COMMENTARY | Kay.Ellington@TheTexasSpur.com
KAY ELLINGTON
As I glance across the headlines of our five newspapers this week, a slow smile crosses my face when I name-check high school students who will be traveling to State (always capitalized in our newspapers to recognize the accomplishment). From UIL Academics to track and field, the trajectory of their high school aspirations rises to a crescendo this week.
And a mantra whispers at the edge of my consciousness, “Austin is beautiful in May.”
That was the slogan of the high school drama department in Snyder, the West Texas town where I grew up.
Having appeared at the UIL State One-Act Play contest 33 times, Snyder Drama holds the record of all-time State meet appearances of any conference (1A-6A) and any UIL event. In addition, the late Jerry Worsham (Snyder drama director 1968–2000) won a record 13 State championships, again more than any director or coach in any conference.
Additionally, Snyder’s drama program has placed 2nd at State 7 times and 3rd, 3 times. Snyder drama students have garnered 104 state-level acting awards over the years. By comparison, and for our 1A readers’ context, Nazareth has “only” been to the State basketball tournament 32 times.
“Austin is beautiful in May” was the carrot for teenagers who had outgrown “The Little Engine That Could” and needed more mature motivation.
Inspiration could be in short supply after a winter of dry, dusty, brown-sky howling sandstorms in Scurry County; the lush green and temperate beauty of the Hill Country beckoned. Teenagers longed to follow bluebonnet– and Indian paintbrush– speckled roads to a mecca that in those days had a population of around 300,000. Think of a city the size of Lubbock today with all that the state capital had to offer back then.
For many in small West Texas towns, Austin in the seventies was like going to Haight-Asbury in the sixties. We couldn’t wait to get our bell-bottomed, tie-dyed selves to Sixth Street, the Armadillo World Headquarters, the Magic Time Machine and Nothing Strikes Back.
Didn’t know about Snyder’s drama legacy? Here are some alums: Powers Boothe, who won an Emmy for his portrayal in “Jim Jones: Guyana Tragedy” and was also a regular on the TV series “Nashville”; Brad Maule, cast as Dr. Tony Jones on “General Hospital” for 20 years; the late Dane Witherspoon (one year ahead of me), who was in the soap opera “Capital”; Barry Tubb, who appeared in such film favorites as “Top Gun” and “Mask”; and Kevin Alejandro, currently a regular on the television show “Fire Country.”
And it all started with that cool notion screen-printed on bumper stickers for our student wheels in the Snyder High parking lot. Austin may have changed, sure; gridlock among bumper-to-bumper traffic on I-35 among a vista of high-rises and construction cranes may not deliver quite the allure the capital city held four-plus decades ago.
But the intoxicating idea that if you are inventive and creative, work hard and apply yourself, and win the hard-fought privilege of competing at the top of your game never loses its appeal.
