ballinger effort. “Foundation directors were impressed that this project was initiated [in 2008] by local 6th grade students and their teacher, Ms. Cinnamon Carter. THF is pleased to be able to add to the strong financial response already generated within this small town and further ensure that these budding preservationists are successful in restoring a symbol of their community’s heritage.”

Since 1954, the Texas Historical Foundation has funded preservation and education projects around the state and helps promote the cultural legacy of Texas. The group’s main efforts include its award-winning Texas HERITAGE magazine and a preservation grants program. For more information, or to join the Foundation, use the on-line membership form found on the organization’s website, www.texashistoricalfoundation.org

Texas Historical Foundation Presentation
2/27/2011 -by Cinnamon Carter
On Friday, February 25, two representatives, Bill Wright and Raymond McDaniel, traveled to Ballinger to present the Class of 2015, Friends of a Friend, a $2,500 grant award. Pictured left is Bill Wright and Cinnamon Carter(center)... Class of 2015 members are Cameron Galvan, Travis Martinez, Lance Sauceda, Cory Johnson, Luke Carter, and Thomas Luna(All on the Left)...On Right-Tony Martinez, Felix Martinez, Jack Buxkemper, Hagen Stoute

Where Are We?
2/21/2011 -by Cinnamon Carter
     In November, 2010, I applied for three grants: $2,500(Texas Historical Foundation), $5,000(Texas Rural Commissions), and $16,000(Brown Foundation). Of those three, we were awarded only one, the Texas Historical Foundation for $2,500. That puts our fund balance at $35,000. We are $13,000 SHORT of the goal.   We are now at the stage of finding the best and most effective way of raising the last of the money in the shortest period possible.  The statue is in Phase 3 of 4 which is the casting process that creates the actual statue. The last Phase will be to bronze and then place in the park.  I am looking to apply for a Lowe’s grant to cover the expense of the park renovation which amounts to $3,500 and was already built in to the amount we are needing to raise.  If you are a FACEBOOK client, we currently have a fundraiser via Facebook. If you go to our “Friends of the Ballinger Indian” Facebook page, there is a link to our fundraiser....Click HERE It is simply a donation type fundraiser with the donation starting at $10.00. The maximum amount possible to raise is $2,000.  
     We are SO CLOSE.  We are deeply grateful for the support we have received thus far from the community and the two organizations that have funded our project via $7,500 in grant money.  If you would still like to contribute to our Non-profit 501c3 tax deductible fund at First National Bank (Friends of the Ballinger Indian Statue), we would greatly appreciate your help.  Any ideas to help us complete this last hurdle, contact Cinnamon Carter at 325-660-9786.
     The kids and I firmly believe that a means will be provided to complete this incredible project. We also believe that we would have not been blessed with the funds and wonderful events that have happened over the last two years if this was not meant to be completed. Too many wonderful things have led us to the stage that we are at and we will finish the job!  

Merry Christmas from "A Friend"
12/15/2010 -by Cinnamon Carter
Where does time go?  Another year over and so many things to look back and remember! This year for Friend the Indian, his motto turned out to be “I was lost, but now I am found. Was blind to being a Sooner, but now I see, I am a Texan!”  Well that is not exactly the Biblical translation, but I guess you could say it is the “Texas translation”.  Let’s start back at the first of the year, though, and work our way to now.  We ended 2009 with $18,000 in the bank from donations and fundraisers! We started 2010 off with a bang when I received a phone call from a man in Oklahoma stating that he thought he had found an Indian like our lost one during a recent property purchase in Duncan, Oklahoma.  Excitement was HIGH after that!  A reality that was NOT thought possible as to finding one of the old ones!  We applied for and received our 501c3 statue for Tax Exemption.  We held several fundraisers consisting of track meets, basketball concessions, Hot Dogs at Higginbothams, Ethnic Festival, and Schwan Foods($800.00) that totaled $10,687! May brought us our first grant from the Eva Tucker Foundation in San Angelo in the amount of $5,000! Truly a Blessing!  There were various personal donations along the way as well to aide in the effort. All in all, last count of funds raised is $31,000 with only $5,000 of that being “given” to us in grant form. The rest, we earned all on our own, together!

          Summer arrived with a little break for us all after a year of LOTS of work.  The statue that was found in Oklahoma finally officially became ours in late August with the only hurdle being driving to Duncan to get him. Mr. Carter and I made the 12 hour round trip with MUCH excitement and returned home on August 3 with a TREASURE! Friend’s current home is a winter wonderland created with love just for him by Bob O and Sarah Wright in Higginbothams.  

          The start of school signaled another step for our Friend. The new statue process was begun by Mr. Campbell taking the 2 foot maquette to the Texas Bronze Foundry in Lubbock.  Phase One turned the 2 foot version in to a Styrofoam, clay-covered 8 foot tall Indian that we were fortunate to be able to share with the public during Phase 2 conducted in Mueller’s Corporate Office Foyer! Thanks again to Bryan Davenport and all those that helped make that a wonderful experience.  The process of transforming 8 feet of clay in to the intrinsic details of our new Friend was amazing to watch. Thank you Mr. Campbell for being so wonderful as an artist.  Friend returned to Lubbock for Phase 3 and Phase 4 in late September and is awaiting his final part of the makeover. I have submitted 3 grant proposals totaling $23,000 to hopefully complete the $16,000 needed to finish the project.  The foundry is awaiting the money and once they have it, we are on the road to a much anticipated Reveal Day hopefully around May of 2011.  Fingers crossed, prayers said, that all or most of those grants come through for us!  We should know by mid-January on all of them. 

          I will leave you with another chapter added to Friend’s journey and it comes from the former owners of the old statue that now stands at Higginbothams... Friend truly leaves his mark on all that he comes in contact with and this story is no exception.... Merry Christmas and we are looking to a fabulous New Year!......

”Old Zeke from Duncan, Oklahoma”

      After returning with our “Old Friend” that was found in Duncan, Oklahoma, I received a phone call over Labor Day weekend from a man claiming to know the people that could fill me in on the story of that statue.  I called the number and learned a great deal about “Old Zeke”. Yes, Old Zeke is the old Indian’s name and has been since 1939. The man on the phone was named David Gonsoulin and his grandfather, JW McClanahan, was the one responsible for bringing home Old Zeke in 1939. Mr. Gonsoulin informed me that it was his mother, Violet, that could tell me much of the story about Zeke and her father, JW.  After a very nice phone visit with David, I then turned my sites on the next phone call to Violet. This is the story of Old Zeke according to Violet:  In 1939, Violet’s father, JW McClanahan, was a field worker for Halliburton, a manufacturing company, in Duncan, Oklahoma.  JW bought 10 acres of land to homestead as well as be closer to where he worked at Halliburton. He raised his family on this land and later added about 40 acres to the 10.  Violet recalls the story of when her father brought home Old Zeke and the conversation he and her mother had about the statue. JW returned home one fine day with a large Indian statue that he proceeded to carry up on to the front porch. His wife, Ema, met him on the porch and JW tells her, “Ema, I brought you Zeke”. Ema asks what he planned on doing with this waving Indian and he told her he was going to put him on the front porch to welcome everyone. Needless to say, Ema was not in favor of a large waving Indian sitting on her front porch waving at all who wandered by. Old Zeke eventually ended up out back by the water well where he could great you when you were thirsty. The statue remained by the old well from 1940 until we brought him home on August 8, 2010!!!

     Violet also recalls once she was married and had moved off the homestead to start a family of her own, coming back and forth to the homeplace during World War II while her husband was serving. She remembers her children playing around the yard and Zeke being a part of much of that play. In 1947, she moved to the homestead on about an acre and a half that her father had deeded to her and remembers her children coming home from school and running down the trail to visit their grandparents and Old Zeke most every day.  The rocks in the old house her parents lived in where quarried in Ada, Oklahoma and the fireplace not only contained those same rocks but also “Arkansas Diamonds” that her family placed in it when they were building it.  The house was finished in 1939. Violet says that when her father, JW, bought the land there where no trees anywhere on the property. She and her brother planted every single tree that exists on the property to this day. She says they planted trees everywhere. 

        The property over the years changed hands in the family and was finally left to one of Violet’s sisters, Shirley.  After Shirley’s death in 2007, her son Benjamin was left the property.  Benjamin sold the property to Steve Hill who donated the statue to us.  Violet told me the story of how she found out that we ended up with Old Zeke. Once the property was taken over by her sister Shirley, much of the family lost touch with her, the property, and Zeke.  After we acquired the statue and the Daily Oklahoman printed our story, Violet’s daughter, Diane, who does NOT take the Oklahoman paper, just happened to have one thrown in her yard the day our story came out.  She began flipping through the paper and came across our story. At first, she didn’t think that it could actually be the same Indian that she had always known as Old Zeke, so she began making some phone calls to her family.  Through several conversations, it was finally decided that the statue in the paper in fact was their Zeke.  Violet told me something really special on the phone while we were talking. She said that when she was finally able to read the story for herself and make the connection, that she could not be more proud to see that Zeke found a home with the kids and their project. She said he could have not have gone to a better place.  She and I talked about the similarities of her recollections of Zeke and the interaction her family had with him over the years and the interactions that families here in Ballinger had with ours. The stories all have a common theme. Friendship and a genuine love for a hollow, tin, waving Indian.  I was proud to tell Violet that we had another daughter of another man that had bought one of those same Indians, Mrs. Nell Shepperd Hambrick, following our story.  Violet Gonsoulin and Nell Hambrick are both in their 90’s, but are very quick to convey their appreciation to the kids and to me for what we are accomplishing with this project.  I appreciate both of them for their support and their willingness to share a very dear part of both of their lives! 

Thank You from the Class of 2015
11/3/2010
The Class of 2015, Friends of a Friend would like to thank the Class of 1948 for their donation of $100.00 to the Ballinger Indian Statue fund. Also, thank you to all those who attended the Reunion Registration and contributed $155.00 dollars to the students who were passing out information and manning our Indian booth during the All Schools Reunion.  Every little bit helps! 

Food For Thought
9/28/2010
The Class of 2015-Friends of a Friend will be hosting a fundraiser with the Schwan’s Food Service Organization or, A.K.A., “The Schwan Man”.  Griff Hanks will be the Schwan agent for the fundraiser. The fundraiser will run from October 15 thru October 29. The delivery date will be on November 1 in front of Ballinger Junior High from 2:30-6:00.  The truck will be here for the students to pick up and deliver to their customers or for the customer to present their purchase ticket and pickup their own items.  Orders can be placed through any Class of 2015 student and/or parent and order brochures will be at many of the local businesses via parents of class members.  Help support the fundraising efforts to complete the Indian statue project by May of 2011.  Let us help you stock up for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday as you are helping out a “Friend”.

Friend Open House
9/28/2010
     Open House for our new Friend the Indian was a huge success on Monday! The entire Class of 2015 got to make the bus ride to Mueller Incorp. and to Higginbotham's and see both statues, some for the first time. Reactions from the kids include, "He's gy-normous, he is so lifelike, he is huge, he is awesome, and he is way bigger than I ever thought he would be". It was a joy to watch their faces as each group would walk in the door and see their Friend for the first time or for some, again. If you didn't get to see the statue, you really missed a blessing.
     We would also like to thank Bryan Davenport (right) for allowing us the use of his office building. And, to Mr. Hugh Campbell... What an amazing accomplishment you have blessed us with. Your talent is truly a gift and we are blessed to have been the recipients of it! We are still campaigning for donations to complete this project. We are $17,800 short of the goal. If you would like to contribute, the account is at First National Bank of Ballinger, "Friends of the Ballinger Indian Statue" fund. While we are speaking of money as well as thanking people, I would like to take the opportunity to publicly thank Keel Drug Store of Ballinger for their very faithful, monthly gift of "coffee tip" money that they graciously have been sending to the bank for at least a year! Just wanted the folks to know that your faithful generosity has been noticed and appreciated. You are a TRUE "Friend of a Friend"!

Come See
9/20/2010 -by Cinnamon Carter
Monday, September 27 from 11:30-1:30, the public is invited to "Come and See" our new friend at the Corporate Office building at Mueller Supply. Hugh Campbell, our artist will be on hand to answer any questions and give you the in's and out's of his amazing creation.  The Class of 2015 will be viewing the statue on their lunch break from 11:15-12:00.  This completes Phase 2 of the statue creation process and as soon as the clay statue standing proudly at Mueller's can be packed for shipping, he will return to the Texas Bronze Foundry in Lubbock for Phases 3 and 4.  The Class of 2015 is still in need of $17,800 to complete the funding requirements. However, as a heads-up to the public, they will be hosting a major fundraiser the last two weeks of October in conjunction with Schwan's Food Service. More information will be made available in the very near future.  Don't miss this chance to see what the vision of a group of kids and a very talented artist has created! A BIG THANK YOU to Bryan Davenport for allowing us to use his office building for this process. Thank you Mr. Davenport for giving back to our school in such a great way!

Friend - Phase Two
9/7/2010 -by Cinnamon Carter
PHASE TWO is well underway at Mueller Incorporated for the NEW Friend. Hugh Campbell is busy refining the now 8 foot plus new statue for the final stages of the statue creation process. Thank you to Bryan Davenport for allowing the Class of 2015 and Mr. Campbell  the use of his corporate office foyer as the work space.  Phase two will take approximately 3-4 weeks and is open for the public to view the wonderful work of a wonderful artist during normal business hours. Please stop by and see the process as it unfolds and marvel at the intricate details that are emerging in the face of someone so special to so many! 

Click here for a link to a story run in the Abilene Reporter News

More photos of Mr. Hugh Campbell, hard at work:

Made the News in Oklahoma
8/15/2010
Check out this news story and video that made the big city news in Oklahoma City in the Oklahoman.

Welcome Home!
8/9/2010 -by Cinnamon Carter
       Welcome Home!! That sums up August 8, 2010.  Over the course of 12 hours, we drove to Duncan, Oklahoma, picked up an Indian statue that is an exact copy of the one Ballinger City Park once held, and returned back to Texas with a police escort to a very nice crowd of “welcomers” waiting to greet an old friend. As my own children often would say when they were little guys, “This was the best day ever”! I was so proud to make this journey, yet heavy-hearted not to have been able to take the 78 members of the Class of 2015 with me. However, I was extremely proud of many of the kids that helped organize the welcome home that Friend received once home to Ballinger in the Shoppin’ Basket parking lot. Balloons, signs, police sirens, and people just happy to see something short of a miracle.
      Steve Hill of Duncan Oklahoma graciously donated the statue to the kids and the project because he simply felt they deserved it the most. He had been offered a nice sum of money from a buyer, yet choose to give the rare statue to us.  Thank you Mr. Hill a thousand times over. But, on a sad note for you, Mr. Hill, your once Oklahoma Sooner Friend has rapidly converted to an orange wearing, Longhorn lovin’ kind of guy as soon as he crossed that Texas/Oklahoma border.  Our condolences, Mr. Hill!
      Thank you to Bo-bo Wright and Sarah for consulting with Higginbotham’s Upper Management and getting the o-k to give Friend a temporary home right in the front of the store as you walk in. He looks great a night, too, as you drive by. Stop by and see what we have been blessed with and take a moment to reflect on a memory you might have of the original one from the park or start some memories with a friend who might be new to you.  Just remember, what is standing in front of you is 80 years old!
      Some moments of reflection during the 5 1/2 hour return trip and praying the entire time that the next bump in the road would not destroy our precious cargo.  First though, a big thank you to Bryan and Connie Adams for allowing us to borrow a very nice trailer to bring the statue home in!  Mr. Carter and I found it very profound that, 72 years after Elmer Shepperd brought the original statue to Ballinger from Oklahoma, we seemingly have been predestined with the honor of bringing back a second statue. Neither of us are Ballinger natives, but in that moment yesterday, we felt very honored to be the bearers of such a treasured gift. Also, we learned from Mr. Hill that the place he discovered the Indian on his property had actually been the site that it has stood for over 40 years partially buried in a cistern.  Lots could have happened to the Indian over the course of 40 years, but he remained steadfast and was just waiting for the kids and I to come along so he could claim us!
      Finally, I can not stress enough the significance of this event. The odds of finding an intact statue that could be attained by the kids and I were slim to none. We tried for several months to locate one that we could somehow attain for ourselves early in the project, but to no avail. But, seven months ago, the phone call came and as of August 8, our wish came true.  Stop by Higginbotham’s and see our miracle! Donations can still be made at First National Bank, 911 Hutchings Ave, Ballinger, TX 76821(Friends of the Ballinger Indian Statue Fund) and are tax deductible through our 501(c)3 status.  We are $16,000 away from completing our goal with our new statue and the gift of an original statue allows all of our efforts to come full circle. Thank you to the Ballinger Community again for all the support and prayers you keep sending our way! What a great team we make!

See photos on the Faces Page.

View Videos of the Trip Home here.

Here It Is... The BIGGEST WOW Yet!
8/3/2010 -by Cinnamon Carter
        I can officially spill the beans, so to speak, with a piece of information that will make you REALLY say, WOW! I received a phone call back in January from Tammi Virden, the Chamber of Commerce Director, during one of my classes. I can say I almost had a heart-attack before I got off the phone due to what she told me. She had just received a phone call from a man from Duncan, Oklahoma named Steve Hill who had recently purchased a piece of property with a bunch of junk on it, as he put it. He informed Tammi that he had been trying to do some research on some of the “junk” to see if it was of any value and he came across BallingerNews.com where our Indian web-page is maintained. Needless to say, as soon as I could, I gave Mr. Hill a call. He told me that he seemed to think that he might have an Indian in his trash pit that looked like a picture of our old one that we have on the website. He said he couldn’t really tell if it was the same one, but would send me a picture so I could see for myself. Well, needless to say, when I received the picture, there was NO doubt that he had found another statue just like the one we lost years ago.

        Evidently, on another part of the property, there were remnants of a gas station which explains why there was an Indian not too far away on the same piece of property.  The problem with acquiring the statue was that he was buried up to his “skirt” as Mr. Hill put it and that years of foliage and root growth meant that a shovel and some muscle were not going to be sufficient to extract said Indian from the ground.  Finally, he recently was able to extract the statue using a back-hoe and soon discovered that Friend was buried up to his knees in a 55 gallon drum of concrete.  Still, after all that, Mr. Hill is willing to donate the statue to the kids and the project. The task at hand is to get to Duncan, OK and pick up our “heavy footed” Friend and bring him home.

        The significance of this find is beyond measure. Early in the project beginnings, the kids had managed to track down only 4 remaining statues, however, none of those would ever be attainable.  We eventually exhausted the idea of being able to find an original one like the one that once occupied the park.  Thus, the creation of the new statue was born. However, this project, which has a mind of its own, has obviously decided otherwise.  The chances of finding a statue and then obtaining it for the mere price of the gas that it will take me to drive to Oklahoma to get it is, in my opinion, the same has winning the lottery.  This newest development is as much of a long shot as the lottery is when you buy the ticket. We just happened to buy a winning ticket!

        There are obvious needs that will have to be addressed, such as a missing eye and the obvious concrete issue, but those are most likely fixable with the right advisement. I am looking to make the journey to get our “Friend” in the next few days and will advise you, the community, via KRUN and BallingerNews.com of the exact day as it will most likely fall between issues of “The Ledger”.

        What are we going to do with him? Well, I wasn’t expecting to have this very welcome problem. That is still under discussion, but I can promise he will be properly displayed and restored for all to enjoy. I guess you can say that a family reunion will be taking place soon in Ballinger! Long lost Dad meets son, or should we say long lost Grandpaw meets grandson? Any way you look at it, it is just so very cool! We could not have asked for anything more amazing than this to round out our project!  It’s fate I tell you, fate!

        One more very important announcement before I close this out.  Our new friend will be making his next appearance to Ballinger for Phase Two of the new statue process within the next 2 weeks.  We are trying to secure a location that will, one, have a door big enough for an 8 foot Indian to pass through, and two, have adequate cooling to maintain the integrity of the clay of which he is made of at the present stage. Stay tuned to the various medias for the exact arrivals of both the past and the present.

$5000 Grant For Friend The Indian Moves Project Closer To Finish Line
7/18/2010
The Friends of the Ballinger Indian Statue received a $5,000 grant this week from the Art and Eva Camunez Tucker Foundation of San Angelo, Texas. Since January 2009, the Friends — sixth-grade reading teacher Cinnamon Carter and students in the Class of 2015 — have raised $30,000 toward replacing the statue of “Friend the Indian” that once stood in the Ballinger City Park.

Carter established the non-profit Friends of Ballinger Indian Statue in 2009 to raise money for the project. The Ballinger City Council, civic groups, and many individuals have generously donated to commission a bronze replica of Chief Palacine and install it in the Ballinger Park.

The statue is being sculpted by local artist Hugh Campbell, and it will be cast in bronze by House Bronze, a custom fine art foundry in Lubbock. It will cost $43,800 to create and cast the statue. Carter and supporters of the project are trying to find donors for the materials and labor needed for the installation.

The project has enjoyed a great deal of success in a short period of time. It all started in November 2008, when Carter, a relative newcomer to town, challenged her students to bring any items either of historical significance or family significance to contribute to the novel, “Island of the Blue Dolphins”,  that they were starting in Reading class. These contributions were to further the discussions of the history of Native Americans in Ballinger as well as those from the novel. She was surprised when many of the students collected photos and recollections of a long-lost Indian statue.

The sixth-graders became fascinated by the Indian and the place that it held in their community’s collective memory. Family and wedding photos were often taken with “Friend,” and one resident said, “He was the holder of our secrets, because we knew he would never tell a soul.”

For nearly 20 years, “Chief Palacine” stood on Indian Hill in the Ballinger City Park. Ballinger city official Elmer Shepperd purchased the statue from the Wirt-Franklin Oil and Gas Refinery in Ardmore, Oklahoma, in 1939.

According to sources, the Ballinger statue was one of two from a Wirt-Franklin gas station at the southeast corner of Main and D Street Southwest in Ardmore. One statue was mounted atop the station and the other stood on a pedestal out front.

The Indian statues were an advertising ploy developed by the Wirt-Franklin company to persuade gas station owners to carry Palacine gasoline and oil brands exclusively.

The cast zinc-alloy statues were produced for about $200 each by a Dallas sign company, and depicted an Indian chief standing with one hand raised in a gesture of friendship. He stood on a cast metal “rock” over the words “A Friend.” The base displayed the words “Palacine - Motor Oil - Gasoline” on three sides.

While no one knows exactly how many statues still exist, three have been on display since 1935 at Woolaroc Ranch, former home of Frank Phillips of Phillips Petroleum, in Barnsdall, Oklahoma.

A Wirt-Franklin employee named Eubanks reportedly hauled off 15 statues on Mr. Wirt’s orders, around 1952, and buried them in a ditch beside his house on Hedges Road, southwest of Ardmore.

The statue in Ballinger was stolen by vandals sometime in the 1950s. Legend has it that the chief was thrown into the creek below Indian Hill … “and never seen again.” The original Friend’s fate may remain a mystery, but thanks to his hardworking and committed Friends today, a new Chief may be standing on Indian Hill again soon.

Thanks!
4/5/2010
The Class of 2015 Friends of a Friend would like to extend their thanks to Higginbotham's and the employees for allowing them to host the Dirt Cheap Dogs, Hot Dog sale on Saturday, March 27. Total profits made were $500.00!!! Thanks to all those dog buyers that helped get us to that mark!!!

A Blessing and a Birthday
3/21/2010  -by Cinnamon Carter
       The blessing comes in the form of the amount of money raised during the Ballinger Bearcub and Bearcat Relay Concession stands on March 4 and 5.  The Friends of a Friend Class of 2015 took on the two concession stands during the two meets and after all was said and done, by Friday night at 10:00 when the last light was turned off at the track, 940 hamburgers had been sold and $5,000 had been raised.  Thursday’s junior high track meet was an unbelievable success as far as the concession goes. Man, can those junior high kids eat and spend their parent’s money!  Thursday alone afforded the cooking of 800 hamburgers in ONE day!  That’s a LOT of Beef!! Thank you to the parents that worked tirelessly BOTH days even though at the end of each day, we were VERY tired! We could not have been as successful without you. Thank you to the kids that worked and helped earn a little more money towards their dream. This amount of money puts us to the half-way point in a little over a year with approximately $24,000 in the bank!
      The birthday??? Well, It just so happens that on Thursday, March 25th, Mr. Campbell, our sculptor, will be escorting the 2 foot version of the new statue to the Texas Bronze Foundry in Lubbock, TX to begin the process of creating the new Indian. It just so happens that that day is now the birthday of what has become a very dear “friend” to me and a bunch of kids, but it is also my birthday. I can say that I am honored to share this day with such a special person and that it takes away some of the sting of the significance of this birthday year for me!  Coincidence?  I think it is just another one of those “wow” moments we have had since the onset of this project. This moment just happens to be a personal wow for me!
      This first step beginning on March 25 will take approximately 1 month and $10,000 which we have ready to go! Around the first of May, the statue will come back to Ballinger in a styrofoam, clay covered form, 8 feet tall, to be worked on for approximately 2 months by Mr. Campbell. The location of where Mr. Campbell will work on this version of the statue must be decided in the next couple of months and we are currently seeking building space for that next step. The location must be somewhat climate controlled and accessible for a small crane that can assemble the statue as needed to its actual height of 8 feet. Please contact Cinnamon Carter at 325-660-9786 if you have any suggestions and I haven’t found you first!
        Stay tuned for possibly the biggest WOW moment yet and also a HUGE way for the community to help further our fund raising efforts in the form of $25,000. Can’t wait to share the next WOW moment! You will just fall out of your chair when you hear it!

Dirt Cheap Dogs?
3/21/2010 -by Cinnamon Carter
Dirt Cheap Dogs? Well, it isn’t what you think.  It is however Higginbotham’s 129th Anniversary Dirt Cheap Sale on Saturday, March 27. That’s the Dirt Cheap part. The Dogs? Well, that would be the Hot Dogs that the Friends of a Friend for the Indian Statue, Class of 2015 will be selling to nourish all those hungry shoppers at the sale.  Come by Higginbotham’s on Saturday, March 27 from 11:00-2:00 and get a dog, a drink, and a dessert while you shop and support the efforts to replace Friend the Indian in the Ballinger City Park. Shoppers will also be able to purchase tickets for chances to win a Handmade Bearcat Quilt that will be given away during this year’s Festival of the Ethnics.

2010 and Our "Friend"
1/5/2009 -by Cinnamon Carter
    2009 started such an amazing journey  of the Indian statue of “Friend” to the Ballinger City Park.  January held the announcement and then the approval from the city council to begin the process of the replacement of the statue. February saw the beginning of the fund raising efforts. April allowed us to participate in the Ethnic Festival Parade and claim second place for our float that depicted the original base as is now and the new base complete with “Friend” standing proudly on top! May brought the generosity of the high school students in the form of a contest between the boys and the girls collecting money in an effort that provided $500 to the fund. The Norton Lion’s Club and the Ballinger Woman’s Club also donated $100 and $500 respectively. An anonymous donor also contributed $2000!!

    Summer ushered in a Flag Football tournament organized by Jason Martinez and earned $1,100, the first annual Biker Bash organized by Bob Six and the Big Country Chapter of the Phoenix earning $1,263, and the start of the collection for the massive garage sale that was held in October and organized by Bobo Wright.  September brought not only Homecoming for the football team but for the 2 foot version of the new statue of the Indian.  Our “New Friend” was introduced to the Class of 2015 after the high school homecoming pep rally as well as a few words from the sculptor, Hugh Campbell. October witnessed, most likely, the largest garage sale known to Ballinger held in the former Complete Packaging Building on a Saturday morning. At the end of the day, the sale raised an amazing $4,063! What a blessing and a huge thank you to the citizens of Ballinger for making that possible. October ended with a Cajun Shrimp Boil prepared by “The Turn-Row” and man, was it delicious. The meal profited $1,100.

     The year ended with talks of a Spring softball tournament, the finalization of grant pursuits, and the possibility of a partnership with the San Angelo Area Foundation to host the Indian as a “special project” and increase visibility nation-wide to our cause.  The grand total in the bank is $18,065 and the amazing part of that number is that money only started being collected 11 months ago in February of 2009. Truly remarkable!

      This has been an unbelievable journey and the kids and I have enjoyed every minute of it. We look forward to 2010 and what blessings and adventures it will hold for us and our “Friend”.  We hope to be able to send the 2 foot clay statue to Lubbock to the foundry to begin the process in the next few months. Thank you again to our community for the support we have been given thus far.

0 to 4000 in 8 hours!
10/20/2009 -by staff writer Cinnamon Carter
THANK YOU , THANK YOU, THANK YOU BALLINGER..........................THE “FRIENDS OF A FRIEND” garage sale was more than a success, it was a HUGE success.  From the time the gates were opened and the shoppers released, the stuff was flying! The Class of 2015 and their parents were stationed and ready for the rush and worked hard all day!  I want to say a big THANK YOU to all that worked and also a big “I am so proud of you” for being such wonderful kids and parents from start to finish. An even bigger Thank You to Bob-O and Sarah Wright. They have been amazing with their production of this garage sale over the  last three months and have logged hundreds of hours.  We also want to extend our thanks to the citizens of Ballinger and their support in the way of donations and then shopping.  Without all of you, the success we had would not have been possible.  At the end of the day, our GRAND TOTAL was $4,030!  Our next big fund raiser is the Cajun Shrimp Boil Pre-game meal on October 30 at 5:00 in the Ballinger Elementary Cafeteria.  Tickets are being pre-sold so be sure to get one early or you can buy at the door!  Our goal to reach by December 31, 2009 is $22,000 which will cover the first two installments, the first being $10,000 and the second $12,000.

The break-down for the statue creation process is as follows:

Send two foot clay statue, presently at First National Bank of Ballinger, to Lubbock to “point-up” to 8 feet tall= $10,000=  money raised

Create a mold of 8 feet clay model after artist completes final details=$12,000=  money almost raised

Casting by foundry of 8 feet clay model= $11,000= money needed

Final payment of bronze casting and placement of statue in park=$10,800= money needed

Park preparation for new statue=$3,050= money needed

Grand total of $47,800 

We, the teacher and the students, want to raise half of the money on our own and feel we have successfully set the course to do that by December 31, 2009.  What is remarkable is that we have only been actively raising funds since February of this year.  Our town and our kids have rallied together and have made a statement that “Friend” is very much wanted back on his hillside!  Thank you again for your continued support and stop by First National Bank and view the statue before he makes his first journey to Lubbock! Sincerely, Cinnamon Carter and the Class of 2015

Friend of a Friend Garage Sale
10/8/2009
Friend of a friend- class of 20015- Indian restoration project in the Ballinger city park is having a humongous benefit garage sale Saturday October 17 at the old complete packaging building next to sonic. The sale starts at 8:00 (bring flashlight as building is somewhat poorly lit).  Items include many antiques and collectables, household goodies, Hammond electric organ, antique crocks, toys, clothes, this may well be the biggest garage sale that Ballinger has ever had.  Please come out and support our young people on this their worthwhile endeavor.  We look forward to seeing you there. 

Thanks, Bob-o Wright, and Cinnamon Carter

An Old Friend Comes Home!
9/10/2009 -by Staff Writer Cinnamon Carter
Friday after the Homecoming Pep Rally, the Class of 2015 had another pep rally. This one didn't involve football players and cheerleaders though.  Friend the Indian made his grand appearance along with his artist, Hugh Campbell.  The 2 foot model of the statue completes phase one of the statue restoration process and is a recreation of the original with a few minor improvements.  Also pictured (below left) is Kelly Monse presenting a $1,233 check to Ben Galicia, Alia Stone, and Shelby Fournier, members of the Class of 2015. The money was raised at the first annual Biker Bash held in August at Bob and Jodi Six's place.  Not pictured is Scott Kurtz who also helped in presenting the check.  The official name of the club is the Big Country Chapter of the Phoenix. A BIG thank you to all members for supporting our dream! If you would like to view the statue, please stop by The First National Bank of Ballinger.

Pictured are Cinnamon Carter, Friend the Indian, and artist Hugh Campbell, BallingerNews.com photos.

We Need Your Stuff!!
8/10/2009 -by Staff Writer Cinnamon Carter
The Friends of a Friend Class of 2015 has been granted the use of the former Complete Packaging Building for their garage sale to raise funds for the Indian project. However, to have a garage sale, you need stuff! WE HAVE NO STUFF! We are ready and willing to start receiving calls to come and pick up your stuff or be available for you to bring us your stuff.  We are looking to hold the sale later in September. Please call Cinnamon Carter, home 365-5939 or junior high 365-3537, or Bob-O Wright, home 365-2373 if you would like to donate to our sale.  Thanks in advance for your support!

Attention Parents and Students of the Class of 2015, Friends of a Friend
7/14/2009 -by staff writer Cinnamon Carter
You may or may not have gotten a phone call about helping out in the concession stand on July 25 for the Flag Football tournament being held in honor of Friend the Indian.  If you are able to help for an hour or longer on Saturday, July 25 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. in the concession stand, please contact Cinnamon Carter(365-5939) BEFORE July 20 and Natalie Fischer(365-2616) AFTER July 20 to set up a time.  All money raised will go towards the Statue Restoration Fund for the Indian.  Pizza, Hot Dogs, Frito Pie, Nachos, Candy and Drinks will be served.

Public Thanks
6/15/2009 -by staff writer Cinnamon Carter
     I am humbled by the recent support that the Class of 2015 and their Indian project has received.  As of today, I was made aware of the 1st Annual Biker Bash that will be held in August benefiting our Indian coordinated by Bob Six and the grandparents, Gerald and Dorothy Parks, of one of my students, Megan Blackshear.  Jason Martinez, also within this last week, is currently putting together a Flag Football Tournament for the Indian to be held later in July.  This kind of dedication and work is exactly what makes a town the size of Ballinger successful. When you choose to be a part of a cause bigger than yourself and give of yourself unselfishly, then everyone is the better for it.  The benefits and lasting impressions that we as adults are instilling in the children of the Class of 2015 by our efforts are what will ensure that the town of Ballinger will live on for a very long time.  I want to personally and publically thank these fine people for believing in our vision and going to such great lengths to be a part of an event that , in my opinion, will be bigger in the end than any of us can possibly realize.  I want to leave you with a story about one of my students and her endless support that is worthy of recognition and that makes me feel even more honored to be a part of this project.

     Sarah Wright, the daughter of Bob-O and Virginia Wright,  has been a truly exceptional young lady from the onset of this project and all around for that matter. In the beginning, she did endless hours of internet research with her family and was able to find many pictures, stories, and information about the Indian and his origin in Oklahoma. She and her family even discovered an old Oklahoma road map that had the Indian on the cover on sale on Ebay. She and her family went to bidding for us, but in the end, our $40.00 bid lost to an amazing winning bid price of $401.00 that the map sold for. WOW, Friend memorabilia is much sought after evidently! She would come to class almost everyday with some news as to what she discovered the night before.  She created the Keynote(powerpoint) that we used as our presentation delivered to the Ballinger City Council as we were seeking approval to proceed with the project.  If I am correct in this, I believe she even skipped eating lunch at school for a week so that she could give her lunch money to the fund on top of money she had already donated from her savings at home.  She is constantly looking for ways to help and comes up with some really great fundraiser ideas.  Her finest moment came the last day of school when she won the $100 “It Pays to be Present” award for perfect attendance. She told me after the ceremony that she was going to give half of it to the Indian and I told her No that she needed to keep this money and spend it on herself because she had already given a large amount of her own money to the project. As I suspected, she went down to First National Bank as soon as school let out for the summer and deposited her $50.00 from her award in to the fund. She wrote me the sweetest letter and informed me of this, and I quote,” On Friday, I went to the bank and cashed my $100.00 bill and I put $50.00 in the Indian account and $30.00 in savings and I kept the rest. I am really excited and interested in this project. I know that $50.00 isn’t a lot, but that $50.00 came straight from the heart.”.  I don’t know about you, but as far as I am concerned, that $50.00 is worth about $50,000 when you put it like that! Those are the exact words of one of the young ladies that is involved in the Indian project and I wanted you to know the exact benefits of where your donations are going. These donations are helping to nurture and grow our future adults and leaders of our town in ways we can yet even imagine! Friend still holds his magic over Ballinger and is slowly but surely rekindling it in a new generation. Thank you again for your support and donations and for being “Friends of a Friend”!

"Friend" Gains Popularity With The Ladies
6/11/2009 -by Staff Writer Cinnamon Carter
     Move over Hollywood hunks, there is a new hunk in town.  Friend the Indian seems to have acquired a fan club of a few hundred screaming, crazed, adoring, females.  In a matter of only a week, Friend received, from one very generous anonymous female donor, $2000!  Also, the Ballinger High School Rotary Interact held a contest between the boys and the girls at high school with the grand prize being one hour for lunch and were able to raise $517.00 with the girls being the ultimate winners. Also, the Ballinger Woman’s Club made a $500 donation during the junior high end of the year awards ceremony to the Class of 2015.  Girl Power!
      During the recent Ethnic Festival, the Friends of a Friend from the Class of 2015 constructed a float for the parade that replicated Indian Hill in its present form and what will be its new form hopefully soon. The float took second place prize and was awarded $50.00. We also had a booth at the festival and the Ballinger Rotary Club was gracious and volunteered to pay our booth fee. All in all, between the booth and the float, the students raised $345 at the festival.
       We have also received a letter of support from the Norton Lion’s Club in honor of the students that live out in Norton and the Rowena Lion’s Club has also donated $100.00 with Kaleigh Schniers being present to accept the donation from Rowena Lion’s Club president, Mike Howard to the Indian (pictured left).  We are very grateful to these two clubs and the support we are receiving from their members.
        The support keeps coming. Wayne Johnson of Ballinger hand-made 11 crosses and donated them to our project to sell to raise money for the Indian and the Class of 1944 also made a donation to the fund after their recent reunion. Thank you to you both for your support.
        Some things to be watching for in the near future are a large garage sale that we would like to start collecting items for. Bobo Wright along with the students and I will be heading this up.  If you have any items that would be in good condition and sellable, please contact Cinnamon Carter at 365-5939.  Also, we are considering a car wash later in the summer as well as a drive through meal.  Watch the paper, ballingernews.com, and KRUN for dates and times for these events. All support is greatly appreciated!
         A really remarkable and hopefully major opportunity that has come our way is a national publication called “Society for Commercial Archaeology” that has picked up our story and in the very near future, will be publishing an article as well as pictures.  We are very excited about this venture and hope to have it open even more doors for us.
         To leave you with some perspective as to where our project stands, we are $7,000 in to our fundraising and have not yet held a major fundraiser. Our goal by September is to have raised $14,000. This amount will cover the park and the work needed to be done to prepare the site for the new statue, along with repositioning the old base and adding stairs for easier access to the site. That cost is approximately $3,030. We also will need $10,000 that will cover the first phase of the statue recreation. Our artist, Hugh Campbell, is currently working on a two foot clay version of the Indian and once completed, will come to Ballinger for approval by the Class of 2015, myself, and the statue committee. Also, we will provide a time and place for the community to be able to view the statue before being sent to Lubbock to the foundry that, in several phases, will create the bronze version.  Once the two foot version as been approved and it is sent to the foundry, the $10,000 will allow the statue to be blown up to its final size of, head to toe, eight feet tall.  After this phase, the eight foot tall Indian will come back to Ballinger for final work to be done and then once approved by everyone, will return to Lubbock a final time to be bronzed and completed and then return to Ballinger and be placed forever in the city park.  At that point, the remainder of the money will need to have been raised. We are half way to our first goal and basically have done this via donations only.  We are very thankful to those who have initially believed in our vision and are willing to invest in it. Most importantly, the investment is in the kids that are working so hard to get this done and also, a community that will benefit from the project in so many ways.
        As I have always said from the beginning, as long as the doors keep opening, we will keep walking through them.  I will leave you with another one of those “wow” moments that happened back during school.  I was on lunch duty one day and we had to be inside in the gym due to rain.  A couple of men walked up and asked, “Are you Cinnamon Carter?” and I said yes. Come to find out, one of the men was Donald Pearse who is the brother of Albert Pearse that built the original base for the original Indian. We had a wonderful conversation that day and then continued at the Rotary pancake supper a few days later.  I was struck by Mr. Pearse’s emotions that were very evident when he spoke of Indian Hill and his family.  He lives in San Angelo, but made a special trip to come to Ballinger to find me and tell me his stories and also to tell me how proud he is of the students and their efforts. He gave us several hundred dollars towards our fund and offered us his full support in our efforts.  Not only have we been contacted by Mrs. Nell Shepperd Hambrick, daughter of Elmer Shepperd who purchased the Indian, but we have also been contacted by a family member of the man who built the base on which the Indian so proudly stood.  I think that is a WOW moment!! Neither time nor destruction can take away emotions and memories of a single Indian statue that, as I continue to learn, meant so much to so many in so many different ways.
        The end of school chaos slowed me down on my updates to you, but I want you to know that our project is alive and well and still pressing forward.  The students are just as excited now as they were when we started last November.  Our fund raising efforts have only been in full force since February and we have already raised $7,000.  We would like to issue a challenge at this point.  $1,000 of that $7,000 came solely from the students and their families, myself, and the teachers at the junior high.  We wanted to be the first major contributors to our fund to let the community know that we were serious about our vision and to therefore issue this challenge:  We would like to challenge someone or a group of people to match or beat our initial contribution! As their teacher, I can tell you they raised their $1,000 dollar goal in two weeks.  Our goal was to have all of that money by the time we left for Spring Break, and I can tell you that they did it!  For many of you, you may think that this is just another “feel good “ story and that a bunch of kids surely can’t raise that much money and accomplish all that they say they will.  Well, I am here to tell you that you should NEVER underestimate children and their persistence when it comes to getting something that they want! If you have ever been a parent then you know what I am talking about.  I have no plans of dropping this project and neither do the kids!  We are pressing forward and want our community in full support. This is not just a project for the kids. It is a project for our entire town.
       Friend the Indian will have an exhibit of the pictures we have collected and the statues that the children have made for the public to view at First National Bank of Ballinger the week of June 15.  Come by and see our collection. Our fund is also located at First National Bank if you would like to make a donation. 

"Friend" on the Float
4/29/2009 -by Staff Writer Cinnamon Carter
The Class of 2015 entered their "Friend" in the parade and he made his debut Saturday during the Ethnic Festival Parade. Friend the Indian could be seen waving to his fans as he rolled past the great crowd in attendance. Friend was also escorted by members of the Class of 2015 sporting their orange "Friend" shirts. Also gracing us with her presence was our own Indian princess, Christin Garcia (pictured below). Friend the Indian took second place in the float competition earning $50.00 towards his restoration fund.

"Friend" gets an email address
4/1/2009 -by Staff Writer Cinnamon Carter
Want to tell us your thoughts, suggestions, share information, and have an easy way of doing that? Welcome to our new email center courtesy of BallingerNews.com. Click on the link on our Indian Hill page and in an instant, be connected via email with the Class of 2015 and their dream. friend@ballingernews.com

Do you believe in Magic?
3/11/2009 -by Staff Writer Cinnamon Carter
     Our journey continues to amaze me each and every day. Since the onset of our project, whether it be stories collected by the kids or people I have been able to speak with personally, I can never seem to grasp the magic that the Indian statue was able to bestow to those fortunate enough to have known him. Both the kids and I, and most of us for the first time, have only seen him in pictures and heard the stories. That is from where our relationship with the statue has been formed. Yet, I have often wished I could feel what others so genuinely convey as Janice Amarine and her best friend Kay Howard so candidly shared with me one recent Friday night at Adelita’s. I have been told by some of the talk around town and how the statue seems to be at the fore-front of most conversations at Main Street Sandwich Shop or during coffee at the “coffee shop” in the mornings. That night at Adelita’s, I finally got to be in on one of those conversations after I heard, “Hey Indian Lady, come over here and sit with us”. I saw the giddiness that Janice and Kay had as I sat and listened to them talk of hanging out at the base of the Indian. I also heard how good of a make-out spot it was behind the back of Friend where he and others could not see you! It was like watching two teenage girls talk about the weekend they had just had with a bunch of friends. It was while actually sitting and talking with these two sweet ladies that I could finally start to understand that truly magical feeling that the Indian gave to so many. I left the restaurant feeling that our project was, as one of my former high school students put it after hearing all about it, meant to be.
     That TOTAL magical feeling happened not long after my conversation with Janice and Kay. I met Charlie Fischer, who makes his living in concrete construction and also happens to have a sixth grade daughter, at the park so he could take some measurements and we could discuss the work that would need to be done as to the site preparation. When I first arrived, there were several of my students sitting up around the base talking and that was a really cool feeling to see them there. However, as Charlie and I began our discussion, a young couple and their daughter arrived and climbed up the “not so easy to climb” hill and just sat down and talked right next to the old base where Friend stood. The little girl danced around, while Mom and Dad simply shared a moment on the hard concrete slab that protrudes up around the base. That was the moment for me. I realized that still, 60 years later, even though there is only a pile of rocks with junk written all over it and what’s left of a couple of moccasins, that place is still where people go to just be together. As I stood at the top of that hill and looked out over the creek, the beautiful park where other kids were playing, and the extremely nice city pool that Mrs. Wade and the city workers have worked so hard to provide for our kids, I finally felt that magic that everyone has talked about. I imagined that what I felt was what Mr. Shepperd felt when he stood there in 1939 and saw his vision of a city park come true and his Indian standing there to welcome all who entered. It was the coolest thing ever, as the kids would put it. I have never seen the Indian except in a picture, but it was as if I had known him all my life. It was as if he was saying, I am still here. I left the park that day more determined than ever to make sure I do everything possible to give the kids in my classroom that are working hard at keeping this project going, the chance to feel that magic. I want them to stand there on many occasions years from now and feel proud of what they have done not only for themselves, but for our community. I want them to be able to talk about the Indian like so many folks do now. This is a chance of a lifetime to give to our kids.
     I recently received an email that asked, “How is this education? It is just a statue and don’t you think that money could be put to good use some place that really needs it? This is ridiculous. That is my opinion”. Everyone is entitled to voice their opinion and that is perfectly understandable. My reply to that is simply this: Education is everywhere. School is not the only place where children can learn. The education in this project comes in the form of participation in city government, service to the community, money management and fund raising, goal setting, communication skills both written and verbal, historical preservation and knowledge of things in and out of your community, multicultural understandings, and the list goes on. The school is not funding this project in any way, nor is anyone else that chooses not to, but is simply providing a building in which to perform a task. This is an independent endeavor that is being spearheaded by a group of students and a teacher and people who have said that they would love to see the Indian back. I am actively applying for grants and am seeking as much funding for this project as I can in that area. In fact, on Thursday, March 12, I will be applying for a grant called Texas Communities for Service and Learning, www.txcsl.org, with the help of Region 15 Service Center in San Angelo. This grant is a three year program grant that will allow me, if we are awarded, to continue more service projects in our community with the current 4th and 5th graders once they reach their 6th grade year. This grant is designed to engage students in their community and create a sense of pride and ownership right where they live. You can read more about the goals on the website provided. The grant amount for this year is $20,000 and that is based on our total student count within our district. With the help of grants like this and others that I have applied for and yes, the support from our community both local and non-local, we can reach our goal whether it be one year from now or 3 years from now. Our kids need this project, not for the sole purpose of getting a new statue, but for the knowledge and, if you will, magic that it will afford them that otherwise they may never have had the chance to know.
     I have saved the best for last! We have a sculptor and his name is Hugh Campbell. He is a Ballinger Bearcat from the Class of 1958 and I was privileged to get to meet him this past Friday. It was wonderful to hear him tell me and I quote, “This is an honor and a chance of a lifetime to do a piece of artwork such as this Indian from my hometown”. Mr. Campbell told me in our very first conversation, a couple of months ago, how he vividly remembered the Indian and spent many a lunch break with him during his school days. He is well respected in our community and also a very accomplished artist in both oil and pastel paintings, as well as bronze sculptures. I am providing a link to his website so that you may view his work and see his many accomplishments in the field of art, www.hughcampbellwesternart.com .
     After several discussions with Mr. Campbell as well as other artists about the different materials to possibly use, the statue restoration committee has decided to use bronze. It is the most resilient and durable to withstand the weather and the perils of age as you should be able to see from the beautiful Charles Noyes statue that graces our courthouse square. That bronze piece has stood proudly since 1919. Mr. Campbell has provided us with a price quote for an 8 foot(head to toe) bronze that includes his fee, the foundry in Lubbock where the bronzing will take place, and the final transporting, setting, and attaching of the statue to its permanent location. His quote is for $43,800 turn-key. Timeline could be within 8-10 months of total completion. Using this material will ensure that when the Class of 2015 celebrates their 60 year class reunion, Friend the Indian will still be standing proud. Using bronze will allow for a one time investment to withstand the ages. If you divide 100 years or 36,500 days by $43,800, that is 0.83 cents a day. That is a pretty good bargain! I know what you are thinking here. But look at it like this, you might die in a plane crash, but I bet you still fly. You might die in a car crash, but I bet sometime today you will drive your car! Life is about taking chances and arriving at the end of the road to reap the benefits just because you were brave enough to try. I will save, for another time, our plan to create such a presence about the Indian that people will want to only admire him instead of harm him. We have a plan that will involve the youngest to the oldest person in and outside our community and create a sense of ownership with all who know him! Don’t be scared. Just trust us, it will be wonderful! To quote Talia Leman, age 12, Founder/CEO of RandomKid who has raised over 10 million in hurricane relief funds, “By helping kids help others, they will know what they are capable of, and be able to use those skills all their lives. Plus, nothing feels better, or teaches you more about your own power and worth”. Our kids in this project are 12!
     A final note! The statement, "It is just a statue” might be true to those who have no historical knowledge of nor share any memories or emotions with the statue. However, to those who told their deepest secrets, shared their greatest joys, or just sat at its base and sought a quiet moment, with regards to ours, it was more than a statue. The Charles Noyes statue is not just a statue. It is rather a memorial erected to forever tell the story of a beloved son that was taken away from the family that dearly loved and cherished him. The Statue of Liberty is not just a statue. It is a symbol of a new beginning in a country that promised life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness to all who entered. Our statue is the investment in the children that will one day be the leaders in our town, our teachers, our doctors, and most importantly mothers and fathers. What we teach them by whatever means we are given, is our legacy that we leave to them. That legacy can be lasting or it can be fading. I hope you will join with me and make it lasting and if it happens to come in the form of an Indian standing on a hillside, then so be it.

Big Dream Conference
3/5/2009 -by Staff Writer Cinnamon Carter
 Members of the Class of 2015 attended the Big Dream Gathering sponsored by the Texas Midwest Community Network on Thursday, March 5 in hopes of having someone help fulfill their dream of seeing Friend the Indian back in Ballinger City Park. The gathering brings dreams of all kinds together in one arena and allows them to be posted on the "wall of dreams" and then be viewed by anyone looking to help others out. There are many different categories for dreams to fit in to such as business, agriculture, education, travel, government, media, spiritual, and many others. We placed our dream in the category of "Dreams that Defy Categorization". The students pictured are left to right: Corey Virden, Hailey Esquivel, Priscilla Pospichal, Cassie Salazar, and Haley Evans. We, along with Mrs. Carter, arrived at the San Angelo convention center at 6:00 and placed our dream on the wall. The wall will close at 9:00 and then the dreams will placed in pre-marked envelopes with any comments collected and mailed to their respective dreamers. We hope to have positive feedback once our dream finds its way back to us via the postal service. Our Ballinger Chamber of Commerce is participating for the first time in this nationwide network as it was the featured subject at the recent chamber banquet.
In case you were wondering about the status of our project, I would like to provide you with an update. We are actively pursuing an artist to sculpt our statue and then in turn secure a medium and a price to complete it. We have also established our Statue Restoration Fund at First National Bank of Ballinger and are accepting donations. The Statue Restoration Committee has also been formed consisting of myself, Cinnamon Carter, Matt Belden, Beverly Everett, and Tammie Virden. We have had our first meeting and discussed funding options via grants, fundraisers, and community donations, statue specifics concerning the creation of the new model, and the responsibilities of each member of the committee to see the project forward. I have also met and discussed with Charlie Fischer the needs of preparing the park location for the new statue with regards to a new base, stairs, moving the original base back a few feet to a new location and the overall site work needed to be done before Friend arrives. He is in the process of creating a bid as to what that part of the project will entail. We are also looking for a Native American Group to come and be a part of our reveal ceremony once that point is reached. My goal is to have an artist secured, the money needed to begin the first phase of the project, and the statue creation process begun by the end of this school year before the sixth graders leave my class and move on to seventh grade. My vision for project completion is to see Friend grace his hillside by the year 2011, if not before, when the sixth graders will have become the 8th grade class at Ballinger Junior High. Please pass the word to all your friends and neighbors about the project and stay tuned for the next update.

Attention--Call To Action!!
3/2/2009 -by Staff Writer Cinnamon Carter
The quest to bring the Indian statue back to Ballinger City Park is well underway and we need ACTION. The students are busy raising money and are currently proud to say they have raised $345.00 in a matter of 2 days! The students and I are asking all those who have offered donations somewhere along the way or those that have simply just “thought about it” to make a trip to First National Bank and DONATE! We know you are talking about the Indian and how wonderful it will be to have him back. Well, you can HELP. The amount can be small or large. EVERY AMOUNT IS IMPORTANT TO GET US TO OUR GOAL. If 4000 people of the 4500 or so that live in Ballinger donated just $10.00, that would be $40,000. If 400 people donated $100.00, that would also be $40,000. If 40 people donated $1,000.00, that would be $40,000. We need your help in whatever manner you can provide! Don’t let this chance for you to be a part of something so wonderful pass you by. Your $5.00 is just as important as someone’s $100.00!

Statue Donation!
2/23/2009 -by Staff Writer Cinnamon Carter
Thank You Queba James in conjunction with her brother, Glen Ferguson for being our first contributors to our Statue Restoration Fund to replace Friend the Indian at Ballinger City Park. Queba and Glen have donated $100.00 and Queba is pictured with some of the members of the Class of 2015. From Left to right are Jack Buxkemper, Alia Stone, Jeremy Sumners, Mackenzi Watkins, Hannah Mallory, Matthew Guerra, Tony Martinez, and Shelby Fournier. Seated next to Queba James is Jessica Good. Mrs. James also donated a painting of the Indian, which she is pictured with that she had started strictly from her memory well before she had even heard of our project. Thanks to one of our pictures that she was able to obtain, she is currently working on another painting, or "a better one" as she puts it.

"Friend" bank account
2/19/2009 -by Staff Writer Cinnamon Carter
As of Monday, February 23, a bank account will be open and ready for business at the First National Bank of Ballinger. The name on the account will be "Statue Restoration Fund". My students and I here at Ballinger Junior High look forward to your support and are absolutely thrilled at what is to come!

New Friend Gets Approval!
2/17/2009 -by Staff Writer Cinnamon Carter
Well Ladies and Gentlemen, the Verdict is in and the answer is YES!!! The Ballinger City Council gave their approval for our quest for a new Indian statue of Friend to be placed in the Ballinger City Park at Monday night’s meeting. Arrangements will now be made in regards to a bank account being set up for donations, a committee being established to formulate details for the statue, and a whole lot of excitement and smiles from 75 sixth graders on Tuesday morning when the news is announced that our dream is "a GO"! We would love your support in the next steps of the process and look forward to the day when our community comes together both from near and far to unveil a new beginning for an old Friend!

New Photos of  Ballinger's Indian Hill!
2/10/2009 -by Staff Writer Cinnamon Carter
We recently have been given some very neat pictures taken at OUR Indian Hill site. I would just like to share some of those with you now.

Click images below to see a larger version:

And as it looks today:

Indian Hill Meeting Scheduled
2/9/2009 -by Staff Writer Cinnamon Carter
Next Monday, February 16, a group of students and myself will be attending the Ballinger City Council meeting to discuss the commissioning of a replacement statue of Friend. If we get the "Official" ok to move forward from the city, I plan to set up a bank account on Tuesday to start taking donations from any interested parties and those who have been so kind as to offer money already! Please keep those fingers crossed and send very happy thoughts our way! Stay Tuned, Same Bat Channel, Same Bat Cave, Same Bat Time!

"A Friend Returns"
2/3/2009 -by Staff Writer Cinnamon Carter

     I have been in contact with an artist, Hugh Campbell, a former Ballinger Bearcat, about what steps we need to take to produce a statue from the pictures and specs of the one we formerly had. I am now proposing to the community, both locally and those that live elsewhere, to help us see the dream of a group of 11 and 12 year old sixth grade students and their crazy teacher become reality and one of the biggest moments not only for Ballinger, but most importantly to the lives of the kids who are living it. I am asking for suggestions from anyone who has been a part of a process such as this and what it will require of my students and me. The kids have already been asking to start fundraisers so you need to start saving those extra dollars because you may be getting your car washed often and eating lots of cookies for the next year or so! Until next time!   

Look at what has been discovered!
12/16/2008 -by Staff Writer Cinnamon Carter
Thank you Dana Travis for doing some "digging" for us and discovering this amazing photo! This photo is of the Turner Falls Indian, which is the same as our Indian, who overlooked Turner Falls lake in Oklahoma. This is the only frontal, clear, detailed view as of yet that we have been able to find or be given.  My wish is that the mere image of our Indian will spark many fond memories and stories and that you as the reader will write them down for us to be forever recorded in our book that we have decided to title "A Friend Not Forgotten", The Story of Friend the Indian of Indian Hill.

"The Mystery of Indian Hill"  -  UPDATE
12/8/2008   -by Staff Writer Cinnamon Carter
Our person of interest might be “bodily missing”, but what I have learned over the past few weeks is that the Spirit of “Friend” the Indian is still very much alive and well in the memories of many in this community and surrounding communities. I want to encourage you as you read this article to write down any memories, no matter how small, and send them to me! I have learned that “Friend” was more than just a statue put in the park to beautify it. He became the holder of secrets of love to shy to be told, of loves lost and hearts broken, and a place to go to be with friends. As one dear lady told me last week, “We knew we could tell him our deepest secrets and that they would be safe with him”.

I am not from Ballinger, but have honestly enjoyed hearing the stories and learning about the history of the town I now call home. I also realize just how important it is to record and preserve the history of our town’s vibrant past. Hence, the title that I have given to our project, “The Past Collected, Written to Remember”. For many of you, your faces light up when you recall a time when the world was maybe a little sweeter and a little more simple. A time when your youth was in full bloom and you had your whole life ahead of you. The sixth grade class and I as their teacher, want to record and preserve the memories of those who lived them and cherish them for those, like myself, who can only read about them.

As far as the latest entry in our journal, I have been in contact with the “Daily Ardmoreite” which is the newspaper in Ardmore, Oklahoma. I have been talking with the Education Writer for the paper and she has been wanting to do a feature article on something and said that our story would be perfect! I am excited about this development and am hopeful of it lending information about the history of our “Friend” long before he came to call Ballinger his home. I was asked by the writer, Ms. Lindsey, where I was hoping to go with this whole project. I told her simply this, “To be honest, I have no idea! This all kind of happened by a different series of events and has currently evolved in to what it now is”. I also told her that my ultimate hope, in my sometimes rose-colored world I tend to live in, is that through the “Ardmoreite” articles in Oklahoma, we, by some miracle, find another “Friend” and bring it back to Ballinger to once again grace the hillside. If not to find another “Friend”, I would love to see our project come to fruition in the form of another statue being designated in honor of the “Friend” that was lost. Those ideas, yes, are dreams that the kids and I have talked about in class, but oh what fun it is to wish and dream!  I can tell you this, we will be compiling all of the stories, facts, and pictures that we can manage to collect and be publishing a book that will be housed in the Ballinger Junior High and High School libraries as well as a copy for the Carnegie Library. I once again will leave you with my email - cinnamon.carter@ballingerisd.net and my address PO Box 231, Ballinger, TX 76821 and ask that you please take a moment and write down your memories and allow my students and myself to record and preserve them for you for all those who come after us and just happen to hear one day of one special Indian who so many years ago touched the lives of so many on “Indian Hill”.

"The Mystery of Indian Hill"  - UPDATED
12/2/2008  -by Staff Writer Cinnamon Carter
Wow, what interesting things can happen in just a week!  I wanted to give you an update on what has become of our “missing person” investigation (Indian Hill Chief).  Through various emails, students talking to local community members and family, and articles posted in newspapers, several remarkable doors have been opened. The first is a painting done by Queba James who is a family friend of Jessica Good, one of my sixth grade students. Mrs. James painted a portrait of The Indian. She placed him on his pedestal and painted the landscape of the park in the background. Mrs. James has donated the painting to the sixth grade class and we would like to thank her for being the first of hopefully many collections in our art gallery of Indian Hill.
     The second, and most amazing happening was a phone call from a lady in San Angelo, TX on Monday morning.  We were in 2nd period class when the phone rang and the office said there was a lady on the phone that really wanted to talk to me about our school project.  As I began the conversation, she informed that she had just read our article in the Standard Times and wanted to offer as much help as she could to our quest. Here is the amazing part!  She told me that she was born and raised in Ardmore, OK, where our Indian came from, and that her dad was the Assistant Superintendent of the Oil Refinery in Ardmore from where Mr. Shepherd originally had seen and purchased our park Indian in 1939.  She also gave me the name of the former secretary that worked for the refinery for 25 plus years and who would now be in her 80’s.  She also said that she still knew many people in Ardmore and would be glad to put us in to contact with them when needed. Now how is that for a coincidence?  I don’t think it is coincidence at all. I think it is one of many daily reassurances that we are to press on in our project and just see what a truly grand conclusion there might be waiting on the other end! If you have any pictures or recollections, no matter how small, please email or mail them to Cinnamon Carter at cinnamon.carter@ballingerisd.net or PO Box 231, Ballinger, TX 76821

“The Mystery of Indian Hill”
11/21/2008 -by Staff Writer Cinnamon Carter
Hello, we are currently the sixth grade students of Ballinger Junior High and we are reading “Island of the Blue Dolphins” in our Reading Class.  This book focuses on a tribe of Indians living off the coast of California on the island of San Nicolas.  This book is based on the true story of the “Lone Woman of San Nicolas”. We have decided that for our project for this book, we are going to investigate and learn about our own unique Indian history in our own town.  We have chosen the disappearance of the Indian Chief statue that was placed in Ballinger City Park by Mr. Elmer Shepherd purchased from Wirt Franklin Oil and Gas Refinery in Ardmore, Oklahoma in 1939. We, as students, will be talking to our local community members to gather as much information as possible. We are asking for anyone with any information or pictures dealing with the purchase as well as the disappearance of the Indian Chief to please send the information to Ballinger Junior High, C/O Cinnamon Carter, PO Box 231, Ballinger, TX 76821. Stay Tuned to see what we find!