1986 Band Headstands

Fall 1988: The End of the Homecoming Wrap Party

Any Dobie students caught trashing or vandalizing the school will receive 30 days at the guidance center and be removed from extracurricular activities for 30 days.

"We're very serious about keeping the peace around the school and protecting school property. We don't have any patience left. Hopefully, the parents will help us out. Although we call it homecoming week, the place for former students show their support is at the game Friday night, not up at the campus on week nights. We want everyone to have a safe, positive celebration," said Speer.



Dobie Ends Celebration Tradition

At least one homecoming tradition at Dobie High School won't take place this year because of rambunctious behavior and disregard for school property displayed for the last two years.

In the past, school administrators tolerated some overzealous activities surrounding homecoming week such as "papering" the trees and shrubbery around the school. The administrators considered the prank a somewhat harmless show of school spirit.

Unfortunately, the last two years, the situation grew into a more hazardous and negligent problem. "Before, we let the students go ahead and have a little fun with papering because they didn't do any real harm and cleanup only took a short time. The fun changed into a problem two years ago and last year's situation became dangerous, said principal Jerry Speer.


"Because of the actions of a small minority of students and ex-students we will not allow any kind of activity at the school that is not scheduled as a school function. If people do not have a legitimate reason for being on campus, they will be asked to leave," said Speer. Other than normally scheduled sporting events and other extracurricular activities, the school will also hold a dance Friday night following the football game.

Last year's celebration turned ugly when the number of people on campus and the amount of paper became unmanageable for the number of security officers and custodial staff on duty.

Speer said many of the young people at the school that night had either graduated or had been kicked out. Encouraged by large quantities of alcohol and being one of the the crowd, people gather at the school last year turned to vandalism.

By the time the crowd dispersed, a fire had been set on the roof of the school, graffiti had been painted on sidewalks and outside walls of the building, two glass doors had been smashed and a Pasadena ISD security car's windows had been broken.

"We had to call the fire department because of the fire on the roof and the fire marshal at the scene told me if the paper on the ground has caught fire, we would have had a serious problem," said Speer.

Last year's cleanup, handled by the district's Operations department cost $1,503.02, "There are a lot of other worthwhile things we can spend $1,500 worth of taxpayers money on," said Speer.

District administrators and security officers plan to quall any unnecessary activity this year before it gets started.

Because other school functions will be going on at the school the night before the homecoming game, people can't be stopped from coming on campus. Anyone without a reason to be on school property will be asked to leave. If they don't they will be charged with criminal trespassing. 

1989 FFA Barn Rebuilds

Hurricane Chantal's winds swept across the South Belt area in gusts of more than 60 mph, unfortunately ripping off the roof of the Dobie Future Farmers of America's livestock barn. The barn built by funds raised by the students and the booster club had taken five years to build. Residents, civic clubs and businesses and donated money, time and supplies to help rebuild the structure for the animals' protection. FFA member Garret Downs carries food through the structure before initial repairs were begun. 

3/28/89 Coach Scott Talton

Mr. Emotion, Dobie Basketball coach Scott Talton, met his match in accepting surprises Tuesday night after the Longhorns defeated Smiley 65-64 advancing to the area playoffs . . .  but does this look like a man who has taken the Dobie basketball team farther in the playoffs than any previous team? Coach received more than a victory hug from his wife, Vickie. She let him and the rest of the fans in on a little family secret.

A few other Coach Talton photos from the Leader files:

1986 The Road to Green Tee

May 22, 1986

Can't Wait

Motorists have been taking their chances on whether one of the two above new entrances to Green Tee from Scarsdale is passable. Motorists are encouraged not to use the roads as the concrete has not yet settled. The road is expected to be officially open within 30 days.

 . . .

34 days later . . .

June 26, 1986

Green Tee road barricaded . . .

Barricades have gone up along the stretch of Scarsdale Blvd. that connects Sageglen and Green Tee subdivisions. The road has been closed by Ayrshire Developers at the request of County Commissioner El Franco Lee. The road will open when formally accepted by the city of Pearland.

[I'm not sure if that happened by the end of summer, but I do remember it being open by Christmas time. So, not 30 days, but less than 6 months!]

1986 SVFD Building New Fire Station

First Permanent Home

The Southeast Volunteer Fire Department will soon seen construction of its first permanent home since the operation began 15 years ago.

By the middle of June, a 5200-square-foot fire station will be under construction at the end of Hughes Road, in the Sagemeadow Subdivision, said Chuck Tylka, president of the SVFD board.

The structure, to be built at an estimated cost of $130000 will stand on a 15,000 square foot lot donated to the department by Ayrshire Development Corp. 

The new station, to be completed by October of this year, will become the new Station No. 1, Tylka said.  The current station No. 1 is housed in the Scarsdale Subdivision in a building owned by the Scarsdale Civic Association. While the lease on that building will expire in December, Tylka said the department may renew the lease or possibly lease another building in that vicinity. 

We feel like we need to maintain a presence in the area," Tylka said.

The Scarsdale location is not ideal for the primary station, Tylka, said, because it is located in the city, not in the service area, and also because the fire trucks have to frequent the small neighborhood streets.

The department will also continue to utilize a portion of the Sagemeadow Utility District Building on Hughes Road for storage of equipment, the president said.

This will not the first station built by the Southeast Volunteer Fire Department. In 1972 the department build a station on Sagearbor, only to learn that Sagemont was being annexed. In 1973, Houston's Fire Station No. 70 moved into the building.

The volunteer department then moved to its Scarsdale location.

That building, located on the property of the Sagemont Municipal Utility Deistrict was the second major department purchased, preceded by the purchase of a pumper, Tylka said.

By building on land owned by the department itself, there are no fears of having to abandon.

Tylka said he realizes the fire department has a limited life span as annexation inches closer to the unincorporated sections of the South Belt area. But that life span, he said, could last from three to 30 years.

[Side note: the SVFD is going strong some 28 years since this article's publication.]

1986 Local Corvette Enthusiasts

By day, Larry Wright and Alan Robertson are local white-collar businessmen in stressful, high-profile professions. 

However, after quitting time, the pair shed their coats and ties for faded, oil-stained blue jeans, T-shirts, and Beach Boys cassettes as they actively restore beat up Corvettes to their original showroom lustre in the garage of Robertson's Kirkwood home.

"I work with figures all day. I sit at a desk .  .  I wear a coat and tie," Wright, a Green Tee resident and a local bank executive, said. "I work hard and get grease on my elbows."

"During the day, I work with customers and mechanics," says Robertson, a service manager at an area car dealership. "I very rarely work on them (cars)."

Rich Man's Sport

At first thought, one might believe the reassembling of a Corvette is strictly a "rich man's sport" but Wright dispels that notion.

If you have most of the work done for you, it's a rich man's sport," Wright said. "In my opinion, you can't buy a Corvette and subcontract the work without losing substantial amounts of money."

Robertson agreed, noting the going shop rate for labor at most car dealerships is $39 an hour.

To alleviate the expense, Wright and Robertson do 80 to 90 percent of the work on heir Corvette projects themselves at night and most weekends.

"The car we have now (a 1963 spot-window coupe) is in 5,000 pieces. "It's all in baskets."

But saving money isn't the sole motivation for the Corvette enthusiasts. "I like the idea of having something I can show off," Robertson said. "You can say you did it (put the car together) with your own hands."

We think it's the greatest hobby in the world, "Wright said. "I can afford to buy a 1986 Corvette but I like my 1962 (model) more."

Support
The pair also have the support of their families and friends. "Both of our wives are very supportive," Wright said, "One of their fun things is to go to swap meets."

"We have a lot of friends who work with us," Wright added. "It's kind of a fraternity."