$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!
The Lucky 8 who represented their classmates at the City Council
meeting and were able to hear for themselves the much desired "YES"
you may proceed with the replacement of Friend the Indian at
Ballinger City Park". Click the photos for a larger view.
Pictured left are (left to right), Jordon Frierson, Megan
Blackshear, Sarah Wright, Danielle Ramirez, Christian Garcia,
Kaleigh Schniers, Cody Ischar and Corey Virden.
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
Four students and myself will be attending the Ballinger City
Council meeting on Monday, February 16 to promote our project, "A
Friend Returns". We are hoping to leave the meeting with much
excitement and be able to finally push forward towards our goal of a
new statue of Friend to once again grace his hillside in the
Ballinger City Park. I will be setting up an account soon after the
council meeting in order to start receiving any donations that
interested parties might be willing to make. I have talked with the
Chamber of Commerce and understand that they are excited and on
board with our venture as well as the Rotary Club. We are waiting
now on the city council meeting and the information we are given at
the meeting to finalize the medium in which we want to pursue and
the cost of that medium. Further information to come! Please
"favorite" ballingernews.com and check often for our progress..
Quest for a new "Friend"
...Indian Hill Update
1/26/2009
-by Staff Writer Cinnamon Carter
This reading session we are going to have today maybe the most
important one yet, so I need you to really, really focus, ok? Ok!
Before I tell you the big news, I want to first give you the
opportunity to see how cool this journey has been for the kids and I
since the start. I am going to lay out a time-line of the amazing
events that have gotten us to the big news that I have for you.
Don’t you skip to the end and peek! Just stay with me here..
This all started with the hayride that
myself, as a parent of a sixth grader, and several other parents
sponsored for the sixth grade class on November 1, 2008. Bobo Wright
has a daughter in the sixth grade and graciously agreed to be our
in-house story teller for the evening. I mean, what is a hayride
without scary stories around the campfire. Bobo held true to what I
had heard about his story telling skills. The next week at school, I
was on my usual lunch duty with Dana Travis and Alan Wilson and
proceeded to tell them how much fun we had on the hayride and of the
interesting story of the Indian caves that are supposedly under our
city as told by Bobo. I then learned from Mrs. Travis and Coach
Wilson, of "Indian Hill" at the city park and that there was once a
statue on the rock obelisk that is still there. I had never heard of
that story nor had I ever taken the time to climb up the cement hill
at the park and see what the big rock pile was either. I found the
story to be quite fascinating and very intriguing. We then, on
November 10th, started "Island of the Blue Dolphins" in my class and
discussed the Indians portrayed in the book and what we would be
learning about their culture. Later in the morning, a student said
she had some Indian pictures from her family that she wanted to
bring to show the class. I said sure and the following week, she
brought me a folder that, low and behold, contained pictures of the
Indian from Indian Hill. I was a bit taken back being that I had
just heard the story only a week before and then all of the sudden
the picture of him shows up. I took that as a sign that we needed to
make Indian Hill our project, but really had no idea what that would
be. I talked the idea over with the kids and they had some stories
of their own to tell that they had heard from their families over
the years. We learned from some of the teachers at school that the
creek supposedly had been dragged but that the Indian statue was not
found. I then proposed the idea to the kids that "What if he was
never thrown in the creek in the first place and that whoever took
him stashed him in a barn somewhere and we possibly could find him
and bring him back". Of course the kids were like "Yeah!!!!". We got
all excited and then proceeded to start trying to gather stories and
pictures and information that might help us find the missing one. We
decided to put articles in the paper both here, San Angelo, and
Abilene to see if anyone could help us in our investigation. On that
same day that all of this was decided, Mrs. Flint did some snooping
on the internet and found some valuable information about the Indian
and his Oklahoma history. The next day, I shared with the class the
Oklahoma info and we decided to put an article in the Ardmore paper
to see if we could find another Indian still in existence just in
case we couldn’t find ours! At this point, I still had no idea where
we really were going to go with our project being that the odds of
finding a missing thinly pressed metal Indian after 50 years were
pretty slim. But, the kids were excited and I admit I was
a
too to try. The San Angelo article came out in the Standard Times on
Monday, December 1, 2008 and the same day during class my phone
rang. A woman in Angelo called and said "I just read your article
and I want to help you in any way possible. I was born and raised in
Ardmore and my father was the assistant superintendent of the
Ardmore Refinery where the Indian came from for 25 years. I still
have contacts in Ardmore and I can also give you the name of the
secretary who is now in her late 80’s but is still living in
Ardmore". I almost fell out of my chair!!! What a phone call. That
was our first major "wow moment" that made me realize, this could be
a real project now! That fired us up and we then worked and finally
got a writer in Ardmore, OK to put our story in their paper. The
lady I talked to said she had been wanting to do a feature story and
thought ours would be perfect. Cool! That story was published in the
"Daily Ardmoreite" on Sunday, December 10, 2008 and again, we
received a phone call on Monday morning from a woman who had just
read the article and had a son-in-law that was an avid collector of
the Palacine Indian and she wanted to give us his phone number.
There we go again, "WOW"! I called Mr. Harris and had a wonderful
conversation with him and was provided with several pictures of
memorabilia that he had collected and then learned the most
wonderful news that there was still one statue in existence and he
had seen it. Double "WOW". The kids and I, through the little
research we had been able to do up to that point were under the
impression that there were no statues left. During all these wow
moments, we were locally collecting pictures, stories, having
articles published in the Ledger and on
ballingernews.com. The
local stories we managed to collect and the pictures that were
coming in were all precious in their own way. We decided to
vigorously try and get as many stories, pictures and historical
background info as possible and preserve the information and
memories in a photo storybook. On top of all that, I learned from
the people that I personally talked with that Friend the Indian was
more than just a statue in the park. He was a part of people’s lives
in so many different ways. I also was informed that I "have stirred
this town up". That I should see the smiles on people’s faces when
they talk about our project. As Dr. Belden told me one day, that’s
all he hears when people come in to the vet is Indian talk. I said,
"Well good, maybe that will get them to write their talk down and
send it to me so we can add it to our book"! I then decided, and
talked it over with the kids, that the true direction of this
project has to be to not just remember the Indian lost via a
storybook, but to restore the statue. We had not publicly announced
that yet, but spent many minutes talking about how cool that would
be to get a new one! Mind you, all of what I just told you happened
between November 10, 2008 and December 17, 2008. Thus the holidays
arrived and things were put on hold and left at "cool". I was still
wondering, secretly to myself, if pursuing a new statue was
honestly, realistically possible even though the kids and I really,
really were excited at the thought. A few days before New Year’s, I
received a phone call and an invitation to be the guest speaker at
the Rotary Club on January 6 and talk about our project. However, on
Monday morning, our first day back from holiday, I checked my
mailbox and had the most amazing surprise. Mrs. Nell Shepperd
Hambrick, now in her 90’s, had written us a letter over the holidays
and sent it to us. By the way, one of my students lives in her
family home on 8th Street and Bobo Wright, who has a sixth grade
daughter, had Mrs. Hambrick for his 7th grade Language Arts teacher.
How amazing is that! I’m thinking this is fate at work! Anyway, Mrs.
Hambrick is the daugther of Elmer Shepperd who commissioned the
statue originally. This is when I knew that our goal was to be the
commission of a new statue. The next day was my day at the Rotary
and that morning in class, I told the kids that at the meeting, I
was going to publicly make known our desire for a new statue. I
spoke about 15 minutes at the Rotary and after the meeting had
ended, one of the members approached me and asked if it was ok if he
proposed to the Rotary board for the club to help sponsor our new
statue. Now, that was the biggest WOW moment of them all. I was
surprised, but absolutely thrilled. That was the defining moment
that let me know, this dream could very possibly become a reality.
If you want even more perspective, it has only been 8 weeks since we
started this whole project and we are at the point of a possible
offer to help start the sponsorship of a brand new Friend! Feel free
to say "WOW" at any time!
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!
