June 20, 2019 452 PM
MARFA – Two local gyms are included in a new book about historic gyms in Texas. Marfa ISD’s Hunter Gym and the Chinati Foundation Arena share a chapter in Historic Texas Gyms: A Tribute to Vanishing Traditions by Jackie McBroom.
The book published on May 27 through Arcadia Publishing & The History Press recounts stories from the beloved halls from the pickup basketball game Elvis played in Hawkins to the tragic account of four Ennis war heroes.
For generations of small-town Texans, the school gymnasium was the hub of the community. If it was a Tuesday night in Texline, most folks could be found in the old tin barn of a gym, rooting for their Tornadoes against the arch-rival Adrian Matadors.
Transcending the role of a sports arena, the gym also provided a place to gather in celebration or shelter in crisis. With the dramatic reduction of school districts around the state, many of the polished floorboards that once hosted graduations and beauty pageants now splinter beneath the weight of storage, farm equipment and guano-covered junk.
A proud native Texan, McBroom coached basketball, football and track and taught English at Aubrey High School. He later became the middle school principal at Pilot Point for ten years, and he finished his career as a teacher, principal and assistant superintendent at Sanger ISD. McBroom and his wife, Sharen, have loved their home in the country near Aubrey for the last 28 years.
For more information, visit arcadiapublishing.com and historypress.net.
