howeenterprise.com
Hall of Honor
Monday, January 19, 2015
Page #4
Continued from Page #3
Norma Wallace - the woman instrumental in getting the Howe band. MacArthur in the First Cavalry on-ramp was moved and lives Division of the United States Army suredly were saved. and was hit in the back by shrapnel from a Japanese rocket. He spent Ray Bledsoe (1932 - ) was a mover three months in a field hospital and shaker from the time he recovering. He rejoined his unit moved to Howe in 1964. He was preparing for an invasion of Japan voted commissioner of the Howe by the Japanese who surrendered on Youth Baseball League and Aug. 15, 1945. Kirby was one of immediately went to work to build only 25 men left out of his unit of a youth ballfield for the kids. He 250. was successful in constructing A.M. Ferguson Park without using Norma Wallace (1929-1996) was any city funds. actively involved in the creation of the marching band which later After serving on the Howe ISD became know as The Pride of Board of Trustees and any other Howe. With her tremendous ability committee to the betterment of the to gather people together for a school or city, Bledsoe, in 1986 willing and worthy cause, she became mayor of Howe. He impacted Howe in a way that received 80% of the vote even forever changed the way people look though he was not on the ballot at Howe. Wallace was also and was a write-in candidate. instrumental in the formation of the Bledsoe served for a grand total of Howe Public Library, the Howe 14 years as mayor of Howe and Historical Society and the placement worked the job as a full-time of a Texas Historical Marker at Hall employee by working 40-60 hours Cemetery and also was successful in per week as an unpaid mayor. petitioning for an outside mail drop box at the US Post office in Howe. . Bledsoe was successful for obtaining many grants for the city Wallace quietly started a petition by and even worked a deal for a local citizens advocating the connector road from US 75 to movement of an on-ramp to US 75 Texas State Highway 5 now located in Howe. Several accidents known as L.B. Kirby Ave. and some fatalities had occurred Photo by Michelle Carney because of the location on the onin 1997, Bledsoe received the ramp. Thanks to her diligence, the Continued on Page #9
Photo by Michelle Carney
