howeenterprise.com
Hall of Honor
Friday, April 24, 2015
Page #3
Continued from Page #2 preparing for an invasion of Japan by the Japanese who surrendered on Aug. 15, 1945. Kirby was one of only 25 men left out of his unit of 250.
Photo by Michelle Carney
L.B. Kirby in downtown Howe in August of 2014. Charles R. Thompson (19101996) dedicated his life to the Howe Public School System. He served as teacher, principal, and superintendent. He graduated from Howe High School in 1928 and Baylor University, Waco, in 1933. He returned to Howe as a coach and teacher in 1933 and served s Superintendent of Howe Independent School District from 1948-1972. In 1978, the Howe School System named the New High School Gymnasium (now middle school gymnasium) for him and he was honored with Charles Thompson Day on April 21, 1996. He was a member of First Baptist Church in Howe and taught boys' and men's SundaySchool Classes for 55 years; he served as a deacon from 1936-1988. Charles was a member of Howe Masonic Lodge and was awarded the Lamar Medal on September 24, 2003. He was a member of Howe Lions Club and was active in all civic organizations in Howe. Arthur Boyle (1924-2014) came to Howe in 1958 and During his long career as an educator, he served twice as principal of Howe High School, coached the 1958 and 1959
Howe Bulldogs in football, was the girls varisty basketball coach and was superintendent of Howe Independent School District. His leadership in Howe and his ability to relate with people, faculty members and students made Boyle the obvious choice to return to Howe as the superintendent in 1977.
Brinkley was also the quarterback and captain of the Howe Bulldogs that found themselves without a coach in 1942. Brinkley organized practices and called the plays for the Bulldogs who miraculously won the district under those strange circumstances.
Norma Wallace (1929-1996) was actively involved in the creation of the marching band which later became know as The Pride of Howe. With her tremendous ability to gather people together for a willing and worthy cause, she impacted Howe in a way that forever changed the way people look at Howe. Wallace was also instrumental in the formation of the Howe Public Library, the Howe Historical Society and the placement of a Texas Historical Marker at Hall Cemetery and also was successful in petitioning for an outside mail drop box at the US Post office in Howe. .
Wallace quietly started a petition by local citizens advocating the movement of an on-ramp to US 75 located in Howe. Several accidents and some fatalities had occurred because of the location L.B. Kirby (1924- ) is the most decorated living veteran in the state on the on-ramp. Thanks to her of Texas, with seven Bronze Stars, diligence, the on-ramp was moved Tony Brinkley (1926-1944) was and lives suredly were saved. Howe's first World War II two Bronze Arrowheads and a casualty. After the United States Purple Heart, awarded for his Ray Bledsoe (1932 - ) was a was attacked at Pearl Harbor, service in the army during World mover and shaker from the time Brinkley left school early and War II. Perhaps the most he moved to Howe in 1964. He joined the Navy at the age of 16 surprising thing about Kirby's was voted commissioner of the and was an aviation heroic achievements is that for Howe Youth Baseball League and machinist's mate, third class. decades, he never told anyone immediately went to work to Brinkley helped repair the fuselages about his awards, including his build a youth ballfield for the of fighter and bomber planes family. kids. He was successful in when they returned from battling constructing A.M. Ferguson Park the Japanese. He worked 12 to 14 A 1943 graduate of Howe High hours a day which was enough School, Kirby entered the military without using any city funds. without the air-strikes by the just 15 days after finishing high After serving on the Howe ISD Japanese on the the island which school. Kirby trained as a fire Board of Trustees and any other finally took his life after two weeks operator and served as a machine committee to the betterment of the of bombings. But his death did not gunner under General Douglas school or city, Bledsoe, in 1986 go unavenged. The same planes MacArthur in the First Cavalry that Brinkley had helped put back Division of the United States Army became mayor of Howe. He in the air helped take down the and was hit in the back by shrapnel received 80% of the vote even though he was not on the ballot Japanese fighters. Tony was just a from a Japanese rocket. He spent boy, but he was doing a man's job. three months in a field hospital recovering. He rejoined his unit Continued on Page #4
