The Megargel News (Megargel, Tex.), Ed. 1 Saturday, August 16, 2003 Page: 1 of 8
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Archer County Area Newspaper Collection and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Archer Public Library.
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THE MEGARGEL NEWS
COMMEMORATIVE EDITION MEGARGEL, ARCHER COUNTY, TEXAS AUGUST 16,2003
Megargel
Celebrates
Megargel,Texas—The summer
winds may blow as August passes
the halfway point and it may feel
like a genuine north Texas summer,
but the real heat is not coming from
the sun. It is coming from the hearts
of all past and present Megargel res-
idents as they get ready to celebrate
the day. August 15th for years was
the day the big party took place at
the KJT Hall in Megargel, Texas,
complete with bingo, dancing, and
trading pencils for a beer. People
came from miles around and
swelled this little proud town with
people and fun times. Today it is
swollen with pride.
Today , August 16th, is scheduled
to create more excitement than all
of those annual events combined.
With the dedication of the 1927
Megargel Bluebird Band Monument
and the release of Anita Palmers
from Bluebirds to Mustangs, The
History of Megargel, Texas by
Persidea Publishing the 248 current
Megargel residents will be joined by
a crowd expected to double the
population. The fun and festivities
will go on all day as outlined on
page 2 of this recreated commem-
orative Megargel Newspaper. It
will end up at the Fire Hall which
is the new name for the KJT Hall.
A lot of spirit, spirits and memo-
ries will get together for what will
be a great day for all Megargel
folks and those that may just come
back from the past for one more
August party. Celebrate Megargel!
You have a lot of reasons to be
proud. (Event schedule page 2)
Persidea
Pro-Megargel
Staff Reporter—Persidea is proud
to support Megargel and today’s
events in a number of ways. We are
a company who believes our caring
spirit shows in our service to our
customers and community, and
supporting this event is just one
such example. Persidea is a full
service provider of marketing and
communication solutions with
services ranging from consulting
and design to multimedia and
publishing. The name Persidea
comes from the words ‘Personal’
and ‘Idea,’ and as our tagline says,
“Your idea. Our imagination. One
solution.” We believe our unique-
ness comes in our approach to
working with those with ideas to
help bring them to life. It has been
a pleasure helping to bring to life
the ideas of a book on Megargel’s
history and an excellent memorial
and monument.
To further support the Monument
project going forward, Persidea
pledges a portion from all book
sales today to the Monument fund.
Beginning at 1 p.m. they will be for
sale at the high school auditorium
and later this evening they will be
available at the Fire Hall. For each
Continues on page 2...
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It all started with an Idea
By Travis McWhorter, Publisher
Westover, Texas—It all started with
an idea that would not go away.
When Johnny Palmer saw the
monument that was installed in
Westover, Texas, to the school that
had once served Westover so
proudly, he pondered on an idea
he had always had for Megargel.
He was proud for them but a little
disappointed that he had not got-
ten Megargel’s up first. To quote
him, “It kinda got us going.”
Johnny had long wanted to build a
monument to the Megargel schools.
Once he shared that idea with
Anita, she grabbed the idea and set
out to get it done. She recognized
the passion in his heart, and it
quickly turned into the majority of
her waking moments over the next
few months.
Though Johnny only attended the
Megargel schools a few short years,
he moved to Megargel at age three
and Megargel got in his blood. All
three of his children graduated
from Megargel High. Johnny rep-
resents the feeling that hundreds
of people who have passed
through Megargel or still call it
home carry in their souls. The
town has always gotten its heart-
beat from the school which
pumped a lot of Megargel Spirit
throughout the world. Megargel
has touched many people. In a
way that is hard to explain unless
you have passed through yourself.
Recently, I had the opportunity to
speak at the final memorial servic-
es for Jesse Birdwell, a decendent
of one of Megargel’s pioneering
families. Jesse graduated in 1961
and spent his adult life in Victoria,
Texas. Jesse was a great friend of
mine and he truly loved Megargel.
He was always doing what he
could for Megargel, including
donating a set of golf clubs to the
“athletic department” in hopes of
kindling golf as a part of the
school, and one of his final acts
was to order the book that Anita
has written to be released today as
another way to support his love.
The family had asked that I tell
Continues on page 4...
Anita Palmer Captures
the Spirit of Megargel
If the excitement of a new monu-
ment to celebrate Megargel wasn’t
enough, August 16th is also the
official release of Anita Palmer’s
beautiful and historical book about
Megargel. The book is entitled
from Bluebirds to Mustangs, The
History of Megargel, Texas. The
book is an absolute must-read for
anyone that has any association
with Megargel now or ever. Almost
five hundred books have been sold
in advance of this release and all of
those pre-buying will have the
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Originally published on June 2,
1927 by The Megargel News
opportunity to get copies first and
have them autographed immedi-
ately following the morning cele-
bration and lunch.
The books will be ready to pick up
at the high school auditorium
and lobby from approximately
1:30 p.m. The publisher, Persidea
Publishing, made the decision to
print extra copies to defray the
expense for the Monument Fund
and is making them available for
sale as well. The price will be at a
reduced rate and a portion of the
price will be contributed to the
fund as well. The original pur-
chasers sure did get a great deal
because the book was upgraded in
size, number of pages and binding.
This book was designed to last for
years to come, and it will be a clas-
sic. It is planned to be available in
some of the area bookstores and also
may be ordered through Persidea.
Anita and many of those helping
her produce this great book will be
presenting a book review at the
auditorium as outlined on the
schedule on page 2 of the paper.
Come early, buy extra copies and
have them autographed.
When Anita started this project,
she never imagined the interest
that would come from her effort.
Many great stories are told and
some may have been missed.
However, there is always the
sequel when Megargel reaches its
100th Birthday. Anita had to rush
this to press and eventually cut off
input. There are enough Megargel
stories to fill a museum and Anita
has told just enough to catch the
spirit of this great town.
Anita is a true artist and this book
shows her keen skill in presenta-
tion and organization. It is truly a
must-read. You will read it again
and again.
Index
Today’s Events....................................2
Lifetime Residents .................................3
Pictorials........................................4
Donors .........................................5
Megargel Veterans .................................7
Books Available Today ..............................8
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The Megargel News (Megargel, Tex.), Ed. 1 Saturday, August 16, 2003, newspaper, August 16, 2003; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth806672/m1/1/: accessed May 7, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Archer Public Library.